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Ask Andru: Should I get Kinect if I use my Xbox 360 primarily for watching Netflix?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Microsoft, Video Games, Videos,
We're back with another edition of Ask Andru - this time we're focusing on the wildly popular Kinect add-on, and how useful it might be for Xbox 360 owners who primarily use their consoles for watching streaming video. On to the question:
My family has an Xbox 360 but we end up using it primarily for Netflix, not games. I've read that the recent Xbox Live update added more ways to navigate menus and content using voice and gestures with Kinect. Is it worth buying a Kinect just for those controls, if we don't use it to play games? Is talking and waving at the TV better than using the controller?
It's true--Microsoft recently released an update for the Xbox 360, known as the Fall 2011 Dashboard Update, that has fully optimized the console's interface for use alongside the Kinect add-on. Many early adopters of Kinect complained about how clunky and tacked on the experience felt when trying to navigate menus while using the Xbox 360 outside of gaming, and the update pretty much solved all of those problems. Now, it's easy to "grab" something on screen, swipe through menus, and make selections using hand gestures. Even cooler, though, is that the dashboard is now pretty much fully navigable using just your voice. Simply say "Xbox" and all your options for where you can go are displayed on the screen. If you can see it, you can pretty much say it. Here's a video I made that looks at the features you'll find in the latest update:
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Rumor: Nokia Lumia 900 to sell for $99.99
Posted by John Ball Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Rumors,
With January almost over and CES behind us, the rumor mill has moved on to the next big thing. Today, the device in the limelight is the Nokia Lumia 900, Windows Phone Mango device that's at the top of our lust list. Set to launch March 18, 2012, you can expect to start seeing advertisements soon, and if word on the street is correct, the device will be just $99.99 with a two year contract. That is huge. That's half of what we expected the device to launch at, what with its 4.3-inch display and 4G LTE data speeds.
Microsoft Xbox Live House Party to Launch February 15, incudes Alan Wake, Warp, and more
Posted by John Ball Categories: Downloadable Content, Hot Deals, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace,
Xbox Live house party is looking to start this year off with a bang. Four Xbox Live Arcade titles are set to be released in the weeks between February 15 and March 13, and we've got the list here for you to take a gander at. Warp, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Nexuiz, and I Am Alive, in that respective order, with Warp kicking things off on February 15. Warp and Nexuiz will be 800 MS Points ($10) right out of the gate, however Alan Wake and I am Alive will be 1200 MS Points ($15.)
All of the information about the order of which the games would be released as well as the pricing was only recently unveiled by the ever popular Xbox Live celebrity, Major Nelson. Larry also goes on to tell us that if you purchase all 4 games within the allotted 1 month time period, you'll receive 800 Microsoft Points back as a bonus. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
Halo Helljumper: The live-action Halo film series
Posted by John Ball Categories: First Person Shooters, Microsoft, Trailers,
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It is probably safe to say that any modern gamer, and some non-gamers, know of the Halo Universe. With several books, an anime series, and seven video game titles (with an eighth on the way,) it is hard for most not to know of the Halo franchise. Many have felt for a long time that the Halo Universe still needed more. Some have even demanded that they see a live action Halo movie. Well, that time has come with Halo Helljumper, a live action series of short films.
Halo Helljumper takes place in the year 2552, right at the end of the Covenant Human war. The series is going to be highly based on the book “Dirt” by Tobias S. Buckell, and the talented team at “Filmpocalypse” has been brought together to make this monster. Directed by Dan Wang, and produced by Helena Hilario and Dan Wang, Halo Helljumper is going to be an Independent series of short films. There is not much else that we know about the series right now except that it is due to be released later this month.
Wanna see the trailer? Check it out after the jump!
Click to continue reading Halo Helljumper: The live-action Halo film series
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| Halo Helljumper
Comic Book Jobs: Halo
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Action Figures, Editorials,
In the battle against The Covenant, the soldiers of Halo are looking for... a Consumer Products Category Manager.
That’s right, recruit. Microsoft Studios/343 Industries needs a marketing person to “manage the development and execution of all 3D licensed merchandise, including product planning and execution, retail programs and quality control.”
If you need reminding: “The Halo Franchise is a multibillion dollar entertainment franchise, spanning multiple product categories including games, collectibles, toys, novels, comic books, digital goods and apparel. Our product development team is responsible for working with our licensing partners to execute product plans that extend the Halo brand at the highest level of quality.
Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: Halo
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Bleeding Edge TV 408: HTC Titan review and giveaway
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Cell Phones, Features, Handhelds, Microsoft, Podcasts, Videocasts, Videos,
The HTC Titan is a beast of a smartphone, and we're here to tell you all about it, and give one away to one of our lucky readers or viewers. This is one of the first Windows Phone 7.5 Mango devices, and it's got a 480x800 4.7-inch display with a 1.5 GHz processor on the inside, along with 16 GB storage and 512 MB RAM. You also get an 8 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and BSI sensor that records in 720p HD, and a 1.3 megapixel front camera as well. We give you even more details in this episode, which you can watch above.
Don't forget, you can win one of these from us! Just head on over to our HTC Titan giveaway page to enter.
Big thank you to MozyPro and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! MozyPro provides simple, automatic, and secure data backup. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.
CES 2012 keynote will be the last one by Microsoft
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2012, Microsoft,
Microsoft announced today that Steve Ballmer's keynote at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will be the software giant's last.
"We'll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won't have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don't align with the show's January timing," Microsoft said in a statement.
Ballmer is scheduled to take the stage at CES in Las Vegas on Jan. 9 at 6:30pm. It will be the Microsoft CEO's third keynote appearance; he took over in 2009 after Bill Gates retired in 2008 to focus on philanthropic efforts.
In recent years, however, the Microsoft CES keynotes have not included anything particularly spectacular or unexpected.
Click to continue reading CES 2012 keynote will be the last one by Microsoft
Microsoft releases SkyDrive app for iPhone, Windows Phone
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Storage,
Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled a version of its SkyDrive cloud service for Windows Phone and the iPhone.
The move, Microsoft said in a blog post, comes as people increasingly need access to files on-the-go.
"As devices proliferate, having a great experience on the Web is only one piece of a pretty complex puzzle," Microsoft's Mike Torres wrote. "People are choosing where to put their files based on how portable and accessible they are across the various devices they use; therefore, it's critical that we continue to extend the SkyDrive experience to the devices you use every day."
To that end, the most recent version of Windows Phone, known as Mango, included deep integration with SkyDrive via the Pictures and Office hubs, allowing for the sharing of photos via text, email, or IM, for example.
But users wanted more, Torres said. "Many still want the full SkyDrive experience from Windows Phone, including tasks like browsing their entire SkyDrive, sharing links to folders or files, deleting files, and creating folders." As a result, phones running Windows Phone 7.5 can now download the SkyDrive app from the Windows Phone Marketplace and do just that.
For those on iOS, the same app was also released in the App Store. See the video above for more.
Click to continue reading Microsoft releases SkyDrive app for iPhone, Windows Phone
Microsoft OneNote arrives on the iPad
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity, iPad Apps, New Apps, Free Apps,
Microsoft on Monday released a version of its OneNote for the iPad.
"Since the launch of OneNote for iPhone nearly a year ago, a recurring request from our customers has been for a version that can be used more easily on the iPad's larger screen," Microsoft said in a blog post. "We're happy to announce that today's new release of OneNote for iOS devices includes a version that's tailored for the iPad."
OneNote is Microsoft's note-taking and sharing software. Like other popular note-taking apps, such as Evernote, Awesome Note, and Google Notebook, OneNote Mobile gives users the ability to jot down, amend, and organize their notes on the go.
OneNote notebooks are stored via Microsoft SkyDrive. "Your own cloud-based SkyDrive account lets you easily sync all of your notebooks across all of your devices, so they're always up-to-date and accessible from virtually anywhere—on your iPhone, your iPad, your Web browser, or your computer," Microsoft said today.
Click to continue reading Microsoft OneNote arrives on the iPad
New Xbox Live Terms of Service say you can’t sue Microsoft
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Microsoft, Video Games,
Microsoft has wisely slipped a new proviso into the latest Xbox Live terms of service licensing agreement to prevent the kind of class action lawsuit Sony faced after the huge PSN data-breach and site downtime caused by hackers.
It's amusing since most of these agreements already take away the users' rights. The courts almost always uphold these supposed contracts, virtually giving any company the right to sell a faulty, or even dangerous, product.
Here is a snippet from the latest Xbox Live terms of service (TOS) :
"...if you live in the United States, you and Microsoft agree that if you and Microsoft do not resolve any dispute by informal negotiation ... any effort to resolve the dispute will be conducted exclusively by binding arbitration ... you understand and acknowledge that by agreeing to binding arbitration, you are giving up the right to litigate (or participate in as a party or class member) all disputes in court before a judge or jury."
Note the "in the United States" proviso. Many foreign countries do not allow these sorts of contracts, but few make it easy to file a class action lawsuit so it is not as important.
Click to continue reading New Xbox Live Terms of Service say you can’t sue Microsoft
