Displaying digital media on an older HDTV - Dad Approved

CC attribution: by Daniel Oines (dn1967b) on flickr.

Being a child of the 70’s and 80’s, one common family event was family “slide show” time. Dad, being a hard-core amateur photographer (we had a dark room, chemicals, print paper, etc.) took lots of SLR photos. So naturally we had lots of slides.  That meant after trips or for family get-togethers, down would come the project screen, up would go the slide projector, and out would come the boxes upon boxes of slide carousels.

Hummm…and in the next slide…ca-chuka-chucka…we can see…first young Claus proudly showing his tiny perch caught on his bamboo fishing pole…and in the next…ca-chuka-chucka…Claus has fallen off the pier into the lake. See how the pole floats? Alas, Claus does not. Ha-ha, dad.

Ain’t technology grand?

Fast forward to 2012.  Dad is now well into the transition from 35mm SLR photography to DSLR photography. That is generating a lot of digital photos from his vacation trips and amateur anthro/paleo field-work. Not to mention digital photos from iPhones and point-n-shoot cameras he and his wife both have and use for the daily life and family events.

Up to now, he has been able view them quite successfully on his desktop PC at home. However when there is a large family gathering at his house, he has to fetch the correct camera, connect it to his Sony Bravia KDL52W4100 HDTV via a low-quality video-in (yellow RCA) plug. While serviceable, Dad’s got a sharp eye and the high quality of his digital shots isn’t done justice with the low-quality of the input method.  This older HDTV doesn’t have any slots for USB/memory cards like his PC does. Bummer.

So he asked me for advice.

I needed to find a dead-simple solution to bring him the ability to show his great digital photographs as close to HD as possible on his older HDTV.  Maybe move the desktop PC to the living room or use a super-long D-sub VGA output cable from the den to the back of the TV?  Well, yes…but…

Here’s what we did.

Part 1 - IncrediSonic Ultra Play IMP150

I advised him to pick up a IncrediSonic Ultra Play IMP150 (Amazon link) multi-media player. It has a USB port and supports HDMI output. (The same model is on Newegg.com).  There is the unit, a remote, an A/C adapter, and some low-def audio/video cables in the box.

I recommended this one to him for few reasons. First the Amazon product page has a mini-review video. I wanted him to be able to view the video to make sure the operation seemed logical and non-techy to use for him. The sub $40 price was great. It had an HDMI output that supported 1080p. Dad isn’t using all his HDMI ports on his Bravia TV so connecting it in HD output would be supported.  Not only would it support his digital image files, but it also could support many video file formats as well. It supported SD media sticks (from the point-n-shoot cameras). It has a USB port so media on a non-supported memory card format could be copied to a USB stick for display. Finally, the menu-interface and navigation seemed pretty intuitive.

More videos of that product in action:

IncrediSonic Ultra Play HD Media Player - MyKeyReviews - YouTube

Vorstellung des Incredi Sonic Ultra Play IMP150 - HD TV Digital Mini Media Player (HDMI,USB,1080 p) - YouTube

Note, there are quite a few other similar products that have pretty much the same features if you like this solution but want to explore other products, take your pick.

Part 2 - Patriot Xporter XT Rage 32 GB USB stick

Patriot Xporter XT Rage 32 GB USB 2.0 High Speed Flash Drive - Amazon product link

Patriot Xporter XT Rage 32GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Model PEF32GRUSB - NewEgg product link

Dad does have a number of USB sticks that could have been used, but I recommended he use a new dedicated stick just for showing his digital photos/media on this unit.  There were probably even faster USB sticks than this one, but I have been pleased with my Patriot Xporter flash drive for many years. This 32 GB model has lots of storage room over his 4 GB models, and the smaller format would (hopefully) mean it wouldn’t stick out of the USB port on the IncrediSonic device like a standard USB stick would and risk over-torque/breaking of the USB port connection soldier points to the device system-board if dropped/banged/etc.

I could have found an even smaller USB micro-plug but then I was worried about possible loosing of it, or it being hard to manipulate on the desktop system.

The storage size and physical size of this unit seemed the best balance for his particular needs; adjust accordingly.

Part 3 - HDMI Cable(s)

So here is where my plan came together.

I pointed Dad to this AmazonBasics 2-Pack, High-Speed HDMI Cables 6.5 feet cable set. NewEgg also has more than a few HDMI cable picks as well.

This would so be easier and better quality than continuing to use that silly yellow video out/in RCA plug connection!

I went with the 6.5 ft length so he could leave it plugged in on the back input panel of the HDTV display and then tuck the cord away when not in use. Then there would be enough length to allow it to stretch to where he could put the IncrediSonic device close enough to a A/C source and high-enough for the remote signal to reach it.

The 2-pack was recommended so he could leave one permanently attached to the back of the TV as mentioned but the “spare” could be kept in the box/bag with the IncrediSonic so he could take it on the go when he visited other family members who also had a HDTV with HDMI inputs. This way the show could conveniently go on the road!

Dad ordered the set the next day from my recommendations and a few days later had the whole thing running perfectly. He was beyond pleased with the quality of the display.

I reminded him that according to the reviews, it defaults to 720p HD format but if the HDTV supports 1080p, he can change a setting on the device to get even better display quality for his DSLR digital photos.

This or a similar “kit” might be really valuable for ForSec and/or other digital media users who need a standby for showing digital media presentations…just in case that laptop doesn’t work, or that TV/display provided isn’t what they said it would be, or if the one cable you need to use your standard setup goes bad. This particular combo came in a just under $100. Not bad.

Definitely Valca Sr. approved.

--Claus V.

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Pile ‘o Linkage

CC attribution: "Chain links" by HowardLake on flickr.

Time to unload them…

Forensics

• Windows 8 Forensics - A First Look - YouTube video from ForensicFocus presented by Josh Brunty. appx 40 min.
• Digital Forensics Stream: VSC Toolset - GUI tool for executing batch files against a volume shadow copy. More details on the latest version in this VSC Toolset Update: File Recovery blog post.
• Windows Incident Response: Forensic Scanner - Windows Incident Response blog - Harlan has recently released a super assessment tool to get a fast big-picture view report of a system being examined. It is very simple to use and provides great data for figuring out if there are any important indicators to spend more time in a closer examination of the system. Download available at forensicscanner - ASI Forensic Scanner via Google Project Hosting
• Network Artifacts found in the Registry - Windows Incident Response blog - This is a RegRipper focused post but the previously mentioned Forensic Scanner also provides some network information; the WiFi info is quite useful on laptops to see where they have been traveling and connecting to.
• From Malware Analysis to Portable Clam AV - Journey Into Incident Response - Corey Harrell has a fun post read on identifying a malware binary and then creating a custom AV signature in ClamAV.
• New Archive of RegRipper Plugins - RegRipper has a new collection of current/updated plugins available if you haven’t snagged them recently.
• Live forensics: prefetch and powershell - 8 bits blog - using PowerShell in incident response.
• CAINE Live CD - computer forensics digital forensics - Release version 3.0 “QUASAR” is out with some updates and application additions.

Adobe Reader XI (11)

• Announcing Adobe Reader XI - New version of Adobe Reader is out…just when you were probably getting your apps finally coded to interact with Adobe X (10).
• Adobe Reader XI Deployment - Stealthpuppy’s Aaron Parker has some excellent as always tips on deploying it; including some customizations.
• How to configure Group Policy for Adobe Reader XI - Group Policy Central - Not to be outdone by Aaron, Alan Burchill also has some tips for using it with GP.

Network Bits

• Meet the successor to Microsoft Network Monitor! - MessageAnalyzer - TechNet Blogs. The successor to Microsoft’s NetMon packet trace tool is out in beta. I believe it is only supported on Win7/8. I’ve played with it a bit and NetMon users should quickly feed comfortable in it, although the GUI is significantly different in many ways. Testing captures on a Win8 RC virtual machine have gone pretty well. I’ve had a few crashes so more work does need to be done before final release in mid-2013. Definitely worth checking out though not likely to replace Wireshark or your other favorite network packet capture tools quite yet.
• New Release: Cisco Discovery for Windows v1.3 -What the.....? blog. - I’ve posted before of various ways you can trace down what switch port is connected to, all usually multi-stepped. If you have a Cisco based switched network, this new-to-me tool in a single executable might save a whole lot of frustration if kept handy on a USB stick.  Run it, pick your interface, get your CDP data…switch/port will be magically revealed. Sweet! Get the WinCDP tool here.
• WinsockServicesView - NirSoft - is a New utility to view, disable, and enable the installed Winsock service providers. Nir does it again with a super easy-to-use and helpful tool to catalog Winsock service providers on a system.
• Install NetworkMiner with apt-get - NETRESEC Blog. Yeah. It’s now that easy. Not like before in a previous GSD post: Network Miner Updating on Ubuntu 12.04
• Wireshark Tutorial Series. Tips and tricks used by insiders and veterans - Sniff free or die blog details a new Hands on with Wireshark YouTube video (11 min) by RiverbedTechnology that covers some basic usage tips.

For the SysAdmins

• How to find latest Microsoft Knowledge Base articles for Windows 8 and Server 2012 - Anything about IT
• FREE: Group Policy Search – Find Group Policy settings - 4sysops - Via this MSDN site: Group Policy Search
• DOWNLOAD: Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows (8) and Windows Server (2012) - Kurt Shintaku's Blog - See also: Group Policy Settings Reference Spreadsheet - Group Policy Team Blog
• Crash Course in Active Directory Organizational Unit Design - Windows Networking site.
• Case of the Domain Join Failure followed by Case of the Domain Join Failure II–Object Already Exists - chentiangemalc
• Enterprise Wireless Security – An overview - 4sysops
• Get Files Out of a Running Virtual Machine - Ben Armstrong Virtual PC Guy Blog
• How to diagnose Windows sleep problems - Tenniswood Blog
• 7 Cool Useful Command Prompt Tips You May Not Know - Windows7hacker
• Beyond good ol’ Run key, Part 2 - Hexacorn blog
• Windows PowerShell 3.0 download - Bink.nu summary of the new features in PS 3.0
• Download: WMF 3.0 - Microsoft Download Center
• PowerShell 3.0 - 4sysops - Krishna Kumar offers a overview of some of those newest features.
• PowerShell 3.0 overview – Part 2 - 4sysops - the review continues….

Utilities

• Updates: Autoruns v11.34, ProcDump v5.0, Sigcheck v1.8, VMMap v3.11 - Sysinternals Site blog
• Process Explorer v15.23 - Sysinternals
• PsPing - Sysinternals new CLI tool to measure network performance including bandwidth available between systems. Also can generate histograms of results.
• Rapid Environment Editor - Most folks won’t have any need to ever edit their Windows environment variables. But if you are a tweaker or geek or sysadmin, you might need to. This looks to be the tool for you! in addition it provides Error checking to highlight any problems with the entries. I had two “abandoned” items in my system I cleaned up with it. Really a nice portable tool to keep handy.
• MetroTextual 1.1 - SingularLabs - Minor update to a Win8’ish style notepad tool. I posted quite a bit about it earlier MetroTextual - Spirit of the notepad known as Bend...  This new version has some fixes and feature enhancements. However I noticed on my Win7 x64 system that while v1.0 seemed OK, version 1.1 garbles selected text. I like the newest feature adds but it remains a work in progress…which raises the same question Scott Hanselman of ComputerZen pondered: A Bug Report is a Gift.  What is the best way to report it to the developers…from within the app?
  
  before text selection…
  
  
  after text selection…
  Curious…
  
• HexDive 0.5 – Adding a bit of a context… & HexDive 0.6 – new strings and more -Context… - Hexacorn continues to make great leaps of improvement in the free and super-useful HexDive tool to look for interesting string patterns in files. Check it out!
• PeStudio 4.10 - Winitor - Speaking of binary analysis, PeStudio is a new-to-me tool to aid in application binary analysis. Cool!

New “Defrag” Tools Videos (and others also)

Microsoft/Sysinternals and their Channel9 team have really scored a home-run with their “Defrag Tools” video series. Each week (or sooner) a new quality video comes out..with clear file download links/formats…that reviews or expands an in-depth review of Sysinternals tools and usage.  I’ve already posted links for Episodes 1-6 and now we have 7-12 out.  I download these at home and tuck them away for replay on rainy days or presidential debates. Even when I consider myself very comfortable using a particular Sysinternals utility, walkthroughs such as these always leave me with a new tip/trick/configuration tweak that I didn’t have before.

• Defrag Tools: #7 - VMMap
• Defrag Tools: #8 - Mark Russinovich
• Defrag Tools: #9 - ProcDump
• Defrag Tools: #10 - ProcDump - Triggers
• Defrag Tools: #11 - ProcDump - Windows 8 & Process Monitor
• Defrag Tools: #12 - TaskMgr and ResMon

A great supplemental Channel 9 is The Defrag Show

See also this WEBCAST: Maximizing Windows 7 Performance: Troubleshooting Tips (1hr 1min) as found by Kurt Shintaku and add it to your video bag as well.

Google Fonts

Font geek? Me too!

I frequently hit the following sites looking for new and impactful free-use fonts for maximum impact on presentations and documents where having just the right font can add a punch of enhancement.

• 1001 Free Fonts
• Font Squirrel
• dafont.com
• Font Freak

So I got really excited when I found that Google has a web font collection (500+) under the Open Font License.

• Google Web Fonts - Google
• Google Fonts directory - Google
• Download and Install Google Fonts on your Computer - Digital Inspiration
• Download Reference Posters for Google Web Fonts- Digital Inspiration

Now this is really cool!.

Cheers!

--Claus V.

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Grandpa would not be impressed…

My late maternal grandfather was an F.B.I. Special Agent back from the ‘40’s to late 1960’s.

So I was bemused when a gentleman from the church brought me his wife’s XP laptop that when booted displayed an “official” looking lock screen from the “FBI” (complete with FBI seal) saying computer violations were found and locked by the FBI unless the user paid them a fine via a legitimate “MoneyPak” service.

Really?

No.

It was just a run-of-the-mill Trojan drive-by infection crafted by scummy scammers.

• New Internet Scam - Press release from the REAL Federal Bureau of Investigation at fbi.gov.
• FBI Ransomware: Reveton seeks MoneyPak payment in the name of the law - ESET ThreatBlog
• How to remove FBI Moneypak virus? -ThreatLevel
• Remove the FBI MoneyPak Ransomware or the Reveton Trojan - BleepingComputer

It took the better part of a Monday night NFL football game to clean, but I was able to get things restored and back in service.

…and then updated all the third-party browser apps (Java, Flash, Shockwave, etc.) as well as the latest version of the installed AV/AM software.

Related: SOPA reincarnates to hold your computer hostage - ZDNet.

--Claus V.

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Wacom CTE-430 Drawing Tablet & Windows 7

I was cleaning out my home “tech closet” last week.

Tearing down old cell-phone boxes, old hard-drive product boxes, laptop boxes now that they have been “burned in” and I’m not returning them to the store…stuff like that. Sorting plastics/papers for recycling, etc.

While I was putting some of the small-bits I wanted to hold onto in my catch-all shoeboxes for such things tech, I found my old Wacom CTE-430 (Sapphire) drawing tablet and pen.  I had got this a long time ago when Lavie was doing drafting and design work on the computer.

As a young kid, Alvis had a copy of Disney’s Magic Artist and Sketch Board that she loved. But as she got older she outgrew it so it was passed on to relative’s family who had young children to use.

Now that Alvis is much older and quite the artist, I wondered if she would be interested again in trying the whole “digital artist” thing. Her preferred medium are watercolors, pastels, colored pencils, charcoals, and other medium that are -- by nature -- very messy and require lots of scattering of these items across the desks, the floors, the window ledges, etc.  Oh, and lots of my favorite mugs left next to the kitchen sink soaking brushes in soapy water.

Maybe Alvis would find it relaxing to do some digital sketch-work again when she was bored but didn’t feel like hauling out her normal art supplies.

So I decided to connect it to my Win7 x64 system.  It found some drivers and seemed to work OK but some of the pressure support for the pen didn’t seem to work.

Did some Google work and found the Wacom site but the US driver page wouldn’t work correctly to let me grab the drivers using the form selection boxes.

Eventually I found a direct link to the driver page I was looking for:

Driver 5.2.5-5a(RC) for Windows 7, Vista & XP (32 & 64 bit versions) - Wacom Graphire3

Downloaded and installed fine on our Windows 7 x64 systems.

Next I needed to find a few paint programs that supported tablet usage. This Gizmo’s Freeware page had more than I was looking for. Score!

Best Free Paint Program - Gizmo's Freeware

I downloaded and installed quit a few of them on Alvis’s system.

In the end we both thought the Art Rage 2 “Starter Edition” (free) was the best starting point. The sketching surface and tools were very easy to get started with.   Alvis thought this was hands-down the easiest of the bunch to use and play with. If she really gets into it, we will probably spring for the full Art Rage Studio Pro version. at $60 it seems a great value for new digital artists.

The others are also quite good, Project Dogwaffle & MyPaint were particularly well rounded applications.

We aren’t quite up to using the tablet in Photoshop yet, but I think with some practice, it could be useful there as well supplementing digital photo editing work.

Nice to know “old technology” can find new life…

Cheers.

--Claus V.

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…in which the power of “The Force” is realized…

Alvis: “I went by the auto parts store and picked up some windshield wipers. The auto parts guy help me pick out the right ones.”

me: “Great. You need some help putting them on the car when I get home or do you think you can do it yourself?”

Alvis: “They’re already on. The auto parts guy asked if I wanted him to put them on for me.  I said sure!”

me: “m’hmm…”

Alvis: “So he went outside with me and put them on the car. Wasn’t that great?!”

me: “m’hmm…”

And the young Jedi Padawan comes into her own…. 

Just don’t you dare try to put her in a binder…

--Claus V.

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Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) Upgrade

Morning tasks after booting the coffee maker.

1. Find in RSS feeds that my Ubuntu 12.04 LTS install has a 12.10 upgrade available.
   ●  Ubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” takes flight with a bag full of Juju - Ars Technica
   ●  Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) released! - Ubuntu
   ●  Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) review - ZDNet
2. Find in RSS feeds that my Oracle VirtualBox software has upgrade available.
   ●  Stormy October patch day for Oracle - The H Security: News and Features
   ●  What's New in Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.2? - Oracle (The Fat Bloke Sings) blog
   ●  Oracle Announces Latest Release of Oracle VM VirtualBox - Oracle
3. Download and update VirtualBox and matching VM Extension Pack appliance.
   ●  Downloads – Oracle VM VirtualBox
4. Launch and run Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and use Update Manager to bring this version as current as possible, pre-12.10 upgrade.
5. Reboot and re-run updater…check version, still 12.04 and additional update checks show no 12.10 version offered.
6. Hit the Googles and find trick to run from sudo “update-manager -d”. That does the trick and upgrade option to 12.10 now available to grab.
   ●  Howto: Upgrade to Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal from 12.04, 11.04, 11.10 | Desktop & Server - Unixmen
7. Apparently I’m jumping the gun a bit on the new bits as dialog box says it is a “development version”, but apply Ubuntu update anyway…
8. Get warning message that video hardware may not be sufficiently supported. Do I want to abort upgrade for now? Nope. Note complaints of 3D acceleration. Check VirtualBox settings and find I have that option disabled for this system. Note to self to enable after reboot.
9. Reboot.
10. Log in and kick the tires a bit.
11. Disable the “expanded search” feature. System Settings --> Personal --> Privacy --> Search Results “Off”.
    ● Canonical adds a 'kill switch' for Ubuntu's Amazon search - PCWorld
    ● Online Dash Search Update - jonobacon@home
    
    
12. Yep.  OS window performance and transition fade effects now slow-as-molasses.
13. Remembered to upgrade/install VirtualBox 4.2.2 Guest Additions for Linux into system. Done.
14. Reboot.
15. Video performance a bit better but not a lot. Reboot.
16. Disabled 3D acceleration setting in VirtualBox.
17. Video performance only a hair-width better. Hopefully better VirtualBox video driver support for Ubuntu 12.10 will be released soon…
18. Searched and found more posts on the issue.
    ● Ubuntu 12.10 – VirtualBox Guest Additions not Working -Complete, Concrete, Concise
    ● #10901 (vboxvideo fails to auto-load on Ubuntu 12.10 Guest) – Oracle VM VirtualBox
    ● virtualbox.org • View topic - Ubuntu 12.10 "virtually" unusable
19. Edited “/etc/modules” file to include “vboxvideo” line as suggested above. Shut down.
    ● [ubuntu] newbie question on editing as root - Ubuntu Forums
20. Re-enabled 3D acceleration setting in VirtualBox machine settings. Powered VM back up.
21. Ubuntu 12.10 video performance in VirtualBox 4.2.2 now back to normal (pretty darn fast) speed again. Yay!
22. Check “Upgrade to Quantal Quetzal” off my to-do list.

--Claus V.

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Future Mobile Phone Upgrade?

I’m in the process of planning for a mobile phone upgrade, maybe by the end of the year.

Currently I have a Samsung Mythic SGH-a897 on AT&T carrier. The standard 2-year contract has long since ended.

It is a “smart-phone” but I don’t carry a data-plan with it and only chose it because I am a frequent texter and the haptic virtual keyboard far outshined all the other available models with a full keyboard (virtual and actual) offering.  It still runs great and the battery usually lasts two or three days of talk-time, always-on standby, and my texting.  The camera is adequate, but not nearly a replacement for a digital camera which is why my Canon S95 is almost always EDC now. Not once have I missed not having a data plan or being able to tether it to my home WiFi. Nor do/can I really carry music files on it. Sure I’ve tried, but it really didn’t seem to work too well. So I also have a little iPod shuffle (clip model) with me as well for tunage.

I could continue to happily roll along this way for the next few years, however there has been a sea change around the Valca home and extended family.

• Both parental units now have iPhone 4’s.
• Both Alvis and Lavie now have iPhone 4’s.
• Bro has an iPhone 4s.

Providing tech-support (of sorts) for these devices has made me a bit more aware of the extended benefits of smart phones so it seems it’s time for me to move forward.

So…I guess that means I’m getting an iPhone 5. Right?

Probably not.

At work, a daily occurrence is the often heated discussion between the iPhone tech holders versus the Android phone holders; which is better, who rooted what, what latest confectionary OS has been downloaded and on what platform (and who is still waiting), etc.  Constantly.

And I’m tired of it.

In fact, it reminds me of the OS platform debates that the phone-platform wars supplanted; Windows vs. Apple vs. Linux.

I can see why the iPhone crowd is so passionate. I often borrow Lavie’s iPhone in bed and use it to look up the cable/TV schedule in Safari…or maybe a quick Wikipedia peek to scratch a mental itch. When I do use it the interface is very easy and intuitive to use. And the hardware is very polished (design wise) and just makes sense.

And I can also see the wide and expansive range of apps available on both the Android and iPhone platforms. Sure is lots of handy things there.

And being able to have one device for above average quick-picture snaps and carry a good collection of digital music and videos would be really, really nice.

But despite having regularly used the iPhone platforms, and dabbled with Android phones/apps, there is a good chance that I might take the path less traveled and plunk down for a Windows 8 Phone.

• After Apple v. Samsung, the smartphone market will never be the same [Updated] - Techblog
• Windows Phone - Microsoft
• Where oh where is Windows Phone 8? - Ars Technica
• Microsoft said to have finalized Windows Phone 8 OS - ZDNet
• My first week with iPhone 5: what I miss from Windows Phone 7 - istartedsomething
• Windows Phone Videos - YouTube channel

Funny thing is, not once, never-ever, at-all, have I actually seen one of these mythical “Windows Phones” out in the wild. They have only been seen my be in the cell-phone petting zoos. None of my family have one, none of my circle of friends, not even the chance-met stranger. Considering the very-small market-share Windows Phones are reported to hold, I guess that isn’t surprising.

So since I’ve not been able to get first-hand feedback from a real-world person I’ve had to read the Net and reviews and on-line feedback on the current Windows 7 Phone. Oh yeah, and watch Bones use one on TV.  Not having access to a real-world Windows Phone is the biggest concern that is holding me back a bit and preventing me from becoming a Windows 8 Phone “evangelist” among the Apple/Droid crowd I rub-shoulders with.

Online feedback usually falls along three lines;

1. The UI is really nice and refreshingly different.
2. The (Windows 7 Phone) hardware isn’t quite up to the task; it’s adequate, but could be better for the OS demands.
3. There just aren’t nearly as many Apps for the Windows Phone platform as iPhone or Android. Get a Windows Phone and you might starve to App death.

The first one appeals to me. Unlike the tiles under Windows 8 OS, active tiles and the blocking layout really appeal to me here on a phone device. I get it. Logical, orderly, strong & solid. The design really fits me.

The new Windows 8 Phone hardware and OS seem to be fully developed now and should resolve performance issues and expectations held under the second point.

The third item really doesn’t bother me. Can I surf the net? Can I listen to music, or videos, or connect to my email account?  Does it take good digital photos? SkyDrive support? Can I still text? Yes? I’m covered. And I continue to pop-in and check out the Windows Phone Marketplace.

So what hardware offerings and I considering?

Current leader: Samsung ATIV S

• ATIV S - Samsung ATIV - Samsung product page
• Samsung Ativ S officially announced: Windows Phone 8 with a 4.8-inch 720p display - The Verge
• Gallery: Samsung Ativ S images - The Verge
• This is the Samsung ATIV S, the first of many amazing Windows Phone 8 devices coming this year - Windows Phone Blog
• Samsung shows off first Windows Phone 8 handset, the ATIV S - Ars Technica

What I like about this model:

• The case design just rocks. While not steampunk, there is an air of industrial design to it. I particularly like the brushed aluminum back plate and the sliver of perforated grill on the back. There is something mechanical about the design. The front looks very similar (though wider and taller) to my Samsung Mystic in fact. The edges are rounded, but not too funky. It has a pretty square top-view and the bottom is more curvy and reminds me of retro Italian sport-car design from the sixties.
• Hardware specs are nice: 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8 MP camera (and front-facing camera as well), 16/32GB storage, and MicroSD slot support.
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n supported.
• 4.8” HD display.
• 3.5mm earjack.
• Looks like it will fit in my current Samsung holster.
• Want.
• Price? Still an unknown.

In Second Place: HTC Windows Phone 8X

From what I know, HTC is one of the top-tier manufacturers of Android phones. So they have clearly been in the business for a while and can deliver great hardware.

• Windows Phone 8X by HTC Overview - HTC Smartphones
• HTC, Microsoft announce two Windows Phone 8 devices - Ars Technica
• Announcing HTC’s new Windows Phone 8 lineup - Windows Phone Blog
• PHOTOS & VIDEO: The Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC - Windows Phone Blog
• Hands-off hands-on: the HTC Windows Phone 8X and 8S - Ars Technica
• HTC 'Accord' Windows Phone 8 image leaked, reportedly includes 1.5 GHz dual-core processor -The Verge

Thoughts about  HTC Windows Phone(s)

• HTC is a mobile smartphone platform leader. HTC’s got back.
• I’m not as crazy about the case styling. I could accept the 8X model case, larger, more uniform, if I were to get it in black. The 8S being both smaller, and with that crazy Dairy Queen cone “dip” styling at the bottom leaves me unimpressed.
• 8X display is 4.3” HD, just a bit less than the ATIV.
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n supported.
• 3.5mm earjack.

Hardware-wise the 8X seems a close match for the ATIV, but the styling leaves me uncomfortable.

In Close Third: Nokia Lumina 920/82

• Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone with PureView Camera - Nokia
• Nokia Lumia 820 Windows Phone with Wireless Charging - Nokia
• A closer look at Nokia Lumia 920′s body and remarkable PureView camera - Ars Technica
• Will you buy Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone? - BetaNews
• Welcome Home to Windows Phone: Nokia makes the move - Caschy’s Blog (GTranslated)
• It’s official: The Nokia Lumia 920 & 820 are coming to AT&T - Windows Phone Blog
• Nokia’s Lumia 920 coming exclusively to AT&T in November - Ars Technica
• INFO: Nokia Lumia 920 vs Apple iPhone 5 - Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Initial impressions about Nokia Windows Phone(s)

• Sigh…I do like the “bold” color styling of the Nokia’s just a bit more than the HTC. Barely. But then the roundy horizontal cross section loses my interest.
• The way the screen glass rounds to the device is interesting.
• Is that inductive (cordless) charging I see? Hmm.
• 8.7 MP camera…largest of all contenders.
• 4.5” HD screen.
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n supported.
• 3.5mm earjack.
• Camera/video handling seems to be the major point to stand out this device from the rest.
• Turn-by-Turn voice navigation with Nokia Maps app.

Additional Viewpoints

And then there are the rumors and rumblings of a Microsoft-hardware released product down the road…

• Microsoft does indeed have their own Windows Phone in the works - wpcentral
• A Surface Smartphone From Microsoft? Yes, Please! - ReadWriteWeb
• A Microsoft Phone: the wrong move at the wrong time for the wrong reasons - Ars Technica
• Phone Designer - Designer Jonas Daehnert’s Facebook page for phone designs. 

Would I consider a Microsoft-provided Windows Phone? Sure..if the hardware matched and the price was competitive.  Will that possibility keep me from picking up a Windows 8 phone before the end of the year…certainly not…unless it was 100% confirmed that Jonas Daehnert’s outstanding MS phone design got picked up by Redmond.

A few basic How-To’s

• How to Play iTunes Music/Videos on Windows Phone 7 - Daniusoft Studio
• Preparing your iTunes Library for Windows Phone 7, from A(pple) to Z(une) - Windows Phone Concierge
• How To Setup Gmail Accounts On Windows Phone - MakeUseOf blog.

Now I need to work some numbers with AT&T to see if their "AT&T Shared Data” plan would provide a better value once a third smartphone/data sucker is added or if our current method of have a shared Family call plan with unlimited texting package for everyone + individual data plans for each phone would be cheaper.

Will keep you posted on any new Windows 8 phone goings-on and how my considerations are running.

And if any GSD followers are actually using a Windows 7 phone and would like to leave their own thoughts on “real-world” usage to counterpoint the iPhone/Droid fans, they would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Claus V.

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