Month: October 2012

Remember back in August when Acer’s JT Wang suggested that if Microsoft priced the Surface with Windows RT at $199 that it would negatively impact it’s partners and vendors? So now that the Apple event is over and we heard Apple announce the iPad Mini at $329, here’s where the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT stands in terms of price: Google Nexus 7 for $199 – 7” tablet Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9” for $299 Apple iPad Mini for $329 Apple iPad 2 for $399 Microsoft Surface with Windows RT for $499 Since it’s the more expensive option at this … Continue reading Did Acer hurt the chances of the Microsoft Surface?

With Windows 8 just 3 days away from being officially released to consumers, manufacturers are pushing machines out to distributors everywhere. Don’t wait in line or miss out on the machine you’re looking for. Pre-order from one of the following websites today: Asus Best Buy Dell HP Microsoft Office Depot Staples Tiger Direct Vizio I’ve been using Windows 8 for quite some time now on a Samsung Series 7 tablet, Dell Precision M6500 laptop, virtual machine in Virtual Box, several virtual machines in Hyper-V, and two desktops. I’m very anxious to see the Microsoft Surface Pro which should be released … Continue reading Windows 8 Pre-Orders Prevalent

Verizon and other telecommunication organizations are falling behind. Technology companies such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are announcing cutting edge technology every day. When was the last time Verizon announced expanding FiOS coverage? This weekend, while I was looking at my Verizon bill, I said to myself “Self, why in the world am I paying this much for this service.” In Northeastern Pennsylvania, options are limited. Verizon and Frontier Communications are the lone, traditional Telco companies. Comcast, Service Electric, and Blue Ridge Communications are the primary cable providers. However, there is very little fiber run throughout the area. My … Continue reading Verizon Needs to Step Up

So Windows 8 has a new custom Start screen that allows live tiles to be displayed and rearranged on a per user basis. They also allow complete customization of the new Start screen. This includes a few backgrounds that are updated based on the color choice the user selects. Each color choice comes with two colors – a default color for the live tile and a background color for the start menu. The color choices resemble the following image: As a developer, you may want to use one of these colors within your application. Rather than pulling the code from … Continue reading Windows 8 Color Palette

Do you work on a team that shares code libraries? Have you ever wanted to implement a new method to replace an old one (with a differing signature) and simply deleted the old method? You can handle these situations easier by using an attribute on a class or method. The attribute is called Obsolete. This allows you to gracefully mark code as deprecated as shown below: C# 1: [Obsolete(“This class has been deprecated.”)] 2: public class Test 3: { 4: [Obsolete(“This method has been deprecated.”)] 5: public void FooBar () { } 6: } VB 1: <Obsolete(“This class has been … Continue reading Marking Code as Deprecated in .NET

So, I’ve been officially renewed as a Microsoft MVP again. Too often, I’m asked about the MVP program. I’m asked what it is, what it means to get it, and how I was nominated and won. What is the MVP Program? The MVP program was designed for individuals that make contributions to technical communities including, but not limited to, blogs, forums, books, user groups, and speaking engagements. Microsoft recognizes these individuals in more than 90 countries. Over the years, I’ve met some really interesting people through the program. I’ve got a chance to meet developers that build products I work … Continue reading I’m a Microsoft MVP… Again