Tomorrow: Messaging 0.1 and Book 0.001

If you're following all the excitement over at the SuperSite for Windows, you know I've come home from about 13 days of travel and have just launched a major new version of that web site. But no worries, I've not forgotten about the book.

As I suspected, I couldn't resist putting together a document representing the entire book, which includes the three in-progress chapters (Messaging, Bing Search and Maps, and Calendar) and placeholders for all the other content. I'm not happy with the first version of the Messaging chapter quite yet, but I'll work on that a bit tonight and then tomorrow and post that, plus the first version of the Book document (i.e. the full book, in progress).

Going forward, each time I post a chapter update, I'll also post what I call a Book update. And I'm probably going to start jumping around, first filling out the chapter placeholders with topic lists and then writing bits and pieces all over the place. Now that I'm home for a while I should be able to start cranking this out. 

See you tomorrow!

Moving forward

I was kind of stuck in a holding pattern with Microsoft’s secretive pre-release silliness, but now that Windows Phone 8 is out in the world, and I have a device, I can cracking on this book and, hopefully, get chapters pumped out more quickly.

If you’re not familiar with what’s happening with Windows Phone 8, please refer to my Windows Phone page on the SuperSite for Windows. I’ve been cranking out the content, which is great on one level, but it’s also left me with less time to work on the book. This will resolve myself as my current travel mania comes to a close (I’m on the road between October 25 and November 7) and all the launch hoopla dies down.

What we’re left with is this: I’m more excited about Windows Phone than I’ve ever been, and I’m the original Windows Phone fan, in many ways. Windows Phone 8 is a stellar achievement and is decidedly superior to the iPhone and Android competition. But then that’s always been true. What’s changed this time is that Windows Phone 8 picks up the Windows 8 core, which is huge. And we finally have devices like the HTC Windows Phone 8X, that are not just competitive to the iPhone from a build and quality standpoint, but are in fact superior. It’s an exciting time to be a Windows Phone fan.

Anyway, while I have in fact done a bit of work on the next chapter (“Messaging”), I probably won’t be able to pick up a reasonable pace on the book again until I get home mid-next week. I’ll try, regardless. But if it’s slow around here it’s just because of what’s happening elsewhere with Windows Phone 8.

The next chapter and beyond

With two chapters completed (in first draft form), it’s time to think about the future. This includes both the next chapter and, of course, the rest of the book as well.

First, the bad news. At my current writing speed, Windows Phone Book will be done in about two years. :) That is clearly unacceptable. And my goal is to finish this by early 2013 so I can move on to other books like this one, but shorter. (Surface?) So I’ll need to step it up.

Part of that involves writing more regularly—I really should be writing some of this book almost every day, a schedule I keep meaning to adhere to eventually—but I can also cheat a bit, and get some of the shorter chapters out of the way first. So I may do a few of those just to burn through the chapter list (or TOC, as we call it.) As a reminder, it looks like so at the moment:

Getting Started

1. Why Windows Phone?

2. Choosing the Right Handset

3. Windows Phone and Accounts

4. Migrating from Android or iOS

Understanding Your New Phone

5. Metro: The Windows Phone User Experience

6. Personalizing Windows Phone

7. Sharing with Others

More Than a Phone

8. People (and Me?)

9. Phone, Skype and VoIP

10. Messaging

11. Bing Search and Maps

12. Wallet

13. Windows Phone Store and the Apps Ecosystem

Productivity Apps

14. Email

15. Calendar

16. Internet Explorer

17. Office + OneNote

18. Windows Phone Utility Apps

Entertainment Apps and Games

19. Music + Videos

20. Pictures + Camera

21. Games

22. Windows Phone for Kids (Parental Controls)

Taking It to the Next Level

23. Integrating with PCs and devices

24. Security and Networking

25. Windows Phone at Work: Business Features

The other thing to consider is that we are, at this writing, one week away from the official launch of Windows Phone 8. I expect to have at least three Windows Phone handsets shortly, and while I’ve been creaking along here with a leaked version of the Windows Phone 8 SDK and its emulator, and my own internally-sourced info about the product, things are obviously going to change somewhat when everything goes legit. I’ve been holding back about a few things, but I know that once the launch event happens—yes, I’m going—you’ll be even more excited about Windows Phone 8 than you are now.

Anyway, the next chapter.

Ideally, it satisfies two qualifications. First, it must be an existing Windows Phone feature that has changed little, if at all, since Windows Phone 7.x. That way I can write about it now with no worries. Second, it should be relatively short topic. I’d like this one to come in well under the 40-45 pages (in Word, including figures) of the first two chapters I’ve written.

So which topics qualify?

Chapter 3, Windows Phone and Accounts works on length, but because the account types are getting changed around and I want to experience the first-boot experience on a new device, I will hold off on that one.

Chapter 7, Sharing with Others also works on length, but with all the new sharing capabilities like Rooms, it’s best to hold off.

Chapter 10, Messaging looks ideal. It’s a short topic and the new stuff isn’t much of a jump. It supports the same services as in 7.x—SMS, MMS, Messenger and Facebook Chat—and only includes a few additions, like location sharing, and mostly subtle improvements to existing features.

And that’s about it. The rest is very heavy on new material.

So Messaging it is.

Finally, I’d like to also to discuss any idea about how the pre-release versions of the book can be bundled going forward. While I will continue to publish chapter versions as they are written (Calendar 0.2, Calendar 0.3, and so on), once this third chapter is complete, I’ll also be concurrently publishing a separate document, Windows Phone Book, that will include all of the completed chapters so far, plus placeholders for the rest, in a single document. So we’ll have documents such as Windows Phone Book 0.01, Windows Phone Book 0.02, and so on. That way, those who just want the latest version of the current chapter can continue to get that, while those that want a bigger picture of the full book can get that too.

I think it makes sense to hold off on that until this third chapter is done. But I may just get excited and start working on it earlier. We’ll see how that goes.

Next up, Chapter 10, Messaging.

Bing Search and Maps 0.8

OK, here's the first draft of the Bing Search and Maps chapter, which is basically complete. Obviously, as I gain experience with actual devices, more features may become available and changes will need to be made. And there are a few small areas in there that need to be updated regardless. But this is OK enough to be considered a first draft pass. So it's time to move on to the next chapter.

What might that be?

First, though: Download Bing Search and Maps 0.8.

Bing Search and Maps 0.7

This is a fairly major update to the Bing Searchs and Maps chapter, and as you'll see, the end is in sight: The first draft of the chapter is nearly complete.

This version completes the Bing section, though I wasn't able to add some figures because my screenshot app is crashing for some reason. (Doesn't matter: We'll have real Windows Phone 8 handsets with built-in screenshot capabilities just days from now.)

I've also written most of the Maps section of the chapter, adding parts about location finder, inside maps, search, directions, configuring the view, favorites, and offline maps. Only two sections, Outside the app (system integration) and customizing Maps, are left. I hope to finish this (i.e. finish the first draft of the full chapter) today.

Download Bing Search and Maps 0.7.