Windows Phone 7 - Impressions and Transparent Lockscreen

So last week I impulsively bought a Windows 7 Phone, a Samsung Focus, partially to mess around with development on the new platform, but mainly because I like toys and wanted to play with it - and also to be able to compare between the major mobile OS players right now - iPhone, Android and now WP7.

I really like the interface. A lot. And the screen is very pretty-not quite the resolution of the iPhone 4, but it's still quite nice. It's quite responsive, and the way tiles move and slide around almost imparts an organic feeling, alost playfulness. I do miss Android's awesome notification system and the wealth of great apps that are available on iOS4, but I think Microsoft can gain ground on both fronts with the right moves.

Anyway, so far there are two features that I really love so far:

1. You can use the phone as an FM radio through the Music + Videos player - it uses your headphones as the antenna. How cool is that???

2. Via @brianfeucht, it came to my attention that the lock screen wallpaper supports transparent PNGs, and you can see your live tiles through the transparency (see shot above - that's a png graphic I came up with, with the help of my lovely lady and her mad Photoshop skills). Very, very neat - but there are some caveats:

• The graphic is only see through when you touch the screen. So in the shot above, you'll see a white bulb outline, but everything else is black (or white, if you've chosen the light theme)
• This only works if you're not locking your phone with a passcode (which you probably should do).
• You have to set the png file as your wallpaper from attachment from email (AFAIK - the only way I was able to do this was by sending the png to my phone via email from my computer)

You can download the wallpaper here.

USA World Cup Bid

Breaking radio silence for a cause - USA World Cup Bid. How awesome would it be to bring the world's game, the beautiful game, to the states, Seattle even?

I signed up and I absolutely think everyone else should, too :)

Last Beach Night, cont.

One more before I pack up and leave. It was a good night for a walk and perfect weather to soak in the last few minutes as the sun disappeared behind the ocean horizon. Makes me glad to live on the west coast- no way I could possibly wake up early for a sunrise :)

Last Beach Night

I would love to say that Blake had a contemplative moment on the beach as the sun went down, but really, I just got lucky and timed things right. I think this shot turned out pretty well :).

Crossroad

Since I was ruined from drinking too much whilst watching the World Cup Final (ESPANA!!!) I didn't really make it out of the house much. I finally did drag myself to the beach and took some shots, and I liked this shot in particular, even though it was away from the water

Seafood and a Sunset

Salmon grilling on cedar plank, and halibut wrapped in banana leaf. Delicious!

I can't say that I ever pay attention to sunsets, or sunrises, but it seems you just can't not when you have scenery like this.

Manzanita Vacation - Day 1

Ok, so Day 1 of time off from work, we drive out of SUNNY, 90° F, Seattle to Manzanita, OR, where C and I are vacationing with her family for the next 6 days. Although the weather here is definitely cooler and overcast, nothing can really beat the ocean air and the sense of calm you get from hearing the waves crash. And maybe I just need to pull myself away from computers. Cheers!