Posted by dnovak on November 2, 2012 ·
Rumours have been rife that Microsoft has a smartphone in the pipeline after it announced its Surface tablet in June, since a smartphone would be a logical progression. The sources reportedly said the screen of the Microsoft phone will be between four and five inches.
Microsoft is testing its own smartphone design, according to component suppilers in Asia. The move is being interpreted by [...]
Posted by dnovak on October 16, 2012 ·
Microsoft just announced that consumers can now reserve an upgrade copy of Windows 8 Pro at select retailers. In the United States, the software will be available for $69.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and the Microsoft Store, among other locations. Microsoft says users will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro online on or after October 26th with Microsoft’s Upgrade [...]
Posted by dnovak on October 11, 2012 ·
Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows 8 is almost here. The new Metro interface is both refreshing and smart, but for users familiar with seeing a traditional desktop view as the face of Windows, the colorful tiles might be confusing at first glance. Microsoft is planning to introduce Windows 8 to new users and old ones with four new commercials that focus on apps, personalization and work. It’s [...]
Posted by dnovak on October 11, 2012 ·
Microsoft is planning to release Office 2013 for Android and iOS later this year. Microsoft’s suite of work apps won’t hit Google and Apple’s mobile platforms until some time after March 2013 In addition to Windows, Office will be also available on other operating systems, Windows Phone, Windows RT, Mac OS, Android, iOS and Symbian.
A new version of Office Web Apps and [...]
Posted by dnovak on October 5, 2012 ·
Microsoft has started sending out press invitations for a Windows 8 event in New York that will kick off at 10 a.m. on October 25th and that will, lead up to the launch of the Surface Tablet at midnight on October 26th. Microsoft stores will start selling the tablet starting October 26th. At the event, Microsoft will also take the wraps off of Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco on October [...]
Posted by dnovak on October 5, 2012 ·
Barnes & Noble and Microsoft announced that their joint venture partnership announced back in April will be called NOOK Media LLC. The new Barnes & Noble subsidiary is funded by a $300 million investment from Microsoft, which has a 17.6% equity stake. The companies also announced the upcoming launch of the NOOK reading app for Windows 8. Microsoft president Andy Lees described NOOK [...]
Posted by dnovak on August 14, 2012 ·
It has been reported that NVIDIA is working with Lenovo and ASUS on a Windows RT Tablet, but new reports suggest that we might already have seen the mystery device in action. Sources have let slip that alongside the Intel-powered IdeaPad Yoga laptop / tablet hybrid, the company will release a Tegra-powered version running Windows RT, combining the same hardware with ARM’s technology. [...]
Posted by dnovak on June 5, 2012 ·
MSI has just introduced the Slider S20, a hybrid tablet that features an 11.6-inch multi-touch screen and is based on Intel’s Chief River platform. It also sports a bunch of I/O ports including USB 3.0 and HDMI, as well as built-in WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0.
The MSI Windows 8-toting S20 hybrid has a fairly slick tilting mechanism that locks the 11.6-inch touchscreen at an angle, turning [...]
Posted by dnovak on June 1, 2012 ·
Amazon just announced that its Prime Instant Video service and access to “Your Video Library” is now available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. The streaming service, which is available as a part of Amazon Prime for $79 a year and offers customers free two-day shipping, features more than 17,000 movies and TV episodes, including hundreds of Paramount films.
“Working with Amazon.com marks [...]
Posted by dnovak on May 9, 2012 ·
Rumor has it that a Texas electronics company has begun production on Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox gaming console. Production of the Xbox 720 is reportedly underway at the Austin, Texas branch of Flextronics, the same electronics company responsible for manufacturing the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox. Despite these reports, however, Microsoft firmly stated that the next-generation [...]
Posted by dnovak on April 25, 2012 ·
Skype makes more inroads into mobile devices with the addition of Skype video calling capabilities integrated into Sony’s PS Vita. The Microsoft-owned Skype is available to download for free on the Sony-made PlayStation Vita, and it’s capable of video calls right out of the box. The app looks very capable, and while the Windows Phone version is unable to run in the [...]
Posted by dnovak on April 13, 2012 ·
Microsoft’s motion- and voice-based Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 video game console and Windows PCs is coming to Windows Phone 8, VR-Zone reported this week. The software giant is currently working on integrating the Kinect Natural User Interface with its upcoming mobile platform refresh. Microsoft is reportedly dedicating a number of resources to the project and hoping [...]
Posted by dnovak on April 3, 2012 ·
Sony says they have plans to launch its next-generation PlayStation video game console in front of Microsoft’s next Xbox. Microsoft’s next Xbox console, which could be an ARM-based unit supposedly called “Xbox lite”, has been rumored to hit by Christmas of 2013. According to reports, however, Sony plans to launch its PlayStation 4 console before Microsoft’s next Xbox [...]
Posted by dnovak on April 3, 2012 ·
Microsoft had plans to announce their next-generation Xbox console at the E3 conference this year, but it now looks that it ain’t happenin’. Now, Microsoft is saying, “we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon.” It’s rumored, though, that Microsoft is currently working on not one but two Xbox consoles that will [...]
Posted by dnovak on March 15, 2012 ·
Tech companies always want to start the latest trend. They want to discover uncharted territories. They want to dictate the market. They want consumers to gleefully hand over their credit cards and buy the latest “it” product. Everyone who comes after the trendsetter is just a mere copycat, a fake, some wannabe phony trying to be like the leader. Trends will come and go, and with each new technology [...]
Posted by dnovak on March 10, 2012 ·
Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox 720 may use online downloads and a Solid State card port in place of a disc drive. The Xbox 360 already supports digital content distribution models and it is expected that Microsoft will continue to increase its focus on non-physical media. This means easier access to games for the consumer, but quite a hit to retail stores who depend on the gigantic sales of [...]
Posted by dnovak on February 23, 2012 ·
Nokia recently released a teaser video showing off the remarkable camera included on a handset it plans to unveil next week at the annual Mobile World Congress trade Show in Barcelona, Spain. It’s speculated that it will be a high-end Windows Phone with a 12-megapixel camera, which has been hinted at in other previous reports. A new rumor is saying that Nokia has plans to [...]
Posted by David on February 16, 2012 ·
Microsoft is in the works to hopefully be bringing 3D features to future generations of Xbox. Its future predecessor, perhaps named “Xbox 720″, is rumored to be significantly more powerful; will support more impressive graphics and it may focus as much on other forms of home entertainment as it does on gaming. Microsoft has also hinted at a 3D component, [...]
Posted by David on February 10, 2012 ·
Microsoft just outted new details about Windows on ARM (WOA) on the company’s development blog. Both Windows 8 for x86 PCs and WOA are still under development, however both will be available at the same time while delivering the same experience. Windows on ARM will come preloaded with Office 15 — which has been enhanced to support touch controls — and users will have access [...]
Posted by David on November 29, 2011 ·
If you own an Kinect module for your Xbox 360, you’ve probably found it useful to control a movie or play a game using voice and gestures. I still marvel at this technology, and have considered the Kinect device a gadget that will springboard many new technologies like it in 2012 and beyond.
There are now reports that the next-generation Kinect 2 will be able to detect emotions and [...]
Posted by David on September 17, 2011 ·
Microsoft Windows Metro’s user interface borrows personalities from the Windows Phone platform
A new video has been released showcasing a handful of currently unavailable applications that make use of Microsoft’s Metro user interface Windows 8 borrowed from the Windows Phone platform. It shows several apps including Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging and Photos, which features [...]
Posted by David on September 14, 2011 ·
Windows 8 will be optimized to work simultaneously with a Windows tablet and a PC
Microsoft’s Windows 8 details have just surfaced, along with a developers download of the OS. The new operating system was explained in a 3-hour keynote speech, detailing the future of where Microsoft is headed with its Windows super brand. Initial reactions of the latest OS by panels have been [...]
Posted by David on April 15, 2011 ·
Today, Microsoft issued an update to the Xbox 360 that makes the Kinect compatible with Netflix streaming. Gamers will be able to use hand gestures to shuffle through their queue. Addionally, you can use voice commands to activate playback controls, such as pause, play and fast forward. Netflix has 20 million subscribers in the US and Canada. Xbox Live boasts 30 million members. This equates [...]
Posted by David on April 15, 2011 ·
Microsoft held its annual MIX conference in Las Vegas, and Joe Belfiore, Windows Phone director showed all Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 9 mobile browser and how well it can render HTML5 websites. He pitted his demo and his browser against iPhone 4 and Google Nexus S. Belfiore was so confident in the new browser that he gave the iPhone 4 a head start. His Windows phone topped out at 20 [...]
Posted by David on April 11, 2011 ·
On Monday, gaming site Major Nelson wrote that Activision has revealed it will launch the next expansion pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops for Xbox 360 on May 3rd. Dubbed “Escalation,” the new downloadable content, for Xbox LIVE subscribers, will sport five new maps, including four that can be played in multiplayer mode. New maps include “Hotel,” where you’ll battle on the roof of a Cuban [...]
Posted by David on March 11, 2011 ·
HP, in a somewhat unsubstantiated rumor, might be considering selling its PC business. Samsung is the front-running heir to the business. All this coming from a couple of Asian publication sources, the rumors apparently have been circulating in Taiwan since last year. An earlier report indicated that Lenovo was a possible buyer and even suggested Foxconn might have shown interest in the business.
HP [...]
Posted by David on March 10, 2011 ·
Microsoft is readying a new music and video service, according to reports. The software giant has started advertising for job opportunities in its Entertainment and Devices (E&D) unit. ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley spotted a recent job posting by Microsoft that references codename “Ventura”:
The Ventura Media Services team is looking for a highly motivated Software Development Engineer to help drive [...]
Posted by David on March 8, 2011 ·
ViewSonic has announced the availability of its unique dual-boot tablet, the ViewPad 10. The ViewPad 10 is an Atom-based tablet that features a 10-inch 1024 x 600-pixel touchscreen display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat. Most notably, however, it features a dual-boot configuration that [...]
Posted by David on March 5, 2011 ·
You’d think as ginormous and innovative as a company like Microsoft has been in the past, that they would be a little quicker on the draw with the latest tablet and smartphone devices, and offering a little bigger competitive fight than what we’ve seen in the last few years. But here we go again. After entering the smartphone and mobile OS business recently with Windows Phone 7 and [...]
Posted by David on February 27, 2011 ·
Verizon Wireless will begin to sell Windows Phone handsets towards the end of March. The HTC 7 Trophy, the same CDMA WP7 handset to be carried by Sprint, could be announced as early as February 28th. The device will have Microsoft’s “NoDo” update (also known as the copy and paste update) and should retail for $199.99 with a signed two-year contract. Anyone waiting for this phone?