Here’s a quick recap of my favorite posts of the week. Have a great weekend!
The results are in: Dilbert digs Windows Phone
Remember the Windows Phone 7 Challenge? To refresh: We gave a Windows Phone to CNET’s Molly Woods and Dilbert creator Scott Adams, both of whom had publically expressed disenchantment with their current smartphones. They agreed to give Windows Phone a whirl. If they didn’t like it, we’d donate $1000 to the charity of their choice. Yesterday, Adams posted his final thoughts. “The Windows interface is intuitive, simple, and has a liveliness that I find appealing,” he wrote on his blog. While the cartoonist had some quibbles with all the phones he tried (hey, nobody’s perfect), he concluded: “If you want a smartphone that is easy to use, performs well, has a good battery life, and doesn’t frustrate you, the Windows phone is the best choice of the three options I tested.” Read it here.
Bing introduces “We’re In”
Bing yesterday launched a handy new social app in the U.S. Marketplace called We’re In. The app “makes organizing get-togethers, carpooling and trying to find people in a crowd a breeze.” The app shows you where your friends are, making it easier to know when to cut the cake or order the first round. The team is working on versions for other smartphone platforms, too. Download it from Marketplace
PocketNow’s latest picks
Here’s a new app roundup from the folks over at PocketNow. Like I mentioned last week, these videos are great for those who have trouble keeping up with all the new apps that hit the Marketplace. The video covers 5 apps, dwelling on each for a mere 30 seconds. Take a gander.
Back-to-school for moms
I recently combed through Marketplace for apps to help students heading off to college. But what if you’re a parent who is planning everything for your children’s back-to-school needs? Mommy blogger Jennifer from The Dirty T-Shirt recently talked about how she uses her Windows Phone to tame the busy back-to-school season. Her selection of apps is different, and I especially like the way she uses pinning to get things done. Read it here.
And finally….
Gamers probably saw the Xbox LIVE news posted here this week: 14 new titles and some new Xbox LIVE features on the way for Windows Phone. Well, the hardworking crew over at GeekWire got curious enough about one item teased in the post—a new feature called Fast Async—to write a follow up on it. We’re not saying too much about this right now, but as you’ll see Todd Bishop did manage to wring a few more details out of us. Check out his post.