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Latest Gear Live Videos
Windows Phone 7 review round-up
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Microsoft, Product Reviews, Software,
Microsoft's latest foray into the mobile space, Windows Phone 7, is now for sale throughout the US. How do these new devices fare? Should you throw your iPhone or Blackberry out of the window for a brand new Windows Phone? Or is this just another device for the history books? Well, we've given you our Windows Phone 7 review (as well as a review of the HTC Surround!), but if you wanted a second opinion, here's a list of reviews to help make up your mind:
- Engadget has a very in-depth review, going point by point over every feature of the phone, along with pictures and commentaries. They refer to their initial preview, saying that "it finally has the fit and finish of a fully realized product" and "there's a lot to like or even love in WP7". At the end of their review are also links to more reviews on the individual Windows Phone devices.
- Gizmodo follows in with another slightly less extensive review, in which they conclude with their stamp of approval.
- The New York Times has a fairly short review that asks several questions such as "will these battle plans help catapult Microsoft’s latest smartphone attempt into a relevant standing in this important space" and concludes by saying that "so far the new AT&T phones seems to have everything going for them".
- Apart from the written reviews, what I typically prefer are video reviews such as this one from MobileTechReview in which they go over every feature in this very in-depth 27 mins 2-parts review. They also have videos about the individual devices.
We'd love to hear from anyone who's decided to pick up a Windows Phone 7 device - what do you think?
Gallery: Windows Phone 7 review round-up
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Kinect for Xbox 360 review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Cameras, Features, Microsoft, Product Reviews, Video Games,
Kinect has been a product that Microsoft has been betting on and hyping for about a year and a half now, ever since revealing Project Natal at E3 2009. The motion sensing gaming peripheral is finally available, and despite some initial concerns, our minds are blown. Kinect definitely feels futuristic once you start playing around with it, but is it worth the $150 price? Read on for our thoughts and Kinect review.
Click to continue reading Kinect for Xbox 360 review
Gallery: Kinect for Xbox 360 review
Windows Phone 7 devices now available in the US
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Microsoft,
Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's latest foray into the mobile space, is now available to all in the US. The company's primary partner is AT&T, and they have the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround (see our HTC Surround review and photo gallery) for $199 with a 2 years contract, with the LG Quantum launching in a few days. The phones are also available without a contract for $499. Meanwhile, T-Mobile has the HTC HD7 for $199, with the Dell Venue coming in later this year. Microsoft has stated that they will put $400 million towards advertising Windows Phone 7 as they hope to compete with the iPhone and Android phones this holiday season. Gartner predicts the company's share of the mobile space will climb above 5% by next year.
Read More 
| Microsoft
Gallery: Windows Phone 7 devices now available in the US
Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Kinect for Xbox 360
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Microsoft, Video Games, Family, Kids, Teens, Under $250,
Microsoft's been hyping up Kinect for over a year now, and the motion sensing Xbox peripheral has finally arrived. Our verdict? We love it, and it feels like the future. If you know anyone with an Xbox 360 console who doesn't have Kinect, then we'd recommend putting this one on your gift list. The Kinect sensor costs $149.99, and includes Kinect Adventures, a disc full of mini-games that let you try out a bunch of Kinect's features. You can also do video chat with other Kinect users and Windows Live users as well, and you get voice control over your Xbox 360. Seriously, this is the video game accessory to have this holiday season--especially during your holiday parties with friends and family around.
Aside from the sensor itself, here are a few Kinect games that we think are worth picking up as well:
Dance Central
Kinectimals
Your Shape Fitness Evolved
Of course, in order to take advantage of Kinect, you'll need an Xbox 360 console. If you don't already have one, Microsoft is selling consoles bundled with Kinect.
Read More | Kinect
Gallery: Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Kinect for Xbox 360
Microsoft Kinect NYC launch event
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Microsoft, Video Games, Videos,
Microsoft launched their new Kinect motion sensor at midnight last night in New York City at the Toys R Us in Times Square, and the scene looked quite unreal. Streets were blocked off, long lines could be seen, and dancers wearing "You are the controller" t-shirts entertained the crowd. Overall, the launch appears to have gone smoothly and thousands of people are now discovering this new way to game on their Xbox 360 consoles. If you weren't part of the midnight crowd, you can still get yours for $149 at your local gaming store. For now, check out the video after the jump from one of the many who were outside in the mob.
Click to continue reading Microsoft Kinect NYC launch event
Read More | YouTube
Gallery: Microsoft Kinect NYC launch event
Microsoft Silverlight changes focus to Windows Phone 7
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Internet, Microsoft, Software,
Silverlight has been Microsoft's "Flash killer" for many years now, and as a web-centric platform, it's had very little traction. Most sites stuck with Flash, and those who didn't, moved onto HTML5, not Silverlight. Now, after neglecting the platform for a while now, Microsoft officially said that the focus for Silverlight is shifting to other areas.
In the words of Microsoft's Bob Muglia “Silverlight is our development platform for Windows Phone.” The platform is indeed the way developers are making apps for the mobile platform, but for those developers who had been building web based apps based on the technology, it may come as a bit of a cold shower. Still, this seems like the right move, as it's clear the web is moving on to the open HTML5, and away from proprietary technologies like Silverlight.
Read More | TechCrunch
Gallery: Microsoft Silverlight changes focus to Windows Phone 7
Win one of 300 Halo: Reach Honor the Code kits!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Microsoft, Video Games,
We're giving away one of just 300 Halo: Reach Honor the Code kits, created by Mountain Dew. The Honor the Code promotion allows consumers to enter codes from Mountain Dew and Doritos items for a chance to win a bunch of Xbox 360 and Halo: Reach gear. The Honor the Code kit includes:
- Six unique 20 ounce bottles of DEW, including the exclusive version of Mountain Dew White Out that is available only in this kit. Each bottle features different characters from the game
- Two bags of Doritos featuring “Halo: Reach” characters
Of course, the items each have codes you can enter at the Honor the Code website for a chance at all the goods, which include limited edition Xbox 360 bundles, games, and even a Mongoose ATV. So, you wanna win this thing or what? Here's how to enter:
- Follow the Gear Live Twitter account
- On Twitter, post this tweet about our contest: “Hey @gearlive I wanna Honor the Code! http://gear.lv/e-honorcode” (Click here to tweet this now)
That's it! We will pick a winner at the end of the day tomorrow, October 29th. You've gotta be in the US to win. We've got video of the Honor the Code kit after the break.
Gallery: Win one of 300 Halo: Reach Honor the Code kits!
Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Microsoft, Product Reviews, Software,
Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac ships tomorrow, and AppleInsider's got the scoop on how it performs. From their review:
If you’re an Office user already, the new Office 2011 is a no-brainer upgrade. It’s wildly faster, looks and feels much better, and delivers strong advancements in every app, particularly the vastly improved experience of the new Outlook over the pitiful Entourage.If you’re shopping around for a productivity suite on the Mac, the new Office 2011 delivers a much nicer experience than the rather quirky but free OpenOffice, and offers the advantages of a real desktop app over a web based suite like Google Docs.At around $120 retail for the Outlook-free individual version (you can install on one machine) or $150 for the family pack (which can be installed on up to three machines), the “Home and Student” Office 2001 for Mac suite is now affordable enough to compete against weaker free alternatives, and might attract some users eyeing Apple’s cheaper iWork package.However, Office 2011 for Mac—despite a sharp discount over previous editions—is still about the same price as Apple’s “Box Set” deal that includes a copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife together with the full version of iWork.
Read More | AppleInsider
Gallery: Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac review
HTC Surround review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Product Reviews,
We performed our Windows Phone 7 review while using an HTC Surround smartphone from AT&T. Now that we've got the overarching review of Microsoft's big comeback in the mobile operating system world out of the way, we wanted to focus on the HTC surround itself. It's an interesting one, as AT&T is going to launch with three Windows Phone 7 devices come November 8th. The Samsung Focus has that Super AMOLED display and is nice and thin, and the LG Quantum has a slider QWERTY keyboard, which makes it thicker. The HTC Surround is also a thicker slider, but rather than a keyboard, it packs in a pair of Dolby Mobile and SRS Wow "virtual surround" speakers with a kickstand. This is obviously aimed at the Windows Phone 7 customer who plans to use their device as an entertainment device for music and video, and its got 16GB of internal memory to hold that stuff. Is it worth your attention? Keep on reading for our verdict!
Click to continue reading HTC Surround review
Gallery: HTC Surround review
Windows 7 sells 240 million its first year
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Corporate News, Microsoft, Software,
Microsoft is celebrating the first year anniversary of Windows 7 by doing a celebratory dance around the numbers - 240 million numbers to be exact.
“I think Windows 7 has exceeded expectations,” said Gavriella Schuster, the general manager of Windows Product Management.
The 240 million licenses sold makes up a 17% market share for the year-old OS, and 93% of new consumer PCs are running Windows 7, while 90% of companies have either made the transition, or are making it, to Windows 7.
Read More | Microsoft
