I’ve said in the past that I’ve been unexcited by the iPad, and remember I said that before I joined Microsoft so it’s not a case of “oh, he would say that”. Would I have spent my own money on a Windows tablet? Before getting the W500 I would have said no… now I’m not so sure because it’s been incredibly useful since hitting the power-on button a couple of weeks before Christmas.

The W500 boasts Windows 7 Home Premium (which I could upgrade to Enterprise, but I haven’t yet), a dual-core processor, 2gb of RAM, a 32gb solid-state drive, a crystal-clear 1280 x 800 display and front and rear-facing cameras. Probably the one statistic in this list that stands out as a bit measly is the storage – after Windows and Office are installed there’s significantly less storage available – but there is an SD card slot and to be honest I won’t be storing loads of documents and content on the tablet. It also features a USB port (just the one) and an HDMI output.

The battery, according to Acer’s site, should last 6 hours – I’ve not tracked the battery time but it seems to last very well. The W500 is a little bit bigger than an iPad and just over 1.5 times the weight, but still light enough to travel with and not notice much difference.

Of course, if we’re comparing to an iPad the big difference is that this tablet runs Windows 7 (bit of an obvious statement). Running Windows is a big plus – I can run Outlook, Lync, Office, Skype and any choice of browser, play movies copied from the Archos 605 (yes, my beloved media player is alive and well and recording from Sky Plus) and print to our wireless HP Photosmart 5510. And I can access photos and files from other computers (e.g. my work ThinkPad and the iMac). Okay, I’m sure someone will point out that many of those things can be achieved with an iPad.

However, let’s be honest – Windows 7 was not designed with tablets in mind (come back later in the year and we’ll talk about Windows 8). The W500 uses some Acer modifications to Windows 7, including tweaks for finger-tip navigation and control, and an on-screen keyboard. Although some aspects of the finger-tip control take a bit of getting used to, the screen is extremely responsive and accurate. Using the tablet became much easier once I worked out that I could simply add an icon to the task bar to instantly open and hide the on-screen keyboard, and in most places where text entry is required the keyboard ‘prompter’ appears when you place your cursor (i.e. your finger) on the screen. Over the last couple of weeks my typing on the keyboard has improved considerably – the only real challenge is having to occasionally move the keyboard so that it’s not obscuring the part of the screen I’m typing into (that’s something the iPad has in its favour and is a major design consideration for Windows 8).

I’ve found the tablet very useful around the house – with the iMac and ThinkPad upstairs in my office it’s perfect for checking e-mail and browsing the web while downstairs. I also took it to New York before Christmas – its size is for perfect for hand luggage, and using Starbucks wi-fi I answered a few urgent e-mails and consulted our list of places to visit, and used it to offload some photos when my camera’s SD card filled up. On Christmas day the family were treated to the New York photos (all 316 of them) using the HDMI output, and I used the tablet to speak to the Florida branch of the Adams family via Skype.

I’ll let you know when I’ve upgraded the W500 to Windows 8…

After logging in I see My Info, where I can set my status and message, change the call-forwarding and simultaneous ring options, and change a number of other options for multiple phone numbrs, meetings, contacts and credentials.

The next screen shows Contacts, which as you’d expect are a direct mirror of those set up in the desktop-based Lync client. Clicking on one of the group expands it, allowing me to see the contacts within and their staus (and optionally their photo). Clicking on a contact (not pictured) shows the various methods of interacting with the contact (instant message, phone, e-mail, text message) and the person’s contact details. The search bar at the top allows me to search the entire company directory (and it’s extremely quick).

The next screen shows conversations in progress and the last line of conversation. The Edit button allows me to select conversations to delete. Clicking on one of the conversations opens it, allowing me to continue or select one of the many options (delete it, view the contact’s card, call the contact, invite others, send my location and send the conversation as an e-mail).

Not pictured here, but visible as options in the screenshots… I can view the day’s meetings and, if applicable, attend them from the device, and using the Phone option I can place a call. As the iPod isn’t a phone, my mobile will be called and after answering I’ll be connected to the dialled number.

Lync for iOS is available from the iTunes app store – it’s free, but of course you need to attach to a Lync server and infrastructure. Give me a call and I can sell you one.

However, as a ex-Sametime user, there was something missing… a mobile client, something to use to stay connected in real-time while the laptop is in my bag. But now that’s been addressed, and within the space of a couple of weeks Microsoft have released Lync clients for Windows Phone, iOS (iPhone, iPod and iPad) and Android.

Let’s have a look at the Windows Phone client first (as usual, click on the small images to view the larger versions). It uses the Windows Phone ‘panorama’ user interface (swiping left or right moves to different screens) – the first shows my info and allows me to change my status message (which is immediately reflected in the Windows client), set my availability, and change the options for call forwarding.

The next screen, if I move to the right (by swiping to the left), is the contact list. It shows the groups which can be expanded to show the contacts, their photo (optional) and their current status. Clicking on a contact shows their status message (which can be their out-of-office message from Exchange), phone number, e-mail address and location. It also provides options to start an instant message conversation, a phone call or send them an e-mail.

The next screen shows conversations in progress – any new conversations will be coloured blue (not illustrated here). From here I can enter the conversation and invite other people into it, call the other participant, and forward the conversation as an e-mail. Note also that new conversations are indicated on the Lync tile on the phone’s start screen (see first image above) and a Windows Phone ‘toast’ notification will alert me to a new conversation.

The final image here shows a conversation in progress – until the conversation is deleted I can to go back to it and continue the chat session. In this example, I was chatting with Lewis and his special festive photo, and celebrates the fact that my first ever Lync Mobile conversation took place using Starbucks’ free wi-fi on 6th Avenue in New York.

More soon… specifically the iOS Lync client.

In October Nokia announced two new Windows Phone offerings… the Lumia 710 and the Lumia 800. It was the Lumia 800 which grabbed everyone’s attention in the office, quite rightly as it was clearly the top-of-the-range option. Since the announcement, Microsoft colleagues have been making enquiries about how to get a Lumia 800. Cruelly, some internal events dangled the phones in front of our eyes, but with no hope of getting one other than being the lucky winner in a prize draw.

So I decided to call up a good mate in Nokia and try to shamelessly blag a Lumia 800… and it worked. I have thanked him profusely, I will show it to customers and contacts, and they will take note because this is a fine-looking device. The first thing that hits you is the display, but let’s come back to that.

Let’s start with the packaging. When I first bought an iPod (late 2004 I think) it was apparent that Apple had done everything to make the consumer live the Apple dream – even the box was cool, and had been designed by a designer, not someone who just makes boxes. Nokia have learnt the lesson. The packaging is well-designed and gives the impression that this is a high-end product. I removed everything from the box and I was able to put it all back in with factory precision.

The box contained the phone (it would have been a major disappointment if it hadn’t), a small number of documents (in their own sleeve which fitted the box construction), a USB cable with attachable plug, headphones, and a rubber case for the phone. The phone was the matt black edition, which would have been my first choice… blue would have been fine, but Pete Hampton was ready to wet his pants laughing had it been the pink edition. The phone’s outer shell is polycarbonate, and apparently won’t show scratches too badly because the colour goes all the way through the shell.

Build quality – although it’s pretty much the same weight and dimensions as my HTC Windows Phone it feels more solid and overall just better quality. I guess you can’t really appreciate it until you hold one and then the other. The phone features a little hatch in the top (revealing the micro USB port), volume and camera buttons on the right-hand side and a speaker on the bottom. The back is very simple, featuring Carl Zeiss optics for the 8 megapixel camera and a flash.

Okay, let’s talk about the screen – side-by-side with the HTC this is the biggest difference and is the phone’s eye-catcher. It’s a capacitive AMOLED display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass in a slightly raised curved design. The colours are incredibly vivid, the black is very black (again, winning the side-by-side comparison) and the images are very sharp. The touch-screen is extremely responsive and smooth. Nokia have done an extremely good job on it.

As you know, the Lumia 800 runs the Windows Phone OS… it ships with ‘Mango’ and a small update was available. So the operation of the phone was really no different to the HTC – even though it has a faster processor, the Windows Phone OS and it’s apps are so zippy that I’ve yet to have any issue over the phone’s performance. That’s more than can be said for my iPod touch, which should be renamed the iPod sloth after the iOS 5 upgrade. Yes, the more responsive touch-screen is a bonus. Nokia have a included a number of apps which won’t be found on other manufacturers’ phones – Maps, Music and Drive. Maps is like Google and Bing Maps, and Drive is sat-nav (looks very good, and although I have a Tom Tom it would be great value for someone who doesn’t). Music is (you’ve guessed it) the app for managing and playing music. Music has a very cool gigs feature, telling you where gigs are playing near you – Rihanna is playing at the O2 tonight, which is the most exciting thing happening within a 34 mile radius apparently. Personally I’d take ear plugs.

Sound quality is excellent, both on a call and when music is playing. To be honest I haven’t tried the camera yet – other reviews say that it’s fairly average. I firmly believe that if you want great photos you should use a proper camera – no-one has tried to shove a phone into an SLR camera, so why should anyone have great expectations of a camera shoved into a phone?

Every colleague who has spotted the Lumia 800 on my desk over the past couple of days has admired and envied it, and inevitably asked me how I got it and if I can get them one (no, I can’t). It has that effect – it’s impressive on the eye and the build quality is visible from afar and close-up. If this is Nokia’s first stab at a Windows Phone, I can only imagine the great things to come. Nokia made a bold leap in taking on the Windows Phone OS which is currently trailing the others in terms of market share. I always say to people who knock it “try it”. It’s a great OS, and on a Lumia 800 the experience is even better.

However, if you can’t be bothered to haul your back-side from the chair that it’s currently positioned on, here’s another option. Nokia have set up a Facebook page, The Amazing Demo, which allows you to experience the user interface and some of the functionality. The best of the demos is the people hub, and it does a good job of showing the different aspects of interacting with a contact via Facebook, e-mail, SMS and the phone (although it omits Twitter).

Please note that the performance of the simulator does not represent the performance of the Windows Phone platform itself.

…media perceptions and market hype could not hide the fact that we were not seeing customer demand for Google in the enterprise.

You can read the full blog post here.

Despite my principles I still needed feeding, so I checked out, got in the car and pressed the local scout tile. There was a McDonalds just over a mile away, and a McMuffin is a good way to start a day. I pressed the McDonalds entry, then ‘directions from my location’ and I was there in five minutes. Local scout saved Microsoft £12.

So, what does local scout make of Camberley? The screenshots you’re seeing here (click on them for larger versions) are based on the location of my house, and indeed the nearest of Camberley’s fine food and drink establishments is The Carpenters’ Arms. Having said that, there’s so many things bunched together in the town centre I don’t think the order means too much in this example. Clicking on any of the selected places provides the address, phone number, reviews and ratings, and of course the directions.

There’s also a list of things to see and do. I’ve been to the Vue cinema, but I’ve never been to the Surrey Heath Museum (which is a tragedy). Further down the list, out of view on the screenshot, is the Basingstoke Canal Centre. We’re going to leave that for a day when we’re really bored.

The third page on local scout, not pictured here, is shopping. And again, local scout gets it right… the Majestic Wine Warehouse is the nearest shop to us, located before we get to the town centre.

On each of the results page a small map appears at the top – clicking on it expands the map to full page and shows the locations of the exciting places in Camberley. There are two new hotels being built in the town centre, so why not consider a holiday here in the jewel of Surrey Heath?

It was already a good app – apart from being free (a big plus-point) the killer feature is being able to pin tasks or task categories to the Windows Phone start screen. With control over tile colours and icons, the app adds real impact to your start screen. I nearly left the office today without picking up an important document from the fleet office, but I was saved by a pinned task.

Inside the app you’ll find a rich and functional interface utilising the Windows Phone’s panorama navigation. Tasks can be applied to projects, thus allowing you to look at groups of tasks associated with something you’re working on. The projects can also be pinned to the start screen and provide a count of the open tasks.

Version 1.3 of Tasks was made available this week, and among the many new features was the big one… synchronisation with Outlook tasks. So, if you use Outlook and a Windows Phone, this app is a must.

Click on the small images to see larger versions.

I saw this story featured on the BBC news yesterday morning, and it’s also featured on their web site:

A series of 12 Olympic and Paralympic posters, designed by leading UK artists including Tracey Emin and Chris Ofili, has been unveiled in London.

Most of my vitriol towards modern art is based on the simple fact that once an artist becomes well-known or gains a reputation they can produce any old load of tosh and have art critics falling over themselves to praise the genius of the works. And here we go again. I’m going to pick on three works in particular, for no better reason than if I hadn’t been told otherwise I could easily mistake them for something a five year-old would proudly bring home from a school art lesson.

1. Work No. 1273 by Martin Creed – a blue block on top of a slighter bigger pink block, on top of a slighter bigger black block… then yellow, then green. Mr Creed said the shape represents an extended podium. It must have taken him all of five minutes, including washing the brushes. By the way, Martin Creed is a Turner Prize winner, responsible for the exhibit where lights were turned on and off. Say no more.
2. Rachel Whiteread’s work representing the famous Olympic rings. To create the same effect, ask a five year-old to place the bottom of a mug in some red paint and then stamp it on a sheet of paper… and then repeat using green, yellow, blue and black paint. According the BBC site, organisers said the stains act as “memories of a social gathering”. No they don’t. They serve of memories of art lessons at primary school and coming home with paint on your shirt. Having said that, this work of art would make a nice design for a tea-towel.
3. Howard Hodgkin’s swimming artwork – this is my ‘favourite’ because the art critic on the BBC news was particularly sycophantic about this one, talking about the painting’s chaos and energy. Mr Hodgkin himself describes the work as “representational pictures of emotional situations”. The Beeb point out that a figure in ‘the water’ (or the splattering of royal blue paint) can just about be made out. Shame that it looks more like a toad than a human. Maybe Mr Hodgkin will come clean and admit that one of his grand-children knocked this one off in three minutes at nursery.

Just to prove that I’m not always negative about art, take a look at Michael Craig-Martin’s work (the word ‘Go’ on a stopwatch). It’s artistic and relevant to the subject, and would look good on a canvas. So I declare him the winner. As for the rest of them, the genius is not in the actual artistic skill, but in the ability of the artist to create something which allows us, the mere mortals, to use our own imaginations to interpret something meaningful related to the subject. Or something like that.

Screen #1 :

• Phone, having missed one call and a voice mail waiting.
• People hub – access to anyone from Outlook, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Windows Live (they’re all optional). Inside the people hub is an aggregation of updates from the social networks subscribed to.
• BBC News – a flipping live tile shows the two most recently-updated top stories, often with pictures.
• Outlook e-mail – a new one has arrived.
• Messaging – Facebook, Windows Live and SMS. I can switch between the three to keep a conversation in one thread.
• Me – my favourite feature. From here I can see responses to my most recent updates in Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and post new updates to all of them or a selection.
• Marketplace – the Windows Phone app store. An update is available for one of my apps.
• A to-do, due on November 10th, from the Tasks application, and pinned to the start screen.

Screen #2:

• Countdown tile – shows the number of days to an event.
• My Football – a fully-featured football app, but I’ve selected Arsenal as my team and can see their record in the last five games.
• Foursquare – again, a fully-featured app, but the live tile shows my position among my friends.
• Pulse – a news application featuring lots of feeds, but you can take any of those feeds and pin them as a live tile.
• Tasks – same app as seen in the first screen, but this accesses the main app and shows an overview of the number of tasks (it flips to a secondary tile to show the number of overdue tasks).
• Daily Dilbert – a new comic strip everyday. My life is complete.
• My family group – rather than wade through all of the contacts I’ve put my family members into a group, and pinned the group to the start screen. The live tile shows updates and their faces.
• The weather in Camberley – there’s loads of weather apps, this one is from The Weather Channel.

Screen #3:

• Wi-Fi – a shortcut to turn Wi-Fi on or off, but this one shows whether it is on (or off).
• Bluetooth – a shortcut to Bluetooth.
• My calendar, which shows the next appointment or event from any of my subscribed calendars.
• Microsoft group – as described above, this group contains Microsoft colleagues and shows recent updates. Tony Cocks has hurt his foot.
• Xbox Live – access to games, and features my handsome avitar.
• Another task pinned to the start screen.
• A news category from The Guardian app. Any of the news categories from the app (all sporting different colours) can be pinned to the start screen and will periodically update.

Now that I can capture screens expect more Windows Phone content and features soon.