DonS.CF : Events

My Code Camp 7 Presentations and Samples Now Available for Download

Dons — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:45:38 GMT

Thanks to everyone who attended my two sessions at this weekend's Code Camp7: Deer In The Headlights event. I really enjoyed the interaction, questions and comments during both sessions!

As promised, my two presentations are now available for download. The ZIP files contain both the Powerpoint slides and any sample code shown during the session.

As an "added bonus", I have put up the C# project I wrote to test out Ink and Speech with Vista and the Tablet PC. It is the little spelling application I wrote for my son to do his homework, and domenstrates speech synthesis and the Tablet PC ink APIs. Even if you don't have a Tablet PC, you can fill in the fields using your keyboard. The download also includes a setup installer for the compiled version of the application, allowing you to just install it and play around with it if you'd like.

Vista Spelling Practice Application (3.75 MB)

Enjoy!

Club Pocket PC - Boston Meeting: Wednesday, Oct. 18th, 2006

Dons — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 15:04:37 GMT

FYI - The next meeting of Club Pocket PC - Boston will be held on Wednesday, October 18th at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft office in Waltham, MA.

Presentations include:

FIRST LOOK: Windows Mobile Device Center for Windows Vista. If you are wondering about how your Windows Mobile device will work with the upcoming Windows Vista operating system, this presentaton will give you insight to the successor to ActiveSync.
Microsoft SLAM for Windows Mobile Smartphones. Microsoft Research recently launched SLAM (Social/Location/Annotation/Mobile), a concept application for Windows Mobile Smartphone. SLAM is focused on social networking with small groups, exchanging conversations and other media. If you are interested in seeing what Microsoft is thinking in the mobile device social networking space, then this demonstration is a must-see.
Ink Enabling Applications for Microsoft Windows Tablet PC Edition. Digital ink functionality has always been a cornerstone of the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition platform. Surprisingly, however, there has been slower than anticipated release of "ink-enabled" applications. If you are a .NET developer, you may be very surprised to see just how easy it is to provide ink functionality to your users. This presentation will demonstrate the common steps to support digital ink and related tasks.

I will be presenting the ink-enablement session (and working with my "partner in crime" Steven "fyiguy" Hughes on the other presentations as well. As always, it's a great opportunity to learn and meet other Windows Mobile and mobile technology enthusiasts. Hope to see some of you there!

Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group Meeting September 20th

Dons — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 18:50:00 GMT

The next meeting of the Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group (”WMDVUG”) will be held on Wednesday, September 20th from 12 Noon - 2 PM EDT. You can register for this Live Meeting event at the Microsoft Events web site.

AGENDA
* Welcome
* Announcements

This month’s presentation:
Sharing assets between the .NET Compact Framework and the .NET Framework (Presenter - Daniel Moth)

Whether you were first introduced to .NET via the Compact Framework / Windows Mobile or via the full .NET Framework on the PC, it may make sense to share your code assets between the two platforms. In this session we will explore when you should be doing this and when not. We will then explore the options available (e.g. directly sharing binaries or conditional compilation) and drill into problems and workarounds. This will include framework differences, platform/OS differences, optimal usage of Visual Studio 2005 and how things have improved since NETCF v1

WMDVUG July 19th Meeting - Registration Now Open

Dons — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:34:00 GMT

The event registration URL for the July 19th meeting of the Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group is now open! You can register via this link at the Microsoft Events site. Please be sure to register right away! You can also get more information (and subscribe to news via RSS) at the WMDVUG web site.

See you online!

Introducing... The Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group!

Dons — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:37:00 GMT

As many people out there may already know, I have at various times tried to get a Windows Mobile Developer User Group going in the Boston area. The difficulties have usually been two-fold:

This is a very focused type of user group, so attendence for one geographic region tends to be small by nature;
Since most Windows Mobile developers also work with other technologies and user groups, a "competing for the user group dollar" tends to exist.

After conversations with a number of people, I have decided to try to overcome both issues with one felled swoop. So -

The Windows Mobile Developer Virtual User Group ("WMDVUG") is intended for individuals focusing on developing software for Windows Mobile devices. This includes connected applications using ASP.NET and rich client applications using the .NET Compact Framework and/or eMbedded Visual C++. Our meetings will be held live via Microsoft Live Meeting every other 3rd Wednesday of the month from 12 Noon - 2 PM EDT/EST.

Our first meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 19th from 12 - 2 PM EDT. Once information on registering for the meeting becomes available, I will pass it along. In addition, we are in the process of putting together the first agenda. Once again, I will pass along updates.

I am extremely excited about the potential for this medium to reach a large audience beyond the geographic confines of the Boston/New England region. I look forward to seeing you online soon!

Windows Mobile Presentations from Code Camp V Now Available

Dons — Sun, 07 May 2006 20:27:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone who attended my two Windows Mobile-focused presentations at Code Camp V yesterday (May 6) in Waltham, MA. As promised, the PowerPoint presentations from both sessions are now available for download from our Downloads Section.

Developing for Multiple Windows Mobile Platforms
Windows Mobile Deployment Essentials

"Programming Outlook Mobile" Presentation and Sample Code Now Available

Dons — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 12:48:00 GMT

Thanks to all who attended last night's (Wednesday, April 19th) meeting of Club Pocket PC - Boston. The PowerPoint slides for my presentation, entitled "Programming Outlook Mobile with the .NET Compact Framework and Windows Mobile 5.0" , are now available for download from the BostonPocketPC.com web site.

For this presentation, I used the same sample application I used for the previous week's Boston .NET User Group presentation (which includes Outlook Mobile sample code and a whole lot more). That Visual Studio 2005 C# project can also be found at the BostonPocketPC.com web site.

The Mobile Devcasters Show - Episode 5 Now Available

Dons — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 14:00:00 GMT

After a far-too-long hiatus, Thom Robbins and I have finally gotten back on track with the Mobile Devcasters Show. Episode 5 is now available for download at the Mobile Devcasters web site -

"In this episode, Thom and Don play a little "catch-up", discussing upcoming major Windows Mobile developer events and some changes to the Mobile Devcasters Show. The main topic of the episode is Mobile Connected Application development, with Thom and Don talking ASP.NET 2.0, mobile web considerations, best practices and tips."

The "changes" we discuss are something that should have you subscribing to our RSS feed (if you have not already done so). Be sure to check it out!

Boston .NET User Group Presentation and Sample Application Now Available

Dons — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 03:34:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone that attended my presentation (Leveraging the New Windows Mobile APIs) to the Boston .NET User Group earlier this evening. As promised, the PowerPoint slides and C# sample application demonstrating the new Windows Mobile 5.0-specific managed APIs are both available at the BostonPocketPC.com web site.

Enjoy!

.NET Speech Server Day Tips and Tricks Presentation Now Available

Dons — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 01:14:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone for attending today's .NET Speech Server Day at the Microsoft offices in Waltham. As promised, my PowerPoint slides from the presentation can now be downloaded from the BostonPocketPC.com web site.

Enjoy!

Upcomg Speaking Engagements

Dons — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 14:03:00 GMT

April looks to be a busy month for me as far as presentations are concerned. The list so far -

APRIL 6TH: .NET SPEECH SERVER DAY

Using the power of .NET, Microsoft Speech Server and Visual Studio 2003 can give your application its voice. Used in conjunction with the Microsoft Speech Application Software Development Kit (SASDK), this platform enables developers to write and deploy web-enabled speech applications to new and existing .NET applications.

Join Microsoft and Brooktrout for a one day special developer session designed to teach you how to architect, develop and implement speech enabled applications using Visual Studio 2003 and the Speech Server platform. We will show how this combination provides all the components necessary for building and deploying telephony (voice-only) and multimodal (voice/visual) applications. Additionally, we will show how the Speech Server platform builds upon the work of the open industry standard Speech Application Language Tags (SALT) specification to extend existing Web markup languages by adding speech recognition and prompt functionality to your Web applications. Using a practical code oriented approach we will cover how to architect, build and deploy applications that performs speech recognition and speech synthesis that can be accessed by telephone, cell phone, Pocket PC, Tablet PC and other devices.

Click here to register

APRIL 12TH: BOSTON .NET USER GROUP - "LEVERAGING THE NEW WINDOWS MOBILE APIS"
The .NET Compact Framework 2.0 provides a wealth of new APIs for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. With managed access to Outlook Mobile, device and application state, phone, GPS and camera, there is something for almost all Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone developers to leverage in order to enhance their application.

Join us for this discussion and demonstration of how you can enhance your Windows Mobile 5.0 applications with a minimum amount of coding, using Visual Studio 2005 and the .NET Compact Framework 2.0.

Click here for more information

APRIL 19TH: CLUB POCKET PC - BOSTON - "INTEGRATING WINDOWS MOBILE APPLICATIONS WITH OUTLOOK MOBILE"
The .NET Compact Framework 2.0 now provides managed access to Outlook Mobile contacts, tasks, and appointments for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. In this presentation, you will learn the "hows" for extending with and integrating with this commonly used set of functionality.

Click here for more information

Coming This May - Code Camp 5 - Code Frenzy!

Dons — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 20:16:00 GMT

Ah, yes - I can hear the music from "Jaws" playing already.

"Da-DUM... Da-DUM... Da-DUM-Da-Da-DADADUMMMMM..." ;-)

From Thom Robbins web site -

Announcing Code Camp 5: Code Frenzy!

Register

Saturday, May 6,7 2006

May 6 – 8:30 AM – 9PM

May 7 – 8:30 AM – 4PM

Microsoft Waltham Office

201 Jones Road, 6th Floor
Waltham, Massachusetts 02451
United States

Call for Speakers

Are you a developer interested in improving your .NET skills? Then this is the event to attend. Code Camp 5: Code Frenzy! promises to be both bigger and better than anything we have done before. This free two day seminar is designed as a series of intensive code related demos and technical sessions to guide the developer to the next skill level. The continuing goal of the Code Camps is to provide an intensive developer to developer learning experience that is fun and technically stimulating. The focus is on delivering programming information and sample code that can be used immediately. All training, slides, manuals and demo code is provided free!

This two day camp is hosted in our Waltham facility. The leading technical camp counselors from both Microsoft and the New England Developer Community will share their technical expertise and experiences. Each track starts with a “get the code” basics before advancing to more advanced topics.

Register early as it will fill quickly!

FYI - I plan on being there, .NET Compact Framework code in hand... :-)

Virtual Earth Madness - Presentation and Code Now Available

Dons — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 19:11:00 GMT

Thanks to all of you who attended the Virtual Earth Madness developer event at the Microsoft Waltham, MA offices today. Also, thanks to those that attended virtually via Live Meeting. For those who are unaware, Virtual Earth (aka - Windows Live Local) provides an SDK that allows web (and WinForm, with a bit more coding) developers to provide a wealth of mapping, search, location and direction-based information into their applications.

I have posted a ZIP file in our Downloads Section that contains my PowerPoint presentation, as well as fully functional sample HTML code used during the presentation. If you haven't checked out the Virtual Earth SDK yet, you don't know what you (or your web site) is missing out on.

You can download the presentation and code directly from here -

Virtual Earth Madness - Anatomy of a VE Application

Speaking Of Windows Mobile Presentation Downloads...

Dons — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 05:15:00 GMT

I just realized that now would be as good a time as any to point people to the archive of Windows Mobile developer presentations that has built up over on BostonPocketPC.com. In our Downloads Section, there are a number of the presentations I have given over the last couple of years, including lots of sample code. I hate to see good content go to waste, you know... ;-)

My Presentations From Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp Now Available

Dons — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:54:00 GMT

First off - thanks to everyone who attended this past Saturday's Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp in Waltham, MA. It was great to have such a strong turnout and a great interactive crowd. I loved the questions both during and after the event; it really makes me believe in the genuine interest the community continues to generate in Windows Mobile / .NET Compact Framework solutions. I would be terribly remiss if an additional HUGE THANKS did not go out to Thom Robbins, who continues to lead the way in making these community events a reality, and the New England .NET Developer Community as strong as any other out there.

My PowerPoint slides from my 3 presentations for the day are now available for download from the BostonPocketPC.com web site -

Windows Mobile User Interface Design

Windows Mobile Data Access and Movement

Developing Mobile Web Applications

Thinking "Mobility Geek Dinner"... Hmmmm...

Dons — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 16:59:00 GMT

With all of talk around "geek dinners", I started to think it might be fun to have a casual gathering for all the mobility-oriented geeks, just for a change of pace. Don't get me wrong - I love the general geek dinner. In the Boston area, though, I think you have to rent out a whole restaurant (if not an arena) to accommidate all of the participants ;-)

So, what do you folks in the Greater Boston area think - time to convene a Mobility Geek Dinner? If I hear enough positive feedback, I'll get the ball rolling.

Club Pocket PC - Boston Meeting Wednesday, Feb. 15th

Dons — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 16:55:00 GMT

While not a developer topic this month, I thought this might be of interest to those Windows Mobile device owners who want to flex their "device multimedia muscles" a bit more... ;-)

The next Club Pocket PC - Boston meeting will be held Wednesday, February 15th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

The theme for this next meeting is Multimedia Madness! If you've wondered about all of the ways that you can use your Windows Mobile device for multimedia functionality, then this is the meeting to attend. Steve Hughes and I will cover the array of Windows Mobile possibilities for video and audio on Windows Mobile Smartphones, Pocket PCs and Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, including:

- Built-in functionality with Windows Media Player Mobile;
- Integration with Windows Media Player 10 on the desktop;
- Third-party utilities for video and audio playback and conversion;
- Windows Media Center integration features (note: we will be demoing MCE 2005 as well, so if you're wondering what MCE is all about, this is another reason to attend).

As usual, we'll also have items for giveaway!

Hope to see you there!

New England SharePoint User Group Meeting February 28th

Dons — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:24:00 GMT

As some of you know, I began work with a new company shortly after the first of the year. One of the many Microsoft technologies my company is involved with is SharePoint (both Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server). We are also proud to run the New England SharePoint User Group. For those involved with projects surrounding collaborative solutions, this user group is a wonderful resource of information. The next meeting may be of additional interest to those who are interested in presence-awareness and corporate IM -

Topic: Presence Enabling SharePoint with Microsoft Live Communication Server

Please join us at the New England SharePoint User Group meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2006.

5:45 - 6:00 Registration

6:00 - 7:15 Presence Enabling SharePoint with Microsoft Live Communication Server with Chris Chalmers, Microsoft Technology specialist, Real-Time Collaboration

A powerful feature of SharePoint is the ability to see the online/offline “presence” of any user whenever their name appears, and to use a one-click menu displaying all available communication options for that user, including sending email, sending instant messages, and looking up calendar free/busy data and telephone numbers. Enabling “presence” within SharePoint increases collaboration, decreases lag time in communications, and multiplies the value of SharePoint. Presence is managed and controlled by a separate Microsoft product called Live Communications Server.

Chris Chalmers will demonstrate presence-enabled SharePoint sites, explain Microsoft’s vision for presence, and detail how to deploy a Live Communications Server and presence-enable a SharePoint site. Chris Chalmers is a technology specialist in the Real-Time Collaboration group, based in the Northeast District. His entire tenure at Microsoft has been within the RTC group. Prior to Microsoft, Chris held various technical positions at e-Learning and CRM application companies. He is a contributor to the microsoft.public.livemeeting forums, and a Microsoft Certified Professional.

7:15 - 7:30 Q&A

Where Microsoft Corporation - 201 Jones Road (6th floor), Waltham, MA 02451
The meeting is free, but space is limited. To register, please email NERSUG@starit.com.

Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp - Feb. 25th - Waltham, MA

Dons — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:33:00 GMT

From the Microsoft events site -

Enterprise Mobility Mini Code Camp

Saturday February 25, 2006 8:30 AM 5:00 PM
Microsoft Waltham Office

201 Jones Road, 6th Floor
Waltham, Massachusetts 02451
United States

With the release of the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, the .NET Compact Framework 2.0, SQL Mobile and Visual Studio 2005, the opportunity for enterprise developers to extend their applications to mobile devices and end-users is greater than ever! While Microsoft provides the tools and technologies for building highly mobile line-of-business applications, it is you the developer that brings vision and knowledge to reality. Leveraging your experience in application development for your enterprise will provide major benefits when extending applications to the Windows Mobile platform, but this new technology provides challenges as well.

Join us for a one-day Mini Code Camp hosted by our own Don Sorcinelli focused on development for the Windows Mobile platform. You’ll learn firsthand about the tools and technologies and how they can help you achieve your mobility goals. You’ll also learn some of the most common practices for overcoming the obstacles typically encountered when entering the world of mobile device development.

As always, the Code Camp Series represents the best technical content of the local developer community. The Code Camp is free and guaranteed to be the most fun that you can have in any day camp. This is an exclusive mini-session that is not to be missed!

8:30-9:00AM- Registeration
9:00AM- 5:00PM- Event

You can sign up for this event at the Microsoft Events web site. Hope to see you there!

Mobile Devcasters Show: Episode 3 Now Available

Don — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:28:00 GMT

The latest episode of the Mobile Devcasters Show is now available for download -

“In this episode, Thom and Don talk all about the benefits of new releases for Windows Mobile developers There is lots information regarding the
.NET Compact Framework 2.0, Visual Studio 2005, SQL Mobile and Windows Mobile 5.0. In addition to the "whats" and "hows", a lot of the discussion
also focuses on the "whys" (as in "why this matters to me").”

You can download the podcast (27.9 MB, 1 hr, 1 min, 8 sec) and subscribe to the Mobile Devcasters RSS feed (iTunes-ready) at the Mobile Devcasters web site.