Kurt Shintaku's Blog

In fairness, I should post the other Twitter clients for Windows that I examined before sort of settling on Sobee bDule.  There’s quite a few out there that aren’t dependent on you installing Adobe Air, yet another framework that you’ll have to be concerned about patching.

WPF Witty – A Windows client for Twitter (XP/Vista) leveraging WPF

Features:

• View recent Twitter statuses from the people you follow (auto-refreshing)
• View recent replies to you
• View a specific user’s timeline
• Update your twitter status
• View and respond to Direct Messages
• Links will open in the user’s default browser

Code Specific Features

• Minimize to the System Tray
• Runs in Single Instance mode
• Remembers the window settings for location and size
• Responsive UI with asynchronous calls to Twitter to prevent UI thread from locking
• Custom Styles and Resources
• Custom TwitterLib for encapsulating calls to Twitter
• Serialize to disk as XAML
• Make use of Kevin Moore’s FlipTile3D (easter egg)
• Spell Checking
• New messages are displayed with yellow fade technique
• Option for always on top (Right-click the Witty Header)
• Save and store application settings
• Skins and Skinning

COMMENTARY: 
This is a really nice, compact Windows WPF .NET client for Twitter that takes advantage of the Windows platform without being too heavy.  It fits in the Systray and is the original WPF client for Twitter.  Great tool by some of the original awesome .NET developers at Vertigo.  The Windows Team Blog commented about it here:
http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsexperience/archive/2007/12/26/twitter-with-friends-using-the-wpf-client-witty.aspx

DOWNLOAD: 
http://code.google.com/p/wittytwitter/

Blu Twitter – A .NET 3.5 based Windows Twitter client for XP/Vista/7

Features:

• Unlimited tweets
  With blu you can view unlimited tweets. Just keep scrolling and more tweets will be loaded and displayed automatically.
• New tweets and inline replies
  Click the update icon from the bottom menu and a new text entry field will appear.

  Tweets can only be a fixed number of characters per message. blu displays how many characters you have left using large numbers behind your tweet so you know when you’re about to run out of space.

  And replying to a tweet couldn’t be easier: just click the reply icon and the tweet you’re replying to will flip, revealing a entry field. Direct messages and re-tweets work the same way.

• See the full conversation
  Here’s another great feature in blu. You get a tweet, but it’s a reply to something you said earlier and you can’t quite remember what it was you said.

  Usually, there isn’t a good way to see the first part of your conversation, but with blu, simply click on the arrow before the username and voila! Your tweet will flip in-place revealing the first part of your conversation.

• Tiny url integration
  That’s right. We’ve added tiny url support. Simply type or paste a link into the update bubble and blu will convert it for you. No extra buttons, no extra box.

  Want to expand your link? Just click the ‘plus’ icon and blu will roll-back to the full url.

COMMENTARY: 

This is just a frickin’ sexy client and really demonstrates what people can do when they put their mind to designing a nice WPF .NET 3.5 application.  I keep going back and forth between this and bDule.  I’m  not totally convinced that this isn’t the client for me given that Twitter is more important to me than Facebook.

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.thirteen23.com/experiences/desktop/blu/# (10.4MB)

Twitteroo – A simple Windows .NET Twitter client

Features:

Update your Twitter status from your Desktop

URL shortening via rurl.org

Double-click a status to message that user directly

Twitter notifications

View your Friends timeline or the Public timeline

Clickable links from status messages

Refreshes automatically or manually

Set refresh time and notification transparency

Support for international characters in status messages

Browse to Twitter user page or personal websites

Customize Twitteroo font size

Set transparency for main Twitteroo window and notifications

Optional sound notification when new tweets arrive

Profile icon caching for faster Tweeting

Bite-sized cookies made from real Twitter

COMMENTARY:
This is the classic .NET based Twitter client from 2 years ago.  Development on it seems to have halted in favor of some of the newer clients however it remains the single thinnest Twitter clients that are native to Windows at a mere 400k.

DOWNLOAD:
http://rareedge.com/twitteroo/

Love… this… client!  This is a really cool piece of software and it doesn’t require the installation of Adobe AIR.  Instead, it leverages .NET 3.0 & Silverlight v3.0 and it’s totally free.

It’s basically a “social aggregator” that’s under development that currently provides you with search lists, multiple Twitter account views, access to your Facebook page, and more.  It’s Alpha code so it’s still in development but I’m really liking this client and how it’s progressing.

Technobuzz did a better write up of it than I have, so check out their site:
http://www.technobuzz.net/bdule-twitter-facebook-client-windows-7-vista-xp/

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.sobees.com/bdule

"It was the greatest single phone call that I’ve ever taken in business."
– Microsoft COO Kevin Turner, on when Apple’s Legal Dept called him to pull Microsoft’s Laptop Hunter TV ads

What’s he talking about, you ask? 

Here’s the entire quote, as taken from The Worldwide Partner Conference Transcript:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/elop/07-15-09WPC2009.mspx
(Video available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/wwpc/Default.aspx @ 1hr 51min)

“And so we’ve been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? “Oh, I’m looking to spend less than $1,000.” Well we’ll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.

And you know why I know they’re working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, "Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices." They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I’ve ever taken in business. (Applause.)

I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, "Is this a joke? Who are you?" Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them.

This is out of last Sunday’s paper, the Apple tax. It’s getting out. And when we put Windows 7 in there, which we’ve got coming out in October, what an incredible opportunity for us to fight back. And it feels really good to be on the offensive here. And we know we’ve got plenty of work to do. We don’t have it all figured out. But I want you to know, ladies and gentlemen, we’re doing stuff and we’re in the game and continuing to take some of these hard market share opportunities head on and compete because it’s a test of will, as I said.”

And it looks like this didn’t escape the media either:

• INFORMATION WEEK:  Apple Wanted Microsoft Ads Yanked
  http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218500923
• BUSINESS INSIDER:  Microsoft: Scared Apple Asked Us To Stop "Laptop Hunters" Campaign
  http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-asked-microsoft-to-life-laptop-hunters-ad-says-microsoft-coo-2009-7
• VALLEYWAG:  Microsoft Exec Received His ‘Single Greatest Phone Call’ from Apple over Ads
  http://gawker.com/5316220/microsoft-exec-received-his-single-greatest-phone-call-from-apple-over-ads
• BRAND REPUBLIC:  Apple’s Legal Team Calls Microsoft Knocking Ads
  http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/920816/Apples-legal-team-calls-Microsoft-knocking-ads/
• INQUIRER:  Apple Demanded Microsoft Pull Laptop Hunter Ads
  http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1433666/apple-demanded-microsoft-pull-laptop-hunter-ads
• SHORTFORMBLOG:  Lauren Apparently Touched A Nerve with Apple’s Legal Dept
  http://shortformblog.com/tech/lauren-apparently-touched-a-nerve-with-apples-legal-department

I don’t really need to explain what this is do I?

Alright.  For those looking for clarification, it’s a touch enabled client for Twitter.  Capacbilities include, as taken by the Swiss DPE team post:

• Show the 25 most recent Tweets in a “ScatterView” control, making each Tweet a movable and resizable object on the Surface.
• Automatically detect the presence of a TwitPic picture linked in a Tweet and display the picture’s thumbnail attached to the tweet it belongs to.
• Mark Mentions (of the person currently logged in) by coloring the Tweet window blue.
• Send Tweets using the Surface on-screen keyboard.
• Auto-Refresh automatically every minute, marking new Tweets with a star icon. Updating is asynchronous and not blocking the user interface.

DOWNLOAD: 
http://blogs.msdn.com/swiss_dpe_team/archive/2009/07/16/
welcome-to-surfacetwitter-a-multi-touch-twitter-client-for-the-microsoft-surface.aspx

NEW YORK TIMES:  Bing Delivers Credibility to Microsoft
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/technology/companies/
14bing.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

NEW YORK TIMES:  Bing, the Imitator, Often Goes Google One Better
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/technology/personaltech/
09pogue.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

NEWSWEEK:  Microsoft, in Search of an Edge
The company’s third attempt at a viable rival to Google is proving to be better than anyone expected.
"….Microsoft has done it the old-fashioned way: by being better and more innovative."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/206449/

CIO TODAY:  Bing Zips Past Yahoo To Be Number Two in Search
http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=011001BUUTPI&full_skip=1

This was a pleasant surprise.

It turns out that Bill Gates was as fascinated by Richard Feynman as much as I and thousands of others have been, but a man of his resources took his fascination to another level:  He bought the rights to the lectures so that they could be shared on the Internet with everyone.

For FREE.

PROJECT TUVA
The effort to publish these on the Internet for public access was called Project TUVA.  You simply access a web site that is Silverlight driven & developed by Microsoft Research to enable the playback, and you’re on your way. 

The Silverlight driven software provides subtitles, a realtime timeline, and reference links that point to “extras” that people can see.

One of the coolest features of the software is it’s ability to call up other web applications.  For example, at the 39 &40 minute mark, the first lecture pulls up content from the Worldwide Telescope, a project Microsoft put together leveraging research Microsoft published at http://www.worldwidetelescope.com.

The first 4 minutes is hilarious… and that’s just Feynman’s introduction:  ”I could tell you about the time he learned Spanish… in preparation for a trip to Brazil.”

BTW:  If you find this interesting, if not entertaining, I’d encourage you to take a look at these books… my primers to the genius of Professor Feynman:

• Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) (Paperback)
• What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character (Paperback)
• The Very Best of the Feynman Lectures (Audio CD)

LINKS

• CNET: Bill Gates offers the world a physics lesson
  http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10286732-56.html
• MICROSOFT RESEARCH: Project Tuva
  http://research.microsoft.com/apps/tools/tuva/index.html
• DOWNLOAD:  Silverlight v3.0 (Required for Project Tuva)
  http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/handlers/getsilverlight.ashx

Here’s a few notes about Microsoft Hohm.

What is Microsoft Hohm?
Microsoft Hohm is a free online beta application that helps you save energy and money. With Microsoft Hohm you can better understand your home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving. As with any recommendation engine, Hohm will provide increasingly more accurate and relevant suggestions for energy conservation as its users contribute home energy input and feedback. One of the objectives during our beta period is to refine our tool and further increase the value our product can offer to you.

Microsoft Hohm uses advanced analytics licensed from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy to give you personalized energy saving recommendations. These recommendations are tailored based on your specific household circumstances including home attributes and use of appliances and systems. You will also be able to compare your energy usage to that of others in your area. In this beta version, the Microsoft Hohm team will learn from its users and communities and will make improvements to the site and analytics.

Microsoft Hohm helps utilities to better serve their customers by providing clear insight into their energy consumption, allowing them to make more informed decisions to save energy and money.

How does Microsoft Hohm work?
After signing up for Microsoft Hohm with your Windows Live ID and postal code, you simply enter some information about your home (e.g., occupants, appliances and systems) and receive your energy report with personalized recommendations. The more information you provide, the more accurate and relevant the recommendations will be. As a default, Hohm will base its recommendations on local and national averages.

Alternatively, if you are a customer of a Hohm-partnered utility company you can choose to automatically upload your energy usage data into the application in the near future.

The recommendations will be refined as the beta application evolves with feedback from users, their communities and the energy industry.

On average, how much money will Microsoft Hohm help me save on my energy bill?
The financial savings varies widely based on the information you provide on your Microsoft Hohm profile, the characteristics of your household and the changes you implement. Customers are encouraged to run the Hohm application to determine the potential savings for their household. Note that this beta version of Hohm will be evolving over time, so initial recommendations may not optimal.

How can I get Microsoft Hohm?

Hohm is an online Microsoft application available at no cost to anyone in the United States with Internet access and a modern Internet browser (e.g., Internet Explorer 7 or later, Firefox, Safari). It can be accessed from the Microsoft Hohm Web site, www.microsoft-hohm.com.

Who is Microsoft Hohm for? Who do you expect will find it useful?
Microsoft Hohm is for residential consumers of energy wanting to save money and reduce their impact on the environment. We hope to hear your story on how you are saving and what you would like to see next.

For more information go to our website at www.microsoft-hohm.com.

WARNING:  If you’ve been using Windows Live Movie Maker Beta, you’ll need to install a software update in order to keep it working.  The current Movie Maker beta will stop working on June 30, 2009 and with the beta extension software update, you won’t be able to continue to use it.

• Windows Live Movie Maker Beta Expiration Update:
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e7446634-e033-4053-acd3-a7a18ea8a1a2&displaylang=en

If you attempt to run Windows Live Movie Maker without applying the download you’ll get this dialog box:

The download is less than 3MB.  The official release of Windows Live Movie Maker is expected to release later as part of Windows Live Essentials. (http://download.live.com/)

Motley Fool is recommending Microsoft in ‘This weeks 5 smartest stock moves’:

Cooler beans for Mr. Softy
Can I have a slice of crow pie? I poked fun at Microsoft‘s (Nasdaq: MSFT) launch of its Bing.com search engine last month. I liked what the world’s largest software company did with the site, but was wondering why Microsoft goes through search platform brands like Spinal Tap goes through exploding drummers.

Well, it appears as if the fifth time is the charm. Bing is a hit. Instead of fading after the initial popularity, traffic to Bing continues to grow, according to marketing research specialist comScore. Its stateside penetration of users has gone from 13.7% to 16.7% since its launch in late May.

This wouldn’t be happening if the ad campaign wasn’t working or if users weren’t recommending Bing to their friends and families. As long as Microsoft’s next step isn’t to rebrand this as Bing Vista or Bing-a-Zune, the company finally has the ticket it always wanted to matter in paid search.

LINK:  http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2009/06/19/this-weeks-5-smartest-stock-moves.aspx

Like everyone else, I’m always on the prowl to find a cheap deal on Microsoft Points to get my fix of Xbox Live Arcade games, Xbox Live Downloadable Content, or Zune Marketplace downloadable music.  The problem is… like everyone else in the world, I don’t feel like paying retail, and believe it or not, I don’t get a discount on Microsoft Points, contrary to the belief of some.

The way to do this is to use eBay & Bing Cashback.  Basically here’s the difference in pricing using this method of purchasing Microsoft Points:

• 4000 points is $50[RETAIL/AMAZON], or $1.25/100pts.
• 4000 points is $35.88[eBAY+CASHBACK], or $.90/100pts.

This is essentially a 29% discount off retail Microsoft Points. 

Interested?  Then follow along:

1. Search BING.COM for “Buy Microsoft Points” by clicking HERE.
   1. …or go to http://www.bing.com
   2. Type “Buy Microsoft Points” into the search
2. Click on the link that has “www.eBay.com”  “Bing cashback” and “You may get x% off with PayPal if eligible.”  This link should be the same as clicking HERE. 

   This will take you to eBay.  At the top of the screen, you should see logo & text that reads, “Microsoft cashback"  “Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.  See conditions” 
   (Note:  You may NOT see any useful search results yet, so don’t freak yet.)

3. Type “Microsoft Points” in the ‘Find’ text box instead of what’s already in there.  (Which is likely something like, “buy+microsoft+points”)  This will display various new results.
   
4. Click on the “Buy It Now only” tab.  This will identify the auctions that you can use for this discount.

   Amongst these auctions, there will USUALLY be someone selling for $39.99/4000 Microsoft Points. 
   (Note:  Sometimes you’re a little less lucky and you’ll find only deals for $41.99/4000 Microsoft Points which after discounting comes out to be a 22% discount, but it’s still a good deal.)

5. Click on an auction that says “US Server” in the description and purchase it via “Buy It Now”.  Be sure to use PayPal to pay for the transaction to ensure your rebate.

   Buy doing this, you shouldn’t need to pay for shipping since the code will be mailed to you via email and you’ll get an 8% rebate through Bing Cashback.  (The 8% rebate is paid at a later date through your Bing cashback account. Read more at http://cashback.bing.com for more information.)

That’s it.  You’ll get about a 21% discount with the remaining 8% in your Bing Cashback account which will land in 60 days.