While I am still a big fan of Android due to it’s massive mod scene (which can also be it’s weakness), I love my Windows Phone 7. I’m glad I’m not the only one. MaximumPC has 10 reasons why they think the Windows Phone 7 is much better than the Android OS.

It really does. And look, we get it. An Android is a power user’s phone, and we know that if you’re really looking for power-use, you’ve got to be willing to learn some things. But we’re the geeky minority here, and you’ve got to keep in mind that most people are looking for a phone that makes it easiest to do their day-to-day tasks. Keeping that in mind, WP7’s “tile” system is simply easier to organize and find the things you need to throughout the day. It looks cooler too; way cooler, actually.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the people getting fired or denied a job based on something they posted on Facebook, Twitter or *gasp* MySpace. Microsoft knows that, too, and is here to warn you about the dangers of what you post. Make sure you think about what you are posting before you click the “Submit” button.

In observance of Data Privacy Day 2012, Microsoft Corp. is releasing new data about consumer behaviors online and is offering guidance and tips to help people better manage their online profiles and maintain a positive reputation. In an increasingly connected world, everything people do online, from responding to emails and texts to clicking the “like” and “retweet” buttons on favorite Web pages, uploading photos and making purchases online, contributes to their online reputation.

For those against the virtual money system with Microsoft Points, you’re in luck. There are rumors that Microsoft is phasing out it’s point system to purchase virtual goods. You will be able to now use real money on a credit card or debit card. Yes, this may be an inconvenience to some without the various cards, but should make things more uniform in the Microsoft world. Previously, Windows Phone, Windows and Xbox were three separate marketplaces, and only one would accept the Microsoft Points currency.

While the decision to eliminate Microsoft Points may seem to be a surprising move, Microsoft has been gradually introducing cash purchases to Xbox Live, the most popular platform where Points are used. It makes sense for the company to move to a single cash-based payment system, as it brings it in line with its app market competitors and eliminates a consistent criticism of the system — that the Points to dollar conversion ratio is not only confusing, but it forces consumers to purchase more Points than they actually need. The smallest amount of Points that a consumer can purchase at one time is 400, or $5 worth.

According to several studies, Windows Phone 7, with the help of the Nokia partnership, will overtake the mighty Apple iPhone in 2015. With Windows Phone at ~2% market share and iPhone at 18%, it would take a lot. Android, of course, will stay at #1 with it’s flood of devices upon the marketplace. WP7 definitely deserves to gain a lot of market share. I haven’t had anyone use my phone and not enjoy it. It is very intuitive and easy to use.

Microsoft may be taking a new road on naming beta’s, going from “Developer Preview” to “Consumer Preview” with the next beta, scheduled for late February according to many rumors. Call it a beta, consumer preview, or even a disk with Windows 8 on it – I can’t wait for it to be released so I can tear it apart!

My first question was whether it’s just the internal Windows consumer PR team calling the beta “the consumer preview” or if the Microsoft brass plan to do the same. I’m hearing that the Windows organization is highly likely to settle on “consumer preview” as the name for the late-February beta.

For those that have heard about the new Kinect for Windows being released in a couple weeks, Microsoft has some answers for what “Near Mode” is and isn’t. A good write up.

That caveat turned out to be a pretty big caveat.  The Kinect for Windows team spent many months developing a way to overcome this so the sensor would properly detect close up objects in more general lighting conditions.  This resulted not only in the need for new firmware, but changes to the way the devices are tested on the manufacturing line. In addition to allowing the sensor to see objects as close as 40 centimeters, these changes make the sensor less sensitive to more distant objects: when the sensor is in near mode, it has full accuracy and precision for objects 2 meters away, with graceful degradation out to 3 meters. Here is a handy chart one of our engineers made that shows the types of depth values returned by the runtime:

I know I’ve said this multiple times, at least a dozen, but it does seem to be that the Minority Report is the inspiration for a lot of Kinect applications. Perhaps the movie was a glimpse into the future. Here is an interactive video wall that adapts to the user. Very nice usage.

It goes like this: The store window has a TV behind it hooked up to a Kinect. The moment someone walks by the display and into the Kinect’s field of view, the display reacts to grab their attention. Once in front of the screen, they can gesture to call up items they’re interested in, swipe through inventory, or interact with the models, depending on the precise software setup.

According to the website SemiAccurate, the new Xbox processors are going through the fab process. They are pushing enough for development kits for the Xbox Next/Xbox 720. Whether or not this is true is still up in the air. SemiAccurate has been accurate in the past when it comes to these reports, though.

Now for the new stuff. The XBox Next/720 Oban chip is in initial production. Sources at a foundry with a blue logo, confirm that Oban wafers started running in the final days of 2011. Sources on the other side of the continent in Redmond when questioned, said, “Who the f*&$ told you that? I am going to f#*&ing rip someone’s head off”. We at SemiAccurate take this as confirmation that the initial sources were in the right ballpark.

I can’t say I disagree with this guy. Since the introduction of Windows activation, it has been a pain in the butt. I’ve voiced my opinion many, MANY times that the activation scheme in Windows and Office is flawed. I have suffered times when a legitimate key would not work and have to call the automated line and still have it not work, then explain to the Microsoft employee why I’m not a pirate and am installing a single legitimate copy of Windows on a single machine. God help me if I get a bad hard drive and have to reinstall within a few months…

Yes, there are times when it is much easier to pirate the operating system than it is to actually buy and install it. Most of the time, it doesn’t happen like that. But, it has happened often enough to a lot of people to despise the activation system. If your customer experience is messed up, then their whole experience with your product is negative, even if no other issues arise. If they do, I’m sure that they would seriously consider an alternative (Mac OSX).

I’ve had games that I’ve been so disappointed in their anti-piracy schemes that I’ve skipped over a new great game because of the bad experience. I’ve used no-CD cracks in the past because I don’t want to find a CD in a rack (or misplaced) and not be able to play the game due to the missing CD. I don’t like buying and legally owning my software yet have to be treated like a criminal. I don’t appreciate it at Wal-Mart, and I don’t appreciate it from any software developers. Pirates WILL copy your software regardless of the anti-piracy scheme you use, and they WILL have a much better experience with the software than a legitimate user will have. Guaranteed. Why keep alienating your users and treat them like criminals. We’re not.

Bluewater Productions is set to release a new Bill Gates comic book in March. I’ve seen other comics from the company and thought they were decent. But, as an old comic book collector and a Microsoft fan, I’ll be sure to pick this up. In fact, I already pre-ordered it from Amazon!

[Image removed due to DCMA request from original picture that drawing resembled.]