Bill Reminder Updated with Windows Live SkyDrive Back Up and Restore
**Now with Windows Live SkyDrive back up and restore, a double-sided Live Tile, and pop-up reminders**
If you are like me, you already use a full-featured money management program on your computer, and you don’t want to re-enter all of your financial information into a separate application on your phone or rely on email reminders to know when your bills are due.
Bill Reminder was written with those problems in mind. It gives you convenient, color-coded, reminders to quickly see when your bills are due; red for past due, yellow for due today, and green for not due yet.
No account numbers or amounts are required. Just enter a name, frequency, and next occurrence date, and Bill Reminder color codes and sorts your bills into the correct lists. Mark a bill as paid, and Bill Reminder automatically updates the next occurrence date, color code, and reminder lists.
Thank you to WMPowerUser’s own andrewbares for his excellent SkyDrive back up sample.
For more screenshots and links to download the paid or free, ad-supported version, please click here or scan the QRCode.
Developers: Use SkyDrive to Backup App Data
One of the issues with Windows Phone is that you lose all your apps’ data when you upgrade to a new phone. However, developers can fix this by quickly implementing a backup/restore system via SkyDrive.
I realized that Windows Phone apps needed a backup solution, and so I added a simple SkyDrive backup system to my homework planner app, Power Planner. If you’re a developer, read the tutorial below to learn how to add the same system to your app!
Live Connect Account
First, you’ll have to setup a SkyDrive API account if you don’t have one. Go to the Live Connect site and login. It should prompt you to add your app’s details. Fill in your app name and language and click I Accept. Then go to the Application Settings Page, open the API Settings, and change the Mobile client app option to YES. Copy your Client ID number because you’ll need it later!
Live SDK
Now you need to download the Live SDK if you haven’t already. Go to Microsoft’s Download Page and download/install the MSI.
Adding References in your Project
Don’t forget to add the references to the Live SDK in your Visual Studio project! Add Microsoft.Live and Microsoft.Live.Controls to your references. Also, add System.Xml.Serialization (it’s used to serialize your data into a text file for uploading to SkyDrive). Continue reading
Rafael Rivera running an App Settings Back-up hackathon today
Rafael Rivera has given himself the challenge of creating a backup solution for Windows Phone Mango which will allow users to migrate to another device and still maintain applications settings and data, such as high scores for example.
He plans to start in an hour and aim to finish within 12 hours.
His goals for the app are:
- Must support backup of Marketplace-derived apps. (e.g. Plants vs. Zombies save state)
- Must use sockets for easy PC<->Phone communication. Fishing crap out of Isolated Storage manually is unacceptable.
- Must work on his Samsung Focus (v1.3) devices running Mango.
- Must succeed in using saved app. state on restore target.
If I succeed, he plans to release the XAP and any information needed to use it/further development.
He is planning to live blog his progress, so keep an eye on his site here.
While the goal is laudable, even full success will still require an unlocked device, which means Microsoft better get a move on providing an official migration solution for Windows Phone 7 users wishing to move to second generation devices.
Homebrew tool for backing up SMS messages created but needs fully unlocked Windows Phone
Currently if one were a first generation Windows Phone 7 owner wishing to upgrade to a second generation handset one one would lose not just all your game progress and app data and settings, but also all your SMS messages.
There is no solution for the other issues yet, but ConanWTN on WPXAP.com has developed a homebrew app for backing up SMS messages on your Windows Phone.
Interestingly it appears the Windows Phone 7 OS already backs up the SMS messages from the previous day to a file \Application Data \ Microsoft \ Outlook \ BackupVols \ CommsBackup.xml. This was discovered by Thunder_ on XDA-Developers.com.
ConanWTN’s app will make daily backup of your SMS messages and store them in Isolated Storage, where they can be copied to your desktop. The next version will allow upload to SkyDrive, and also for exporting of SMS messages as text.
Unfortunately to get access to this file requires a fully unlocked Windows Phone, which means only a few devices are supported.
Read more about SMS Backup at WPXAP here.
Thanks Max for the tip.
Microsoft is finally planning to fix backup in Windows Phone
Backup, or the lack of it, is the untold sad story of Windows Phone 7. Sure, you can backup your phone before a firmware update, but not without hacks anytime else, and then you are still left with a massive 10 GB file taking up precious space on your laptop hard drive.
As such all Windows Phone 7 users are constantly at risk of losing their app data, game progress, text messages, preferences and god knows what else. Its a pretty good thing the operating system is so stable, but nothing Microsoft can do can stop anyone from dropping their phone in the toilet.
Thankfully it seems Microsoft is finally stepping up to the challenge. In a job post looking for a Software Engineer In Test they write:
Come join the Windows Phone Backup, Migrate, and Restore team. Our goal is to ensure that no matter if someone loses their phone, drops their phone in a lake, buys a new windows phone, or just has their toddler wipe their phone by entering the wrong PIN over and over, a user can quickly and seamlessly get their phone back to a good state. The features we are producing will be new for the next version of Windows Phone and will help ensure Microsoft stays ahead of the competition when it comes to disaster recovery.
The job post does not give anything else away of interest, except that this is for the next version of Windows Phone, which would presumably be either Tango 2 or Apollo. Obviously we would prefer if its the first, as if it is for Apollo we will be waiting quite a while indeed for this basic feature.
The job post can be seen here.
Do our readers feel this is long overdue, and how do you feel about the proposed implementation, which would allow restoring to a band new phone? Let us know below.
Windows Phone 7 backup tool for unlocked handsets released
The gnomes at XDA-Dev have been busy. Winphoneviet has published an app which allows one to backup application data from apps installed on the phone.
The app requires the WP SDK 7.1 beta 2 installed on your PC, and that the phone be jailbroken.
The software uses ISETool from WP SDK 7.1 SDK to send and receive data to Isolated Storage folder of all apps/games. It does not actually back up the applications, which will need to be installed separately.
Some apps downloaded from Marketplace which are digitally signed may not restore properly, but all side-loaded apps should work with no issue.
Be sure to read the full instructions in this XDA-Dev thread.
WPV App Data Backup can be downloaded from mediafire here.
Homebrew backup tool for Windows Phone 7 released
Microsoft is designing Windows Phone 7 with the intent that nothing can ever go wrong, but we know the reality is that nothing is fool proof. Sometimes things go so wrong that the only answer is a hard reset.
At this point users will often utter a few choice curse words in Microsoft’s direction, as the Zune software does not include any way to back up data, and there is not any way to access data stored in most 3rd party apps.
XDA-Dev user hx4700Killer has developed a back-up solution for Windows Phone 7 making use of the tool Microsoft released to fix the Samsung update errors some users experienced when trying to update their phones.
The software will keep one backup at a time on your PC and the backups can be restored directly from the Zune software under Update.
Read more about the tool and its caveats at XDA-Developers here. As usual such hacks are at your own risk, and you will not get much sympathy from Microsoft if you mess your phone up.
Via Pocketpc.ch
Thanks StevieBallz for the tip.
Windows Phone 7 update will feature full backup, restore points
Windows Mobile users who upgraded to Windows Phone 7 may look forward to the upcoming update with some trepidation, as traditionally new ROMs on the OS meant all the settings were lost, and hours of re-installing applications.
Fortunately Microsoft has let it be known that the user experience will be a bit smoother on Windows phone 7, with the Zune software making a full back-up of the user files and settings, which will be restored to the device after the update.
The Zune software will also keep this backup, in case things go wrong and the user wishes to roll back to a previous version of the OS (which may be useful for unlockers and hackers for example).
Hear the info in the official Windows Phone Radio Podcast by Matt Akers at around the 34 minute mark.
Via the Whirlpool forums.
Thanks Sheeds for the tip.
The memories remain
I’ll start by admitting that I have a soft spot for music, and especially music videos that tell a story. It was a contest between Daughtry’s “September” and Alan Jackson’s “ Remember when” but, hundreds of other songs could have sufficed.
Our lives are becoming more and more dependent on electronic gadgets and smartphones now almost define our identity. These devices also double as a repository for a lot of our daily experiences be it photos, videos, voicemails, text messages etc. Since the Christmas season is now upon us, these gadgets will be used to extensively record and document the family gatherings, reunions, laughter, cries and everything in between.
Paul Thurrott has an interesting article titled “The death of email” In it, he posits the theory that email is being supplanted by more instant forms of communication like SMS, IM and Facebook messages (Mr. Thurrott is not someone who casually proclaims the ‘death technology “a” or technology “b” ’ so I was curious to read what he had to say) I can attest to that fact because most of my email correspondence is now relegated to work related stuff. IM, SMS and Facebook messages/chat with an occasional phone call here and there make up the majority of communication with friends and family. I have friends who in fact are far easier to reach with the “instant” means because they will hardly ever reply to an email but they will text me back immediately. The salient portion of Mr. Thurrott’s article that I would like to highlight is when he writes
These people (meaning this generation) don’t care about us or our traditions. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not malevolent about it. They just literally don’t care. And while they may find our muttering about "retention needs" and "conversation threads" interesting in a polite, don’t-agree-too-much-or-they’ll-keep-talking-about-it kind of way, they literally don’t care. Not about our concerns. And not about our previous and old-fashioned email technologies.
Please say it isn’t so!
One of the Kin phone’s great features is the Studio providing automatic back up for all the data to the cloud. Microsoft has hinted the availability for a similar feature in WP7. However, there is a puzzling limitation (or is it just a bone headed implementation) that rears its ugly head. You cannot download pictures from your phone directly to the computer due to the fact that they have been pushed to the cloud. To gain access, one has to log in to Kin Studio and then download them from there back to the PC as illustrated by this quote from the Kin social answers website.
how can i tack photos off my phone and save it on my Pc
Log into Studio on your PC
Go into the Photo’s and Video section you can download your pictures to your PC by clicking on the image
then clicking "More"
then clicking "Download"
- Marked As Answer by Gary D. – KIN Support
For power users this may be a no brainer but for the average user will find it a hassle.
All this can be easily solved by having a special folder in my pictures called (“device unique name”) in the Zune desktop client that syncs with the studio/WP7 successor (Windows live sync?) so that the data is available on both the cloud and the PC. This provides an added advantage for the user to then just drop their pictures not taken by the phone into this folder and have them available on the studio. The end result is a seamless experience that “just works” Paul Thurrot is rightly worried
(Oddly, you cannot connect a KIN to your PC and download pictures that way. This is a mistake that Microsoft may be duplicating with Windows Phone, by the way.)
and so am I that the limitation will end up in WP7. It is little usability oversights like this that have the potential of limiting the new Os to just an “ok” platform instead of a really great one. We are still months out from the release and and problem for all I know has been or will be taken care of by then but if not, please Microsoft, get on it ASAP!
Windows Mobile SMS Sync 2.0 Released
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The popular Windows Mobile SMS Sync application has been updated to version 2.0. The new release contains a number of features that make backing up your text messages, or transferring them to a new phone, much easier and quicker – especially for non-technical users.Here are three key new features or areas of improvement in the update:
1. User Interface
The first thing that you will notice about this new release is that the user interface has been completely overhauled. The new interface makes backing up your text messages or restoring them extremely straightforward.
2. Online Backup Storage
The most impressive new feature to the application is the new “Online Backup Storage” option. This free service allows you to save your text message backup on SynergeTech Solutions’ secure server. If you select this as your backup location, you simply login (or create) your account and the application takes care of the rest. You can just as easily choose the “Online Backup Storage” as the location to restore text messages from. With this feature, you could transfer your text messages to a new Windows Mobile phone without ever having to copy/email a file to the new device!
3. Compatibility
The third area of the application to be addressed in this release is compatibility. Windows Mobile SMS Sync 2.0 has been thoroughly tested on almost every device type and every version of Windows Mobile. International languages are supported more universally in this release as well. The restore functionality now makes sure to copy all the message properties – this way when you restore your messages, either after a hard reset or to a new phone, they are exactly as they had been before.
The application costs £9.99 and is available by visiting the SynergeTech Solutions’ website at www.synergetechsolutions.com/mobilesmssync.
Windows Mobile SMS Sync Updated
SynergeTech Solutions has released a substantial update to their popular Windows Mobile SMS Sync software. Windows Mobile SMS Sync is an application that allows you to backup the text messages from your Windows Mobile phone to a universal CSV (comma seperated values) file that can be read using Microsoft Excel or the special text message viewing application that comes with the application on your desktop computer.
With the release of so many new Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, many people are upgrading their phones. In the past, this would mean losing all your text messages in the transition. This new release of Windows Mobile SMS Sync allows you to restore the backup created from your old phone on your new one! It even maintains the same folder structure of your messages. In essence, you can now transfer your text messages from your old phone to your new one!
The desktop application for viewing your text messages has also been overhauled in this new release. The new desktop viewer application has the ability to do complex searches of your text messages on a number of criteria. Once you have filtered your text messages to those you are seeking, you can export them to a seperate file, print them as a report, or even upload them to a SQL Server database for further analysis.
The other minor enhancements included in this latest release are better support for international phone numbers, non-latin character sets, improved performance, a streamlined user interface, and the ability to backup your call history log.
Windows Mobile SMS Sync runs on Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.1, and 6.5 devices – both on standard (smartphone) and professional (pocket pc) models. The included text messages viewing application requires Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or 7; although this application is not required to backup or restore your messages.
Click here to learn more about the new Windows Mobile SMS Sync release on SynergeTech Solutions’ website!
WinMo security software
I’ve been trying to find a good security app for my phone that allows me to track my phone in case it gets stolen.
Here is a list of the various apps I’ve tried.
Where is my phone (WIMP) is the most simple to use of the bunch. After installation, you set a recipient phone number and password. The recipient phone number is used to send an automatic SMS if the SIM card is changed, or you can send a specially formatted text message to the phone with your password. You then receive an SMS which contains the new SIM card’s details and the phone’s GPS location if the phone has a GPS receiver. I’ve found this program to be useful but only about 90% reliable, and it isn’t free.
An XDA developed app is Smartprotect which is similar to WIMP and it works very well. It also sends an automatic SMS to a designated number when the SIM card is changed with information on the whereabouts of the phone. You can then send SMS commands to the number to determine the location of the phone as well as other functions such as remote wiping of contacts and deletion of protected folders. This is a free app.
Another security app is Flexilis which is a free beta at the moment. It’s a syncing program which backups your data to their servers and allows remote tracking of your phone. The extra features include the ability to support more than 1 phone, and an in-built firewall and anti-virus app. You can track, backup and scan your phone remotely via a web browser.
I’m sure you will find a combination of any of these would cover all your phone security requirements!
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Beat the Story Mode. When your done Bring your skill online. Rank up by winning online matches. Have 1 on 1's with anyone! Global Online Multiplayer!
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Quick Tiles, a fully featured live tile editor for Windows Phone.
Great sports app for NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL. Pin scores/games to live tile on your home screen.
MobileFax gives you the opportunity to send fax pages from your mobile phone anytime, anywhere !
WP7 Exclusive version of Hanging with Friends
Fabulously fun, lovable, crazy! Bubble Pong Championship
A remake of the classic snake game. The snake wants to grow so don't wait and help her!
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