Author: Clinton

Coin collecting has been something that humans have done almost since coinage was invented.  Often referred to as the “Hobby of Kings” during the Renaissance, over the past two centuries has become more affordable and easier to do than ever.  Those who collect coins seriously, Numismatics, today now have the benefit of technology and applications that even a few years ago was not available.  When I started collecting back in the mid-80s, coin grading and cataloging all had to be done by hand.  Now, it’s all done with apps but there is – and always will be – a human judgment factor when it comes to grading coins.  That is where an app like PCGS Photograde can make it easier for the seasoned collector and those new to the hobby.

PCGS Photograde comes from the company Professional Coin Grading Service, or PCGS.  They have been professionally grading coins for 30 years now and have had apps on various platforms to help hobbist leverage their experience to grade their own coins.  The PCGS Photograde app for Windows is the most comprehensive coin grading app available and gives high resolution photos of a wide range of US coins to help you determine the grades of your own coins.  It is a great way to figure out if that Lincoln Wheat Cent is a Fine-12 or an Extra Fine-20 and while that may not sound too exciting, it could mean in some cases hundreds of dollars difference in value.  Whether you have been collecting for a long time or just starting out, take a look at the PCGS Photograde app to help you grade your coins.

PCGS Photograde for Windows – Free – Download Now

This should come as a surprise to no one but Google has decided that their recently purchased Softcard NFC purchasing solution will shortly terminate their support for Windows Phone.  The purchase was made just this week and one of the first questions that came up was if Windows Phone support would continue.  Given that Google and Microsoft are not exactly bestest buddies, it seemed like a long shot that support would continue.

At the Microsoft Store or on Amazon while supplies last you can pick up a great deal on the Lumia 830 Windows Phone on AT&T.  If you sign up for a new 2-year contract or are an existing customer and want to upgrade, you can get the Lumia 830 plus a Fitbit Flex all for free.  Keep in mind that just last week this was $99 and the Fitbit Flex (which has been free with the 830 since November of last year) is an additional $90 value.  Basically you walk out of the online store with a great phone that at one point was $199 on contract for free.  For those of you who don’t want to get a new contract and would rather buy the device outright, you can do that too at the new low price of $399 which is $50 off the regular price.  Oh, and you still get the Fitbit Flex.

Lumia 830 with Fitbit Flex – Free (2-year contract) – Microsoft Store

Lumia 830 with Fitbit Flex – $399 (Save $50 – No Contract) – Microsoft Store

Lumia 830 with Fitbit Flex – Free (2-Year Contract) – Amazon

Microsoft continues their drive into the education sector with another important announcement around OneNote today.  If you missed it, yesterday they announced that students globally can get a free subscription to Office 365 (if their school is eligible).  Today the Redmond company has announced a new OneNote Staff Notebook for educators to share content and collaborate together.  It is a part of the Office 365 suite and adds a layer of content to the app for staff members of educational facilities.

Microsoft today sent an email to all Outlook.com customers that Facebook Messenger and Google Chat integration with the web-based email service is no longer available.  The email outlines that in the next couple of weeks that users will no longer be able to have instant message sessions from Outlook.com to these other services.  While no specifics are given on why Facebook Messenger integration is going away, Microsoft was quite clear that the reason Google Chat integration is going away is due to a decision by Google to discontinue the chat protocol.

The analyst firm IDC has released both their 4th Quarter 2014 and total for 2014 Smartphone OS sales figures and it is lethargic at best for Windows Phone.  The “Little OS That Could” had a reasonable 4.2% market share gain over 2013.  On the surface, that’s pretty good but you have to put it into perspective against the likes of Android and iOS.  Android grew some 32% in sales while Apple’s iOS was up 25.6%.  Let’s put it another way:  Android and iOS combined accounted for 96.3% of the total market share while Windows Phone came in at 2.7%.  So the good news is that Windows Phone is a solid 3rd over Blackberry and other mobile OS’.

But oh is there a long way to go to make a dent in the Android/iOS juggernaut.