The Practicality of the Phablet

In some parts of the internet, there is a push for bigger screens for our phones, which, increasingly, are smartphones instead of dumbphones. One idea that has attempts to meet this push is the phablet. In case you don't know what a "phablet" is, it is a tablet computer with phone hardware in it (so you can make phone calls with it).

I see a few problems with the phablet idea. The first is portability. I thought cell phones were supposed to be portable (and able to fit in your pants pocket). Since the phablet has a screen that's bigger than the average man's pants pocket, that means that you are always going to have to carry around some kind of carrying case. Ladies already have this covered in the form of the purse, but the average guy would not want to be caught dead carrying around a "man purse" (different from a laptop bag). Whenever you get a phone call, you usually reach into your pants pocket (or rummage around in your purse) for your phone and then answer the call. With the phablet, you will have to take extra time to open your phablet carrying case and then press the answer button. If you have other stuff you're carrying besides the phablet case, you'll have to set everything else down as well (which, depending on the situation, can be a nuisance).

The second problem is perception of the awkwardness of holding the phablet. The size of the phablet will require you to use two hands to hold it. Many times, I (and others too) multitask while using our cell phones. If we are using both of our hands to hold the phone, we can't multitask anymore. Finding the earpiece is going to be a bit awkward as well if we are in a rush. The only solution I can see for the earpiece issue is going to be a bluetooth headset. That's fine if you want it (or already have a headset), but that's extra money you have to spend besides the cost of the phone.

The third problem is battery life. Tablet computers have more powerful processors than phones do and the faster the processor, the more juice it's going to use. Another aspect of this problem is "instant-on". The device has to always be ready for a phone call to come in and so must have a fast resume from standby time. If the firmware and drivers aren't tuned for this kind of thing, you may end up having some missed calls (that you didn't want to miss).

Let's not forget the important thing: the function a phone should do best is to make phone calls. If it can't do that very well, than what's the point of using the device as a phone? I think we have gotten too wrapped up in the extra things that a phone can do. A smartphone that can't make phone calls is just a computer.

I realize that I might not have covered everything so if there's something I missed or you have a good argument for a phablet, let me know in the comment box below. I would like to know what you think about this.

 While you're reading this, why not try some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. If you have a Keurig machine, the monks also have k-cups for purchase as well (known as "monk shots"). Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with my endeavors as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

While we are waiting for updates to my windows phone apps (trust me, I'm working on them), if you want to go ahead and get my apps now, please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Media Player Feature Wish List

If you are wondering where I have been for the past few weeks, training for my (new) job at PTC has gotten intense and I was busy at home as well. However, I have been testing an update for the paid version of Mobile Media Manager and advanced my prayer app development to near the point of release.

As I am gathering ideas for the next release cycle for my media player app for Windows Phone, Mobile Media Manager, I would like to know what other users want in a media player. Is there something that the default system media player, Xbox Music (or Zune if you're on Windows Phone 7), doesn't do or could do better? Right now, I will say that an equalizer is not possible at this time. I'm looking at SkyDrive integration and streaming support, and there is a small possibility for YouTube support (audio only, low on the priorities list).

There's no guarantee that every idea suggested in the comments will make it in, but I will do what I can. Please put your suggestions into the comment box below.

Update Available for Nokia 820

Update: Upon checking the Nokia support site, I can say that the update brings us all updates up to the 1314 update (so now, the 820 is on par with the 920 again).

Finally! I just got notice that there is an update available for Nokia 820 for those of us on the AT&T network. I haven't had a chance to check it out and download it since I'm at work (just got the notification), but I just wanted to give everyone the heads-up.

My thought is it's the long awaited 1308 update, although with the BUILD conference going on right now and Visual Studio getting Update 3, I am not surprised that the update is being released around this time. When I get home tonight, I will download it and update you on what it has.

Please note that you must be connected to Wi-Fi in order to download the update (but you can discover it with your cellular connection).

If anyone wants to fill me in on more details about the update before I get home, that would be good (please use the comment box below to do so). If you want to share your experience with the update, feel free to do so as well.

While you're waiting on the download, why not try some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. If you have a Keurig machine, the monks also have k-cups for purchase as well (known as "monk shots") Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with my endeavors as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

While we are waiting for updates to my windows phone apps (trust me, I'm working on them), if you want to go ahead and get my apps now, please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

A Simplified Guide to Understanding Recursion

For many beginning computer science students, the idea of recursion is difficult to grasp. I wager that some more experienced computer science students or even some seasoned developers out of college and already out in the field don't really grasp the idea of recursion. As an f.y.i., I use "function" and "method" interchangeably to mean the same thing (it depends on which language you're most comfy with).

First of all, all recursive functions have what is known as a "base case". A base case is the "state" which you want to get to with the recursive function. If you haven't met the base case yet, you take steps to get to that base case.

As an example to illustrate this concept, let's look at the factorial function. For a technical definition of a factorial, the factorial of a non-negative integer n, denoted by n!, is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to n. In case you forgot about 0! (the ! sign is the formal operator for the factorial), 0! is equal to 1 (so we will just forget about it). Now, let's use 5! as our example. If we were to multiply this out manually, we have

5! = 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 = 120

Now that we know this, let's build a recursive function to do this. In this demo, I will use C# as the programming language, but it's the same idea in Java and C++.

public int recursiveFactorial(int base, int multiplier) {
     //this is our base case
     if (multiplier == 1) {
         return base;
     }
     else {
         //if we haven't met our base case yet, we take steps to get to that base case
         base = base * multiplier;
         return recursiveFactorial(base, (multiplier - 1));
}

Now let's look at what this function does. It first takes in 2 integers as input, base and multiplier. Base is the number we start out with (in this case, 5), and multiplier is the number we will multiply base by if we haven't met our base case (multiplier starts out as base - 1 to fit the definition of the factorial). The base case here is to get multiplier = 1. So now, let's run our function and see how the recursion works.

First, we will call

recursiveFactorial(5, 4);

Now here, we check: is 4 equal to 1? No, it is not, so the else part of our recursive function activates and we simplify things to get closer to our base case by calling the function again with 20 as our base input variable and (4-1) as our multiplier input variable.

recursiveFactorial(20, 3);

Now we check again: is 3 equal to 1? No, it is not, so the else part of our recursive function activates again (and we multiply base times multiplier) to get closer to our base case.

recursiveFactorial(60, 2);

Are we starting to get the picture yet? Now here, we check: is 2 equal to 1? No, it is not, so the else part of our recursive function activates yet again and things are simplified even more (by multiplying base times multiplier again) to get ever closer to our base case.

recursiveFactorial(120, 1);

We check again: is 1 equal 1? Yes, we have finally met our base case, so we just end things by returning base. From here, the value "bubbles up" to the top "level" (where we first called the recursiveFactorial function).

If you've ever heard the term "stack overflow", it comes from this idea of recursion. With a stack overflow, a recursive function is called so many times that the computer doesn't have enough memory available to handle the recursion, so the computer crashes.

So does this guide help you to grasp the idea of recursion? If you are a seasoned developer, can I improve this guide (or give better examples)? Please let me know in the comment box below.

While you're learning about recursion, why not try some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. If you have a Keurig machine, the monks also have k-cups for purchase as well (known as "monk shots") Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with my endeavors as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

While we are waiting for updates to my windows phone apps (trust me, I'm working on them), if you want to go ahead and get my apps now, please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE
CodeProject

First Update Since Out of School

In case you are wondering where I have been, no, I am not dead (and this blog is not dead either). Things have changed since I last posted here, so I will give my readers an update on what has been going on and keeping me from writing.

First, the finals exams of my senior year of college are done and I have officially graduated from Wheeling Jesuit University with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. The workload with school and programming was keeping me from regular updates with the blog. I have also secured employment with P.T.C. (Parametric Technology Corporation).

Second is the program updates. I have been working on updates for the paid version of Mobile Media Manager. Once I get this update for the paid version is out, I will be working an update which will be more Windows Phone 8-specific (using Windows Phone 8 features). I will still be putting out updates for the Windows Phone 7 port of Mobile Media Manager.

BSA Eagle Tracker is long due for an update. I promise that an update is coming, please be patient for a little while longer.

My build of Seven-Eighter will also have an update soon as well (yes, I have been reading everyone's tech support enquires, so I am aware of problems users have had).

I am also working on 2 new apps, one being for Windows Phone and another for Windows 8. The one for Windows Phone is a prayer app. Its purpose is to help you with finding time for prayer and help in diversifying your prayer life. It is geared towards Catholics (more specifically, Roman Catholics), but there is room for expansion for both Eastern Catholics and Protestants. More features and prayers will be coming with future updates. If there is enough interest from Eastern Catholics, I can work on incorporating some Eastern Catholic stuff in there as well.

The Windows 8 app is a social media app. It is meant to be a quick "dashboard" to see into all of your social media all in 1 list, organized time-wise by the most recent status first. For example, if I use Facebook and Twitter and the most recent status is from Facebook, the Facebook status will show up first in the list. If the most recent status is from Twitter, the Twitter tweet will show up first in the list. Your standard reaction commands (like and comment for Facebook and reply and retweet for Twitter) will be available. If you need to make any account changes, however, you will need to go to the respective social media site and modify your settings there. Also, you will be able to "link" a person between social media accounts (like linking a person's Facebook username with his or her Twitter username) and see all entries for that person under the linked name (the "linking" is done just within the program, so there is no actual linking of social media services outside of the program). Depending on progress, the linking feature might be put in an update rather than the initial release, but it is definitely coming.

This is all for now, but I figured that I should give my readers some kind of update to show that my blog is not dead. I should be posting more frequently from now on.

While you're waiting for your problems with phone updates to be over, why not try some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

While we are waiting for updates to my windows phone apps, if you want to go ahead and get my apps now, please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

New Tool to Recover from Seven-Eighter Language Errors

Update: If you have been getting a message about the image update error or the program is not responding after hitting the continue button, I put some steps to further diagnose your problems in one of the comments below.

Update 2: A new build of the Language Restore tool is (finally) available for download (download link hasn't changed). If you are still having problems see my comment in the comment box below for steps for further help.

If you used Seven-Eighter to update your windows phone device and messed up when choosing the language packs, there is hope for you. I have made a program which will allow you to restore language packs that you forgot to choose when you ran Seven-Eighter (either my version or the original version) to update your windows phone device.

All you need to do is download the program and run it with your phone connected while Zune is not running. If Zune pops up when you connect your phone to your computer, simply exit out of Zune.

download link: http://bit.ly/102usaK

If you are wondering where the download is once you click the download link, look for the "skip ads" button in the top right-hand corner of your screen and click it (to get the file download prompt).

If you have any problems with using the program, please let me know as soon as possible so I can correct them. If you have any trouble with the links and downloading, please let me know as well. The program is free for your use, but if you want to throw something my way to support me, my paypal e-mail is "toa649@myway.com".

While you're waiting for your problems with phone updates to be over, why not try some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, I am working on updates to both the free and paid versions of Mobile Media Manager. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker is also in the works. I admit that school is sucking much of my free time out of me, but I will continue to work on the updates in my spare time. If you want to get my apps now (while waiting), please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

New Build of Seven-Eighter with support for Easy Future Updates

Update(3-21-2013 11:04 EDT): If you messed up and didn't choose the right language packs, I have a program out that can help you recover.   http://bit.ly/16Lv2iq

Update(3-19-2013 22:49 EDT): I have released a new version which fixed the problem in the last release which caused the update to fail (it was a logic error on my end). As of now, you should not have that problem. I also added some more user-friendly features designed to provide more useful information to you, the user. The link to download the new version is below.

Update(3-17-2013  11:16 EDT): I finally fixed the link that was giving the WebException and preventing the program from downloading the update list. There is no new download needed (just run the program again).

Update(3-17-2013  14:50 EDT): I have an updated build of my version of Seven-Eighter that fixes some bugs.

If you have a windows Phone 7.x device, you have most likely heard of the Windows Phone 7.8 update that Microsoft released. Unfortunately for all of us, the rollout of this update has not been pretty for the customers. Microsoft released the update on January 31, 2013. The intent was that the update would be available for all existing Windows Phone 7.x devices. However, there has been some disconnect in getting this update. T-Mobile has said that none of the devices running Windows Phone 7.x on its network will get the update. Sprint has given no official word on updates for devices running Windows Phone 7.x on its network (if this is incorrect, please tell me so I can correct this). Verizon has seen some of the devices running Windows Phone 7.x on its network get the upgrade (again, if this is incorrect, please tell me so I can correct this). AT&T has said that all devices stated in this support document are getting the update, but so far, only Nokia Lumina 900 devices on its network have gotten the update notification. Word has it that AT&T will be sending out the update notification for all other mentioned devices near the end of this month (March).

For those who would rather not wait for the notification or whose device is confirmed to not get the update notification, there are unofficial methods that exist which will allow you to still get the update. The first one is changing the value of the MobileOperator string in the registry.

If that doesn't allow you to get the update, you should try my special modified version of Seven-Eigher. Thanks to Jaxbot providing the source code, I changed some things around so that you don't have to download a new version of Seven-Eighter if Microsoft ever puts out (yet) another update for Windows Phone 7.x (it downloads the list of updates from the internet, so all I need to do is to change the update configuration list if a new update comes out) and its a little more descriptive so you have less of a chance of messing up the update process. You need .NET Framework version 4.0 or greater to run it. As far as downgrades go, (for now) you can only use Zune to downgrade 1 os update, meaning if you had 2 os updates installed in the process, you can only go back 1 level. And yes, it does support the latest update (8862).

To download my modified version of Seven-Eighter, here's the link: http://bit.ly/13a6aBW

If you have any problems and/or comments, just use the comment box below and I take care of it as soon as I can. If you have any input on how I can improve it as well, I am willing to take any (and all) suggestions. I am also curious as to how my version is compared to the original. The program is free for your use, but if you want to throw something my way to support me, my paypal e-mail is "toa649@myway.com".

While you're waiting for the new phone updates to come your way, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, I am working on updates to both the free and paid versions of Mobile Media Manager. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker is also in the works. I admit that school is sucking much of my free time out of me, but I will continue to work on the updates in my spare time. If you want to get my apps now (while waiting), please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Habemus Papam

Yes, you read the title correctly. We do, indeed, have a new successor to the chair of Peter. The new pope is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (from Argentina).

Update (17:50 EDT): corrected the name of the new pope

This conclave's time length to choose a new pope was 3 days. While this is a big difference from the record for longest time taken to choose a new pope (3 years), I am sure we are all glad that the new pope was chosen before Easter. There is no word yet on which name the new pope has chosen.

Update (16:30 EDT): The (new) Pope has chosen the name "Francis"

I wish the new pope well as he takes his place as the new successor of Peter. Let us pray for him, so that he will do his job well. The new pope happens to be a Jesuit, so today is a big day for the Society of Jesus and all of the high schools and universities they run, including the one I attend (Wheeling Jesuit University).

On a side note, it has not been made known whether the new pope enjoys Mystic Monk Coffee or not. To celebrate the choosing of the new Holy Father, do it with some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

The Current State of Windows Phone 7.8 Updates

Well, if you Windows Phone users haven't gotten the news yet, Microsoft has released the Windows Phone 7.8 update for all Windows Phone 7.x phones. As of now, all unlocked phones can get the update. If you have a carrier-locked phone, you are basically at the mercy of the cell carrier for updates.

I am not sure about the state of updates for phones on the Verizon and Sprint networks (maybe someone on those networks can fill me in on the current situation). I have AT&T as my cell carrier. AT&T has a colorful past as far as Windows Phone updates go. For all updates through Mango, things went smoothly. Once build 7720 came out, AT&T only released updates for phones that came with Windows Phone 7.5, leaving all phones that came with Windows Phone 7.0 out in the cold. However, I have good news. AT&T IS going to release the Windows Phone 7.8 update to ALL AT&T phones running Windows Phone. The current status of the update is: "Testing". Once AT&T is done with "testing", it will be released to everyone (via the usual Zune method). According to people in AT&T's support department, the update should be out before February is over. For now, all we can do is to be patient.

T-Mobile is a different story. T-Mobile has said outright that it will not release the Windows Phone 7.8 update to its phones running any version of Windows Phone. Personally, I think this is a slap in the face to ALL T-Mobile customers with WP7.x phones. Customers bought WP7.x phones with the expectations of support and updates. Now, I do realize that there comes a time when support for a device stops, but this is too soon for that.

If you have been scouring the internet looking for update help for carrier-locked phones, you might have heard about a utility called Seven-Eighter that downloads the updates and forces them onto the phone. I say use it at your own risk. I have seen threads in various forums all over the internet with people asking for help because they used Seven-Eighter to update their phone and now something doesn't work. If you are not technically minded (or like stability), I recommended that you wait until the carrier releases the updates. I will also add that this has the possibility of voiding your phone's warranty as well, so please be cautious.

My main phone is an LG Quantum. For quantum users (on AT&T), some people on the internet have proposed using the registry editor in the MFG app to change the MobileOperator string from "ATT-US" to "BEL-CA" (stands for Bell Mobile, a Canadian carrier). I say that this is not a good idea. When you do that, you don't have an AT&T LG Quantum..you have a Bell Mobile LG Quantum instead. This can cause complications for any normal usage (and maybe updates as well). Your warranty can be voided this way as well.

Right now, the only safe way to update is to wait for the carrier to release the updates. If you are very impatient, you can try alternate methods to force the update(s), but be forewarned that things might not work as they should. I invite you to share your thoughts and/or update experiences via the comment box below.

While you're waiting for the new updates to come your way, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, the update for both the paid version and the free version of Mobile Media Manger is out. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker is now in the works. If you want to get my apps now (while waiting), please use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Highlights From the March for Life

If you missed it, yesterday was the Right to Life March in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. I, myself, went with some other students and faculty from Wheeling Jesuit University. The day started off with Mass at St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Washington, D.C., joining students from other Jesuit universities. After that, it was off to the rally before the march. The weather wasn't the best (a high of 30 degrees Farenheit with snow), but that didn't matter much.

It's important to fight for everyone's God-given right to life. If a person cannot support the right to life for the unborn, then what makes you think the same person will respect the right to life of those already born?

Abortion threatens that right to life with is guaranteed for every person, born or unborn. I would define Abortion as the act of inducing premature labor in the woman, murdering the child (who was just forced out of the uterus) using a variety of methods, all which are intended to cause death, and then vacuuming out the remains because "it's just a fetus; it's not really alive and its existence threatens my own (selfish) goals".

It is important to remember that being pro-life includes more than just being pro-birth. Pro-life means support for all stages of a person's life, from the moment of conception to the natural stages of death. Yesterday's march was a testimony to this idea. Many different types of people from all realms of life came together to march for justice for the unborn that have been (unjustly) murdered as a result of the 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe vs Wade. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just the Christians which are there at the march in support of life. At the rally before the march, I saw a group there called Secularists for Life. My friends from Wheeling Jesuit University there at the march with me also saw groups of atheists and agnostics as well, although these groups (probably) have their own reasons for life which may or may not include religion.

I, myself, (and I am sure others also) think think that abortion is unpatriotic and very anti-American. In our own Declaration of Independence, it says that everyone is entitled to three basic rights: the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to the pursuit of happiness. Abortion violates all three of these basic rights. By going through with an abortion, you first deny to the right to life to the unborn. Abortion also denies the liberty of the unborn to, one day, make their own decisions which could change the world, but because of the abortion, this change will never come. The right to the pursuit of happiness is denied to the unborn as a consequence of denying the unborn the right to life. The aborted child will never get his or her chance to have the human experiences that you and I have (every day) and the chance to be happy in life.

If the pro-life movement wants another solution to help end (the availablility of) abortion. I say let abortion clinics be held to the same (federal) inspection standards as other medical facilities. I bet many abortion clinics would be forced to close because od this.

For everyone that went to the march, I hope you had (or will have) a safe trip back to wherever you came from. If you want to share your thought on the March for Life, or pro-life information in general, I invite you to share it via the comment box below.

It was certainly cold outside yesterday, a perfect situation for drinking coffee. If you're going to drink coffee, why not drink it like a mystic monk? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

How to Utilize the Windows 8 Start Menu screen to its Fullest Potential

In the comment section of the Ars Technica article I referenced yesterday and elsewhere on the internet, I notice a lot of complaining about Microsoft's decision to get rid of the start menu button and to turn it into the Start Menu screen found in Windows 8. However, through my using of Windows 8, I've found that the new Start Menu screen is, indeed, an improvement over the traditional start menu found in Windows 7 (and older), even for traditional laptops and desktops. For those of you mourning the start menu button's death, you can simply go back to the Start Menu by pressing the Win key, or by pressing the Start Menu button on the charms bar (brought up by either moving the mouse to either the bottom-right or top-right corner or by swiping from the right if you have a touchscreen).

The first item is the usage of live tiles. Under Windows 7, you could pin programs you use the most to the start menu, but it was limited by the size of the start menu "frame". In Windows 8, you have the whole screen to work with. The idea here is that you can pin the tiles of the programs you use most often to the start menu, and it's the first thing you see when the start menu is opened. Believe it or not, you can remove a pinned live tile from the start menu, but still have the program installed. If you unpin a tile, you can still find an entry for that program in the list of All Programs (found on the bottom of the screen by either right-clicking on the start menu somewhere, but not on a tile, or swiping up from the bottom of the screen, if you have a touchscreen). This way, you can keep your start menu clear of tiles of programs you don't use often, which can create clutter. You can also move the order of tiles around and group tiles however you like. Have the tiles for your most important programs on the left of the screen and going right in order of diminishing importance. Every program that is installed pins a live tile to the Start Menu screen by default, so you can always change the tile's position or remove the tile from the Start Menu screen.

Some people say they just (in Windows 7) open the start menu and type the first few letters of the program they want to open in the search textbox and results appear. Well, this is also possible with Windows 8. All you have to do is be on the start screen, and just start typing. The results of the search will pop up just as they did under Windows 7. Granted, on a tablet, you can't just start typing unless you have a hardware keyboard (if you don't have one, just open up the Charms bar and choose "Find"), but it's still possible. This is also where the grouped live tiles can help. If you know you have a program in a certain group and know where that group is on the Start Menu screen, it's faster than trying to find it via search.

Contrary to popular myth, Win32 programs, as well as Metro-UI programs, can be pinned to the Start Menu screen. The only difference is that the tiles for Win32 programs aren't exactly "live". The new start menu also lets you uninstall programs faster than on Windows 7. In Windows 7, you had to go into the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel, choose your program, and uninstall it. This is still possible in Windows 8 (for Win32 programs), but there is a faster way. If you bring up the right-click menu for a tile on the start menu (or if you don't have a pinned tile for the given program, the right-click menu for its entry in the All Programs list), there is an option to uninstall it right then and there.

Since the Start Menu is fullscreen, this means that Microsoft had to move the taskbar (it's to the right side of the screen). While this move is debatable, this means that you have more room for (live) tiles.

I hope that, along with my article on keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8, this helps you to be more productive with the latest version of Windows, Windows 8.  If you have any thoughts on the new Start Menu or anything else in Windows 8, please share them in the comment box below.

While you're learning about how to best use the new start menu in Windows 8, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, the update for the free version of Mobile Media Manger is out. However, I found an embarrassing bug in that update (the button to move items up in the playlist manager is not working, but the one to move items down in the playlist manager is working and everything else works). I will be submitting a fix for this in the next day or two, along with an update for the paid version of Mobile Media Manger. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker will soon follow. If you want to get my apps now while waiting for the update, use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Handy-Dandy Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 8

Last night, I found a post on Ars Technica about start menu replacements in Windows 8. After reading many of the comments there, I realized that some of the problems people are complaining about are easily solved with keyboard shortcuts available in Windows 8.

With this in mind, here are some keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8 that you should memorize (shortcuts newly available in Windows 8 will have "New" after them) with some explanations about what they do:

• Win : This one is the most obvious. Pressing the Windows (logo) key on the keyboard will take you back to the Start Menu screen.
• Ctrl + Alt + Delete : This one has been around since the early days of Windows and is still available for your use in Windows 8. If you don't already know what this keyboard shortcut does, it brings up a little menu which allows you to lock your session, switch the current user, logout, or open the Task Manager.
• Alt + Tab : This allows you to cycle through the list of all open programs (both Metro-UI programs and Win32 programs). Furthermore, after pressing Alt + Tab, you can also use the mouse to click on the (open) program you want to switch to.
• Ctrl + X : Cut (or Move, if dealing with files)
• Ctrl + C : Copy
• Ctrl + V : Paste
• Win + Tab (New) : This allows you to cycle through the list of all Metro-UI programs. Please note that all Win32 programs fall under one big program here, "Desktop". Like Alt + Tab, , after pressing Alt + Tab, you can also use the mouse to click on the (open) program you want to switch to.
• Win + C (New) (Important) : This keyboard shortcut is very important. It opens up the "taskbar" on the right side of the screen. This keyboard shortcuts saves you the effort of moving the mouse to the bottom-right corner of the screen to make it show up.
• Win + E : opens up a new file explorer window
• Win + X (New) : This keyboard shortcut is a system administrator's best friend. Pressing it will bring up a little menu where the start menu button used to be. This menu contains links to all essential administrative parts of Windows.
• Win + F (New) : This keyboard shortcut brings up the search menu, where you can search for items in all available categories.

This is just a short list of (essential) keyboard shortcuts. For a fuller list, please see Microsoft's list of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8. In my next post, I will share my thoughts on how to fully utilize the potential of Microsoft's new Start Screen in Windows 8.

So, hopefully, this helps you to be more productive with the latest version of Windows, Windows 8. Is there a keyboard shortcut I should add this list that isn't there already? If there is, or if you have any other thoughts about this in Windows 8, please share them in the comment box below.

While you're learning about these new shortcuts in Windows 8, why not drink some delicious Mystic Monk Coffee? Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, the update for the free version of Mobile Media Manger is out. However, I found an embarrassing bug in that update (the button to move items up in the playlist manager is not working, but the one to move items down in the playlist manager is working and everything else works). I will be submitting a fix for this in the next day or two, along with an update for the paid version of Mobile Media Manger. The update for BSA Eagle Tracker will soon follow. If you want to get my apps now while waiting for the update, use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Imagine Cup Check on Participants

Well, I hope everyone had a nice Christmas break. As we will be coming back to our respective colleges and universities some time within the next 2 weeks, I thought this might be a good idea to check in with everyone who is participating in the Imagine Cup competition in 2013.

If you don't know what the Imagine Cup is, it is a competition held annually by Microsoft in which students use their imagination and their knowledge to come up with a technology solution to a problem in the world today. The competition is broken down into different categories. If you participated in Imagine Cup in the past, you might be interested to find that the categories have changed from previous years. The categories for this year are: Games, Innovation, World Citizenship, Windows 8 Apps, Windows Azure, and Windows Phone

If you make it past the preliminaries in the Games, Innovation, or World Citizenship categories, you will get a chance to come to Microsoft for the US Finals. From there, the finalists in each of those categories from each country will go on to the Worldwide Finals, held, this year, in St. Petersburg, Russia in July.

If you have a team together, but haven't submitted a project yet, there's still time (but not much left). If you want to participate in the new US Imagine Cup Accelerator program this year, you have until January 6 to sign up. I will mention that participation in the accelerator program is optional. If you are not participating in the accelerator program, but still want to participate in Imagine Cup this year, you have until (at least, for the Games, Innovation, World Citizenship categories; dates for the other competitions vary) March 24, 2013.

For those of you who have already signed up and are working on something wonderful for the competition, I hope everything is coming along smoothly and I wish you all well. May the best project win.

If you want more information on Imagine CUP, just follow this link. If you need tools for the competition, Microsoft offers students free software tools via Dreamspark.

So, what are you thoughts on Imagine Cup, past or present? Please share them with me via the comment box below.

We all know that this competition requires hard work, and hard work can sometimes involve long nights, even if your tired. To help you stay awake during those long working hours, I recommend drinking some (tasty) Mystic Monk Coffee. Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, I will have updates to all of my existing programs submitted to the Windows Phone marketplace by next week (Christmas/New Years caused a delay, sorry). If you want to get my apps now while waiting for the update, use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Merry Christmas Everyone

And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people:
 For, this day, is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you.  You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will. And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us.
  And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.    (Luke 2:8-20)

Well, the festive season of Christmas starts today. The quote above is taken from Luke's gospel. Half of it is part of the gospel for the Mass at Midnight and the other half is part of the gospel for the Mass at Dawn.

It's funny that only Luke's gospel mentions the shepherds. Then again, this makes sense, seeing as Luke's gospel was written for gentiles. You can imagine what the shepherds who got the message felt like, awe-struck and full of fear. Now at the time, being a shepherd was not a well-paying job. The fact that the angels came to poor people like the shepherds fits right in line with how Jesus spent a good bit of his ministry on earth with the poor, since the rich usually rejected Jesus's message. Notice that the message that the angels bring to the shepherds is for the whole world, and not just the Jewish people. A savior has been born..for all of us; the same savior that would eventually die on the Cross for the sins of everyone and redeem the whole world. After the message had been proclaimed, the shepherds left for Bethlehem in haste to see this great and awesome sight. When the shepherds told Mary and Joseph (and anyone else who might have been there), we are told that they all "wondered" at everything the shepherds said. However, Luke makes a special mention of Mary, saying that she was "pondering them in her heart". Mary might have been wondering what this message meant at the time, but it all makes more sense as Jesus does his ministry on earth. If you noticed, this is also the part of scripture where we get the first part of the Gloria that we sing at Mass from.

 I would just like to wish everyone a very Merry and Joyous Christmas this year. The Christmas season (at least, in the Roman Catholic Church, things might be different for Eastern Catholics) lasts from today all the way to the Baptism of our Lord (January 13, 2013). During this time, let's not forget that Jesus is the real reason for the season.

Any comments and well wishes are welcome and you can put them in the comment box below.

End of the World (or Lack Thereof)

Well folks, today is the day that the world, according to popular myth, is supposed to end. Now, I, myself, do not believe this. However, to back up my credibility, here are a few sources that support my opinion.

First, our Lord himself did say that we don't know the time of when the world will end. Our Lord also warns us to be ready for when he comes.

But of that day and hour no one knoweth, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone. And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.   (Mathew 24:36-37)

This myth, incidentally, supposedly occurs during this time of Advent, the time used to prepare our hearts and minds for the birth and (second) coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus warns us to be ready for when he does come again.

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark, And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.     (Matthew 24:38-39)

Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.   (Matthew 25:13)

If you do not believe in God and need some reason-based facts, we do not know which calendar system the 2012 year would appear on. Keep in mind that the myth predates the Gregorian calender system we use today and also the Julian calendar, the calender system in place for the western world before the Gregorian calendar, as well. There are other calendar systems in place in various parts of the world, so which one of them would be right.

Lastly, the Mayans themselves don't believe the myth about the world ending and are asking everyone to do the same. If the source itself doesn't believe it, than why should we?

From all of this, we can conclude that the whole Mayan doomsday thing is a false New Age belief. However, this is a convenient moment to remind everyone to "be ready" and as part of that, please go to confession.

So what do you think of all this? Please share your thoughts in the comment box below.

While you're waiting for Jesus to come back and taking in the 2012 doomsday thing as myth, why not drink some Mystic Monk Coffee. Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well, especially since Christmas is right around the corner.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, I will have updates to all of my existing programs submitted to the Windows Phone marketplace by next week. If you want to get my apps now while waiting for the update, use the following links:

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Some Thoughts on the Current State of Xbox Live

It's been more than 1 month since Windows 8 was released to the general public. With Windows 8, we now have 3 ways to play our Xbox (Live) games: on our console (Xbox 360), on our phone (Windows Phone), and now our Computer (Windows 8) as well. However, the current state of games is somewhat lacking on the Windows 8 end.

When Windows 8 came out, I was expecting some of the biggest console Xbox (360) hits like Halo to make their way to Windows 8. As of now, I have not seen this happen. An upside is that some popular games on the Windows Phone side of Xbox were ported to Windows 8.

One aspect of having these 3 platforms available for us for gaming is that has been overlooked in many instances is the aspect of integration between systems. One idea for integration is in a given game, there are some goodies within that game that can be used on that game's port for a different platform. One game that does do this is Kinectimals on Windows Phone. Once you have your pet on one system (like Windows Phone), you can transfer it to another system and continue raising the exact same pet (like Xbox 360). Another idea for integration is to use one system to control another. An example here is using something on windows phone to control the game in some way on an Xbox 360. The last aspect I will add for now is the aspect of multiplayer cross-platform gaming. Basically a person on one platform's port of a game can play someone else at the exact same game on a different platform. An example of this would be someone playing Halo on Xbox 360 is playing against another person in the exact same scenario, but on Halo on Windows 8.


Finally, for a while now, I have felt that the Xbox 360 is slowly dying. From what I have seen as far as upcoming releases go, I see no new games being released. What is being released are sequels being released for existing game series. This will only work for a short time. Offering the Kinect as a way to enhance games was a step in the right direction, but I feel like more can be done. Independent and small company games are the only thing that can save the Xbox 360 platform for the future.

So what do you think of this? Do you agree that Microsoft can do more with Xbox Live? Please share your thoughts with everyone in the comment box below.

If you've ever been to a long night gaming session, you know how hard it is to stay awake after awhile, especially if it's been a long day. To help you out, try drinking some Mystic Monk Coffee. Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). For the summer (or what's left of it), they are also offering Iced Coffee as well. If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

For my existing Windows Phone apps, things are getting really rough since finals are coming up soon, so I will be releasing updates after I am done with finals (if I am lucky, I might just get them out before that time). This applies to Mobile Media Manager (both free and paid versions) and BSA Eagle Tracker. I am sorry it's taking so long (I want it to be a quality update).

Political Circus Scoreboard for 2012

Well, I am back, as promised, with the next Political Circus (Election 2012) report.

As of now, here is the score:

Romney  (total: 186)
Kentucky - 8 votes
West Virginia - 5 votes
Indiana - 11 votes
South Carolina - 9 votes
Tennessee - 11 votes
Georgia - 16 votes
Alabama - 9 votes
Mississippi - 6 votes
Arkansas - 6 votes
Louisiana - 8 votes
Texas - 38 votes
Oklahoma - 7 votes
Kansas - 6 votes
Nebraska -5 votes
Wyoming - 3 votes
South Dakota - 3 votes
North Dakota - 3 votes
Utah - 6 votes
Arizona - 11 votes
North Carolina - 15


Obama  (total: 158)
 Vermont - 3 votes
Maine - 4 votes
Massachusetts - 11 votes
Rhode Island - 4 votes
Connecticut - 7 votes
New Jersey - 14 votes
New York - 29 votes
Delaware - 3 votes
Maryland - 10 votes
Illinois - 20 votes
Michigan - 16 votes
Pennsylvania - 20 votes
District of Columbia - 3 votes
New Hampshire - 4 votes
Minnesota - 10 votes


Control of House
Democrats - 105
Republicans - 162


Control of Senate
Democrats - 45
Republicans - 42
Independent - 2

As the evening goes on, I will try to update this every 15-30 minutes. It's still early, so I'm not expecting any ground-breaking revelations until later. If 15-30 minutes isn't good enough for you, I will be on twitter as @rctechgeek  (feel free to follow me) using the hashtag "#politicalcircus2012".


Update (19:59 E.S.T) : added House and Senate totals, Romney gets WV

Update(20:06 E.S.T): results are coming in too fast to catalog individual updates, so I will just continue to update the scoreboard and you can just check that

Update(21:53 E.S.T.): just realized I had switched the values of members of the house and senate and switched them back to their correct places

Update: Unfortunately, Obama has captured enough electoral votes to win a second term.

As we're watching the election, may I suggest some Mystic Monk Coffee to go along with it (if decaf is your thing around this time of day, that works too)? If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family.

Mid-Afternoon Report of this Year's Political Circus

Before I begin, I know I should have posted an entry on this during the morning, but I got caught up in school stuff.

Anyway, this year's political circus (excuse me, general election) isn't over yet and we are already getting reports of voter discrimination in various parts of the US.

First, the same group of members of the New Black Panther Party we saw back during the 2008 election are back in Philadelphia. It is sad that they were not prosecuted for voter intimidation the first time.  (http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/11/black-panthers-in-back-at-their-posts-in-philadelphia-on-election-day/)

Next addition to the circus is the story in Philadelphia in which election workers were ordered by court order to cover a mural of Obama. I would like to know why this was not taken care of before the voting there started.  (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/06/judge-issuing-order-to-reinstate-booted-philadelphia-election-officials/)

That is all the stories I have for now. In our election report, the New York Times is currently reporting that New Hampshire has gone to Obama. This result is unofficial and we won't know the real results until tonight.

If you haven't voted yet (or even if you have), please remember that we are accountable for every vote we cast. Each vote we cast should be in support of someone who respects every human being's right to life, from conception to the natural stages of death.

For your benefit and use, I have created a twitter hash tag "#politicalcircus2012" which you can use to share your voting experiences and gripes and to get reports of who's winning. The comment box is open for this as well. Stay tuned for more election coverage later in the day.

My twitter username is @rctechgeek

While we are waiting for the results, why not drink a little coffee? If you are going to drink coffee, why not drink it like a mystic monk? Some tasty Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family.

Also, feel free to try out my apps for Windows Phone: Mobile Media Manager, a media player app I made which has some features which (I feel) are missing from the system Zune player, and BSA Eagle Tracker, an app that boy scouts can use to track their progress to Eagle Scout (when the scout handbook isn't always handy). I will admit that an update for both the free version and the paid version of Mobile Media Manager is badly needed, and I am in the process of making them in what little spare time I have (school sucks up much free time). BSA Eagle Tracker is also getting an update to fix a minor bug in it.

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

When what you Really need is Just a Phone

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you know that Apple recently released the new iPhone 5 with iOS 6. As usual, the media and Apple iSheep went crazy over the new release (as if the same group didn't make such a big hoot the last time that Apple released a new version of its iPhone or iPad).

When you think about it, Apple, with its iPhone, was what brought the appeal of a smartphone to the consumer. Previously, the world of smartphones was mostly made up of professionals and computer scientists. Apple took the smartphone and turned it into a fashion statement.

Unfortunately, in the process, Apple also created a situation where people are more inclined to buy a phone which might have more than what they need. In the mass appeal of the smartphone, I feel that we have forgotten about the most important part of a phone..the phone. I would wager that, especially with older people than with young people, what most people need is just a phone who's only function is being able to make phone calls (+ voicemail).

If your contract is up and you are eligible for an upgrade, there is nothing wrong with getting a new smartphone as long as it meets your needs. However, what I have seen is people who, when shopping for a new phone, are pressured by salesmen which may or may not give a customer the full range of choices or who may or may not have a preemptive bias towards a certain phone or maker of phones and end up getting a smartphone that is more than what they can handle (in order to make a sale). Here, I blame salesmen for either pushing a customer towards a phone without making known to the customer the given carrier's full offerings or overlooking/ignoring the customer's needs, or not being (fully) knowledgabe of the overall phone environment. Through work with Microsoft, I work with Windows Phone a lot. Over the summer when I was looking at possibly switching carriers, I would ask about the carrier's windows phone offerings and ask whether it was a good idea to go with windows phone (and why). I have gotten mixed results, with some being fully knowledgable about windows phone and phone hardware/network information in genal and others, not knowing. A good salesman for a cell phone carrier should have knowledge of phone hardware and cell network information (such as cell phone radio bands like GSM and CDMA). Of course, some blame for a bad choice of phone can fall back on the person buying. You should ALWAYS do your homework and research possible offerings which meet your needs before you buy.

Every time Apple releases a new iPhone, there always seems to be the mindset which says that your old iPhone, which is perfectly usuable (after all, it CAN make phone calls), is instantly obsolete and you should immediately go out and buy/preorder the new iPhone. While Apple has been beefing up its hardware offerings in the new iPhone, can people really tell the difference in speed between the new iPhone and the old one? I don't think most people notice a difference and only care that the phone works without problems. Rather than buying new hardware with the new version of the operating system, you might be better off, for the time being, with a software upgrade of your current iPhone instead.

The main point of this article is when looking at getting a new phone,  take some time to think of all of your needs first, do a little research on the internet on the carrier's offerings, and then you won't be totally clueless about what you want when you go to the cell carrier's store. If you end up getting a smartphone, but don't know how something in your smartphone works and need help, someone will be more than happy to help/teach you, but don't complain that the smartphone is something you can't handle. There is also the data plan requirement which comes with owning a smartphone as well, but this is a topic for another blog post.


So do you agree with my thoughts on this or do you have your own thoughts and comments? Please share those thoughts and comments in the comment box below. Also, if anyone still wants the updated rom I made for the dell axim X50(low), please request it in the comment box, and it shall be made available for download.

You and I both know how hard it is for some people to wake up in the morning without coffee. If you are going to drink coffee, why not drink it like a mystic monk? Some tasty Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). For the summer (or what's left of it), they are also offering Iced Coffee as well. If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

Feel free to try out my apps for Windows Phone: Mobile Media Manager, a media player app I made which has some features which (I feel) are missing from the system Zune player, and BSA Eagle Tracker, an app that boy scouts can use to track their progress to Eagle Scout (when the scout handbook isn't always handy). The update for the paid version of Mobile Media Manager is out, but my last submission update for the free version failed, with Microsoft taking somewhere between 1-2 weeks to get back to me and tell me that my submitted update failed. BSA Eagle Tracker will also be getting a bug fix for an obscure bug I noticed recently.

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE

Going Retro Again with a Dell Axim X50

For those of you that may remember Aximsite in its glory days (or it's "successor", Mobilitysite), you might remember me as Steven855 (same username for XDA-Developers as well). I am the one who posted the simplified Axim X50 unbricking thread in the X50/X51 section. After Dell decided not to give the X51 series an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6, things went downhill until we figured out how to make custom roms for the axim. I have been working at making custom roms for the axim ever since we first discovered how to, but I never got a working (booting) rom (until now).

So, from the end of this past summer to a week ago, I decided to take up the task of making custom roms for the Axim X50 again and start nice and slow. I am happy to announce that after 4 (almost 5) years, I finally have a working rom for the X50(low). Unfortunately, it's a Windows Mobile 5 rom, but I am now working on a Windows Mobile 6 rom for the X50(low).

The axim got lost whenever the convergence of pocket pc and phone became big. With this, the thought was that people no longer had a need to carry around a pocket pc AND a phone when they could carry around a pocket pc phone (or other smartphone) which could fulfill both roles.

Even though the axim doesn't have phone hardware, it still functions as a handy machine. Which phones that exist today can offer an amount of storage which is bigger than what the axim can provide? The axim, theoretically, can offer you up to 64gb of CF card storage (at least, 64gb is the biggest CF card capacity I remember seeing) along with up to 4gb of SD card storage. If you have a windows mobile 6 rom, your x50 or x51 might be able to handle SDHC cards (which have more storage than normal SD cards) as well. This gives you plenty of room for your music, movies, pictures, and other files. It is true that the version MS Office is kind-of outdated, but it still works (as a plus, you CAN use a Bluetooth keyboard with it, unlike Windows Phone). There is also no limit to emulators (and roms for them) as well. There are NES, SNES, Gameboy (Color), Gameboy Advance, and Sega Genesis emulators out there that the Dell Axim can run. Besides emulators, there are a bunch of great games made for Windows Mobile which you can play on the axim (such as Orions: Legends, which, on a side note, needs to be ported to windows phone since it is a great game and can you imagine the multiplayer possibilities of it with Xbox Live and the whole Arvale saga of games).

In my travels for Microsoft work, I have found that a pocket pc (like the Axim or my Asus Mypal A626) works well to ease the stresses of air travel. The axim has no cellular radio, and all you have to do in flight is turn off the bluetooth and wi-fi radios.

There will come a time when the axim cannot keep up with the Windows Phone updates and its usefulness will become inferior to what is presently offered. Until then, I continue to use my Axim and my Asus Mypal A626 in my work.

So, does anyone else besides me remember aximsite? Do you have an axim and still use it? If so, what do you still use it for? I am curious to see how many people still use their axim even though official technical support for it has ceased. If you have any comments or thoughts or memories on this, please share them in the comment box below. Also, if anyone wants the rom I made for the axim, please request it in the comment box, and it shall be available for download.

You and I both know how hard it is for some people to wake up in the morning without coffee. If you are going to drink coffee, why not drink it like a mystic monk? Some tasty Mystic Monk Coffee (use this link or click on the picture below to access the store and purchase) is what you really need when it comes to coffee. Trust me, it's good coffee (in most instances, much better than Starbucks coffee) and you won't regret buying some (just keep it away from your computer keyboard or laptop/tablet). For the summer (or what's left of it), they are also offering Iced Coffee as well. If you like tea more than coffee, they also offer tea. Using the link (or picture below) to buy the coffee (or tea) helps the monks out and helps me with college expenses as well. The coffee (or tea) also makes for great gifts for friends and family as well.

Feel free to try out my apps for Windows Phone: Mobile Media Manager, a media player app I made which has some features which (I feel) are missing from the system Zune player, and BSA Eagle Tracker, an app that boy scouts can use to track their progress to Eagle Scout (when the scout handbook isn't always handy). The update for the paid version of Mobile Media Manager is out, but my last submission update for the free version failed, with Microsoft taking somewhere between 1-2 weeks to get back to me and tell me that my submitted update failed. BSA Eagle Tracker will also be getting a bug fix for an obscure bug I noticed recently.

BSA Eagle Tracker download: http://bit.ly/Mm1Upo
Mobile Media Manager (paid version) download: http://bit.ly/y3rf6V
Mobile Media Manager (free version) download: http://bit.ly/xGCsWE