DonS.CF : Mobile Internet

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

Call To Contact Smartphone Edition V1.0 Released

Dons — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:37:00 GMT

Lest anyone out there think I had forgotten about the Windows Mobile Smartphone world when I announced the release of Call To Contact for Phone Edition devices -

"The BHighlyMobile Group, L.L.C., a New Hampshire-based company focused on Microsoft mobility solutions, is pleased to announce the availability of Call To Contact Version 1.0 for Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone devices.

Call To Contact allows you to easily add new incoming phone numbers to existing phone contacts with just a few clicks. When an incoming phone call is received, Call To Contact checks to see if that number is already associated with one of your contacts. If not, Call To Contact will prompt you to add the number once the phone conversation finishes.

Call To Contact Smartphone Edition V1.0 is being made available free of charge as a “thank you” to the Windows Mobile community for their continued support and interest in Windows Mobile-based solutions. Product details, screen shots, system requirements and download instructions can be found at the Call To Contact Phone Smartphone product page."

Call To Contact V1.0 Phone Edition Released

Dons — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 23:30:00 GMT

It's been a busy Sunday for me. Let's see -

Got attacked (and stung) by yellow jackets this AM when I discovered that my gas grill had become the proud home of a new nest after our New England May floods;
Installed a large window A/C unit by myself, testing my tendon strength and knowledge of leverage;
Oh, yeah - I released my first "commercial" .NET Compact Framework application...

"The BHighlyMobile Group, L.L.C. , a New Hampshire-based company focused on Microsoft mobility solutions, is pleased to announce the availability of Call To Contact Version 1.0 for Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition devices.

Call To Contact V1.0 is being made available free of charge as a “thank you” to the Windows Mobile community for their continued support and interest in Windows Mobile-based solutions. Product details, screen shots, system requirements and download instructions can be found at the Call To Contact Phone Edition product page."

All in all, a busy Sunday indeed... :-)

FYI - The Smartphone version of Call To Contact is right around the corner (literally)...

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!

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!

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

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 2 Now Available

Don — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 15:45:00 GMT

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

In this episode, Thom and Don talk about the advantages and challenges surrounding mobile application migration. With the next release of the .NET Compact Framework only a month away, developers are once again considering moving from any of a number of different platforms and languages to the .NET CF 2.0, and Don and Thom try to help with thoughts and tips. Don also talks a bit about his recent trip to the Mcrosoft MVP Summit in Redmond, and Thom talks about upcoming events and a way for listeners to turn him into a rock star (at least from an '80s hairband point of view).

You can download the podcast (27.0 MB, 59 min) and subscribe to the Mobile Devcasters RSS feed (iTunes-ready) from the Mobile Devcasters home page.

The Mobile Devcasters Podcast Is Live!

Don — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 16:10:00 GMT

Well, now we’ve gone and done it. Thom Robbins (New England Regional .NET Developer Evangelist) and I have formed the 2005 version of the “Odd Couple” with our new podcast, the Mobile Devcasters. The show will focus entirely on mobility development with .NET technologies.

We’ve recorded “Episode 0”, a sort of introduction of the two of us and our goals for the show, that is now available for download (18.1 MB MP3 file) . The Mobile Devcasters home page also provides an RSS link for the podcast that is suitable for RSS readers and podcatchers. I will also make a point to announce here whenever new episodes are available.

UPDATE: In my “D’OH” move of the day, I provided an incorrect URL for the Mobile Devcasters website. I have corrected the URL listed above to http://www.mobiledevcaster.com. Note to self – Singular rather than plural…

W3C Focuses On The "Mobile Web"

Don — Fri, 19 Nov 2004 20:52:00 GMT

I happened to come across a Computerworld article today discussing a possible new venture from the World Wide Web Consortium ("W3C") relating to mobile devices and the Internet -

"The World Wide Web Consortium is considering a new effort called the W3C Mobile Web Initiative that will seek to make Web access from mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs as simple, easy and convenient as desktop Web access.

The W3C made the announcement at a two-day Mobile Web Initiative workshop that began Thursday in Barcelona, Spain. It was organized to help efforts to improve Web-surfing capabilities of handheld devices."

While there have been other efforts in recent months and years aimed at this same goal, this is the first time I can truly endorse such an effort. The reason -

"Ideas include developing best practices, providing support infrastructures for mobile developers, organizing training programs for Web content providers and creating validation and conformance testing services for Web access from mobile devices, the W3C said."

This is a significant departure from past "initiatives" that were mainly put together by industry groups and corporations with very bias agendas (usually resulting in the push towards getting their proprietary implementations to be implemented as a "standard"). For once, we are seeing an effort that is focusing on the real heart of the issue.

Those who know me and have followed my writings at BostonPocketPC.com over time or heard me speak on this subject know my position on this topic quite well. My argument has been for quite some time that new technologies are not the solution to "mobile-friendly" web experiences. Instead, using today's technologies *correctly* and actually implementing them is the key to widespread success.

The current crop of mobile devices (not just limited to the Windows Mobile platform) have been able to render HTML. While it may be a subset of HTML, it has still been enough for web developers to create robust web sites optimized for mobile use. I can refer you to any of a number of web sites, including the BostonPocketPC.com Mobile Edition (written almost 2 years ago) and supporting a mobile version of an entire online community as one such example. I personally know of any other number of web sites that have had the functionality in place for an incredibly long period of time.

The major problem (as I see it) exists in two forms -

Those web sites that do not understand the technical or business value of providing mobile-friendly access;
Those web sites that do not feel it is worth the effort or is just a "fad".

For those in the first camp, education surrounding the current state of the business regarding the benefits (and relatively low cost) for implementing mobile-friendly solutions might just open some eyes. For those in the second camp, that same education would possibly help. I do think, however, that just like the COBAL programmer who still considers other development languages as "fads" (I actually have come across them over the years), this group may be a hard sell.

By promoting education and awareness, helping to encourage better infrastructure support and endorsing best practices for development (based on current technologies rather than creating entirely new ones), the W3C Mobile Web Initiative will likely better serve the mobile web user than any other efforts over the past couple of years. I sincerely hope that this initiative becomes reality and is not turned into yet another "my technology is better than yours" catfight by businesses with only their vested interests in mind.