The next gathering of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be a bit informal, but still very informative. We will meeting on Wednesday, October 17th 2012 starting at 6:30pm at Bison County Grill in Waltham, MA. You can find directions to the location here.

While we don't have anything official yet on Windows Phone 8, there is still lots to discuss. We would also like to have a discussion around our group itself moving forward, and all input on this subject will be greatly appreciated.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Sorry for the late notice, all. Due to last-minute scheduling issues, we have to cancel our Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 19, 2012.

We will be looking to schedule our October gathering soon, so stay tuned!

Due to a combination of scheduling conflicts and the timing of the Windows 8 / Visual Studio release to MSDN (but still without word on the Windows Phone 8 SDK), this month’s scheduled meeting of the Boston / New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups (slated for Wednesday, August 15th, 2012) has been cancelled. Our next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, September 19th, 2012, is still a “go”, however. Stay tuned for more details on this next meeting.

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held on Wednesday, June 20th, 2012 at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, Sixth Floor) starting at 6:30pm.

June has become a significant month for Windows Phone, with plenty to talk about. There is news from the E3 game industry conference, Microsoft TechEd North America and even an event earlier the day of our meeting – Microsoft’s Windows Phone Summit. We will be wrapping up all of the news and what it means to both Windows Phone users and developers, both consumer and enterprise.

See you there!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held this Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA beginning at 6:30pm EDT.

Among the items covered this month, we will talk about the latest on the Windows Phone devices front and upcoming events that will likely shed some light on the future of Windows Phone in TechEd and the Windows Phone Developer Summit.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be NO BOSTON/NEW ENGLAND WINDOWS PHONE USER/DEVELOPER MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT (APRIL 18TH). We apologize for any inconvenience and will announce our next meeting ASAP.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will not be holding our scheduled Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group meeting this coming Wednesday, February 15th. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement regarding our scheduled March meeting (March 21st). Details are still “to come”, but the featured presentation will be developer-oriented. For a hint, think “Windows Phone” and “cross-platform futures”

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held this Wednesday, January 18th starting at 6:30pm EST at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA.

Note: This month’s meeting will NOT have any developer-specific topics (although the topics presented will likely be of interest to all) -

• CES 2012 Wrap-Up
  The latest edition of the Consumer Electronics Show has just concluded. This year marks the last for a major Microsoft presence, and it had a strong Windows Phone “flair”. We will review all of the highlights from this event.
• 50,000 Apps and Counting – What’s In YOUR Device?
  The Windows Phone Marketplace has reached the 50,000 application plateau. In commemoration of this milestone, we will look at some of our favorite (and essential) applications. This is also YOUR chance to talk about and show some of your favorite applications as well, so come prepared!

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

It’s a special date and time and a different location, folks. Plus – it’s more a “meet up” than a “meeting”…

Once again, it’s the holiday season and, as such, the next gathering of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will follow our time-honored tradition of a social event rather than a more formal meeting. The meet up will happen on Wednesday, December 14th starting at 6:00pm. Additionally, we will NOT be meeting at the Microsoft offices in Waltham. Instead, we will be gathering at a location conducive to the season (good food and atmosphere). We will meet at Bison County Bar and Grill (275 Moody Street, Waltham, MA).

If you are curious, you can find out more about Bison County by checking out their web site.

This is an informal event. We’ll be hanging out, enjoying the food and company (and probably be talking tech, including Windows Phone of course). I look forward to seeing people there!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held on Wednesday, November 16th starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

For our featured presentation this month, we will be focusing on developing Microsoft Push Notification Service (“MPNS”) applications.

If you are a Windows Phone developer, leveraging the Microsoft Push Notification Service, or “MPNS”, can add a great deal of additional functionality, including making your application tiles come to life with real-time information. Best of all – adding MPNS capabilities are not as difficult as you might think.

In this presentation, we will add MPNS functionality to an existing application in a step-by-step fashion, making sure that we employ the best practices for creating toast and tile notifications for a Windows Phone client application.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group will be held on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road).

The featured presentation for our next meeting: “It’s a (Third) Party!: Tools Beyond Just Visual Studio and Blend for Windows Phone 7 Development”.

As Windows Phone 7 user and developer adoption continues to grow, so does the introduction of tools and controls to aid in the development of Windows Phone 7 applications. In this presentation, we will look at some of these tools and how they can help jumpstart or accelerate your application development efforts.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA.

After 3 months of developer-focus on Windows Phone 7.5 (codename “Mango”), this month’s focus will turn to the imminent release of this major upgrade to the Windows Phone 7 platform from a user perspective. This month’s meeting will include -

• An overview of the major new features available through Windows Phone 7.5
• Upcoming Windows Phone 7.5 phones
• Applications that are supporting new Windows Phone 7.5 features and functionality
• Phone upgrade information

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups will be held on Wednesday, July 20th starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

In keeping with our Summer of Mango Windows Phone 7.1 developer series, our next featured presentation will be…

“Developing Windows Phone 7.1 Structured Storage Applications”
The next version of Windows Phone will bring with it the first Microsoft-supported local database functionality. With SQL CE “under the hood” and LINQ to SQL support for all things database-oriented, Windows Phone and the associated development tools will open a world of possibilities to data-intensive applications.

In this presentation, you will learn the fundamentals for developing applications that leverage a local database. You will see the basics for creating, accessing and binding data as well as early best practice guidelines for implementing and securing data.

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be on Wednesday, June 15th 2011 starting at 6:30pm. As usual, the meeting will be held at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road).

Our featured presentation this month is the first in our Summer of Mango Windows Phone 7.1 developer series – Leveraging Background Processing in Windows Phone 7.1…

Windows Phone 7.1 (codenamed “Mango”) offers Windows Phone 7 developers their first opportunities to develop applications that perform background processing. In this presentation, you will learn about the different types of background processing that can occur, the rules/limitations for each. You will also see detailed code examples demonstrating the best practices for creating applications with background processing capabilities.

While summer may be a slower and mellower time for some, Microsoft’s recent announcement of new features for Windows Phone 7.1 (codenamed “Mango”) and the beta release of developer tools to support all of the goodness means there is a lot of learning to be done in the coming months.

To help support the Boston-area community in getting up to speed with the latest in Windows Phone development, the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups are pleased to announce the “Summer of Mango” series of developer presentations. Each 90-minute presentation will focus on a major aspect of Windows Phone Mango development.

The sessions are:

• JUNE 15th: Leveraging Background Processing in Windows Phone 7.1
• JULY 20th: Developing Windows Phone 7.1 Structured Storage Applications
• AUGUST 17th: Windows Phone 7.1. Live Tile Development Techniques

Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for all the details!

Due to a number of circumstances beyond control, we are having to cancel this month’s Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group meeting (scheduled for tomorrow, May 18th). We will, however, be “back in business” for our June meeting, scheduled for June 15th.

Stay tuned for more information regarding this next meeting…

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held on Wednesday, April 20th 2011 starting at 6:30pm. As usual, the meeting will be held at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

We will have two topics for this meeting -

• Windows Phone 7 March 2011 Update
  Also known as the “NoDo” update, Windows Phone 7 devices worldwide are receiving this update as we speak. In this presentation, we will look at what is included in the NoDo update.
• Windows Phone 7 Development: Application Lifecycle and Data Persistence Strategies
  Most all Windows Phone 7 developers are aware of the application lifecycle and how it potentially impacts application design and development. However, many developers are still unaware of the best techniques for ensuring performance and data persistence.
  In this presentation, we will explore in detail the impact of application lifecycle events on application data and look at design strategies to ensure the integrity of data while retaining application usability and performance.

In addition to the above-mentioned topics, this meeting marks a major milestone for the group. The April 2011 meeting marks the 10-year anniversary of Steve Hughes and I running the group. Ten years is a long time, so a bit of reflection (with a sense of humor, of course) will have to be included. We would love to see any of our user and developer group “alumni” from the past decade, so please try to attend.

See everyone there!

Due to scheduling conflicts, this month’s meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups (scheduled for Wednesday, March 16th, 2011) has been cancelled. We regret any inconvenience.

Stay tuned for announcements regarding our next meeting, scheduled for April 20th. This meeting will mark a ten-year anniversary. Watch for all the details!

While we had discussed having a January meeting at the Microsoft N.E.R.D. offices in Cambridge, MA, things just did not pan out. As a result, the next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held this Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 starting at 6:30pm at the MICROSOFT OFFICES IN WALTHAM, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

This month’s theme – It’s all about the applications! Microsoft recently announced that the Windows Phone Marketplace has crossed the 6,000 application mark. That’s a lot of applications to filter through to find the best of the best or even the one application you need. We will be taking a stroll through the Marketplace (using the Zune Desktop, device and even a few other tools you may not be aware of) and finding some of the best the Windows Phone developer community has to offer.

Hope to see you there!

While we will not be having a formal meeting in the month of December, we *will* have our annual holiday gathering of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups. This year, we will be meeting at The Bison County BBQ and Grille. Bison County is located at 275 Moody Street in Waltham, MA.

The holiday festivities will be on Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 starting at 6:00 PM EST. Plan on some fun, good conversation and a few items for giveaway as well!

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will take place on Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th floor).

This month, it’s Windows Phone 7 hands-on! We will have Anthony Kinney of Microsoft talking all about Windows Phone 7. In addition, we will have Windows Phone 7 devices on-hand and will demonstrate and discuss the various features and capabilities of Microsoft’s new mobile OS. Be prepared to bring your questions and “must-sees” to this meeting!

I look forward to seeing you all there!

It’s that time again, everyone! The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held on Wednesday, October 20th starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

This month’s meeting is all about Windows Phone 7! On October 11th, Microsoft pulled the wraps off of it’s brand new mobile phone operating system. While the hardware itself will not be available until October 21st in Europe and November 8th in North America, there is still loads to talk about. We will look at the announced features and capabilities as well as some of the applications and games that will be available at launch. Thanks to the launch event, we also have enough information to present a sort of “Buyers Guide” with device comparative information. Be sure to bring your interest and your questions for this fun-filled session.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Sorry for the late notice about this, folks. A combination of hectic schedules and timing have brought us to the conclusion that tomorrow night’s (September 15th, 2010) Boston / New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group meeting will be cancelled. Next month’s meeting, however, should more than make up for it as we will be in the heart of the Windows Phone 7 launch! That will come after this Thursday’s (September 16th) availability of the final bits of the Windows Phone 7 developer tools (ironically only one day after our scheduled meeting).

Stay tuned for more information around our October meeting!

MSDN will be holding some Windows Phone 7 developer tech events at various MS Offices
around the country.

The first event is an In-Person Event called a Windows Phone 7 Firestarter

Dream It. Build It.

The power to build smart, visually stunning games and applications is
right in your hands with Windows Phone 7. Want to see what’s under
the hood? This full-day series of learning events for developers
will take you behind the scenes with an inside look at the
philosophy, design language, and the fundamentals of Silverlight and
XNA coding for Windows Phone 7. You’ll also see how the Windows
Marketplace provides exciting new distribution and monetization
opportunities for developers and application publishers.
Join your local MSDN Events team and get ready to amplify your
creativity, productivity and market opportunities.

Morning Sessions:

Introduction to Windows Phone Development and the WP7 platform
Meet Windows Phone 7! We’re proud to introduce the innovative Windows
Phone 7 platform and explain the philosophy behind its all-new user
experience design. We’ll also outline the Metro design principles
and cover the basics of building applications for Windows Phone 7.
Finally, you’ll tour the Windows Phone Marketplace and get an
overview on its exciting revenue opportunities for developers and
application publishers.

Building Windows Phone 7 Applications with Silverlight
You’ve heard the fundamentals; now it’s time to dig a little deeper.
This session will focus on building Windows Phone 7 applications with
Microsoft Silverlight. You’ll see first-hand how to use Visual Studio
2010 and Expression Blend to develop and debug projects. You’ll also
learn about the built-in templates and the many available controls
and styles for WP7. We’ll wrap by covering how to consume services in
the cloud.

Building Windows Phone 7 Applications using XNA
Microsoft XNA has been a favorite with game developers for many years.
Now game developers will be able to harness the power of the XNA
framework to create highly immersive and responsive games for
Windows Phone 7.. We’ll charge full-speed into XNA to outline the
basic Windows Phone model, explore its core device characteristics,
and review the highlights of the XNA phone framework. Finally, we’ll
show you some of the cool and impressive games that have been
developed specifically for Windows Phone 7.
Lunch (included)

Afternoon Sessions:

Monetizing Your Apps with Marketplace
Windows Phone 7 will launch with a fully loaded Marketplace and the
opportunity for developers to sell or distribute their applications.
. In this session, you’ll get the details about how to navigate the
certification process and publish your application including updates.
Learn how to increase discoverability as well as deepen your
connection with your customers through the powerful business
intelligence capabilities of the marketplace.

Windows Phone 7 Services
Get ready to build more engaging user experiences with Windows Phone 7
and several powerful cloud- and phone-based components. First up is
the Microsoft Location Service, which allows you to obtain location
information based on GPS, cell and Wi-Fi signals. Next, we’ll cover
the Microsoft Push Notification Service, which provides “live”
updates for apps running on the device.

Light Up Windows Phone 7!
Device integration is how an application becomes an experience. In
this session, you’ll learn how to create the compelling and
interactive mobile experiences which users have come to have expect
by tying into device hardware such as the keyboard, touch input and
accelerometer. You’ll also learn how to incorporate audio and video
into your rich media solutions.
If you can dream it, you can build it with Windows Phone 7!

The second event is MSDN WP7 Evening Hands On Phone Garage Workshop

Stop Dreaming. Start Building.

Can’t wait to build the next big Windows Phone 7 application? We hear
you. The Windows Phone 7 platform represents a truly revolutionary
new opportunity for mobile app developers. That’s why we’re hosting
the evening Windows Phone Garage – and you don’t want to miss it.
This hands-on event immediately following the daytime Firestarter is
your chance to work through interactive learning labs and get
step-by-step instruction on developing for Windows Phone 7. Microsoft
and community experts will be on hand to share their wisdom and
provide one-on-one assistance as you work. You’ll also see “quick
hit” presentations throughout the evening that tackle key Windows
Phone 7 topics.

This is a great opportunity to design and implement your own
applications and (where available) deploy them to an actual Windows
Phone 7 device for testing, so gather your ideas and get ready to
code.

Prerequisites: Bring your ideas and design specs and prepare to build.
You’ll also need a computer installed with the Windows Phone
Developer Tools available here .
Seating is limited, due to the hands-on nature of this lab and the
opportunity for one-on-one instruction from Windows Phone 7 experts.

Register today – this event will sell out.

To find these and more WP7 related events in your area(sorry the US
only link) head here.

Here are some other Firestarter/Garage events coming up in the US.

8/24 - Atlanta - fire/garage
8/24 - Waltham - fire/garage
9/7 - New York - fire/garage
9/8 - Raleigh - fire/garage
9/21 - Charlotte - fire/garage
9/21 - Chevy Chase - fire/garage
9/22 - Philadelphia - fire/garage
9/28 - Pittsburgh - fire/garage
9/30 - Farmington - fire/garage

Time for your friendly reminder…

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held this Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our main presentation of the evening will continue our series on Windows Phone 7 Application Development that began back in April. This moth’s topic -

“State” and “Notifications”: A Whole New Meaning in Windows Phone 7
.NET Compact Framework developers who hear the words “state” and “notifications” invariably think of the State and Notification API, used to respond to various device state information and events. In Windows Phone 7, however, these words take on an entirely different and potentially critical meaning for application developers.

In this presentation, you will learn about the new application lifecycle for Windows Phone 7 applications and understand the importance of managing application state and responding to OS-level events. You will also learn about the use of the Microsoft Push Notification service as a means to communicate information to users when your application is not running.

We will also be repeating our very special drawing of the July meeting. One lucky attendee will receive a 1-year Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN subscriptioncourtesy of Microsoft! Nothing special required – just be in attendance.

I look forward to seeing everybody there!

Thanks go out to everyone who attended last night’s Boston/New England Windows Phone User/Developer Group meeting. In addition to a great group of participants, I also want to thank both Johan van Mierlo (of MobilityMinded.com) and Jon Westfall (of WindowsPhoneThoughts.com) for taking the time to make the journey up from CT and NY respectively. I’ve developed a lot of great friendships over my years with the Microsoft MVP Program, but so many of my friends are so far away (geographically speaking). Any chance to spend some time with them is always appreciated.

We did have one lucky winner of a 1-year Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN subscription. As is always the case with our meetings, all our winner had to do was attend and wait for the drawing at the end of the meeting (I think that making it through some of our meetings is enough of a price to pay for a giveaway ). We also had some additional great giveaways.

As I promised, I have made my PowerPoint deck for the presentation I gave on Windows Phone 7 Development available for download. The slides, of course, hardly do justice to all of the great conversation and questions that came up through he course of the presentation.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 starting at 6:30pm. We will continue our Windows Phone 7 development-focused presentation series with the next meeting focusing on application state management and developing for the Microsoft Push Notification Service. Both are topics that can potentially have a major impact of your development plans. Oh, and by the way… we will be repeating our drawing of a lucky winner of a 1-year Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN subscription, so don’t miss out!

Just a friendly reminder (and an update at the bottom of this post) -

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group will take place on Wednesday, July 21st starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Continuing our meeting focus on preparing for Windows Phone 7 development, I will be presenting “Silverlight UI Tips and Tricks for Windows Phone Developers” -

In our previous presentation on Windows Phone 7 development for Compact Framework developers, be were introduced to the essentials surrounding UI development with Silverlight and Visual Studio 2010. The logical “next step” in the learning process is to enhance our user interfaces using the powerful capabilities that Silverlight provdes.

In this presentation, you will be introduced to animation capabilities to enhance your Windows Phone 7 UI. You will also learn about data access and data binding capabilities and see how to leverage “the cloud” and services it provides.

We will also be kicking off our meeting with a group discussion on Essential Applications for Windows Mobile. We have these discussions from time to time, and we’ve been asked to have another. We’re always willing to oblige in that respect " src="http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/smilies/happy.gif" />

As for the update – in addition to our normal selection of items for our attendee giveaway at the end of each meeting, we have a very special giveaway this month courtesy of Microsoft. One lucky attendee this month will receive a Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN 1-year subscription!

If you are unaware of the value of this subscription, simply head over to the MSDN Subscriptions Comparison page (and be amazed). As always, there is no signup or fee required for attending our meetings, so I look forward to seeing you there! 

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group will take place on Wednesday, July 21st starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Continuing our meeting focus on preparing for Windows Phone 7 development, I will be presenting “Silverlight UI Tips and Tricks for Windows Phone Developers” -

In our previous presentation on Windows Phone 7 development for Compact Framework developers, be were introduced to the essentials surrounding UI development with Silverlight and Visual Studio 2010. The logical “next step” in the learning process is to enhance our user interfaces using the powerful capabiliities that SIlverlight provdes.

In this presentation, you will be introduced to animation capabilities to enhance your Windows Phone 7 UI. You will also learn about data access and data binding capabilities and see how to leverage “the cloud” and services it provides.

We will also be kicking off our meeting with a group discussion on Essential Applications for Windows Mobile. We have these discussions from time to time, and we’ve been asked to have another. We’re always willing to oblige in that respect

I look forward to seeing you there!

Just a friendly reminder – the next meeting of the Boston/New England User and Developer Group will be held this Wednesday (June 16th) starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor). For details, check out this post or visit our Facebook page.

I am looking forward to presenting another in our series of Windows Phone 7 development topics. This time, it’s Silverlight UI Development Essentials for Windows Phone Developers. This topic is big enough to warrant a second session on more advanced topics, so it looks like our July meeting agenda is now set

I look forward to seeing you all there!

Just your friendly little reminder – the next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will be held this coming Wednesday, May 19th starting at 6:30pm at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our featured presentation is the first in a series of focused Windows Phone 7 application development topics - “Application Data Storage In Windows Phone 7”.

While I am on the “reminder” subject – if you are a Facebook user and have not yet “liked” the BostonPocketPC page, please be sure to do so. You’ll receive the latest information on user and developer group meetings, topics and other relevant information.

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Groups will occur on Wednesday, April 21st starting at 6:30pmat the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

There are lots of exciting things going on around Microsoft and phones, and this month’s agenda reflects it! -

Introducing Your Next of KIN: Microsoft’s New Feature Phone Platform
If you haven’t already heard, Microsoft has announced a new feature phone platform in KIN. In this presentation, we will discuss what KIN is (and isn’t) and talk about the first two KIN devices announced – the KIN 1 and KIN 2.

Introduction to Windows Phone 7 Development
The Windows Phone 7 platform introduces an exciting new platform for smartphones – not only for users, but developers as well. In this presentation/demonstration, you will learn about the basics of Windows Phone 7 application development using Visual Studio 2010, Silverlight and Expression Blend.

I look forward to seeing you all there!

We will be having our next Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups on Wednesday, March 17th beginning at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor) in Waltham, MA.

Among the topics discussed -

• A wrap-up of MIX 2010. We will be talking about what was announced about Windows Phone 7 and the developer story

See you all there!

While we discussed this at our January Windows Mobile User and Developer Group meeting, I wanted to send along a reminder to all that there will be no Boston/New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting for February.

We are still on track for our March meeting, however. This will be held on Wednesday, March 17th. Details on the agenda are yet to be determined.

We will be having our next Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups on Wednesday, January 20th beginning at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor) in Waltham, MA.

Among the topics discussed -

• A wrap-up of CES 2010. Lots of interesting things going on.
• Hands-on with the LG eXpo. If you haven’t seen this Windows Phone device in action, you are in for a treat!

See you all there!

‘Tis the season! In place of our normal Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Group meeting, we will be having a casual holiday get-together. We will be meeting at the Bison County BBQ and Grille, located at 275 Moody Street in Waltham, MA.

We will plan on being there starting at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, December 16th. No formal agenda; just good food, good conversation and friends!

We hope to see you there!

It’s time once again for our monthly Boston/New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting! This month, our meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 18th starting at 6:30PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th floor).

This month’s topic -

It’s Off To The Market (place)
Coinciding with the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft has also launched the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. This “one-stop shop” for Windows Phones allows you to browse, purchase and download applications for your device – right from your device!

In this presentation, we will look at the Windows Marketplace for Mobile from both the end-user and developer perspective. We will talk about how to get started, what to consider and what the Windows Marketplace brings to the table.

It’s meeting time again, all! The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups will be held this Wednesday (October 21, 2009) starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our featured presentation - “Back ‘Dat Thang Up!: Windows Mobile Backup Strategies”
While the title may sound humorous, there is nothing funny when it comes to the loss of personal data. With the high percentage of breakage, loss and theft of cellular phones the need to preserve critical information is always a concern. Microsoft has officially released it’s official cloud-based backup solution for Windows Mobile 6.5 devices in the My Phone service, but that may not be the right solution for all your needs.

In this presentation, we will talk about creating your own (or your business’) backup strategy and finding the right tools to meet your needs.

For all those that have written in, Yes we have a meeting tonight. Don is down in Atlanta, but we will carry on with out him. Today’s topic will be cool,fun and new applications for the Windows Mobile platform. The format will be several demonstrations of several applications that take advantage of the hardware found in current Windows Mobile devices –accelerometers, cameras, GPS, data radios, WiFi and Bluetooth.

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Group will be held on Wednesday, September 16th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Sorry for the late notice.

It’s that time again! The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Group will be held on Wednesday, August 19th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our next meeting will be of interest to anyone who currently is or is looking to develop applications for mobile devices…

“State of the Union: Mobile Application Development”

If you are a mobile device application developer, there has never been a more opportunistic time to leverage your skills. With several established device platforms out there and more gaining traction daily, the decisions as to where to place your development efforts have never been more challenging. 

In this presentation, you will receive an overview of all of the current opportunities for mobile device development. You will learn about the market opportunities (both consumer and enterprise), the technologies needed for success and strategies for leveraging your knowledge to maximize your productivity and skillset.

As always, we will have lots of giveaways for our drawings at the end of the meeting. All you need to do is… be there!

Sorry for the late notice, all. Sumer is supposed to be the traditional “slow time”, but a number of scheduling conflicts have led to need to cancel this month’s Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Group meeting. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We will be picking up with next month’s meeting on August 19th. Stay tuned for more information…

I really enjoyed delivering my presentation on “Windows Mobile Widgets 101” this past Wednesday at the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group. The goal was to show just how simple it was to get started with widget development. With the Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Toolkit now available for download, now is as good a time as ever to get ahead of the game.

I have put my presentation deck (as PDF) and samples together into a single ZIP file for download. Enjoy!

Sorry for the late notice, all. I honestly thought that we were not meeting until NEXT week. Way too hectic a month thus far…

Our next Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting will be TOMORROW (June 17th) starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Among our topics this month -

“Windows Mobile 6.5 Overview” – With the release of the Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Toolkit, developers and users are getting their first good looks at the latest Windows Mobile OS offering. In this presentation, you will see some of the highlights for both Professional and Standard Edition devices.

“Introduction To Widgets” – With the upcoming release of Windows Mobile 6.5 comes the unveiling of a new application type for Windows Mobile – the widget. In this presentation, you will receive an “Anatomy of a Widget”, how you can create them, what they can do and how you can deploy them to the masses.

As always, there will be lots of items for giveaway!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups will take place on Wednesday, May 20th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

This month’s meeting should be both fun and informative…

• TechEd 2009 WrapUp
  TechEd is always a worthwhile event for Windows IT Professionals and Developers. Windows Mobile was far from left out of this year’s event in Los Angeles. We will discuss the announcements and sessions presented at TechEd.
• What’s Coming For Exchange 2010 and Windows Mobile Users
  The next release of Microsoft Exchange Server (Exchange 2010) is currently in beta. This newest release will bring a lot to the table for Windows Mobile users. In this session, we will discuss the announced features and how they can benefit you or your organization.
• Let’s Make A Dream Phone!
  If you could design your perfect Windows Mobile phone, what would you create? Hardware? Form factor? Input method? Software? In this group participation-oriented session, we will all collaborate on the design of an ideal Windows Mobile device. In the process, we will (hopefully) learn more about how different people use (and perceive other’s use) the current Windows Mobile devices and how they might be improved.

As always, we will have lots of good stuff for giveaway at the end of the meeting!

Thanks to all who attended our Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting last night. It really was a great “giveaway night”, with lots of goodies for everyone.

As promised, I have posted the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format (don’t worry – the HTML links still work) and the example MortScript in all in a single easy-to-download ZIP file.

Enjoy!

It’s that time again! The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group will be held this Wednesday, April 15, starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th floor).

A special note: This meeting will be held in the Rhode Island Room (in the back of the offices, near the kitchenette area). Our normal meeting space is being used for training all week.

Our featured topic this month - “Windows Mobile Tweaks, Tips and Tricks”
Have you ever wondered how to improve your Windows Mobile device’s performance? Customize functionality or appearance? Automate common tasks? This month’s focus will cover the various ways you can enhance your device using registry settings, tools and applications.

As always, we will have lots of goodies for giveaway at the conclusion of the meeting.

Hope to see you there!

I just received word from Microsoft that our meeting tonight (Wednesday, March 18th) will be held in Room MPR-C. This is different from our usual meeting room next door (MPR-B). Everything else remains the same (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor, 6:30 PM start time).

Hope to see you there!

Sorry for the late notice, folks. The last month has been a bit hectic…

The next meeting for the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups will be held this Wednesday, March 18th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road).

This month will be an “Open Mic” meeting. In other words – bring questions, comments, topics you would like to discuss. While we always have plenty to talk about on our end, this is your opportunity to get questions answered and thoughts communicated.

As always, we have lots of goodies to give away at the end of the meeting to attendees.

Our next Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 18th at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor) starting at 6:30 PM.

Our meeting will include:

• Device Security Open Discussion
  Last’s month’s CES roundup ran a bit long (as is often the case with such a vast amount of information presented). As a result, our discussion regarding personal device security will take place this month.
• Mobile World Congress Roundup
  The 2009 edition of Mobile World Congress (“MWC”) begins next week. By Wednesday, there will likely be lots to discuss and lots of questions. We will bring together all of the major news from MWC into one presentation for your enjoyment!
• Microsoft Tag
  Microsoft has released the beta version of a barcode technology (and more) in Microsoft Tag that has the potential of opening many doors to new opportunities. A major player in this strategy is Windows Mobile. We will provide an overview of Tag, it’s possibilities and demonstrate how you can begin using this technology today for your own benefit.

As usual, we will have lots of giveaways in our monthly end-of-meeting raffle.

Hope to see you there!

It’s that time again! The next Windows Mobile User/Developer Group Meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 21st starting at 6:30 PM. We will meet (as always) at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

We have two great topics for our next meeting:

• CES 2009 / CntrStg Wrap-Up
  As some one you are aware, not only did Steve “fyiguy” Hughes once again attend the Consumer Electronics Show (“CES”) in Las Vegas. He actually was a driving force for a unique concept/event for bloggers at CES in CntrStg! Steve will provide a wrap-up of all the CES goings-on and provide his unique insight into this great event.
• Roundtable: Device Security and You
  Whether you are a casual or power user, storing personal or business information, the loss of your mobile device can mean more than telephone access. In this discussion-based session, we will talk about what you keep on your device, what you do to protect that data and (maybe) what you should be doing.

As always, we’ll have our drawing for lots of nice giveaways at the end of the meeting, so be sure not to miss out!

Next Wednesday we will not be having our monthly meeting at the Microsoft building in Waltham. Instead we will have a friendly get-together over some great food and drinks at Bison County BBQ Bar & Grill from 6PM-8:30PM on December 17, 2007 . Food and drinks will be each person’s own responsibility - so eat and drink as much as you can afford. Be sure to check out the menu before you get there.

Bison County is located here:

275 Moody Street
Waltham, MA 02453

Besides food and drink, there will be a lot of conversation, geeking out, sharing of tips, tricks, hacks, and a good time!  We will also give a few things away to make it fun. :)

Hope to see you there!!!

We are going to be having another great contest here at Boston Pocket PC just in time for the holidays with 49 other sites. It will be called the HP Magic Giveaway contest.  We had such a big success with the 31 Days of the Dragon Contest, the contest pool has expanded to 50 top blogs and websites to spread over $300,000 worth of prizes to some lucky people to give to others in the spirit of giving from the people at HP and Microsoft.

Here is a list of over $6000 worth of kit that is being given away in each contest:

• HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC
• HP HDX 18 series Premium Notebook PC
• HP MediaSmart Connect
• HP Pavilion dv4 series Entertainment Notebook PC with Windows Live
• HP Mini 1000 with XP
• HP Photosmart C6380 Wireless AIO multifunction printer 
• HP 564 Photo Value Pak
• Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate/Home Premium or Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed on all units (Mini 1000 runs XP)
• Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (Student-Teacher Edition) – 1 DVD with 3 licenses
• Corel VideoStudio X2
• Kung Fu Panda (DVD & Blu-ray)

We will be announcing the details of our contest soon, so come back often to see what we have planned as well as updates on how you can win this prize pack to keep and giveaway yourself from 49 other sites and celebrate the magic of giving.

As is want to happen from time to time, business and travel commitments have left us in a situation where neither Steve Hughes or myself will be available for our monthly group meeting this coming Wednesday, November 20th. As such, we have no alternative but to cancel our upcoming meeting.

After some discussion, Steve and I agreed that we will have a Holiday Gathering for our December meeting. This will occur on Wednesday, December 17th. Stay tuned for more details in the next couple of days!

Just a friendly reminder…

It is time once again for our monthly Boston/New England Windows Mobile User & developer Group meeting. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 15th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham. MA.

The topic for this meeting – Making The Most of Mobility When Traveling
Whether it is for business or pleasure, for a day or a month, travel always presents a unique challenge to us all. How to we stay in touch? How do we get to where we need to be? How do we do it all without doubling our carrying weight? While mobile technologies can help address these issues, knowing how to maximize those technologies is key.

In this presentation, we will discuss and demonstrate both hardware and software that can help you to maximize your productivity and enjoyment when away from home.

As always, will have lots of giveaways for raffle to attendees at the end of our meeting, so don’t miss out (last month, one lucky winner received a 1 year MSDN Premium subscription, thanks to Microsoft).

It is time once again for our monthly Boston/New England Windows Mobile User & developer Group meeting. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 15th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham. MA.

The topic for this meeting – Making The Most of Mobility When Traveling
Whether it is for business or pleasure, for a day or a month, travel always presents a unique challenge to us all. How to we stay in touch? How do we get to where we need to be? How do we do it all without doubling our carrying weight? While mobile technologies can help address these issues, knowing how to maximize those technologies is key.

In this presentation, we will discuss and demonstrate both hardware and software that can help you to maximize your productivity and enjoyment when away from home.

As always, will have lots of giveaways for raffle to attendees at the end of our meeting, so don’t miss out (last month, one lucky winner received a 1 year MSDN Premium subscription, thanks to Microsoft).

Wow - where has the past month gone? It's time for our next monthly meeting. I was not sure if I would be able to be there myself, but now the answer is "yes", so...

The next meeting of the New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Groups will take place on Wednesday, September 17th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA.

This month, we're having an "Open Mic" night. In other words - bring your questions, discussions and topics around Windows Mobile (and mobility in general). While Steve and I both have plenty of new news to fuel the conversation, I enjoy those occasional opportunities to have those really engaging conversations based upon what you are interested in. Don't forget - you're questions can be technical in nature as well, so any of you developers out there are more than welcome to join in.

As always, we will have lots of great items for our giveaway raffle.

See you there!

Yes, Virginia - there will be a meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User/Developer group this month

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 20th 2008 starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

This month's meeting will have a developer "flavor", with two topics for discussion:

• "Windows Mobile Device Configuration: A Developer's Perspective"
  While many people are aware of device management and configuration solutions available for Windows Mobile, developers are often surprised to discover that they have the ability to configure devices using the .NET Compact Framework from their own applications. In this presentation, we will look at some of the options available to allow your application to configure such features as WiFi, Bluetooth and more.
• "Sync Me Up! Sync Services for ADO.NET and Sync Framework for Devices"
  As most developers will tell you, the process of developing a data synchronization framework for an application can be an extremely complex process. Microsoft is address this issue through the Microsoft Sync Framework. Two components within this framework include functionality for ADO.NET synchronization and a more generalized synchronization core functionality. If you are responsible for developing Windows Mobile application that moves data from device to server and back, than this presentation should be considered a "must-see".

As always, we will have lots of great items up for grabs in our end-of-meeting raffle.

Hope to see you there!

Due to some scheduling conflicts and the height of Summer Vacation time, we will not be having our monthly New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting this month. We do, however, plan on having a meeting next month on Wednesday, August 20th. Stay tuned for more announcements on that event...

Just a friendly reminder...

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 18th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

The featured presentation this month will focus on the newly released (and recently reported on) Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile Developer Preview. We will see the developer preview in action and talk about the technologies used, including the Windows SideShow Managed API for .NET developer. We'll also talk where the potential lies in opportunities for developers.

We also plan to give attendees a "heads-up" announcement regarding some upcoming contests at BostonPocketPC.com with some really fantastic prizes! As always, we will have the usual assortment of great items up for grabs in our random drawings, so don't miss out!

Time once again for the next meeting of the New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Group. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 18th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Microsoft - Waltham (Click for more details)

The featured presentation this month will focus on the newly released (and recently reported on) Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile Developer Preview. We will see the developer preview in action and talk about the technologies used, including the Windows SideShow Managed API for .NET developer. We'll also talk where the potential lies in opportunities for developers.

We also plan to give attendees a "heads-up" announcement regarding some upcoming contests at BostonPocketPC.com with some really fantastic prizes! As always, we will have the usual assortment of great items up for grabs in our random drawings, so don't miss out!

Just your friendly reminder that the next New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 21st starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (6th floor). Complete information, maps and directions can be found in this posting.

There will be 2 presentations at this meeting. They are:

• What's New in Windows Mobile 6.1. Curious to find out what the latest version of Windows Mobile has to offer for users and the enterprise? This presentation will discuss a variety of new features, functions and enhancements for Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard and Professional.
• Introducing Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager ("SCMDM"). If you haven't already heard, Microsoft has released the newest member of the System Center product family. SCMDM provides device management and security for Windows Mobile devices to enterprise administrators. In this presentation, you will see and learn the benefits that SCMDM provides to administrators and developers of mobile Line of Business applications.

As always, there will be lots of great giveaways. This month's giveaway includes a copy of Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, so don't miss out! 

Well, it's about that time. Time to discuss our next New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting, that is. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 21st starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (6th floor).

There will be 2 presentations this month. They are:

• What's New in Windows Mobile 6.1. Curious to find out what the latest version of Windows Mobile has to offer for users and the enterprise? This presentation will discuss a variety of new features, functions and enhancements for Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard and Professional.
• Introducing Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager ("SCMDM"). If you haven't already heard, Microsoft has released the newest member of the System Center product family. SCMDM provides device management and security for Windows Mobile devices to enterprise administrators. In this presentation, you will see and learn the benefits that SCMDM provides to administrators and developers of mobile Line of Business applications.

As always, there will be lots of great giveaways. This month's giveaway includes a copy of Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, so don't miss out! 

This is a reminder - There will be no user group meeting this month (April 16th, 2008). We will be meeting on Wednesday, May 21st. Stay tuned for a post this evening regarding that meeting...

Where does the time go? It seems like we our last meeting just occurred, and yet the time has come once again to get together, so...

The next meeting of the Windows Mobile User/Developer Group will happen this Wednesday (March 19th, 2008) starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our 2 featured topics for this meeting are:

• Windows Mobile "State of the Media" Update: The variety of ways of bringing media to your Windows Mobile device seems to constantly be on the rise. It's time once again to visit the options available to you for music, video, podcasts, audio books and more.
• Pimp My Homescreen!: Whether for function or form, for style or substance, taking advantage of the extensibility of the Windows Mobile Homescreen or Today Screen can be both useful and fun. We will look at "out-of-the-box" capabilities and third-party tools that can can transform your homescreen into a work of art.

As always, we will have lots of really great giveaways for attendees.

See you there!

This is just a quick reminder that our next user/developer group meeting will be held tomorrow, February 20th at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA. For a map and directions, check out the complete announcement.

The main presentation for this meeting is entitled "What's New For Windows Mobile Developers with Visual Studio 2008". I will be covering language, tool and debugging enhancements which should be of interest to anyone developing .NET Compact Framework applications.

As always, we have some great giveaways this month, so be sure to attend!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User and Developer Group will be held on Wednesday, February 20th starting at 6:30 PM. As usual, the meeting will be held at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

The featured presentation this month will focus on .NET Compact Framework development in "What's New For Windows Mobile Developers with Visual Studio 2008". I will cover .NET Compact Framework 3.5 enhancements and changes within the Visual Studio IDE.

As usual, we have lots of great giveaways to raffle to attendees!

See you there!

The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User Group will be held Wednesday, January 16th at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor). The meeting will start at 6:30 PM.

The featured presentation will be a CES 2008 Wrap-Up by none other than Steve "fyiguy" Hughes. Steve will be attending his fifth CES event this year. Those who have attended his CES Wrap-Up presentations in the past know that that this is a must-attend" event, complete with tons of useful information and photos.

Just a reminder...

The next meeting will be held tonight (Wednesday, October 17th, 2007) starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th floor).

The featured presentation will be "Windows Mobile User/IT Pro Security - Soup To Nuts". In August, we featured a security session focused on application developers and the various Windows Mobile security models. Now we turn our attention to what individuals and IT professionals can do to secure devices. Among the topics discussed will be:

• Password essentials
• Encryption
• VPN
• Windows Mobile policies
• Exchange 2003 and 2007 Windows Mobile security features

We are also pleased to announce that meeting sponsors ProClip USA and Vito Technology have added some great offerings for our monthly giveaways!

As always, attendance is free and no registration is required. I look forward to seeing you there!

As I prepare for a long-overdue family vacation that begins the middle of next week, I wanted to make certain that we provide everyone with early notification of our next user group meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th floor).

The featured presentation will be "Windows Mobile User/IT Pro Security - Soup To Nuts". In August, we featured a security session focused on application developers and the various Windows Mobile security models. Now we turn our attention to what individuals and IT professionals can do to secure devices. Among the topics discussed will be:

• Password essentials
• Encryption
• VPN
• Windows Mobile policies
• Exchange 2003 and 2007 Windows Mobile security features

As always, attendance is free and no registration is required. I look forward to seeing you there!

In a break from tradition over the last several months, I am pleased to be able to provide information sooner rather than later regarding our next meeting

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 19th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our main presentation for the evening is entitled "Mobile Web Development 101" . Whether you are interested in creating your own IE Mobile Start Page, a web page or site optimized for Windows Mobile devices or focused on ASP.NET Mobile Controls, this "soup-to-nuts" presentation will focus on the design concepts and tools you can use to mobilize your web content.

As always, there will be a drawing for giveaway items. Last month's giveaways included a copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate and a Parrot Bluetooth Car Speakerphone, so you never know what is in store for this upcoming meeting.

See you there!

The next Club Pocket PC - Boston meeting will be held this Wednesday, August 15th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor). A note regarding this month's meeting - we will be holding the meeting in the Rhode Island Room (rather than the customary MPR rooms).

Our main topic for this meeting will be a presentation I will be doing entitled "Windows Mobile Security Models - Soup To Nuts". The discussion will cover the various types of security imposed via "locking", the security models for application installation and execution, and the process for obtaining and getting the proper certificate credentials for the Windows Mobile environment. For developers of Windows Mobile applications (both internal enterprise applications and commercial developers), this information is essential for successful deployments. For end-users, this information can be extremely enlightening in answering many questions regarding installing applications to your device.

As always, there will be lots of goodies for our giveaway raffle.

See you there!

Between the frequent travel and the large work load, things have been a bit stretched for me as of late. Fortunately, a cluttered calendar is not preventing me from making the following statement -

The next meeting of Club Pocket PC - Boston will be held on Wednesday, July 18th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th floor). Our next meeting will be dedicated to trying to catch up on all of the latest goings on in mobility. From Windows Mobile 6 to the iPhone, from new applications to new products, we have a lot to discuss.

We also will have a lot (and I do mean a lot) of giveaways for this meeting, really making this a must-attend event.

See you there!

Between business travel and unbreakable personal commitments, both Steve Hughes and I will not be able to be in Waltham this coming Wednesday, June 20th. This leaves us no other option than to cancel this month's meeting of the Club Pocket PC - Boston group.

My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause anyone. Please "stay tuned" as we prepare for our July meeting. I promise we'll work on something to make it up to you all

Due to an unforseen work emergency I will be working late and won't be able to conduct the meeting tonight and Don is off in Toronto on business. We will make it up next month with a pretty good agenda with a mix of Developer and Enthusiast/Enterprise focus for the next meeting. We will nail out an agenda to fit both and post it up well in advance.

Again I am sorry for not being able to do this at the last minute, but we will make it up to next month! :)

The AMD/Microsoft Retail Tour 2007 is coming to a city near you! It's your chance to stay up-to-date on the latest industry developments and learn more about Windows Vista, AMD's Quad-CPU technology, ATI Radeon™ Graphics chipsets, and more. They even have a very exclusive bundle available for attendees. In the past they had people pre-order them because they were so sweet.

For $349 you get:

• Energy efficient AMD Athlon™ 64 dual-core processor 4400+, Rev G, 65nm
• Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate OS - NFR
• ASUS M2A-VM with AMD 690G Chipset (this MB has an included Video card with 256MB on board dedicated, HDMI out,DVI and VGA connectors on the board and yes you can power 2 displays with it)

Hear from industry-leading Microsoft and AMD partners such as HP and Acer, and just by attending you may qualify to purchase an amazing Retail Tour bundle. You can also win great prizes at every event, including software, a Zune, an Xbox 360 or an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile-powered HP Pavilion TX1000 Entertainment Notebook PC.

The Boston date will be June 12, 2007 at the Hynes Convention Center.

Here is the current Agenda:

For those who haven't attended the last few Club Pocket PC - Boston meetings, I want to make sure to announce early that there will be no meeting in April. The reason - the Microsoft offices in Waltham (particularly, the presentation rooms) will be undergoing renovations the week of scheduled meetings. While we may miss one month of meetings, we can eagerly look forward to seeing the results of the renovations!

We will next meet on Wednesday, May 18th at our normal time of 6:30 PM. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

The next meeting of Club Pocket PC - Boston will be held on Wednesday, February 21st beginning at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (3 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Microsoft - 3 Jones Road

Our next meeting will include the following topics:

• Introducing Windows Mobile 6 - Don Sorcinelli and Steve Hughes will provide a walk-through of the newest version of the Windows Mobile operating system and what it means to mobile users and developers.
• Office 2007 Changes and Enhancements for Mobile Users - This presentation/demonstration will focus on some of the new functionalities for Office 2007 users who are "on-the-go".
• Microsoft and "The Daylight Savings Time Dilemna" - Learn what you need to do with all of your Microsoft technologies (including mobile devices) to prepare for the new Daylight Savings Time dates.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Time for your "friendly reminder"...

The next meeting of Club Pocket PC - Boston will be held on Wednesday, January 17th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Microsoft - Waltham, MA

Our next meeting will include:

• CES 2007 Roundup. Steve Hughes will be attending the 2007 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show ("CES") in Las Vegas. Steve will provide us with some of the highlights from the show.
• Windows Vista for Mobile Users. A few months back, Steve Hughes and I covered various pieces of information regarding Microsoft Windows Vista in relation to mobile users. Well, the code has shipped and we will be days away from the official launch. What better time to cover things in greater depth? 

We look forward to seeing you there!

While we are attempting to get things back to nornal, I do want to take a moment and put out the early word for the next Club Pocket PC - Boston meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 17th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

Our next meeting will include:

• CES 2007 Roundup. Steve Hughes will be attending the 2007 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show ("CES") in Las Vegas. Steve will provide us with some of the highlights from the show.
• Windows Vista for Mobile Users. A few months back, Steve Hughes and I covered various pieces of information regarding Microsoft Windows Vista in relation to mobile users. Well, the code has shipped and we will be days away from the official launch. What better time to cover things in greater depth? 

We look forward to seeing you there!