Posts Tagged by Microsoft
Xbox 360 Still King of the Shooters. Here’s our Top 5 Games
| July 8, 2010 | Posted by Jeff Gonzales under Electronics, Gadgets, Gaming, Nintendo, PS3, Tech News, Xbox 360 |
In the best tradition of the beholder’s eye, here are my picks for the top 5 games for the Xbox:
1. Red Dead Redemption. Saddle up, pilgrim, it’s time to bring some justice back to the Old West. This free roaming third person shooter puts you in Clint Eastwood’s shoes as John Marston, outlaw turned hero in the American Old West that should have been, and perhaps only ever existed for Hollywood.
2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. A shooter with heavy RPG elements is still a shooter, but Lucas Arts did it right with all the trappings and rich back story of the Star Wars universe. Lightsabers, the Force, droids, and an unmatched hive of scum and villainy put you in the action in a world where Greedo never would have got the chance to shoot first.
3. Lego Harry Potter: Okay, so waving a wand and blasting little Lego people into their component bricks isn’t exactly a shooter. But this latest entry in the Lego series of licensed games brings its own twist to the addictive puzzle and platform formula that made Legos Batman, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars so captivating. And its funny; famous scenes from the movies done up in silent movie Legos? Priceless.
4. Halo: Reach. Halo is unquestionably the game that established the bar for every other Xbox shooter to target, and the new entry in the series is no exception. It makes the most of that Xbox Live connection to put you and your buddies into the hot zone with a whole new set of rules, toys, and customizations that are guaranteed to keep your guns blazing.
5. Bioshock. This is one to watch, with the combination of intriguing gameplay and immersive storyline. The sheer variety of tasks puts you in a world where I just want to keep exploring the possibilities of one more upgrade, and the challenge of hacking another odd computer. Just because I can.
No coincidence that shooters form the core of my top Xbox games. The fast pace and frenetic action fuel my adrenaline like unfiltered caffeine!
Steve Jobs Speaks out at the D8 All Things Digital interview
| June 3, 2010 | Posted by Abren Michaels under Apple, Electronics, Gadgets, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac, Microsoft, tablet, Tech News |
At the All Things Digital interview on Tuesday June 1st, Steve Jobs stepped out on the stage and talked for the first time since the last All Things Digital interview in 2007. However, in this year’s conference, Bill Gates was not present as he was in 2007.
(more…)
Microsoft’s Xbox Project Natal Milo and Kate
| April 20, 2010 | Posted by Wendy Williams under Electronics, Gadgets, Gaming, Nintendo, PS3, Tech News, Xbox 360 |
At E3 2009, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 peripheral code named Project Natal. This system introduced full motion tracking capabilities — all without a controller. Microsoft hopes to outdo what Nintendo accomplished with the Nintendo Wii, the first home console capable of tracking gestures released on the home market. But while Nintendo included the use of Wii controllers to accomplish this, the Xbox 360 seeks to use a specially designed 3d tracking camera that can seek depth and position. Yes. It can sense 3d space. Furthermore, the game can track up to 4 players at once. In addition, the player can issue vocal commands. One of the most astounding games previewed at E3 gave a demo of how this works. This game, Milo and Kate, allowed a user to communicate directly with a digital child and carry on conversations. The biggest surprise? Milo can read your facial expressions.
Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer Announces tablet PC
| January 6, 2010 | Posted by Tony Viteritto under Apple, Electronics, Microsoft |
At his keynote speech, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is likely to show off a tablet PC. According to the New York Times, in any case. Reports say that the machine will be made by Hewlett Packard and will be available in the middle of the year.
According to the newspaper, Ballmer will unveil the tablet as an e-reader and an all-round multimedia device. That’s more or less what Apple is likely to announce in a few weeks with it’s “iSlate” tablet.
This won’t be the first time Microsoft has touted the concept of a PC tablet and pushed it with all of its might. It’s been promoting its concept for more than fifteen years, but has so far failed to make little impact on the market with the device.
Apple, as with Google’s Nexus One smart phone, announced yesterday, is likely to shrug its shoulders at attempts by Microsoft to steal its thunder. It’s something of a tradition for Microsoft to announce products at keynote speeches in CES without them necessarily making waves in the future.
Microsoft Windows 7 officially launches
| October 23, 2009 | Posted by Alyssa Duval under Tech News |
It feels like its been a long path to Windows 7; close to a year ago today we were looking at early screenshots of Vista’s replacement, and the months in-between have been punctuated with test builds, broad RC distribution, eight million beta testers and tentative enthusiasm. Now, October 22nd 2009, Microsoft have officially launched Windows 7, along with a number of partnerships integrating the OS with CBS, Netflix, Amazon and more.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took to the stage in New York City this morning to explain that beta testers in 200 countries used an OS developed by 3,000 engineers. Three key versions of Windows 7 are on offer, Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate, each having the new GUI and IE8; there’s also Starter, which will only be available on netbooks.
The CBS partnership will integrate a new webfeed for CBS content into the Windows 7 Media Center, delivering streaming media (including adverts) even without a cable or DTV connection. Meanwhile, like the Xbox 360, Windows 7 will also have access to Netflix. Amazon have created a touch-aware Kindle app for Windows 7, with control of ebooks by finger-swipes; you can see demo images in the gallery below.
A single Windows 7 PC, meanwhile, can distribute HD-quality media to multiple different displays. Using a standard Dell XPS 16 notebook, Microsoft demonstrated streaming to over twelve HDTVs, a wireless digital photo frame, Onkyo AV receiver and Xbox 360; the load on the laptop was just 54-percent, even though each display was showing different content. Of course, you’ll need a suitable network to replicate that at home; Microsoft neglected to mention what sort of connections were linking the system together.
Preorders for Windows 7 have been open for some time now, and we’ve been hearing from plenty of people that their copies have already arrived this week. If you’ve not already splashed out, however, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at $199.99 for the full version, or $119.99 for the upgrade version (a three-license pack is $149.95). Windows 7 Professional is $299.99 for the full version, or $199.99 for the upgrade. Finally, Windows 7 Ultimate is $319.99 for the full version, or $219.99 for the upgrade. If you’ve recently bought a new desktop or laptop, it’s worth checking the small print to see if you’re eligible for a free upgrade from Vista to Windows 7; contact your machine’s manufacturer for all the details.
It feels like its been a long path to Windows 7; close to a year ago today we were looking at early screenshots of Vista’s replacement, and the months in-between have been punctuated with test builds, broad RC distribution, eight million beta testers and tentative enthusiasm. Now, October 22nd 2009, Microsoft have officially launched Windows 7, along with a number of partnerships integrating the OS with CBS, Netflix, Amazon and more.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took to the stage in New York City this morning to explain that beta testers in 200 countries used an OS developed by 3,000 engineers. Three key versions of Windows 7 are on offer, Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate, each having the new GUI and IE8; there’s also Starter, which will only be available on netbooks.
The CBS partnership will integrate a new webfeed for CBS content into the Windows 7 Media Center, delivering streaming media (including adverts) even without a cable or DTV connection. Meanwhile, like the Xbox 360, Windows 7 will also have access to Netflix. Amazon have created a touch-aware Kindle app for Windows 7, with control of ebooks by finger-swipes; you can see demo images in the gallery below.
A single Windows 7 PC, meanwhile, can distribute HD-quality media to multiple different displays. Using a standard Dell XPS 16 notebook, Microsoft demonstrated streaming to over twelve HDTVs, a wireless digital photo frame, Onkyo AV receiver and Xbox 360; the load on the laptop was just 54-percent, even though each display was showing different content. Of course, you’ll need a suitable network to replicate that at home; Microsoft neglected to mention what sort of connections were linking the system together.
Preorders for Windows 7 have been open for some time now, and we’ve been hearing from plenty of people that their copies have already arrived this week. If you’ve not already splashed out, however, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at $199.99 for the full version, or $119.99 for the upgrade version (a three-license pack is $149.95). Windows 7 Professional is $299.99 for the full version, or $199.99 for the upgrade. Finally, Windows 7 Ultimate is $319.99 for the full version, or $219.99 for the upgrade. If you’ve recently bought a new desktop or laptop, it’s worth checking the small print to see if you’re eligible for a free upgrade from Vista to Windows 7; contact your machine’s manufacturer for all the details.
