With Verizon’s excellent service & the right discounts in play it made sense to go with Verizon & Windows Phones when Coral & I finally combined phone services.

We got Coral a KIN Two. It seems to me the reviewers who complain about the price have it backwards. Why would you pay this much to get a smartphone? The KIN gets out of your way, doesn’t via its ecosystem (except for Zune) try to con additional time or money from you, and makes it about the people and the talk and the music. The camera is excellent & the photo sharing is smart & you can actually see what’s on the screen when you’re outside. Yes, it needs a shared & calendar, and Coral thinks it could use a better “favorites” system (I wonder if the KIN Rosa ads are about this?) And oddly the Zune social has some shrinkage, though I get it: I bet adjustments in all these areas are coming quickly, as they are all Windows Live ‘Wave 4′ competancies and don’t really make since for either KIN or Zune to handle just yet. For business use I can see a problem with KIN. But for personal or family use, the KIN is super.

My phone choice was the Omnia II. I thought “I’ll get a smartphone and develop code which will run on Windows Phone 6.5 or Windows Phone 7 (in all that supposed time I do these sorts of things.)” Samsung + Verizon did a number on this one to-date. The hardware’s impressive but they’ve loaded it with apps which try to take your money (City ID, the phone answer screen), which let you pan senslessly through pictures of surfers (TouchWiz) and which are designed for humans with transparent fingers (Swype keyboard.) I managed to remove most of this junk, and it’s not that bad… it still hits a smartphone functionality mark, the hardware is very nice, & the price is right… but KIN would’ve been kinder to me I think.

Microsoft recently (April 29th) updated the free Windows Phone Developer Tools to line them up with the release version of Visual Studio 2010. If you have the original version released during MIX ‘10 (March 19th) you must remove it first.

Removing “Microsoft Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP” is supposed to clean everything up, but when I uninstalled:

the uninstaller failed to install “Silverlight 4 Tools for Visual Studio 2010 RC”.

I noticed “Microsoft Silverlight 4” and “Microsoft Silverlight 4 SDK” were installed more recently than March 19th. Removing that pair got me back on the uninstall path (well, the uninstall was then able to (re)install “Silverlight 4 Tools for Visual Studio 2010 RC”, then uninstalling one more time worked.)

Finally the coup de grâce, the April 2010 Refresh install (download.microsoft.com). If you missed an uninstall, it’ll tell you. I found there were a couple additional things I had to manually uninstall. Both Silverlight 4 packages previously removed will be reinstalled.

Here’s hoping the next update to the Windows Phone app development tools is simpler!

Thesis (a WordPress theme) recently introduced a headline filter in version 1.7, which removes (not display:none, but from the document altogether) title, by-line, and date on posts you select.

This is really handy for building a blog with a style closer to Twitter or Tumblr, or a mix of styles.

Two concerns, though:

• If we post something on the web without a date we’re doing it wrong. Thesis’ headline filter removes title, but also date, from posts. Bummer.
• Title’s important for syndication. Even if the title’s not shown, you have to title the content for readers coming from Facebook, Google Reader, etc. Blank title, body-like titles, or title-like bodies, are sloppy. This is a problem bigger than Thesis and worth thinking about if you go with this approach.

Though I’ve seen repeated mention of this headline filter feature in Thesis 1.7, I  had a heck of a time finding it.

The secret: filters are only available to developers. Ew.

Fortunately what I think is a common scenario, hiding the headline of posts in a certain category, can be done with a cookie cutter. Here’s an example:

1. Create a new post category or use an existing one (I’m using category “bits”)
2. Edit the file /wp-content/themes/thesis_17/custom/custom_functions.php. Insert (carefully):
   
function shown_headlines()
{
    return (!in_category('bits'));
}
add_filter('thesis_show_headline_area', 'shown_headlines');

   and replace ‘bits’ with your category.

For more complicated criteria, you might look through the “is_” functions in WordPress Function Reference and consult your local WordPress or PHP fiend.

Since deleting a FriendFeed account isn’t obvious in the account interface, and I wasted a bit of time there, I thought I’d share the top-secret URL:

https://friendfeed.com/account/delete

Why am I canceling? A number of reasons, but mainly that I reorganized to Google Reader + SharePoint/Outlook 2010 methods of finding & sharing reading material, as well as Twitter clients for local & lighter stuff. FriendFeed served all those needs at one point, but it’s not being improved, or I can’t improve it, and I wanted to move on to things that are, or I can.

FriendFeed’s a great app, though, and beyond app function, I found a lot of the blogs/people I read through it.

Awesome.

Now, don’t let the purple conduits (which transmit high-energy plasma) bamboozle you. The algorithms for solving a cube in 21 moves are available as software (for example) and after getting webcam images of all 6 sides to the software, the motors just need to do have at it.

Still, I approve of the application of Lego to any problem. It’s rare a toy is so extendable to something like building robots (or transmitting high-energy plasma) so I love getting these things for my kids (and playing with them too.)

A Southwest Airlines automated system calls me after gate changes. I ignore this call when I’m at the gate, because 20 people drawing their phones near-simultaneously means something’s up. And I don’t get a lot of calls from Texas.

Here’s the missed call transcript from Google Voice:

Hello Hello. This is Southwest Airlines calling with a flight status update, 4 Nikki, Arthur Edwards. We’d like to let you know that there’s been a gay change for Flight Number 235 departing from. Okay Hon your new gate assignment is gay. […]

Useful? Yeah, I moved my bags. But hon, you did NOT have to go there.

Full audio & text at Google Voice.

[Editor’s note: I don’t know what that video was about either. French-speaking cowboys not paying the rent or something.]

The HP TouchSmart 600 is the new addition to our lounge, kicking out the old Apple/NewEgg hybrid. It just works, is space-efficient, and the touch screen is fun & useful. We’ve had it for a month now and are enjoying it. The specific model I’ll discuss here is the 600xt, but few of the features are specific to the “xt.”

Touchscreen? But you’ll get gorilla arm!

A touchscreen’s no substitute for a keyboard and mouse when trying to nail down a blog post, but Windows 7’s “natural user interface” paired with touch hardware is surprisingly useful. I’ve built up muscle memory with a keyboard & mouse I just can’t shake when working, but when sitting down to surf, watch videos, or help a child over-the-shoulder, touch makes sense & works. Mekhi, 3, uses the touch screen as if all computers had them.

This generation all-in-one PC uses a type of screen which recognizes at most 2 contact points. You don’t actually have to touch the glass (getting within 1/8th inch is close enough.) No pressure’s required and it works with fingernails, but be wary of your palm & knuckles. 1 or 2 fingers touching + 1 knuckle floating nearby feels like 1 or 2 points of contact, but it’s 3, and interaction gets erratic… the scroll, zoom, or click you didn’t intend comes from that knuckle. You’ll learn what hand positions work & what positions cause problems as you go.

Does the screen get greasy? Yes. But it’s bright, and unless it’s off you won’t notice the streaks. This neat-freak is happy to report the manual says generic glass cleaner is recommended for use on the screen. (I always thought Windex was a bad idea due to screen coatings, but HP must’ve colluded with someone to make it work.)

Apps: The ritual cleaning of a new PC

This PC comes with Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7. These are downgraded versions of some of the Surface table apps:

• Surface Globe’s got wow factor, but it doesn’t provide the functionality you might expect in map apps: for example, it can look up addresses, but it do directions. It’s just a globe you can fly around. Bing Maps (the web version of the same maps) is quite a bit more useful & supports touch, and I suspect Google Earth’s got some funtimes multi-touch support now.
• Blackboard is a fun physics game; my nieces and nephews have a great time with it.
• Garden Pond is a bit frustrating, as is Rebound, the most ill-advised table hockey game, ever.
• Lagoon is a koi pond screensaver.
• Surface Collage is a creative wallpaper-maker for kids and kitschy adults, though HP didn’t install it by default. (Read on.)

Free software we added:

• Windows Live Essentials (Photo Gallery, Writer, Movie Maker, Messenger)
• Windows Security Essentials (free top-rated virus scanner that doesn’t nag)
• Zune 4.0 (awkward when using touch due to WinAmp-style small controls, but otherwise this is our favorite media app)
• Skype (already installed, but was an old version)
• Surface Collage (add this by choosing “Change” on “Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7” under “Programs and Features” control panel)
• WorldWide Telescope, the amazing astronomy version of Surface Globe
• Office 2010 Beta

What HP provideth and we uninstalleth:

• Norton’s anti-virus (naggy and irrelevant)
• HP’s own “TouchSmart” apps (calendar, photo viewer, RSS reader, Hulu, etc.) I don’t much care for the big-sweeping-gestures touch interfaces in these apps, and these were all redundant with the apps I prefer
• HP Games: this package of games is bamboozleware. Mekhi started to like a Bob The Builder game that claimed in its many WildTangent speed bump screens “unlimited plays”, so I let him play it, start to like it, and then it started demanding payment.
• Works (Office 2010 Starter will make this irrelevant)

Hardware Notes

Color-adjustable lighting is a really nice detail. It can be set to any color of the rainbow using the HP Ambient Light app, and there’s a dimmer switch on the left side. I’m not sure whether this feature’s on models other than the 600xt.

I wasn’t a big fan of the piano (shiny) black finish, but it’s growing on me. Turn a desk lamp on & the color lighting and it looks pretty good.

The easel stand is very strong, and much better thought out than the Apple Cinema HD display this all-in-one replaces. It tilts back between 5 and 40 degrees, and a rubber foot ensures it doesn’t slip. Don’t get any crazy ideas about tilting it back 90 degrees. The manual specifically forbids putting it on its back, I suspect because of the weight of the glass.

The 23” screen is bright and evenly lit except for at the very bottom. Colors seem accurate. The screen is glossy 1920×1080; of course I wish it was matte and 1920×1200 but that’s hard to come by these days.

The speakers are loud for built-ins, but I wouldn’t use them to fill a room with sound. They’re fine for sound effects & listening to music when sitting in front of the PC.

The built-in webcam is standard hardware.

The wireless mouse is nicely matched and works well. The wireless keyboard is space efficient, but not the best. The keys are very flat and my fingers hit the lower edge when using the space and arrow keys. Both mouse and keyboard seem to be infrared-based, accounting for epic battery life.

Though it doesn’t affect appearance, there’s a cheesy plastic cover over the ports in the back. I predict it’s what will break first, especially if the kids find it. Day-to-day use USB ports are thankfully on the sides.

Performance & Power Usage

We customized the hardware online with an Intel P8700 processor because that chip’s more efficient and supports Windows XP Mode and Virtual PC.

The resulting Windows Experience Index is 5.9 (Memory 7.0, Graphics & Gaming Graphics 6.4, Processor 6.1, Primary Hard Disk: 5.9).

I suspect a Intel T6600 processor would make the score 5.7 or so (and it does not support virtualization.)

On the Windows 7 “Power Saver” plan, I measured 3 Watts at sleep, 45W with the screen off, 70W with the screen on, and 90W at the highest workload I could manage. It’s better for the environment and my power bill than the old PC, for certain. (I got these power metrics using a Kill-A-Watt.)

Other notes

The boot screen describes our model as “TouchSmart 600-1005xt”. I believe the retail (for example Best Buy) model that’s comparable is the TouchSmart 600-1055.

Wi-fi is free at the Boise airport, sponsored originally by MPC Computers, and more recently by Idaho Business Review.

Google brought free Holiday 2009 wi-fi to many US airports, promoting Google’s homepage and select charities, including in Boise. The Idaho Business Review landing page on flyboise disappeared, replaced by a gauntlet of Google pages. I see no obvious signs of a struggle.

Though I mourn displacement of a local business, the new network works very well. But for how long? On January 15 the holiday offer ends. Will Google’s gift horse live on, sans festive ribbon? Or will Idaho Business Review resume sponsorship? (I worry they might be satisfied with the new obnoxious plasma TVs.)

Or will someone new sling wireless service at BOI? And will it continue to be free & good?

I previously wrote about how it’s possible to use Google Voice with your existing mobile number, as a no-answer/busy handler for that number, like YouMail.

On October 26th Google added a set of helper screens to get your mobile number configured, although they’re buried in settings hell. This is, to the best of my knowledge, how you get it done via the new helpers:

1. Go to http://www.google.com/voice
2. Click “Settings”
3. Click “Edit” on an existing mobile number.
4. Click “Show advanced settings”
5. Under “Forwarding Options” click “Activate”
6. Select that mobile number’s carrier and click “Continue.”
7. The steps you need to configure no-answer/busy forwarding are shown. (Google can’t do this one for you.)

No, this is not the same as if you could “port” an existing number to Google Voice.

But that hasn’t been critical, as all I want is web/email-accessible voicemail, which my carrier doesn’t provide on my current mobile hardware, and this Google Voice configuration delivers. If that’s all you want too, well, here you go.

If you have better steps, or Google’s shuffled the user interface around again and these steps no longer work, please let me know in comments.

It’s amazing how search engines are wrapping some sites with a task-oriented interface that trumps the site’s own interface.

The accident: I type “fedex.com” as “fedex.copm” into the Address bar by mistake, and hit Enter before I even see what I did.

What happened: The search engine which handles the DNS lookup failure (bing.com on my computer) provides a whole navigation layer on top of the “best match” (aka “most clicked”) result (which is fedex.com, obviously) including "Track", but more importantly the input field I was going to look for when I got to FedEx, "Track a package”:

I see this, past in the tracking ID I had, and I’m done. Really slick.

I’ll call out Bing here once again: Bing’s fantastic & you should use it as your default for this reason & others.

Some thoughts:

• Do users really look beyond even the “Best Match” line and see & use these tasks? I do, and it’s a huge timesaver.
• Browsers will eventually (and I think in the case of Google Chrome, are) strip even the search page layer away. (Why not show the Track a package input field as an option when I type the  "fedex.cop…" into the browser’s address bar?) Now, is it better for users that a browser do this, or the functionality stay in the resulting page?
• If browser integration is better for users, what’s the existing or emerging standard for this that all browsers can implement?