Edge.js Brings Node.js and .Net Together

Great article from Scott Hanselman on Edge.js bringing Node.js and .Net together on three different platforms; Mac, Windows, Linux.

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Opening Day For Microsoft Store At Citycreek Utah

People are lining up to be one of the first inside the new Microsoft retail store in Citycreek, downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Here are a few pics.

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Microsoft Comes To Utah City Creek

On my way to the office this morning I noticed the covers have finally been pulled off what I suspected to be the Microsoft retail store in City Creek.



Makes sense Microsoft would put themselves on what I call the Average Joe side of City Creek. What I mean by that is stores on the east side of the mall are places normal folks shop, like Disney, Solomon, Forever 21 and Claire's. On the west side of the mall, are places the 1% shop, like Tiffany & Co., Porche Design, Brooks Brothers, and of course, Apple.

Map of City Creek Center mall in Salt Lake City

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Microsoft SkyDrive Cloud Storage Gunning For Dropbox

Microsoft released an update to their SkyDrive product, and they did its in a big way. This is a serious challenge to Dropbox, with the addition of Mac and Windows native app, and mobile apps for iOS and Windows Phone. But not Android mobile, which is a shame, because it would have been just as easy to write an Android client at the same time.

This is a big win for those who already have a SkyDrive account, you can be grandfathered into a 25GB plan, everyone else will be offered a 7GB plan. I've had my SkyDrive account for years but there hasn't been any integration with the desktop (not Mac anyway), and no mobile use until just recently.

SkyDrive is available everywhere I travel; laptop and mobile.

There are a few quirky things about the interface. The layout isn't like Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder. Files and folders are represented by big blocky icons, no detail list. And even weirder was they stuck the mechanism to change from large icons to small icons in the Pull Down process to refresh the screen.

Why do I think this is a serious player? Because aside from Android, which I'm sure is on the way, SkyDrive now integrates with all your systems, and you get more space. Microsoft says a study they did indicates most user have less than 7GB of data stored in the cloud, and that may be true, but the the big reason I don't have as much as I want in the cloud, is the file size limitation. I would push video files to the the cloud drives if most didn't limit to 100MB or less. That's a service imposed limit, not a user issue.

Limitations aside, 25GB is a lot of space, and I intend on using it, all of it. Get a SkyDrive and software here.

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5 Tech Stories Worth Reading

Netflix Headed For A Brick Wall?
It was bound to happen, subscriber backlash over pricing, and recent news that major content providers are cutting ties with Netflix. Read more of the story here: http://thom.ws/mUNE5C

Is Steve Balmer Actually Surprised At The Crappy Windows Phone 7 Sales?
Steve, you have to actually build a brand, a community, and a solid app store before you can start to capture market share. Oh, and if you have to battle the retail sales folks for pushing people away from your product, you will have an even harder time selling your product. You have some serious holes in your plan. Read more here: http://thom.ws/qgZ7yI

MOG Launches Free Version Of Music Service
MOG announced today that they are offering an ad-supported free version of their music service. The interesting thing here is they are trying to gamify the service, giving users free music,  based on the amount of sharing, playlist creation, and the number of referrals to the service. This could be interesting. According to their press release "Tastemakers and influencers can easily get a lifetime of free on-demand music." Read more here: http://thom.ws/o4P0CC

Chegg Buys Zinch In A Move Towards A Social Education Platform
You may not have heard of either of these companies, but they are leaders in their own industries. Chegg is an online book rental service for college students, and Zinch is an online service that connects high school students with college recruiters. On the surface, this is an odd acquisition, but more and more companies are buying complimentary services and products to increase their over all sales. Read more here: http://thom.ws/nvLUNG

Samsung Wants To Own Your First, Second, And Third Screen
Samsung is making a push to build technology that directly competes with Apple and it's AirPlay technology. The company has had some success in the past, but this push could be fueled by the back and forth patent infringement claims made by both Apple and Samsung. Read more here: http://thom.ws/qZK9T4

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5 Tech Stories Worth Reading

1. Steve Jobs Confirms Discontinuation of iWeb in iCloud Transition
Since last week's unveiling of Apple's new iCloud service and the transitioning of the company's existing MobileMe service into iCloud, many users have been wondering about the fate of some of the MobileMe services that were not mentioned in the transition discussion. In particular, users have been concerned about iWeb, Apple's website creation software included with iLife that can be integrated with site hosting via MobileMe.

2. DIY U: The Future Of Learning [Video]
The future of learning is open--and it's in your hands. This video series, based in part on my book DIY U, explains that while the higher education bubble may be overblown, there is an explosion happening in the edu-world, with technology and openness transforming content, social learning, and accreditation all at once. Part One explains what's happening and why the old models no longer apply.

3. Bunchball raises $6.5M, doubles down on gamification
Bunchball, the social gaming software company, has raised $6.5 million in a new round of venture capital. The San Jose, Calif.-based startup plans to put the funds toward growth initiatives such as hiring, new product development, and international growth, CEO Jim Scullion told me in an interview last week.

4. Sony Knows Cross Game Chat is a Huge Thing
No, Sony is not talking about PlayStation LifeStyle’s podcast, “Cross Game Chat.” Andrew House of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is talking about cross game chat for the PS3.

5. Apple iCloud Not Supporting Windows XP
We strongly suspect all the support Apple has shown the venerable Microsoft OS with iTunes and Mobile Me has mostly been a way of keeping people from buying shiny new copies of Windows 7, but that’s all coming to an end with Apple’s music-streaming iCloud, which won’t be featuring Windows XP support and will need either a Vista or Windows 7 PC to run.

BONUS

6. Use Binder Clips to Replace Broken Keyboard Feet [MacGyver Tip]
They make great cable organizers and phone stands, but the humble binder clip can also fix things that are actually broken, too. In this case, it's those little flip-out "feet" on the bottom of most keyboards. Just take the metal wings off two clips, and replace the feet by squeezing the those wings into their place. If nothing else, it's a lot cheaper than replacing the keyboard.

7. iOS 5 Allows For 1080p Video Exports, Confirms iPhone 5 8 Megapixel Camera
The iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera, and it is capable of recording video in HD at a resolution of 720p, we have been hearing rumors that the iPhone 5 will feature an 8 megapixel camera, possibly a Sony CMOS sensor, which would mean it would be capable of Full HD Video in 1080p.

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5 Tech Stories Worth Reading

1. Apple’s iCloud To Be Free At Launch, Then Pay To Play
Apple Inc. has just sewn up its contracts with the four major record labels Thursday for a cloud music service, with agreements from music publishers to follow on Friday, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

2. Mashape, the Marketplace for APIs, Moves to Beta
An app is like a Lego construction, Mashape is your Lego box. Search the API you need an easily integrate it in your project.

3. Robots With Laser Vision, Ford's New $100M Investment
Ford's new army of laser-sighted robots has the very benevolent aim of reducing wind noise in your next car.

4. Why +1 Could Crush Facebook (And How Google Could Blow It)
Yesterday they were joined in hope by Google +1, and while many are saying that it too will fail, I believe Google has a SERIOUS opportunity here.

5. Microsoft refuses to comment as .NET developers fret about Windows 8
There is a long discussion over on the official Silverlight forum about Microsoft’s Windows 8 demo at D9 and what was said, and not said; and another over on Channel 9, Microsoft’s video-centric community site for developers.

BONUS

6. Cloud Computing Takes Us Into The Future of Technology, Chrome OS Leads The Way
In the future, computers could be distributed via a monthly subscription and the hardware and software update could become history.

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Could Microsoft Survive A Windows Phone 7 Failure

I've been reading all about the new Mango release of Windows Phone 7, and all the companies that are tied to the success of the product. Would you like to be one of the companies who have bet the ranch on a timely release of a Microsoft Operating System?

This isn't like other products Microsoft has failed gain market share with, and eventually cancelled, like the Zune. This to me is a make or break product line for Microsoft. The future is mobile. And if they are unable to keep up, they deserve to fail, and fast. There is no way Microsoft can say they didn't see this coming. As I've said in the past, they have an enormous developer base. They should have been tapping into that long ago. They should have an app store that rivals Apple's iTunes App Store.

If you're a Windows Phone 7 user, what are the missing pieces? Do you feel you have backed the right horse? Could Microsoft survive a Windows Phone 7 failure?

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Fall 2010 Utah Code Camp

September and October are turning out to be a complete geek fest. With the Kynetx Impact Dev Day on 9/18, Utah Code Camp this week 9/25, and of course Utah Open Source Conference 10/7-10/9. Check out the camp schedule here.

I hope to attend these classes:

• Keynote 9:00am - 10:00am Modern Software Development, the State of the Craft -- David Starr


• 10:10am - 11:10am ASP.NET MVC 3 Razor -- Nathan Zaugg


• 11:20am - 12:20pm Internet-Enabled Applications for Windows Phone 7 -- Richard Thomson


• 12:20pm - 1:00pm Social Networking and Building your brand -- Pat Wright


• 1:00pm - 2:00pm What is ALT.NET? -- Craig Berntson


• 2:10pm - 3:10pm WPF MVVM Design Pattern -- Danny Staten


• 3:20pm - 4:20pm MVC and Entity Framework -- James Johnson

This should be a great event. Pat Wright and company do a great job. If you're Microsoft Developer, or want to learn more about Microsoft development tools, this would be a great place to start.

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Why Microsoft Shouldn't Aim At Google Or Apple

I read this Wired article today, and I had too cringe hearing Microsoft is taking aim at Google and Apple. Why would they want too? They own such an enormous desktop market, and they could own the mobile space too, but not trying to come at it from the rear. Utilize your existing customer base to build the best mobile experience for Windows users. The reason Android is catching on so quickly, besides the open software and the backing of Google, is it's really the only smart phone alternative to the iPhone at the moment. There are other platforms, but nothing at the level of an Android phone.

I'm not foolish enough to think Microsoft doesn't have a huge gap when it comes to mobile market share. I mean they haven't really put any effort into it for years. But that's what's cool about the opportunity they have. If they want to take something from Apple, take the fact Apple goes to incredible lengths to make the user experience the best on the planet. Whether you think that is egotistical, close minded, or plain and simple snobbery, it doesn't matter. They make products that people like. And Microsoft should focus on the same thing.

I think Microsoft is in the perfect position. I really hope they don't blow it by trying to "be" a bigger better Apple or Google, because they will fail.

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Bill Gates Last Week At Microsoft Ends An Era

There comes a time in any business, when the original founders either retire, move on, and in some cases are pushed out. Bill Gates is no exception. I don't think it matters who you are, running any business for as long as Bill Gates has run Microsoft, and the time for change is now.

Fortunately for everyone on the planet, Bill (can I call him Bill?) will make his final trip to the Microsoft campus as a full time employee this week. Sure he's the Chairman and will still be involved in corporate decisions, but he really is walking away.

I've had a long time love hate relationship with Microsoft. And at times with Bill. However, the software his company makes has allowed me to build my business and make a living, and that's something I'm thankful for. This isn't a sappy retrospective of Microsoft or Bill Gates, but it is a momentous occasion for everyone, for two reasons.

First I think Microsoft will become need to be a leaner meaner company. As stated in Steve Levey's Newsweek article:

Since Gates and his partner Paul Allen invented the PC software industry (they formed Microsoft to write the first program for the very first personal computer, the Altair), one can say that an era is truly ending. On the other hand, critics of Microsoft contend that Gates's departure is anticlimactic—because the company is past its prime. "The Gates era has already ended—this is the coda," says Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus, the spreadsheet giant humbled by Microsoft in the 1980s. "Today, Google is the defining company in the industry."

I agree with this statement. Google, and companies like Google, are the future of global technology. Not being tied to one specific operating system or computer platform, Google is able to move with the demand of its customers and the market. But Microsoft can survive if it wants too.

I think in order for this new Microsoft to take shape, it needs to shed its old image, and old management style, and take queues from the faster, smarter start up community. With the vast amount of resources Microsoft has at its disposal, they could reduce overhead, split up into multiple companies, and, as bizarre as this may sound, focus more on non-os or platform specific software, and build products that everyone can use.

Many of you may think I'm living in fantasy land, and that may be, some of the time, but I truly think Microsoft can make changes and compete, but will they? I doubt it.

Second, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is exactly where I would expect Bill to spend the rest of his working life. The people of this planet will benefit from his success for the foreseeable future. I know this is where he can make the biggest impact. I would also hope he becomes an advocate for other wealthy individuals to follow his foot steps. I know some have, but there is so much to be done.

I wish Bill luck in his new, or rather different, life.

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