Above is a quick tour of some of the new features of the new Xbox dashboard update. See here & here for full details. What are you waiting for? Turn on your Xbox and download the update. Now!
[Via IGN]
Tag Archives: Microsoft
The Microsoft retail store logo
You’ll start seeing this logo in malls all across the country in no time. It is the official logo for Microsoft’s retail store. According to the patent filing, the logo represents “retail store services and online retail services featuring computers, computer hardware, software, computer games, computer peripherals, portable music players and accessories, personal digital assistants, cell phones and accessories, video game consoles and accessories, webcams, books, clothing, back packs, messenger bags, computer bags and novelty items”.
[Via PC World]
Keyboard of the future?
The above video shows off a pressure sensitive computer keyboard from Microsoft. Basically, the harder you press a key or keys, the more varied the output on the computer screen. For example, say you are working on a paper in a Word document. If you hold a key down with more pressure than usual, you can output a capital letter without the need for a shift key. Microsoft demonstrated changing font size by the amount of force you exert on a key. Also shown was accelerated backspacing, which is where a user can delete words or sentences at a time rather than just letters depending on the amount of pressure applied to the key(s). There’s also a gaming demo; the harder you press down on the key, the faster your character runs in-game. It is exciting to know that this type of technology is being experimented with and that new methods of computer input are being tested.
According to CNET: “Microsoft is also holding a contest for student developers to coincide with the UIST conference. Contestants get a sample keyboard and a month to come up with an entry. $2,000 prizes go to programs deemed the most useful, the best implementation, and the most innovative.” Let the creativeness flow! (Check out a second video of this implementation after the break.)
[Via Gizmodo; CNET] Continue reading Keyboard of the future?
Zune HD user interface exposed
This video was taken by an attendee at the recent gdgt launch party in San Fransisco. The Zune HD UI is slick, sleek, and sexy. Yeah, it’s got the 3’s.
[Via Engadget]
Microsoft retail store is for realz, see?
On Friday, Microsoft twittered the following tweet (and attached the above image as a twitpic): “Behind these walls in Scottsdale & Mission Viejo, the first Microsoft retail stores.” I wonder if they will be anything like the leaked documents that were uncovered.
Offical Windows 7 upgrade chart, are you kidding?
This is unbelievable. It’s actually quite obnoxious. It is the official Windows 7 upgrade chart from Microsoft. Moving or upgrading from one OS to another is supposed to be an easy task. One company that gets this right is Apple. When a new version of OS X comes out, a Mac customer simply goes to a store, picks up a single copy of the new OS, and downloads it to his or her computer, hastle-free. One company that gets it completely wrong is Microsoft. To start things off on a bad note, Microsoft stocks the shelves with more than one copy of a new OS (usually more than 4 versions). To make things more confusing, they create a chart like the one posted above. An upgrade chart is supposed to be helpful and aid a PC customer in the upgrade process. What this chart does is make things so much more confusing and aggrevating; it presses the fact that there is more than 1 single version of Windows 7 and Windows Vista and it makes things less clear with terms like “custom install” and “in-place upgrade.” This chart contains 66 different senarios to choose from; also, it “includes an entire row dedicated to a product that doesn’t exist: Windows Vista Starter 64-bit edition (Vista Starter is available in 32-bit only)”–that’s blasphemy!
So, what is there to do? Leave it to ZDNet’s Ed Bott to clean up the chart and make it readable. He completed a revised and more sensible chart in about an hour. If you are thinking about upgrading from XP or Vista to Windows 7 this October, take a look after the break for Bott’s chart. Microsoft, get your act together! You attempted to “wow” us with Vista, and that was a disaster (initially). Now you are trying to pick yourself back up with the positively reviewed Windows 7. Releasing more than one version of an OS and creating an upgrade chart that makes matters worse is bad, very bad. A confused customer is not the end goal. Shake it off, and let’s look forward to Windows 7 releasing without a hitch this October.
[Via Engadget; ZDNet] Continue reading Offical Windows 7 upgrade chart, are you kidding?
Xbox Dashboard update–new details
A bundle of details have emerged concerning the new Xbox Dashboard update.
(1) The first ‘Games on Demand’ game titles have been revealed
The initial 24 games to be made available for download over the Internet via Xbox Live have been announced today. Some include: Assasin’s Creed, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 2, Fight Night Round 3, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Look after the break for the entire list of games and a quick video glipse of the ‘Games on Demand’ dashboard in action.
(2) The Netflix update is…disappointing
It was previously announced that the Netflix update will allow Xbox Live Gold members and Netflix subscribers to edit their personal Netflix queues right on the Xbox, without the need for a PC. While that is nice and dandy, Microsoft has lowered the notch of functionality. Users are restricted to browsing only the Top 50 videos for each video category, so there is no searching by title and no browsing alphabetically. Microsoft’s Ben Smith, Director of Program Management for Xbox Live, on the matter: “I think when people come to Xbox they’re not really looking so much for functional, they really want to have fun, they want to be wowed.” Uhh..I don’t think so. People want to be able to browse the ENTIRE Netflix database, with capable search features built-in. It is worthy to mention that Microsoft says it will listen to their user-base, and if the people call for a true Netflix experience on their Xbox, they will provide it in a future update. *Cue a sigh of relief.
Look out for the new Xbox Dashboard update coming next Tuesday, August 11th.
Zune HD, in all its official picturesque glory
Microsoft has released more official press shots of the Zune HD. Check out the gallery below for images of the black model and silver model with some user interface teases. Looking sharp, Zune, looking sharp.
[Via Engadget]
Penny Arcade: ‘Welcome to Retail Oblivion’
On the heels of the recent Microsoft retail store news comes this relevent Penny Arcade comic.
[Via Penny Arcade]
Microsoft Store coming to a mall near you
If you are not aware, Microsoft is planning to open its own retail stores, just like Apple has with their “Apple Store” nationwide. Gizmodo recently picked up on leaked MS retail store plans that were included in what seems to be a legit powerpoint presentation by Lippicott, a “design and brand strategy” consultant firm. From the looks of the images and details, a ‘Microsoft Store’ may give Apple a run for its money. Back on July 15, this quote was picked up by Giz; Microsoft’s COO Kevin Turner: “And stay tuned, because we’re going to have some retail stores opened up that are opened up right next door to Apple stores this fall. Stay tuned, just stay tuned.” Late last week, Giz found further information about MS’s plans about a retail chain. “Essentially, Microsoft is taking the best elements from the Apple Store, Sony Style and other “flagship” stores. The main focuses are going to be Windows 7, Xbox, PCTV (Windows Media Center) Surface and Windows Mobile, revolving around this concept customer they call “Emily…” One Frank Shaw left a comment on MS’s behalf, firmly stating that these plans are only concepts, and nothing more: “As a part of our process in briefing creative agencies, we shared some early prototypes and concepts of our retail store plans. No final decisions have been made. As we previously announced, we are on track to open retail stores this Fall.” According to CNET, the first two locations of these stores will be in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California. Microsoft spokeswoman Kim Stocks: “Over a billion people use our products every day yet we don’t always have a way to directly connect with them. We see the physical stores, as well as a consistent online experience, helping that.” With the goal of “going global” MS will directly compete with Apple Retail stores in the near future. There’s even a rumored “answers bar” in the works to go head-to-head with Apple’s Genius Bar. Look after the break for Giz’s summary of the leaked powerpoint presentation and see the gallery below for the leaked in-store plans.
[Via Gizmodo here & here; CNET]
Xbox 360 updates coming soon [Updated]
Microsoft has announced a slew of exciting updates coming to the Xbox 360 (granted you are connected to Xbox Live). Some of the new features include: Netflix updates, including movie parties (a Netflix Gold member can invite up to seven friends (represented by their avatars) to watch a movie in a virtual theatre); managing your queue (Netflix members can now browse the entire Netflix Instant Stream queue from their console, no PC required); avatar marketplace (there will be a store where clothes and props can be purchased for your personal and customizable avatar); games on demand (full Xbox 360 games can now be purchased right on the console, along with their game manuals (no need to purchase a physical game in a store), and it’s yours to keep (the games are attached to your Xbox Live account, so you can move games from different consoles or delete them if you so choose); and more! Check after the break to see the entire breakdown of updates, and see below for screenshots of the new menus. These updates will only be available as a preview release at first. All updates should be released later in the summer (think late August). Also, keep in mind that these updates DO NOT include the recently announced Facebook and Twitter integration, Zune video store, 1080p Instant On, and Last.fm updates; these will be released at a later date (probably Fall 2009).
Update: The Xbox Live Dashboard update will be available to download on August 11th.
[Via Engadget]
Bill Gates on Chrome OS, Natal
This week Bill Gates sat down with CNET for an engaging interview about physics lectures that Gates is releasing for the public to view for free. The Richard Feynman lectures are very interesting; they “take notions such as gravity and explain how they work and the broad implications they have in understanding the ways of the universe.” Although this is quite intriguing, the tech-related goodness forms near the end of the interview when Gates is asked to spill his thoughts on Google’s latest announcement concerning their Chrome OS.
Gates: “…there’s many, many forms of Linux operating systems out there, and packaged in different ways, and booted in different ways. So I don’t know anything in particular about what Google is doing. But, in some ways I’m surprised people are acting like there’s something new. I mean, you’ve got Android running on netbooks; it’s got a browser in it. In any case, you should make them be concrete about what they’re doing. It is kind of a typical thing. When Google is doing anything it gets this–the more vague they are, the more interesting it is.”
Later Gates is asked about his views on the current state of Microsoft, a company he left in the midst of a Vista crisis and a potential Windows 7 comeback. Gates says he recently visited the MS Cambridge labs and sees a bright future for Project Natal. Interestly, he lets on that the Natal camera technology will cover more than video games with the Xbox 360; it will evolve the computer interface as well. Exciting stuff. Brilliant man. Click the source link above to read the interview in its entirety.