Tag Archives: Microsoft

Windows Phone 7: 10 devices, 4 launch hardware partners, 60 mobile carriers in over 30 countries worldwide; coming 10/21 in Europe & Asia, early November in U.S.

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Today Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage in New York City to reveal the final details surrounding the launch of Windows Phone 7.  Microsoft first unveiled their new cell phone operating system in February at Mobile World Congress; next they spotlighted developer support at MIX’10; and most recently they detailed Xbox Live integration.  All there was left to do is reveal launch harware and mobile operator partners and device release dates and pricing.  And that’s exactly what went down today in NYC.

Let’s start with the Windows Phone 7 launch hardware partners and the actual devices you might potentially pick up come this holiday season.  Samsung, LG, HTC, and Dell are collectively bringing ten new devices that will run WP7.  The Samsung Focus (codenamed Cetus) features a 4-inch (480×800) Super AMOLED display, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and 8GB of onboard storage with microSD expansion up to 32GB.  It’s the thinnest WP7 launch device measuring at 9.9mm (or .3 inches) thin.  It will launch exclusively with AT&T in the U.S.  The Samsung Omnia 7 features the same 4-inch (480×800) Super AMOLED display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and 8GB of onboard storage.  It will launch with Orange (France and UK), SFR (France), Movistar (Spain), and Deutsch Telekom on November 8.  The LG Quantum (or Optimus 7Q outside the U.S.) features a 3.5 inch (480×800) display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, 8GB of onboard storage, a slideout QWERTY keyboard, and it comes preloaded with PlayTo, an app that allows users to wirelessly stream content to DLNA-enabled devices.  It will launch exclusively with AT&T in the U.S. and with Telstra in Australia.  The LG Optimus 7 features a 3.8 inch (480×800) LCD display, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and 16GB of onboard storage.  It will launch with Telus (Canada), América Móvil (Mexico), Movistar (Spain), Vodafone (Germany, Italy, Spain and UK), and SingTel (Singapore).

HTC is launching five WP7-powered devices.  The HTC HD7 features a 4.3 inch (480×800) display (it’s the WP7 launch device with the largest display), 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash (supports HD 720p video recording), 16GB of onboard memory, built-in kickstand, and it comes preloaded with Netflix, Slacker,  T-Mobile Family Room (a note-taking sharing app), and a T-Mobile TV entertainment app.  It will launch exclusively with T-Mobile in the U.S. in mid-November and with O2 (UK, Germany, Ireland), Movistar (Spain), SingTel (Singapore), Telstra (Australia), and Bouygues Telecom (France) on October 21.  The HTC 7 Surround features a 3.8 inch (480×800) display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash (supports HD 720p video recording), built-in kickstand, and 8GB of onboard storage.  What makes this device standout from all the others is the slideout speaker that features Dolby Mobile and SRS Surround Sound technologies.  It will launch exclusively with AT&T in the U.S. and with Telus in Canada.  The HTC 7 Pro will be the first WP7 CDMA device and will launch exclusively with Sprint in the first half of 2011.  It features a 3.6 inch (400×800) display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash (supports HD 720p video recording), 16GB of onboard storage, and a slideout QWERTY keyboard.  Update: The 7 Pro will arrive in Europe “early next year.”  The HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy are two WP7 handsets that will not (initially, at least) not make it to the U.S. market.  They both feature a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, and HD 720p video recording.  Here’s where they differ.  The Mozart features a sleek aluminum unibody construction with a  3.7-inch (480×800) display and 8 megapixel camera with a Xenon flash.  The Trophy, on the other hand, features a slightly larger 3.8 inch (480×800) display and a slightly lesser 5 megapixel camera with LED flash.  The Mozart with launch with Orange (France and UK), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Telstra (Australia) and the Trophy will launch with Vodafone (Australia, Germany, Spain and UK) and SFR (France).

And finally there’s the Dell Venue Pro.  It features a 4.1-inch (480×800) AMOLED display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor,  5 megapixel camera with flash, and a portrait-designed QWERTY keyboard.  It will launch exclusively with T-Mobile in the U.S.

And that’s a wrap on the hardware discussion.  As you can see, all ten WP7 devices are very similar in terms of internals: the 1GHz processor, the 5 megapixel camera, the 8GB-16GB internal storage, 3.5 inch to 4.3 displays, and the handful of slideout QWERTY keyboard-equipped models.  Through the end of the year, WP7 devices will be exclusive to AT&T and T-Mobile; this leaves a wide gap in the CDMA (Verizon/Sprint) playing field.  By the time Q1 of 2011 rolls around, Microsoft better have deals finalized with the other mobile carriers if they truly want to compete in the competitive smartphone market.  Also, hardware partners will eventually have to up their game with better and differentiating specifications and designs if they want to stay relevant.  HTC is doing a fine job so far with the 7 Surround speaker design the HD7’s large 4.3 inch display.  But for now, the WP7 starting lineup is quite impressive.  The stars are certainly aligning for a successful launch.

In addition to revealing hardware and mobile carrier partners, Microsoft also shared some information regarding software developments.  Though they weren’t specific about the exact number of launch apps for Windows Marketplace, they did show off bunch of promising apps.  They include Twitter, eBay, Fandango, Netflix, Slacker, IMDb, and games such as Tetris, The Sims 3, Monopoly, Need for Speed: Undercover, and The Harvest.  AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega was on hand to show off the AT&T U-verse app.  The app will be preloaded on all AT&T WP7 devices and will allow users to download and watch TV shows on the go.  If you are already a U-verse subscriber at home, accessing and downloading content off the app is free.  You will have the ability to manage your DVR recordings, access TV guide listings and an On Demand library.  If you are not a subscriber, AT&T will offer a $9.99/month plan to watch TV on the go when WP7 launches wide in November.  (Keep in mind, “live” TV is not available; you are simply downloading content to watch now or later.)  In related news, AT&T has confirmed that Xbox 360 owners will have the ability to use their console as a U-verse receiver starting October 15.  New subscribers can order a $99 Xbox installation kit and a technician will load the software onto the console for you; current subscribers will be forced to pay an extra $55 on top of the $99 installation kit to make the switch from set-top box to Xbox.  And here’s one last software tidbit: Microsoft promises a free software update bringing copy-and-paste functionality to all WP7 devices will be pushed out in “early 2011.”  Update: In a statement Microsoft confirms that public beta software will be available for Mac users to sync “select content” with their WP7 device later this year.  Look after the break for the first two WP7 commercials!

Apple, Google, RIM…it’s on.

[Via Engadget, here, here & here; Quantum image via PhoneArena] Continue reading Windows Phone 7: 10 devices, 4 launch hardware partners, 60 mobile carriers in over 30 countries worldwide; coming 10/21 in Europe & Asia, early November in U.S. →

Goodbye Microsoft Surface, hello LightSpace

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Microsoft Research is back, and this time they are bringing a new technology to the table (hehe) that’s going to eliminate any desire you might have had to purchase an exuberantly priced Microsoft Surface.

LightSpace combines elements of surface computing and augmented reality research to create a highly interactive space where any surface, and even the space between surfaces, is fully interactive. Our concept transforms the ideas of surface computing into the new realm of spatial computing.

In essense LightSpace rips out the multiple depth 3D cameras and projectors from their secret cove beneath a table and places them up in the ceiling.  In effect, this means that all Surface user interfaces and features can be displayed on virtually any flat surface; the actual Surface table is no longer required.  You’re going to want to watch the video demonstration above; some of the LightSpace applications are quite extraordinary.  In one example the Microsoft researcher “picks up” an object located on a table projection and transfers it in his hand to a second wall display.  It’s drag-and-drop IRL.  Now remember, this is a Microsoft Research project so there’s no telling how long it’s going to cook in the labs before it makes its away to the general public (if ever).

[Via Engadget; MicrosoftResearch]

Kinect finds (another) new home in 250GB Xbox 360 bundle

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Holiday shoppers will have oodles of options to choose from when decision time comes to purchase Microsoft’s gesture-based motion tracking camera Kinect.  In addition to the standalone version ($149.99) and Xbox 360 4GB bundle ($299.99), Kinect will also ship with the higher capacity 250GB Xbox 360.  At a whopping $399.99 you will get the new “whisper quiet” shiny, black, and slim Xbox 360, Kinect, and a copy of a Kinect launch title, Kinect Adventures!.  The two bundles will ship on Kinect launch day, November 4.

[Via Engadget]

New Xbox 360 wireless controller features new D-pad, matte silver looks

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Today Xbox’s Major Nelson showed off a newly designed Xbox 360 wireless controller.  Right off the bat you will notice the new color scheme.  The controller is now colored matte silver and the ABXY buttons have lost their vibrant colors (green, red, blue, yellow) to match the controller body.  The two analog sticks are slightly more concave now, too.  What you might not notice instantly in the pictures but you certainly will when the controller is in your hands is the brand new D-pad.  For years Xbox gamers have complained about the lack of a raised D-pad, but now this issue can be put to rest.  Microsoft has patented a “transforming D-pad”.  In the standard configuration the D-pad is a disc (that’s what we’re sued to).  With the new controller you can now twist the D-pad to raise the plus sign about a quarter-inch making it a whole lot more usable (especially for gamers who play boxing games where D-pad use is of the utmost importance).

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The new controller will be available November 9 and will only be found inside the $64.99 Play & Charge Kit.  Microsoft has not stated if/when the new controller will replace the old model outside of the P&C Kit and whether or not it will ever be bundled in the new 250GB Xbox 360 package.  Look after the break to watch Major Nelson hold up the controller in all its gray glory.

[Via MajorNelson; Engadget]

Continue reading New Xbox 360 wireless controller features new D-pad, matte silver looks →

Xbox Live pricing scheme sees a slight jump in US, Canada, UK & Mexico this November

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For the first time since its inception back in 2002, the cost to become an Xbox Live Gold member is about to become a bit steeper.  In the US, Canada, UK & Mexico only the Xbox Live pricing scheme will jump on November 1.  See the chart above to see how the change will affect you.  In the U.S., the yearly subscription will increase from $59.99 to $49.99; the three month sunscription from $19.99 to $24.99; and the one month subscription from $7.99 to $9.99.  Super lame, I know.  Industry analyst Jesse Divnich tries to cushion the news of the price increase: “When originally launched in 2002, a Gold subscription cost the same as an AAA video game, $49.99. When taking into account for inflation ($50 in 2002 is roughly $60 in 2010) and the additional services available to Gold subscribers in 2010, such as ESPN, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm and Video Kinect, a $10 price increase still represents an incredible value to consumers.”  Alright, I guess that makes sense.  But for those of you who may still be fuming over this news Xbox’s Major Nelson has a special incentive for you.  Microsoft is offering a limited-time savings deal to “lock in” Xbox Live gamers before the price increase becomes effective.  You can upgrade or renew your account today for an additional year for $39.99.  That’s $10 cheaper than the current one year subscription, and $20 cheaper than the new price coming in November.  Head over to the Xbox price lock site to secure an addional year of Live Gold membership at the cheaper before before it’s too late.

[Via MajorNelson; Engadget]

Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 detailed

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With the launch of Windows Phone 7 just around the corner (Microsoft says Holidays 2010, other sources hint as early as October), it is about time Microsoft further detailed its Xbox Live gaming initiative on the forthcoming mobile platform.  If you own an Xbox 360 and have an Xbox Live account, navigating the Xbox Live gaming hub on a Window Phone 7 device will be a very familiar experience.  The first “tab” within the hub is named Profile and it stores your Xbox Live avatar, gamerscore, and message notifications.  Your avatar can be interacted with by tapping on it, shaking the phone, and spinning the phone in various orientations.  If you select the message notifications icon, you will be brought to the Messages tab where you’ll find a list of text and voice messages left by your Xbox Live friends.  You can send and receive messages on your device in real time just as you would on the console.  There’s also an Achievements tab that shows you all of your collected acheivements, categorized by game, on the phone and console.  You can tap a game title to view the specific achievements awarded within each game to see when you received them; you can then select a specific achievement to see how you received it.  The Friends tab congregates a bunch of your Friends’ avatars; tap anywhere on this screen to bring up your friends list.  You can see who is on and offline, what games your friends are currently playing, view friends’ acheivements, and compare your achievements to a specific friend’s achievement list.  If you click a friends’ gamertag from the list his (or her) avatar will fly on screen and you can view personal information like gamerscore, location, and bio.  It all works exactly in line with what you’re used to on the console; there are no surprises here.

Microsoft went all out on Avatar interaction and customization on the phone.  In the Profile tab you can select a button to enter the Avatar Closet.  Here you can customize your avatar with clothes, hats, and all kinds of gear.  You can use your finger to spin the avatar around to view its new style from various angles.  What you do with your avatar on the phone is reflected on the console, and vice versa.  At launch time, only free items will be available to download in the Avatar Closet.  However if you purchase a new look on the console, that will be reflected on the phone.  In addtion to customizing your avatar you can make them utilize Avatar Gadgets.  These are simple productivity tools that feature your avatar on-screen.  They include a flashlight, ruler, level, and coin toss.  Sure this is all a bit gimmicky, but it looks fun!

Now let’s talk about what’s most important here: the games.  Microsoft has announced the first wave of Windows Phone 7 games, and they include a list of over 60 titles from Microsoft Game Studios and popular third party developers like Gameloft, THQ, and Namco Bandai.  Microsoft promises that new titles will be added to the collection on a weekly basis once the platform is officially up and running.  Of the limited number of games previewed, it was  Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst (from MGS) that really impressed.  The tower defense game will use Bing Maps to present a bunch of baddies marching down real streets in your neighborhood.  You can use pinch-to-zoom, screen rotation, and finger tracking to guide the game.  Gameloft will bring Splinter Cell: Conviction, Let’s Golf 2, Earthworm Jim, Assassin’s Creed, and The Oregon Trail; Glu Mobile is working on Guitar Hero 5; Konami’s got Frogger and Castlevania; and Microsoft Game Studios will lead the way with Halo: Waypoint and The Harvest.  The launch lineup is exciting to say the least.

A couple side notes concerning the games.  (1) The full multiplayer experience you’ve come to know and love on the console will not be playable on phones at launch.  Only turn-based multiplayer games like Uno will be available to play over the Internet with friends.  (2) Every game will have a try-before-you-buy demo.  If you download a demo and decide you want to purchase a game, you’re only one click away from unlocking the game’s license to play to your hearts content.  (3) All WP7 Xbox Live games have a 200 gamerscore.  And remember, if you unlock an achievement on the phone this will be reflected on your gamerscore on the phone and the console.

Fellow gamers, Xbox Live on a mobile phone is coming soon.  Friends, messaging, achievements, avatars, exciting first and third party games.  Microsoft has all the ingredients to make Windows Phone 7 not only a competing but dominant force in mobile gaming.  Execution is key here.  If Microsoft can really pull off the Xbox Live experience on their new mobile platform with heavy developer support, an evolution of the mobile gaming landscape is on its way.  Apple be afraid, very afraid.

Look after the break for the full PR, which includes the list of launch titles, and an intro video.

[Via Xbox; Engadget; Gizmodo] Continue reading Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 detailed →

Microsoft one-ups Google Maps with Street Slide

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With Google Maps and Bing Maps Streetside you can navigate between immersive 360-degree panoramas to visualize your route.  Although this street-view integration is very helpful in visualizing your route before you drive it, there are problems with it and the brainiacs at Microsoft Reseach think they have the solution.  They describe the problem like this: “The discrete moves from bubble [360-degree panorama] to bubble enabled in these systems do not provide a good visual sense of a larger aggregate such as a whole city block.  Multi-perspective “strip” panoramas can provide a visual summary of a city street but lack the full realism of immersive panoramas.”  In other words they can be quite disorienting.  Their solution, called Street Side, allows you to seamlessly zoom out of the bubble to view a multi-perspective panorama view of a street.  In this zoomed out view you can pan across an entire street to find exactly what you’re looking for or to plan your route in a more effective way.  Once you find a particular destination or a location you’d like to investigate further simply zoom in to view a part of a street on more detail.  The mapping tech is extremely impressive; check it out for yourself in the demonstration above.  The developers are currently making an iPhone (and presumably a Windows Phone 7) version of the maps to bring to mobile devices.  Don’t get too excited, though; only about 2400 panoramas of 4 kilometers of streets has been covered thus far.

[Via Engadget; Microsoft]

Halo: Reach themed Xbox 360 console revealed

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When I mention the date September 14, what comes to mind?  If it isn’t Halo: Reach then what’s wrong with you?!  Well, probably nothing…but if you’re any type of gamer you should know that the next game in the coveted Halo franchise drops on that day.  To celebrate the release of Halo: Reach, Bungie and Microsoft have teamed up to create a limited edition Xbox 360 console inspired by the game.  It is worthy to note that this is the very first new 250GB Xbox 360 themed console.  The “whisper-quiet” fans, built-in 802.11n WiFi adapter, and slim form factor remain in tact.  It does away with the black glossy exterior and introduces a Halo: Reach theme.  It features “an exclusive silver design” that “captures the look and feel of the game.”  It also packs “custom sound effects from the “Halo” universe”; the press release did not elaborate on this feature, so it shall remain a surprise to buyers upon powering up the console.  The Xbox 360 comes bundled with a copy of Halo: Reach, two custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers with artwork inspired by the game, a Reach themed Xbox 360 wired headset, a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set, and an episode of “Halo Legends”, the anime-styled show based on the game.  The bundle is priced at $399 and is available to preorder today.  It will hit the market in tandem with the game on 9/14.  The Reach wireless controller ($59.99) and a wireless headset ($49.99) will be made available to purchase separately in late Augsust.  Look in the gallery below to view the console at various angles.

[Via XboxPress; Engadget]

Microsoft reports 2010 Q4 earnings: $4.52b profit, record $16.01b in revenue

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At this time last year Microsoft reported its first annual sales decline, ever.  Things are definitely looking up in 2010 for the company that built Windows.  Today Microsoft posted its fourth quarter earnings and right off the bat you can see how the 175 million Windows 7 licenses (sold to date) have helped the company cash in a ton of the green stuff.  Microsoft posted a record revenue of $16.04 billion for the fourth quarter ended June 30; that’s a 22 percent increase over the year-ago quarter.  Profits reached a high of $4.52 billion.  For fiscal year 2010, Microsoft posted $62.48 billion of revenue and $18.76 in annual net income.  Says Microsoft CFO Peter Klein, “This quarter’s record revenue reflects the breadth of our offerings and our continued product momentum.  The revenue growth, combined with our ongoing cost discipline, helped us achieve another quarter of margin expansion.”

Check out the Q4 revenue breakdown by category.  Windows and Windows Live racked in $4.55 billion (that’s a 43.5 percent increase from last year).  The Microsoft Business Division (which includes Office sales) scored $5.25 billion (a 15 percent increase).  The Entertainment and Devices Division (which includes Xbox 360, Zune, and Windows Mobile) picked up $1.6 billion (a 27.3 percent increase).  However there was a quarterly operating loss of $172 million.  The axing of Kin resulted in a $251 million increase in costs.  The Online Services Division (which includes Bing) brought in $565 million; online advertising revenue increased by 19 percent.  This category was also in the red, reporting a quarterly operating loss of $696 million.  Bing continues to gain marketshare against search giant Google.  Last, the Server and Tools Division (which includes Window Server, SQL Server, and Enterprise CAL Suites) brought in $4.01 billion (a 17 percent increase).

Chew on this: 1.5 million Xbox 360 consoles were sold this last quarter and over 25 million people have signed up for Xbox Live.  If the launch of Windows Phone 7 is a success and Kinect for Xbox 360 catches on with gamers, Micro$oft might just be able to pull themselves out of the red that the Entertainment and Devices Division has been stuck in for far too long.

[Via SeattlePiBlogs; Microsoft]

Microsoft Kin is no more, T-Mobile Sidekick discontinued

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Remember Microsoft Kin, the little (smart)dumbphone that could?  Well Microsoft has decided to scrap it and focus entirely on Windows Phone 7.  Here’s the official statement:

“We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned.  Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases.  We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones.”

The major reason why Kin is being shut down is sales, or lack thereof.  Though Microsoft never mentioned how many handsets were sold, they neither confirmed nor denied a rumor that a mere 500 Kin devices have sold thus far.  Shortly after slashing the prices of Kin One and Kin Two to $29.99 and $49.99, respectively, Microsoft abruptly made the decision to cancel what was forever rumored as “Project Pink” for good.

Besides terrible sales figures, Engadget has a scoop that pretty much says Kin was doomed from the start.  Internal bickering between two Microsoft employees who had differernt visions for the company’s place in the mobile space ultimately sparked the eventual fall of Kin.  Here’s the short of it: In 2008 Microsoft bought Danger, the company behind the original Sidekick phone.  In collaberation with Danger folk, Microsoft created what was then known as Project Pink.  It was headed by now ex-Microsoft employee J Allard.  Allard envisioned the Kin line of devices and services separate from Windows Mobile, but Windows Mobile head Andy Lees had different plans.  Lees found Kin a distraction from what he believed was more important (the formation of Windows Phone 7), managed to take away Kin from Allard, and that’s when the phone was released into the wild.  It was put out on the market under a Microsoft mobile head who was not one-hundred percent invested in the product.  Hence, it was doomed from the start.

In the end, Microsoft (and Verizon) really didn’t do a great job at pricing and marketing the phone properly.  Kin was aimed at what Microsoft called “generation upload” (aka tweens and teens) who are constantly texting and social networking on Facebook.  The two devices were originally priced at $99 & $49 each, with monthly data plans costing $29.99/month (and that’s on top of a talk plan).  These devices were way out of the price range for the phone’s target demographic.  That’s no way to price a feature phone.  And don’t get me started with that terrible fake hipster marketing campaign!  Anyway, now that Kin is dead I hope that the custom software and services it introduced find their way into Windows Phone 7, as Microsoft promises.  The Kin Loop and Kin Spot made for an interesting take on managing social networks, but it’s the Kin Studio that held the most promise.  The ability to archive all of your phone’s content to the cloud and access it on any PC in a browser is a genius idea, one that I hope gets utilized with WP7 devices. Continue reading Microsoft Kin is no more, T-Mobile Sidekick discontinued →

Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack is four Gold memberships for the price of two

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In November, Microsoft will offer a new Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack.  It’ll be priced at $99 and offer up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships.  That’s four memberships for the price of two!  What a steal!  In addition, the Xbox dashboard will feature a new menu called Family Center; it’s being described as “a single, easy to use, destination for Family Settings and account management, accessible on the Xbox dashboard and on Xbox.com.”  In addition to the primary account member having the ability to purchase and dispense Microsoft Points to other Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack members, the new subscription pack brings “activity monitoring reports” to encourage balanced gaming habits, simplified billing, and “exclusive family content and discounts.”  Read all about it in the official PR that’s waiting right after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack is four Gold memberships for the price of two →