6Tag for Windows Phone has received another update today, the third in as many weeks, with several fixes and leveraging the new Instagram API. The update, version 4.0.5.0 for those keeping score at home, builds on the mega update to version 4.0 a few weeks ago. This update is a mix of technical updates to improve the app, a bug fix and some new features when it comes to Direct posts on Instagram.
I am officially a commuter. I think it may be somewhere in the Silicon Valley bylines that I must then acquire a commuter car.
We went with the Chevy Volt – a zippy little plug-in hybrid that transitions to gas mode if I drive too far, while still allowing me to go months between fill-ups. (The price point is also significantly less than the sexier looking Tesla.)
The Volt operates as a pure battery electric vehicle until its plug-in battery capacity drops to a predetermined threshold from full charge. From there the internal combustion engine powers an electric generator to extend the vehicle’s range via traditional fuel as needed. When the engine is running it may be periodically mechanically linked (by a clutch) to a planetary gear set, and hence the output drive axle, to improve energy efficiency.
Human controlled success in driving efficiencies is indicated by a green bouncing ball on the dashboard. Accelerate or break to fast and the ball sinks to an angry yellow dot.
My vehicular history took me from an 11-year-old Honda that didn’t bother with bells and whistles such as power doors, windows or steering. I then graduated to the MomMobile – an SUV that had a fancy computer chip in the key that allowed for remote locking and unlocking. One still needed to insert the key physically into the ignition.
And then I met my Volt. All selections derive from the internal computer. (I do not know the operating system ultimately behind it.)
Yesterday I posted that AT&T is now listing the Lumia 640XL on their website as a device that is “Coming Soon”. Now T-Mobile has gotten in on the act with the Lumia 640. When it was launched last week at Mobile World Congress, T-Mobile was one of the first to sign up to get the Lumia 640 along with AT&T and MetroPCS. While none of the carriers have them in stock yet, T-Mobile is now listing it as “Coming Soon” on their website.
If there is one app in my life that I truly miss since coming back to Windows Phone it is the Starbucks app. The company doesn’t make an official one for Windows Phone and I thought I had found the answer in MyBucks for Windows Phone but it has since been pulled from the Windows Phone Store as well. Imagine my surprise then when I saw the Starbucks Locator app in the Store and not only that, the developer (Lancelot Software) is doing an epic job of keeping it up to date with new features and fixes. Last week it receive a major update to version 2.0 with complete new UI and other updates. Today it has received another major update, this one brining more security, a reduced app size and several new fixes. The update, version 2.1 for those keeping score at home, is available now in the Windows Phone Store.
For the 5th year in a row Microsoft has been named as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. The honor put Microsoft in very elite company, with only 132 companies globally represented in the list. If you are not familiar with the award, Ethisphere Institute outlines those honored as companies “that truly go beyond making statements about doing business “ethically” and translate those words into action. Honorees not only promote ethical business standards and practices internally, they exceed legal compliance minimums and shape future industry standards by introducing best practices today.” It is a powerful testimony to the efforts Microsoft has made in being a transparent and ethical company to be named to this list at all. To do so for 5 years is nothing short of impressive and gives a clear indication of how important ethical business is to the company. In reviewing the list, there are some interesting names to be found on it – and some that are missing.
Microsoft’s Gabe Aul has taken to the Windows Blog site to offer up a great piece on the Windows 10 Technical Preview cadence and why dates are not broadcasted out to the public. The article can be found here and I’m not going to waste your time by rehashing the entire post which is quite lengthy. The article lays out in great detail the internal processes and testing schedules, the balance of too fast versus too buggy and why they don’t set dates (HINT: It is beta software so if they run into a showstopper internally, they will postpone a release. They publish a date and miss it, the masses will revolt). Again, give it a read. It’s worth it.
What I will do however is say is that I understand the logic that Mr. Aul lays out in this post, particularly around show stopping bugs. If you have a bug that gets out that crushes every PC it is installed on, you will have a huge problem on their hands. Microsoft and many sites have pointed out that Windows 10 is in beta and it will be buggy. Unfortunately a lot of people forget that when they are looking at a BSOD or worse, a corrupt boot sector on their laptop after installing the Preview. Microsoft cannot afford that kind of misstep. So they are taking their time. The question however, is should they risk a little more, particularly on the “Fast Ring”? I think so and here is why.
Over the weekend Microsoft launched their all new, responsive and modern looking homepage to the world. The update to the corporate homepage isn’t anything new. Microsoft, it seems, goes through some sort of homepage shift every few months from a design and look-and-feel perspective. This one however feels much more modern and I suspect (rather hope) that this one sticks around a while.
AT&T has updated their smartphone section of their website to show that the all new Lumia 640XL is “coming soon” to the carrier. While there is no date associated with the update on their page, it is generally believed that the Lumia 640XL and the Lumia 640 will both be available around mid-April with pre-orders possibly happening as soon as this week. You might remember that AT&T will have the exclusive on the Lumia 640XL in the United States – at least for now – with T-Mobile and MetroPCS picking up the Lumia 640 along with AT&T.