Microsoft's consumer comeback

I've been impressed and even surprised of late with Microsoft's focus on remaking its image with consumers by paying attention and working at some of the hard things to turn around its image.

Nokia's new Lumia 920 Windows 8 phone

There was a time when I thought that it would be content to roll over and focus on enterprise computing, leaving the fast-moving consumer sector to other more nimble performers like Apple. This is obviously not going to be the case and consumers will be better for it.

Take for instance the new Hotmail Internet client that's been renamed Outlook, not to be confused with the enterprise email product that make sup a key part of Microsoft Office. Hotmail has always been a solid performing product. It's just that it had become stale and stodgy. The new Outlook, which uses the sexy Metro UI, is incredibly compelling and, yes, fun to use. I found myself dusting off my Hotmail account that I hadn't seriously used in years and even applying for a new Outlook address. If you've not tried it, it's definitely worth a look. I've been a Gmail user for some time, but the Outlook interface is much more pleasing and engaging.

Then there's Metro Twit. Again cool and fun to use. Are you seeing a trend here. I've even dabbled with Internet Explorer, which I'd not used in years. It's an old product that's been spiffed up with new features and speed enhancements.

This all brings me around to Windows 8, which is what will bring all of this together. It's getting great reviews. There's a tablet strategy and it may be just what's needed for MS to get back into the mobile game -- a space where it can't afford to lose. I've played with several Windows 7 phones and they are intriguing if not addictive. There are still three areas that need work: the camera, the display quality and the apps marketplace. Two of those are not Microsoft's territory, but the latter is and it's crucial.

Windows 8 promises to be a major boost for mobile. Already, the first hardware being shown gets at the first two issues. And Lord knows MS is working its tail off on the apps issue -- and making progress. Some of the best apps offer a user experience not achievable on either iOS or Android. The only problem is there aren't enough of them.

So, this is a very interesting time for Mr. Softie. Knowing more than a little about the company, though, I'm betting that this is a challenge where they are going to win.

Is the iPhone getting boring?

You know you're not a trend setter when you have the same phone that everyone else (yes, and their dog) has. I saw a pooch walking around with an iPhone the other day. It seems that everyone has an iPhone and the concentration is getting higher by the day. The sheep now have the message and it's become a stampede or whatever runaway sheep do.

Nokia Lumia 900

I've had an iPhone since nearly the time they first came out in 2007. I tried a Blackberry before RIM's huge fall from grace. And I even flirted with Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's Hail Mary attempt to get back into the mobile category.

A former co-worker and friend who now works on Microsoft's mobile team gave me a Samsung Focus about a year ago to try. I put my SIM card in it for awhile and liked a lot of the features, but kept gravitating back to the iPhone. Then I got a new iPhone 4S. Faster and with the Siri gimmick, but otherwise, same old same old.

I've never been one for "going with the flow" even though I'm pretty conservative. All the hype over the new Nokia Lumia 900 has got me fiddling with the Focus again. (I can use it on wireless for email and web access, just not for making phone calls or where there is no WiFi.) It's a nice looking phone that will run on AT&T's new 4G LTE network and has a better camera and probably better display than my Focus. Plus, legendary Nokia quality. Oh, and don't forget the FM radio!

I'm now tempted again to give WP7 a whirl. I've upgraded the operating system to Mango which is definitely faster and fixes some of the shortcomings of the previous OS. The app problem still exists though. There are lots of iPhone apps that I use that aren't available on WP7 and may not be for awhile.

Why would I switch? Well, WP7 is different and pretty cool. It handles email much, much better than the iPhone. In many ways, it seems a lot more integrated that the iPhone. It's as fast if not faster than the iPhone. But, most of all, I could diverge from the flock and maybe be one of the new trend setters!

GOP leadership in disarray

It's a political year and I've held off for far too long. And it looks like this is going to be a very delicious year to be blogging as the Republicans continue to trip all over themselves in their ineptitude trying to win back the White House. Or win something. God knows what considering their standing in Congress.

The latest example comes this week with the complete cave by the GOP on extending the payroll tax cuts. This is one that less than two months ago they were willing to die on the cross for. Not any longer. "It's over. It's done." Those are the quotes coming from GOP insiders who are just shaking their heads about the sad state of affairs of the Republican leadership and how out of sync it is with the presidential front runners, such as they are.

Pretty hilarious AND entertaining if you ask me. John Batchelor presents an excellent inside look today in The Daily Beast at why the GOP caved and why it caved so hard on payroll taxes. They aren't dumb enough yet to realize that this one was gong to kill them if they didn't quickly reverse course. On the other hand, Obama's strategy has been masterful not only on the payroll tax deal where he backed the dullards on the other side of the isle into a corner, but also on the health care/contraception switcharoo.

I'm now convinced that Obama and his team knew full well what they were doing when they angered fundamentalist Catholics on contraception and then quickly changed course to bring all those who have any chance of supporting him in the fall back into his camp. It was brilliant.

Why? It was Obama's trap to lure the Republican candidates back into the social issues swamp and off the economy and other issues where he is more vulnerable. Now you've got Rick Santorum out there talking about aspirin as a birth control solution (I know he didn't say it but he might as well have). And suggesting that education receive no state or federal funding? Huh?

Oh ya, and this is also the guy who drives an Audi, which would be made by the German socialists. Again, the GOP finds is hands in the hypocrisy cookie jar. Believe me it's going to be an entertaining election year.

Dinner with the Iron Lady

Something happened to our satellite (DirecTV) the other day, so we've been without service this week until tomorrow when the repairman is due to visit our house. We were originally told it would be two weeks before we could get someone here to fix it. I suspect they rely on telephone support to fix 98% of all issues.

Anyhow, we decided to do something very unusual for us. We went to a movie during the week. I don't think I've done that in decades. A new theater, Cinetopia, opened in our neighborhood last summer, but this was our first visit. Cinetopia is a new kind of theater with different sized viewing rooms and charge accordingly. The smaller the room, the more expensive. We chose the smallest, the Parlor, which was $18 per ticket, but we got senior discounts, so it was $15.50 per.

The seating was very comfortable and the room only accommodated about 18 people in plush living room style couches and chairs. Before the show began, a waitress took our order. We decided to go whole hog, so we ordered dinner -- fish and chips, nachos and two beers. The bill? $48. So altogether with tip we shelled out about $86 for a movie -- surely a record and even steeper than what we paid in London when we lived there.

First, the food. I had been told that it wasn't very good. I would say it was OK, but nothing special. The portions were huge, which always makes me nervous. Though a perfect accompaniment for the film, my chips were too salty in addition to too many.

Watching the movie was a pleasant experience and better than in a big theater. You're much closer to the screen even though it's smaller than in a big theater. We sat in the middle and it seemed just right. The sound was excellent -- also better than a big theater. They offer four different sized viewing rooms. All the other ones are cheaper and scale all the way down to normal prices.

As for the movie (The Iron Lady), we enjoyed it. Meryl Streep did a superb job portraying Margaret Thatcher. It was all done in flashbacks with an elderly Lady Thatcher recalling key moments in her life. I found the approach somewhat disruptive and annoying. Her late husband, Dennis Thatcher, who died some years ago, is constantly popping into her imagination. While that works some of the time, at other times it's annoying and overdone in my opinion.

I felt like there was a bit of a lack of continuity to the story as it jumped back and forth from the present to the past. None of this should detract from the great job Streep did in both the present and the past. But, it left you wanting more and wishing the story line was a bit more tied together vs. the flashback, bits of this, bits of that technique. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 55% ripe rating and that seems about right.