Tag Archives: Microsoft

Hulu Plus makes its way to Xbox 360 (free access this week!)

May 1, 2011Images, News, Technologyfree trial, Hulu, Hulu Plus, Kinect, Kinect for Xbox 360, Kinect support, Microsoft, Microsoft Xbox 360, Video games, Xbox 360Scott Meisner

We all knew it was coming, and now it’s finally here. Hulu Plus is now available to enjoy on Xbox 360. Microsoft joins Sony in becoming the second video games console to support access to Hulu’s collection of TV shows and movies. Now check this: Courtesy of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky (ya’ll remember the Sasquatch?), all Xbox LIVE members (that includes paying Gold subscribers and free Silver members) will be able to access the entire Hulu Plus collection on their consoles for one week, specifically from April 29 through May 6. Setup is simple. Download the Hulu Plus application on your Xbox 360 and you’ll be instructed to enter a code at hulu.com/plus/unlock. After giving Hulu your name and email address (no credit card required!), you’re all set. Free access to Hulu’s mega-collection of popular TV shows and movies from the Criterion Collection right at your fingertips. No, really; Kinect support is live at launch. Check out some stills of Hulu on Xbox in action below and begin your free trial before it’s too late. Once May 6 passes, you’ll have to be an Xbox Live Gold member ($50/year) and a Hulu Plus subscriber ($7.99/month) to continue accessing the content.

[Via HuluBlog]

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First major Windows Phone 7 brings copy & paste functionality, at long last

March 23, 2011News, Technologycell phones, Microsoft, NoDo, update, Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 7 update, WP7, WP7 updateScott Meisner

This week Microsoft let loose the first major Windows Phone 7 update for those branded handsets. Codenamed NoDo, the update brings copy & paste functionality and among other improvements including faster load and resume times for apps, refined Marketplace search, WiFi, Outlook, messaging, camera, and audio improvements, and better Facebook integration. Click the source link below to read more about the update, or simply wait for your WP7 device to notify you about the download.

Update: Haven’t received the update yet? Well that’s because Microsoft is rolling it out gradually depending on your location and device. Check your status here and learn more about the rollout process here.

[Via Microsoft]

Microsoft sells 10 million Kinect sensors, Guinness names it “fastest selling consumer electronics device”

March 10, 2011News, Technologyaccessory, Kinect, Kinect for Xbox 360, Microsoft, motion accessory, sales figures, sold, units sold, Video gamesScott Meisner

Since landing on store shelves November 4, Microsoft has sold 10 million Kinect sensors worldwide. In addition, Kinect drove significant game sales with more than 10 million standalone Kinect games sold worldwide to date. It’s true–the sensor does come bundled with a free game called Kinect Adventures; but notice that the company specifies so many standalone Kinect games have been sold, so they’re not cheating us with that number. Guinness World Records has stepped in to name Kinect for Xbox 360 the “fastest selling consumer electronics device.” We all saw this feat coming; 1 million sensors were sold during its first 10 days on the market and then over 2.5 million of them were reported to have been sold in 25 days. To say this motion accessory is a wild success is quite the understatement. Sony, your move.

[Via Engadget]

Windows Phone 7 Arrives on Sprint March 20 for $199.99

February 28, 2011Images, News, TechnologyCDMA, cell phones, HTC, HTC Arrive, Microsoft, price, release date, release date & price, Sprint, Windows Phone 7, WP7, WP7 deviceScott Meisner

When Microsoft unleashed its sleek, new mobile OS unto the world back in October 2010, it did so only on GSM carriers in the U.S. including AT&T and T-Mobile. Come next month, Windows Phone 7 will finally become available on a CDMA network. No, not Verizon, I’m talking about Sprint, the “Now Network.” The handset is dubbed the Arrive, it’s built by HTC, and here are its specs: 3.6-inch WVGA capacitive multitouch display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5MP camera with flash, autofocus, and digital zoom capable of 720p HD recording, 16GB of internal memory, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and of course a sliding full QWERTY keyboard with a tilt-up display. Oh and get this–the Arrive will be the first phone to ship with the upcoming WP7 update that brings copy-and-paste functionality to the OS. You can pick up the Arrive on March 20 for $199.99 (after $100 mail-in rebate) if you sign a new two-year contract with Sprint. Get a closer look at the sexy slider in the gallery below, and jump after the break for the official PR. Verizon Wireless customers will have to wait another day to experience “Glance and Go” goodness.

[Via Engadget]

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Windows 7 SP1 out now

February 23, 2011News, TechnologyMicrosoft, Microsoft Windows 7, operating system, OS update, service pack, SP1, update, Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1Scott Meisner

For those of you who have been holding out on switching over from XP to Microsoft’s latest OS, now there’s absolutely no reason not to move on to the next one. Windows 7’s first service pack is now available to download. Though you won’t notice any UI enhancements, SP1 promises to keep lingering bugs in check and grants you access to all of Microsoft’s future OS improvements and updates. If Windows Update has yet to inform you about the news, manually check for the update or click here. (And as for you non-converts Windows 7 may share aesthetics with its buggy predecessor Vista, but you’ve nothing to fear, especially with SP1 under its belt.)

Microsoft details Windows Phone 7 additions and improvements

February 19, 2011News, Technology, Videocell phones, copy-and-paste, IE 9, Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft, mobile operating system, mobile OS, Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress 2011, multitasking, MWC, MWC 2011, Steve Ballmer, Twitter, Windows Phone 7, WP7Scott Meisner

This week Microsoft hosted a Windows Phone 7 themed press event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. There they spent time refreshing people’s minds about what differentiates Windows Phone 7 from the rest of the competition; namely they went over the mobile operating system’s smart design, hubs, and glance-and-go live tiles–all of which you should already know about. A chunk of the event, however, also spent time previewing the future of WP7. Multitasking, Internet Explorer 9, broader Skydrive connectivity, and Twitter integration are all coming to the OS later this year; get all the details presented in easy to swallow bullet-point form below.

Multitasking: At launch Microsoft decided not to allow multitasking support for third party apps due to battery life concerns. But now that’s changed because the company has figured out a way to make multitasking work without significantly draining the battery. At the event Microsoft demoed switching in and out of a game. Say you’re playing a game and want to make a phone call. To jump out of gameplay and initiate a call, simply tap the Home button, select the appropriate hub and make the call. After the call is complete, tap the Back button and you’ll instantly be returned to your game. You’ll find that the game automatically paused itself, so you can to resume the session without missing any in-game action. Microsoft also figured out an intuitive way to view open apps at once and quickly switch between them. Press and hold the Back button to bring up a new tasking switching view that displays your open apps in a card-like fashion (think WebOS). You can swipe left and right to see your open apps and tap one to instantly return to it right where you left off. Microsoft highlighted multitasking with third party music apps, too. Music can now play in the background (yippe!). Microsoft demoed Slacker; now you can play a radio station inside Slacker, initiate the task switching view, jump into another app like Email, and the music will continue to play in the background. In addition, music apps are tied to WP7 audio controls, meaning that you can control a third party app’s volume and playback options (play/pause/forward/back) using WP7’s built-in audio controls that are accessible on the home screen when you press the hardware volume buttons.
Internet Explorer 9: The next version of IE is coming to WP7. IE 9 will bring hardware and graphics acceleration to the platform, taking advantage of those speedy mobile processors that are making their way into smartphones. Microsoft pressed the point that the core browsing engine in IE9 that ships on PCs is the same core browsing engine that will ship on phones. This is good for developers because if their site performs well on the PC, they know it will work well on Windows Phone. HTML5 content was distinctly prominent in the demo with no mention of Adobe’s initiative, so don’t expect Flash support to come with this update.
Skydrive connectivity: Skydrive is to WP7 as iDisk is to iPhone. Get it? Skydrive is essentialy Microsoft’s version of Dropbox which allows users to view, edit, and share documents in the cloud on their devices. Skydrive will live inside the Office hub (so there’s no separate app download required) and it brings support for Office documents in the cloud. If you’re already logged into your Windows Live account, there’s no need to login in to access the cloud drive at any time.
Twitter integration: Since launch Microsoft has incorporated Facebook status updates and pictures in the People and Pictures hubs, respectively. With the new update they are welcoming another social network into the fray. Twitter integration is coming to the People hub where it will co-exist with Facebook in a similar manner to it; your contact’s tweets will appear alongside their status updates.

That’s the bulk of new WP7 features demoed at the MWC event. However, there are three other points to make. (1) At the event Microsoft briefly previewed a futuristic demo that ties together WP7 with Xbox’s controller-less motion accessory Kinect. The prerecorded demo featured the Kinect game Rally Ball and it showed one person standing up flailing their arms at the oncoming storm of rubber balls and two others using their WP7 devices to wirelessly control the amount and location of the balls on their respective device’s screens. In essence this is a preview of real-time cross-platform gaming between phones and game consoles, and it’s a neat trick to say the least. Look after the break to see it in action. (2) Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer invited Nokia’s Stephen Elop to discuss the newly formed partnership between the two tech companies. Elop pretty much reiterated everything he previously mentioned at his own event, but some choice quotes stuck out here. He said, “Microsoft and Nokia together represent a natural partnership. People are getting it.” The world is shifting from “a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems” and that with Microsoft they can become a competitive force in this transforming environment. Nokia will “accelerate the adoption of the Windows Phone platform” by “bring[ing] iconic hardware [and] incredible industrial design [to] a leading operating system.” (3) Coming in early March is copy-and-paste functionality (along with CDMA radio support (hello Verizon and Sprint devices), and other performance improvements)!

Go on, hop after the break to find videos demonstrating multitasking, IE 9, and the Kinect companionship.

[Via Microsoft] Continue reading Microsoft details Windows Phone 7 additions and improvements →

Nokia and Microsoft enter into a “strategic alliance”

February 12, 2011Image cache, News, Technologyalliance, cell phones, hardware, MeeGo, Microsoft, mobile OS, Nokia, partnership, software, Symbian, Windows Phone 7, WP7, WP7 device, WP7 devicesScott Meisner

Bombshell alert! Nokia is ditching its homemade mobile operating systems (read: Symbian and MeeGo) for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7. Today Nokia’s newly appointed CEO Stephen Elop announced that the Finnish company will enter into a “strategic alliance” with Microsoft that will make Windows Phone 7 Nokia’s “principal smartphone strategy.” Elop is hopeful that the marriage between these two companies will result in “a new global mobile ecosystem” based around Nokia’s hardware design and Microsoft’s software architecture. Says the official press release: “Nokia will help drive and define the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.”

They’ve also addressed how Nokia’s services will mesh with WP7. Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices; Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices; and Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. Nokia’s previously announced Qt development framework will not provided to developers to make apps for Nokia WP7 devices; instead they will be working with Microsoft’s Windows Phone Developer Tools. Ovi Store, Nokia’s content and application store, will integrate with Windows Marketplace.

In a stock exchange release, Nokia lays out their future. “[They] expect 2011 and 2012 to be transition years, as the company invests to build the planned winning ecosystem with Microsoft.” The transition is expected to begin immediately (in fact, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer publicly stated that the WP7 engineering team has been working closely with Nokia hardware designers for some time now) and Nokia hopes to start shipping WP7-powered devices in significant volume by 2012.

What’s going to happen to Symbian and MeeGo, you ask? Nokia expects to continue to sell many Symbian powered devices in the coming years, but the long-term plan is to eventually and quite abruptly kill off the platform as soon as the WP7 devices make their way into the marketplace. MeeGo, on the other hand, will “become an open-source, mobile operating system project.” Though Nokia plans to ship the first MeeGo based device later this year, they see the brand “not as part of another broad smarpthone platform strategy, but as an opportunity to learn” (read: an experimental platform to help drive future innovation).

To the dismay of the majority of Finnish engineers, I am excited about Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft. To be frank, Symbian and (especially) MeeGo were taking an interminable amount of time to develop and catch up to the competition (read: iOS, Android). It is interesting to note that Nokia was contemplating an alliance with Google to bring the Android platform to Nokia devices, but in the end, says Elop, his company “would have difficulty differentiating within that ecosystem” and the “commoditization risk was very high–prices, profits, everything being pushed down, value being moved out to Google which was concerning to us.” I think this is the perfect marriage, really. Nokia is known for making beautifully detailed, sophisticated hardware and Microsoft’s newborn sleek WP7 OS seems like a natural fit. After years of being stuck in a rut, it was time to shake up the chain of command and with Elop in charge it’s clear to see that he’s a staunch believer in steadfast change, even if it means dropping everything (on the software side) for something starkly different and exciting. I’m looking forward to what Nokia and Microsoft cook up in the coming years. If you want a hint at whats to come, hop after the break to see a mockup of Nokia/WP7 conceptual devices scored exclusively by Engadget. Also there you’ll find a related video spelling out the day’s shattering news.

[Via Nokia (1, 2); Engadget (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)] Continue reading Nokia and Microsoft enter into a “strategic alliance” →

Microsoft details the next generation Surface

January 9, 2011Technology, VideoCES, CES 2011, Consumer Electronics Show, Consumer Electronics Show 2011, Microsoft, Microsoft Surface, multitouch, multitouch table, Samsung, SUR40, surface, Surface 2.0Scott Meisner

I’m sure you’ve heard of (and maybe even interacted with) Microsoft’s Surface. It’s a multitouch table that can be found in banks, hotels, and AT&T stores. An example of its function: at an AT&T store you can place down two smartphones and the table will recognize their presence and provide with specifications and features to help you make a purchasing decision. Surface is known for its multitouch and object recognition capabilities. This week at CES 2011 Microsoft detailed the next generation Surface dubbed “Surface 2.0 Experience.” Building on top of the original Surface functionality, the new experience features PixelSense technology, “which gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras.” Microsoft explains, “PixelSense gives an LCD display the power to recognize fingers, hands and objects placed on the screen, including more than 50 simultaneous touch points. With PixelSense, pixels in the display see what’s touching the screen and that information is immediately processed and interpreted.” For instance, in addition to recognizing touch inputs like your fingers, Surface can now “see” things that touch the screen. For example, if you placed a piece of paper with the words “Hello, world” printed on it on top of the Surface display, the software will recognize and interpret the letters instantly. In a word, Surface has become smarter.

Microsoft has collaborated with Samsung to create the next physical Surface table called “SUR40.” Table specs: 40-inch 1920×1080 HD multitouch display, 2.9GHz AMD Athlon II X2 dual core processor with AMD Radeon HD 6700M Series GPU. And now that the table comes in a thinner form factor (it’s four inches thin) customers can mount the table onto a wall if the space calls for it. Otherwise, standard or custom table legs can be designed and requested.

At $7,600 the Surface is still geared toward business customers and not the general consuming public. Companies like Dassault Aviation, Fujifilm Corp., Red Bull GmbH, Royal Bank of Canada, and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts have expressed their interest in developing custom software for the Surface and deploying it at their respective locations. SUR40 will be available “later in 2011” in 23 countries around the world. Look after the break for official PR and a video demonstration of the new Surface experience in action.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Microsoft details the next generation Surface →

Avatar Kinect gives you more control over your Xbox doppelganger

January 9, 2011News, Technology, Videoavatar, Avatar Kinect, facial expressions, Hulu, Hulu Plus, Kinect, Kinect for Xbox 360, Kinect update, Microsoft, Netflix, sales figures, units sold, update, Video games, Xbox 360, Xbox avatarScott Meisner

Microsoft has announced a new Kinect-specific update for Xbox 360 owners. Here’s out the makers explain it: “With Avatar Kinect, you can control your avatar’s facial expression, head, and arm movements. As you talk, frown, smile, or scowl, your voice and facial expressions are enacted by your avatar, bringing your avatar to life!” In other words, the update will give you a more detailed level of control over your avatar. Right now the Kinect captures basic movements, such as arm flails, moving side-to-side, jumping, and ducking. With Avatar Kinect, the sensor will be able to recognize a new slate of physical actions. Microsoft is highlighting a virtual hangout where you can meet up with up to seven friends and converse with them using your avatars. You’ll be able to select from 15 virtual environments. Think of it as Wii’s Mii Plaza, except this space will allow for broader interaction (detailed avatar movements performed by you, voice support). Avatar Kinect will hit Xbox 360s later this spring. Look after the break to see it in action.

In related Kinect news… At CES 2011 Microsoft announced that they sold 8 million Kinect sensors worldwide during its first 60 days on the market; they sold 3 million more devices than they had predicted they would during that launch window. More news… In a spring update, Hulu Plus will be joining Netflix, expanding users’ options when it comes to TV and movie content. In addition, the two services will be Kinect-compatible.

[Via Xbox] Continue reading Avatar Kinect gives you more control over your Xbox doppelganger →

Microsoft says over 1.5 million WP7 devices sold to carriers and retailers since launch

December 22, 2010News, Technologycell phones, Microsoft, sales figure, units sold, units sold to carriers, units sold to retailers, Windows Phone 7, WP7Scott Meisner

In an interview posted on the company’s website, Microsoft’s corporate VP of Mobile Communications Business and Marketing Group Achim Berg spilled that “phone manufacturers sold over 1.5 million [Windows Phone 7] phones in the first six weeks” since the October launch. I added bold formatting there for a reason. This sales figure is not as effective or all that impressive as you might think. Rather than specifying the actual number of devices sold to end users, they are hiding that sales figure and replacing it with the number of units sold to mobile carriers and cell phone retailers. In a word, this is baloney. I mean, this figure is not incorrect; it’s just that it makes it hard for us to genuinely know how well Microsoft is doing with its new mobile OS. Perhaps they are reluctant to revealing the actual number of units sold to customers because that number isn’t as high as they expected. But Berg’s words counter that logic; he says, “Sales are ramping well as our reputation is growing for offering users a unique experience and are in line with our expectations – especially when compared to other new platform introductions.” So why not tell us like it is? Oh well, all we can do is sit and wait for a celebratory Microsoft press release to help us make sense of the massive 60 carriers/over 30 countries WP7 launch.

[Via Engadget; Microsoft]

Xbox Live Rewards program gives you Microsoft Points for things you do already

December 1, 2010News, TechnologyMicrosoft, Microsoft Points, Microsoft Xbox 360, MSP, rewards program, Video games, Xbox 360, Xbox LiveScott Meisner

Now this is what I can a steal! Today Microsoft pushed out the Xbox Live Rewards program and essentially it doles out Microsoft Points to Xbox Live users (in the US and UK only for now) to reward them for actions they periodically perform. Once you sign up for the free program at this website you will become eligible to receive MSP for renewing Gold memberships, Gold Family Packs, purchasing select Marketplace content, taking quick monthly surveys, and participating in promotions. You’ll even get 20 MSP for activating Netflix on your Xbox. Prizes range from 10 to 400 MSP depending on the performed action (again, many of which you do anyway). There really is no reason to ignore this opportunity to receive some Points.

[Via Joystiq]

Sony & Microsoft release new sales figures for their motion peripherals

December 1, 2010News, TechnologyKinect, Kinect for Xbox 360, Microsoft, Move, PlayStation Move, sales, sales figures, Sony, units sold, Video gamesScott Meisner

Last we heard out of the video game giants Sony had shipped 1 million Move controllers in one month, and Microsoft had sold 1 million Kinect sensors in ten days. Post-Black Friday, the companies were eager to share the latest sales figures for these products. As of November 2010 Sony has shipped over 4.1 million units worldwide, and Microsoft has sold over 2.5 million Kinect sensors globally in 25 days. Now bear in mind that there’s a notable difference between units shipped and units sold. Unlike Microsoft, Sony is not reporting actual sales results; instead they are reporting the number of units shipped to retailers. A Sony rep says that the company won’t “disclose [their] exact sell-through number”, and that kind of chips away at their impressive and somewhat misleading stat. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the new motion peripherals are happily riding the Wii’s coattails this holiday season.

[Via Engadget, here & here]