Evernote for Windows Phone has updated, and it has replaced the note list with tiles!  Hark, the herald angels sing!  Now you can look at a tile at a glance, and see the title, a picture (if there is one for that note), a clear audio icon (if it’s an audio note), and/or the first little bit of text. This is why we love the Metro … er, Modern design!

New in this release: – New tile layout design for note list – Redesigned login and registration screens – New popup tips help users discover the app – More spacious note editing mode – Numerous performance improvements including faster startup – Evernote turns your phone into an extension of your brain.

Source: Evernote blog

With your MasterCard Easy Savings Program Windows Phone app find nearby participating merchants to earn savings. Just use your eligible MasterCard small business credit, prepaid or debit card that is enrolled in the Program on qualifying purchases. Rebates on these purchases will be automatically applied to your monthly card statement. There are no coupons or codes. Certain terms and conditions apply, visit easysavings.com.

Grab it here for free.

Bing Maps SDK for Windows Store apps combines the power of Windows 8 and Bing™ Maps to provide an enhanced mapping experience for modern-style apps. Developers can use this Bing Maps control to incorporate the latest road maps and aerial views into a Windows Store app. This SDK includes controls for apps built using JavaScript, as well as apps built using C#, C++, and Visual Basic, and requires a Bing Maps Key for a Windows Store app.

For my two cents, I was a little off put by the Surface recently. In the end, I think I need a Windows 8 Pro machine that has a detachable screen in some manner. A tablet won’t cut it for me without a keyboard and when I think of the Surface Pro I don’t think it gets me there. The kickstand is nice but I’ll use this for commuting and that kickstand won’t stay standing on my knees during a train ride without some magic. But as attractive as the new line of laptops are, I want to make sure I’m getting something that will last and I’m not rushing in now. It sounds like Intel and MS are still certifying CPUs so I can wait a few months to get a Pro laptop.

Now I have to think about an RT solution. I’m not jumping for RT but it does give me a nice tablet+. I mean, the inclusion of Office 2013 is a huge bonus so I could be productive on this. In the end, the Surface RT 100% comes down to pricing for me. If they are selling a Surface RT for $300 for the 32gb model I’m in (it has microSD so I don’t care too much about the 32gb limit). It’s a cheap enough price point that it buys me time before going Pro and dropping a lot more money. I have an Exo and it’s hurting (mostly because of screen resolution and lack of proper drivers). It’s still a great toy but the Surface RT is a serious tablet. So at $300 I’m an asshole in line to be the first to get one – buying without testing. At $400 I’ll think about it. I’m likely still in though as long as the Touch Cover is included but I’ll wait to get some hands on times with it first before making that decision. That would be a cutoff for me though. Above that and it makes more sense to just save my money and apply it to a Pro and live with what I have now.

You?

Bottom line is that an inexpensive iPad will be competing with new Windows 8 tablets. You can say that consumers are uninformed. You can say the screen size is different and they have different functionalities. In the end Apple is delivering a relatively well known product (just in a different form factor) against Microsoft’s new OS and new hardware (with plenty of confusion related to what RT has and doesn’t have) and this is 100% relevant to a consumers decision.

I hate you, but well played Apple…well played

Hmmm … I’ll have to have my sister keep watch for Windows Phone sightings on her regular trips to Disney World in Orlando!

I have been using Pro Sports Scores, the best “nearly” real time sports app available for Windows Phone, updating a graphic Live Tile every 10 to 60 seconds (your choice), since it was released in early 2011. Now, Luno Software has added another great app to their collection; NFL Scores & Alerts. The app has the same graphic Live Tile, and frequent updates showing; score, time, possession, and ball location. All of Luno’s apps use “push” so there are no Background Tasks to deal with here. Updates are quick and reliable. Don’t be fooled by imitators.

Inside the app you can see games for; last, this and next week, along with scoring summaries for all completed or active games. You can also set alerts for each game, which will shoot you Toast Notifications for game start/end, period end, and score or lead change. Truth be told, I have been using a beta of PSS, with the Notification feature, and it is really nice to have when you can’t be glued to your phone for the whole game.

To pin a game to your Start screen, tap & hold to display the popup menu and pin. This ad supported version will only allow 3 Live Tiles at a time, so you can’t quite do a Direct TV thing yet, but the developer is considering a paid version that would allow more Tiles, along with other features. Viewing current AFC/NFC Standings is only a single tap away. Really enjoyed keeping track of the Giant and Yankee games tonight. Oh, and with all the scoring, also glad I “don’t” have a Notification Center. 

Luno Software plans to release apps for other major North American Sports as their respective season approaches (well maybe not the NHL – LOL), so stay tuned. Support and responsiveness from Luno has been great, so what do you have to lose. Download the FREE NFL Scores & Alerts today. You can find it at the Windows Phone App Store here.

I don’t know who put this together but I like it.

Makes sense…

I am beginning to think that possibly the Mayan calendar is off just a bit. It is suggested that on December 21, 2012, life will change as we know it. A time of enlightenment. A time of rebirth. A new beginning. Is October 26, 2012, the day Windows 8 says hello to the World, that day.

Not since the introduction of Windows has there been such change in the operating system that we all have grown to love, or hate, depending on your point of view. I don’t recall the date, or the venue. But I remember watching a video of Bill Gates on a darkened platform, without the aid of Power Point, or anything else, describing his vision of computing in the future. A future where things like keyboards and mice were options, not requirements. Where voice, touch, movement, all of your senses became a part of the computing experience. Windows 8 is the first step down that path. From vision to reality. Now that’s cool.

Sure, there are those who will not welcome this change, this new beginning. That’s to be expected, as most people are somewhat resistant to change. Change simply for the sake of change is not change at all. It’s just different. But real change, or as defined; “to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone; to change the course of history”. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

I can’t remember when I have been as excited, or have anticipated a new advancement, as I am with Windows 8. My nature is to approach most new things (or change) with cautious optimism, along with just a touch of sarcasm. Heck, I went to my AT&T Store on November 8, 2010, just to make sure I really didn’t like Windows Phone 7 (I already purchased 3 Tilt 2s; 1 primary & 2 backups, to tide me over till Microsoft came to their senses again). But by the end of that day I became a believer. With Windows 8 though, I am ready to jump in without a safety line or life preserver. Throw that caution to the wind baby. This is real change and I want in.

Maybe it’s because (for personal reasons) I missed the whole Vista/Windows 7 experience and now I have all this pent up anticipation. But it’s more than that. I keep thinking of Bill’s vision, and somehow I want to be a part of that World. My introduction to technology started with black (well, really dark gray) screens and bright phosphorous green (or yellow) characters in Times Roman (or was that Courier – Damn, how I really dislike most serif fonts today). I am grateful to have the opportunity to experience this “real change”. How far we have come.

Regardless of your computing poison, you can’t argue that the World revolves around Microsoft. From the time you wake up in the morning till you go to sleep at night, Microsoft makes your day possible. They are a part of; the energy you use, the transportation you take, the news you read, the knowledge you learn, everything. While I have certainly had my fair share of blue screen nightmares, at the end of the day I do appreciate what Microsoft has accomplished. They have made the World a better place.  On October 26, 2012 Microsoft takes another giant leap to fulfill their founders vision. Are you ready? I can’t wait. 

Microsoft, Windows 8