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Why Google’s Motorola purchase is a genius move
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Google,
I was just wondering what Google was going to do to prevent getting shut out of the mobile phone business. It was as if Google was down 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Google stepped up to the plate and hits a walk-off home run, with its purchase of Motorola Mobility.
This scenario is fascinating for a number of reasons. First of all, somewhere along the line, both Apple and Microsoft took a terrible dislike to this Android nonsense. First, Microsoft cozies up to Nokia to subvert Android (to no avail). Then Microsoft, Apple, and others pulled a trick play to get the Nortel patent assets in an effort to develop a patent portfolio to screw Google.
So Google knows it’s toast if it doesn't do anything. But what would it do? Did anyone call this one? Certainly, not me.
Let's face it, when it comes to mobile phone patents, Motorola easily has as many or more than Nortel, which is more into fiber and other comm patents. Google is now one up on the rest of these folks.
Click to continue reading Why Google’s Motorola purchase is a genius move
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Bill Gates speaks about the past, present, future of the PC
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Microsoft, PC / Laptop,
The most significant innovation in personal computing over the last 30 years has been the evolution of natural interfaces, with the GUI, speech recognition, gestures and touch receiving equal weight, according to Bill Gates, a co-founder and the former chief executive of Microsoft.
As the PC turns 30, we asked Gates, as well as other industry leaders, for their thoughts on the most significant innovation in personal computing, and how PCs have changed people's lives for the better – or worse. Finally, we wanted to know what the future holds for personal computing – and maybe whether the "Personal Computer" would exist in its current form.
While Apple's Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak arguably invented and popularized the personal computer, Bill Gates, Paul Allen and later Steve Ballmer at Microsoft crafted and shaped the Windows operating system which became synonomous with the term "PC". The Apple Macintosh and Windows pushed the graphical user interface into the mainstream, driven by the increasing performance of microprocessors from Intel Corp., and later from chips designed by Advanced Micro Devices, Cyrix, Via Technology, and others.
Click to continue reading Bill Gates speaks about the past, present, future of the PC
Avatar Kinect now available, Kinect Sparkler arrives this Thursday
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
Avatar Kinect, the Xbox 360 app that captures your facial expressions and maps them right onto your avatar, is now available as the newest gadget in Kinect Fun Labs. You can invite friends into a session, and communicate using your avatars in one of 24 different virtual stages. Things like a performance stage, talk show, and even a tailgate party. The sessions are recorded so that you can upload them to KinectShare.com, where you can download them and send them to the Twitters, Facebooks, and YouTubes of the world. You need an Xbox LIVE Gold membership to use Avatar Kinect, but Microsoft is opening it up to all members from now through September 8th.
On July 28th, Kinect Sparkler will appear in Kinect Fun Labs as well, showcasing the Kinect's new ability to do finger tracking. You use your body as a stencil and paintbrush, creating works of art in 3D, and uploading them to KinectShare.com. This one will cost 240 Microsoft Points.
Star Wars Kinect bundle features R2-D2 Xbox 360, C-3PO controller, 320 GB hard drive
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, Culture, Hardware, Kinect, LucasArts, Microsoft, Xbox 360,
What you see here is an R2-D2 inspired Xbox 360, along with a C-3PO Xbox 360 controller, and you'll find these as part of the Star Wars Kinect bundle that was revealed by Microsoft at Comic-Con. Also included in the bundle is a white Kinect sensor, Star Wars Kinect, and Kinect Adventures. The console also includes a 320 GB hard drive, which is a first for the Xbox 360 line. The console itself has custom R2-D2 sounds rather than the standard Xbox 360 chimes. You can pre-order these now, and they'll be shipping in the fall for $449.
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| Star Wars Kinect Bundle
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Microsoft and Twitter working on new deal for Bing integration
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Microsoft,
Having recently lost a Google contract that added tweets to the company's search results, Twitter is treading shaky waters in ongoing negotiations with Microsoft over a similar use arrangement.
According to All Things D's Liz Gannes, there are a few pain points over which the two companies are currently chatting. But, if successfully negotiated, Microsoft could ultimately land the keys to the real-time kingdom: long-term access to the real-time updates provided by both Facebook and Twitter, which would accompany the site's standard search results.
The two companies have six extra months to hammer out the details—Twitter signed real-time search contracts with Google and Microsoft in the fall of 2009, but Microsoft got a slightly longer timeframe than its big competition. Twitter is allegedly asking for an increased licensing fee for use of its real-time information: $30 million, or double the cost of the company's original contract with Microsoft.
Click to continue reading Microsoft and Twitter working on new deal for Bing integration
Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Video Games,
We've got your latest list of items that fall under the best tech Deals of the Day for you, separated out into laptops, desktops, monitors, gaming, and home entertainment. The laptop deals are right here, but be sure to click through to get a look at all the rest of what we determined to be today's top 10 deals in tech, including that lovely Xbox 360 Kinect bundle up there!
Laptops
- 17.3" Dell Vostro 3750 Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz "Sandy Bridge" Latpop w/6GB RAM, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, Backlit Keyboard & Fingerprint Reader for $649 with free shipping (normally $899 - use coupon code R975$?FPRF?31X)
- 17.3" HP Pavilion dv7t Core i7-2630QM 2GHz Quad-core "Sandy Bridge" Laptop w/4GB RAM & 500GB HDD for $700 with free shipping (normally $999 - use coupon code NBP61449)
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.
Click to continue reading Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Microsoft, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Video Games,
We've got your latest list of items that fall under the best tech Deals of the Day for you, separated out into laptops, desktops, monitors, gaming, and home entertainment. The laptop deals are right here, but be sure to click through to get a look at all the rest of what we determined to be today's top 10 deals in tech, including that lovely Xbox 360 Kinect bundle up there!
Laptops
- 17.3" Dell Inspiron 17R-2nd Gen Core i7-2630QM 2GHz Quad-core "Sandy Bridge" Laptop w/8GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 2GB GeForce GT 525M & Blu-ray for $900 with free shipping (normally $1,444 - use coupon code 4J4XPNDZ1PKR2B)
- 17.3" Dell Vostro 3750 Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz "Sandy Bridge" Latpop w/6GB RAM, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, Backlit Keyboard & Fingerprint Reader for $649 with free shipping (normally $899 - use coupon code R975$?FPRF?31X)
- 17.3" HP Pavilion dv7t Core i7-2630QM 2GHz Quad-core "Sandy Bridge" Laptop w/4GB RAM & 500GB HDD for $700 with free shipping (normally $999 - use coupon code NBP61449)
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.
Click to continue reading Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Google in talks to buy Hulu
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Google, Home Entertainment, Internet,
Google is now in preliminary talks to buy Hulu, the Internet video powerhouse that allows you to watch ad-supported television and movies, according to the LA Times. This is in addition to other companies like Microsoft and Yahoo, who've also met with Hulu about a potential acquisition. Interestingly enough, Google has been hard at work on finding a way to get the content that you typically find on Hulu over to YouTube to make the video sharing site a bigger competitor in the media space (not to mention a bigger money-maker as well.) The rights that Hulu has to current season television shows is obviously a valuable asset, and they've got over 600 advertisers as well. In fact, this year Hulu expects to earn over $500 million in ad revenue. The point here isn't to buy Hulu's technology--it's all about the content deals. The big question, though, is how long before those deals expire, and what happens then? This will be an interesting one to watch.
Read More | LA Times
Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, E3, Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox 360,
One of the biggest complaints with the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 is its space requirement. For the depth-sensing cameras to function properly, Microsoft recommends a good eight feet between the Kinect sensor and your body. That's a lot of space, especially for all the apartment and dorm room dwellers out there.
Nyko might have fixed that problem with the Zoom, a surprisingly simple and affordable Kinect attachment that seriously cuts down on its need for room.
The Zoom is a wide-angle lens attachment that fits over the Kinect, changing how it sees the room. With a wider angle, it can see more laterally, but doesn't have as much depth. According to Nyko, this means the Kinect needs up to 40 percent less space than without the Zoom. Because it's just a set of lenses that fit over those on the Kinect, it doesn't need any power or complex installation; it just slides on.
The Nyko Zoom will retail for $29.99 when it ships later this year.
Click to continue reading Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect
Xbox Live will store your profile and game saves to the cloud this fall
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
Microsoft didn't have enough time to cover everything that's coming down the pike for Xbox Live with the fall dashboard update, but they sent us an email detailing some of the new hotness that they didn't talk about on stage, and we're super excited to hear that profiles will be able to be saved to the cloud. What does that mean for the average Joe? Well, this means that instead of saving your games to your hard drive or USB stick, you can instead save them to the web. Same goes for your Xbox Live profile, along with achievements, friend list, etc. One thing I've always hated about having two Xbox 360 units in the home is that I need to remember to grab my USB stick and bring it upstairs and down if I want to log into Live. Now, I just enter a username and password on any Xbox 360, from any location, and I am logged in. The days of recovering a Gamertag will be history come this fall!
