Keni Barwick - The Mobile Guy

Goodbye...

2008-02-01T14:05:00Z

Yup I'm moving on.

It's been a blast. If you want to find out how much drop uk.recruitment@conchango.com a line...

I'll be over here from now on...

http://www.theMobileGuy.net

See you around.

Keni

Bill's Last Keynote

2008-01-16T14:07:00Z

Another year, another CES keynote from Bill Gates... But this year is different... For this year it's the last time we see bill be uncomfortable infornt of the stage and do rubbish jokes with famous people who have quite clearly been paid to be there with him...

Bless...

Though I guess I'd love to be up on stage and be paid for it too!

Anyway the highlights for me were the Surface table, man I want one of them, and the figures for Windows Mobile, nah the commitment made by Microsoft regarding Windows Mobile...

I have to say, and unlike a lot of commentators have said, it was great to see that they didn't say talk about the next versions of Win Mo or talk about SilverLight mobile...

Simply because we all know that CES is great, but "MEDC is where its at man!"

So on that note, I leave you to watch the key note here (if you haven't already).

Roll on 2008, a great year ahead...

Remove "Open File - Security Warning" on any file for good!

2007-11-09T11:57:00Z

As part of my new shiny, I've been installing latest drivers and software...

Now one thing I've been getting really annoyed with Vista is the "Open File - Security Warning" dialog box.

There is nothing wrong with it as such, just when I click the "don't ask this again" check box to true, I'd expect it to NOT ask me again!

Anyway, I did some hunting and found this gem, thanks Jimmy Brush...

Now that's all very good if you have one or two files asking me this question, but I had a few more!

So I created this for ya'll...

It's just a bat file that will ask you for it... I'd like to have added a link to it, but hey you know what theses nasty .bat files can do... So for transparance here it is in full naked glory... Enjoy

:: RemoveOFSW.bat
::
:: Removes the "Open File - Security Warning" from an application in Vista
:: this is helpfull as the "Always Ask" checkbox isn't always applied
::
:: Keni Barwick - Conchango
@ ECHO OFF

:BEGIN

if "%1" == "?" GOTO HELP
if "%1" == "" GOTO HELP

move %1.exe %1.bak

type %1.bak > %1.exe

del %1.bak

echo Done

GOTO END

:HELP

ECHO Removes the "Open File - Security Warning" from an application in Vista
ECHO.
ECHO REMOVEOFSW [filename]
ECHO.
ECHO NOTE: Remember to leave out the DOT extention.
ECHO.

GOTO END

:END

Deleted Domain User and no other log on?

2007-11-09T11:46:00Z

Don't worry... I have the answer for you...

Yup, the other day I deleted the user from a domain, but forgot to enable another local user!!! Der brain... So there I am sitting with my head in my hands franticly calling people I knew to see if they had a way of getting back into the PC without blowing it away!!!

After a long hard think, I thought to my self, but what if I can create a user in the Command window!

So I searched the web and found that you can... of course you can...

NET USER Administrator /active:yes

should do it, now add a password

NET USER Administrator *

Job done!!! :)

I felt VERY happy when I rebooted and saw the administrator user at the log in screen....

Happy Birthday Tablet PC's

2007-11-09T11:30:00Z

Yesterday was the birthday of the humble Tablet PC... It's come along way... I've had one now for about 3 years and I will recomend one to everyone...

It just so happens that I also got upgraded with a lovely new Tablet from our Internal Systems guys...

The Fujitsu Siemens T4220 - yup good, very sexy and with the TurboBoost in built it just fly's!!!

I had two issues with it though... Two that I later discoverd were a) my fault b) Vista's fault... But not to worry I fixed them and I'll be blogging then and editing this post to add the fixes :)

Anyway Happy Birthday Tablet PC and Eddie (I'm not 50 yet) Robins...

Deleted Domain User Recovery
Remove Vista's Open File Security Warning

GPhone and the OHA

2007-11-06T09:39:00Z

K: Bless me Father for I have sinned, it's been a month since my last Blog post...
F: Go write 1,000 lines of c# and a Linq query...

Yup, I've been away from the Blogosphere for a while, no excuse really, just got out of the “habit”... (Pun intended)

But today’s (or should I say yesterday’s) Google announcement has stirred the beast in me. The Android has been let out of the US Robotics workshop... (That’s Asimov’s, not the Modem Company)

Ensuring that everyone but Apple, Microsoft and Nokia was invited (not really true) Google held a press conference yesterday with the Open Handset Alliance to tell everyone... No we aren’t announcing a GPhone today; we are announcing a thousand GPhone’s.

O, good one Google, another operating system for us developers to have to conform to... When asked if this will fragment the industry more, they kind of shirted around the issue by saying “this new OS is great as its open so anyone can take it and modify it.” – surely that WILL fragment it even more! You’ll get a Samsung version, a Motorola version!!! ARRRGGHHHH....

But hey, I don’t care... Because as far as I’m concerned the Android platform will be good for one thing, BROWSING... Getting Google on your phone...

So, yes we should all be interested in what they are up to and yes we should be very interested in how we are to show our lovely new retail website on the Android browser...

But no we shouldn’t be worried about how we can connect to Exchange or will it give me my email faster than the speed of light.

Nor should we be concerned about translating that LOB application that Bob uses in accounts to his device that runs it, because it just won’t be designed for it.

So Android go sic the completion...

“Danger Will Symbian, Danger...”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWtFeIw8MVM - baby phone
http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html - OHA members
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rYozIZOgDk - Android
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/05/live-coverage-of-googles-android-gphone-mobile-os-announcement/ - transcript

v1615 in stock!!!

2007-10-06T12:47:00Z

I was Facebooking yesterday on my phone (http://m.facebook.com) and an old friend from Uni got in touch.

He said he was getting really sick of the lack of functionality with his Blackberry Pearl...

Now I know that the Pear is a great device with a stack of features, but when you don't have a Blackberry Enterprise Server or a managed account via your telco it's kinda usless... Hence his problem.

So of course I told him about the latest Windows Mobile devices to look out for... We eventually got down to him awaiting for the v1615 when it was available...

10 minutes later he messaged me again to say he had called Voda and the v1615 is in stock and was winging it's way to him (Postal strike aside!)

So the long and the short of it is... v1615's are out! Even though you can't see them on the Voda website, you can get them via head office :)

Hmmm, now if this happend a month ago it wouldn't have been an issue, but now... HTC Touch Dual *droool*

OpenAJAX alliance pursues Mobile

2007-10-03T15:15:00Z

Today a fellow Conchango technology team member Pryank Rohilla (start blogging mate!) let me know about OpenAJAX alliance meeting up in California at the Microsoft's office to discuss how to bring common AJAX standards to mobile devices. (Link)

This is a good thing for me since Internet Explorer Mobile, aka PIE, on Windows Mobile 6 devices now contains sufficient AJAX support and has fixed the XMLHttpRequest memory leak which was a real issue on previous versions.

With the Apple iPhone and other telco's, like Vodafone, pushing the consumer view into Mobile web this is a good thing for building mobile websites.

I disagree with the above article where it says it feels this will confuse and they doubt it will be the best tool for the job! Just say that to Microsoft, Apple, Google, IBM and David Cameron's favorite, Facebook.

AJAX is here to stay and it IS coming to Mobile devices. It's a good thing that we have a body that is setting standards and the big boys are taking notice.

Want to do some AJAX on WinMo? - Check out this as a starter...

iPhone v Windows Mobile part 2

2007-09-23T22:21:00Z

Look, I'm getting a little sick of this argument and so I'm going to be brief and bold.

iPhone = Consumer

Windows Mobile = Enterprise

If Microsoft, or OEM's for that matter, release a device that it just for the consumer... Then we'll have this little brief chat again...

Why this started? This and that and the many chats over a pint asking if I'd get an iPhone... So would I? I guess, if to paraphrase a friend of mine; "I wanted 2007 prices for 2003 technology that looked good..."

that is all...

Device Emulator Connection Failed - FIX :D

2007-09-18T12:30:00Z

For the last few days I've been banging my head against a brick wall...

I just couldn't get

a) A SQL Mobile database to read due to upgrading it to 3.5 and forgetting!!! (Idiot!)
b) A solution to deploy to an emulator... "Connection Failed. The configuration data for this product is corrupt. Contact your support personnel" O like that's going to happen! - lol

Well after a few emails to some Conchango's (Stuart Preston, Kay Adeyemi and Kevin 'I DON'T blog' McConaghy) and a little look on some boards and a solve to said Device Emulator "Connection Failed" error has been solved...

They all come down to me upgrading to Visual Studio 2008 BETA the other week, not only did it upgrade my SQL CE data store and solution, it also messed about with my emulator settings...

So as this link explains (about 5 posts from the top) delete the "CoreCon" folder...

This can be found in

"Documents and Settings\<localuser>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CoreCon" on XP
or
"Users\x\AppData\Local\Microsoft\CoreCon" on Vista

Job done... Next time, USE VPC's to mess with BETA'S!!! FOOL!!!!

HTC release the TyTN II - But will the Vodafone v1615?

2007-09-12T11:40:00Z

I got the usual email today, one that no doubt some of you received today regarding the official release of the newest HTC device the TyTN II.

As the name suggests it's an upgrade to the old TyTN, though calling it an upgrade feels a little weak. I've had my grubby mit's on one and man it's hot...

So much so that I'll be up for getting one of these very soon...

The problem is, and I must admit it's the same problem I find my self saying alot,

"WILL VODAFONE RELEASE IT!!!"

A word to the contacts me thinks...

Visual Sudio 2008 and SQL Server CE 3.5 BETA - Uninstalled

2007-08-25T07:46:00Z

I've given up on it and uninstalled it...

I have so many of my projects that work with SQL Server CE and since upgrading to the Beta none of them have worked... I thought it was me for a while, but even the simplest application with only a SqlCeConnection.Open() method in it doesn't work!

I didn't delve in to the problem to much as I have things to get on with, but it was something to do with connecting to the Database it self, so maybe it's a SQL CE 3.5 issue... We'll see... After I've got finished with stuff I'll try again.

So watch this space...

Exchange Public Folders and Windows Mobile - Solution!!!

2007-08-23T09:32:00Z

I was asked by a client recently if there was a way to sync the company's public folders with other Windows Mobile users... Hmmm I said... Nope, sorry...

This is something that has been somewhat of a problem with ActiveSync from what I can tell for a while now. With Microsoft not including this feature in ActiveSync it has closed the door on some vital information to some users...

I can understand why they have done this though; it is extra folders to have to deal with, not to mention with the amount of memory this may take out of the device. That coupled with the constant rumours of Exchange removing the function at some point...

"It is what is known as a partner opportunity" is the usual response I get when people ask about this... So that's what I did, looked up partners and via that other source of information about applications, the web, and came up with this application.

Pocket Mirror

It certainly provides everything that my client requested for and more... I'll update you more on what they report back to me after a bit of use...

As for the removing of Public Folders for other collaboration tools like SharePoint, well this blog post from the guys over at the Exchange group says it best...

"We are de-emphasizing Public Folders-which means that Public Folders may not be in our next major release after E12. That being said, let me re-affirm our commitment to fully support E12 Public Folders through at least 2016."

So get ready to migrate your public folders over to SharePoint in time for the 2016 Olympics in errr, UAE?

Fonebook - Facebook faces on your phone via Outlook

2007-08-21T14:56:00Z

I'm a little late on this one but I've installed in and after a few retry's got it to work... It's pretty cool, very slick UI with very little for you to do until once installed...

That coupled with my new HTC Home plug in with 6 buttons it allows me to show my friends and familys faces as quick dial buttons... I was thinking of showing you a screen shot, but then I thought it best and save some of them the blushes :)

You can get FoneBook from here and the HTC Plug-In from here

Windows Mobile and Silverlight - Windows Mobile 7?

2007-08-20T10:42:00Z

It's been a while now since I came back from Vegas and the MEDC conference there. Yet one of the things that keeps running through my head about the event. The Silverlight demo on a Windows Mobile.

This was a great show of the cross platform ability that Silverlght can bring to users and developers alike.

But the thing that keeps bugging me the most is the OS... If Windows Mobile is able to run Silverlight applications, why not make the UI of the phone a Silverlight front...

Imagine the possibilitys then... An OS user experiance that would be far greater than the iPhone... By the way, I've had a play with one now and I still welcome it into the market, but would I advise my customers to get one. No...

I know it's a little early to be yacking on about the sucessor to Corssbow (Windows Mobile 6), Photon (Windows Mobile 7?), but I do think we could see an OS that has some Silverlight capabilitys, if not the whole shell.

We are being told that Photon is RTM Q7 and I think it might be a little to early for the whole UI to be changed by then, or maybe not... "New flexible shell" - wikipedia

Watch this space...