All rumors prior to the launch of the new Xbox One related to Kinect seem to be right on the bullseye. The new Kinect controller is uber sensitive and can capture quite a lot of movement. The next-generation Kinect model is capable of tracking motions as minute as wrist rotations, and Microsoft’s Marc Whitten said the new Kinect would even be able to read users’ heartbeats when they’re exercising or when players shift their weight.
The new Kinect’s main camera is capable of recording 1080P RGB video at 30 frames per second and the new Xbox One Handles roughly 2GB/sec of live data from the new Kinect with ease.
Microsoft SVP Yusuf Mehdi showed a demo on stage that shows of the promptness and accuracy of this new sensor towards not only gestures but also voice commands. You can control the console, multitask and even open layer within the console with just voice commands, you will also get pinching, swiping and rotations in the natural format incase you don’t wish to do the talking.
Microsoft, which is being berated for taking out the Start button from Windows 8, may put it back in the next major Windows update known as Windows Blue.
The classic Start menu which Windows users have come to know and love over the years, was missing in Windows 8, which was released in October 2012, resulting in an unprecedented backlash.
The Verge is also reporting that plans have been revealed to them to indeed bring back the Windows 8 start button together with the boot to desktop option also rumoured earlier this month.
According to another report by Microsoft insider Paul Thurrott, Microsoft’s Executives are the ones who are overruling objections from the Windows team about bringing back the Start button. “And I’ve separately confirmed that this is really happening, with the Start button, in particular, driven by upper management, which overruled objections from the Windows team,” Thurrott added.
It turns out, however, that Windows 8.1’s Start button will have a different behavior as compared to the traditional one, according to a report by The Verge. Microsoft is looking to bring us a Start button that would launch the Start Screen, instead of a Start Menu.
Microsoft hasn’t said a thing about such a feature, so more details will most likely be provided in June at the BUILD developer conference when the company is expected to unveil the public beta of the new OS.
Recent reports are that the global computer market fell 14% in the first quarter of 2013 with market analysts IDC putting the blame squarely on Microsoft’s shoulders with a lacklustre launch of Windows 8.
But if Microsoft brings the Start button back and adds in a few new tricks into Windows 8.1, combine that with the new Intel Haswell chips on the way and it could make for a very different second-half of the year for computer fans.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, Microsoft required that all tablets made specifically to run Windows 8 have a minimum display resolution of 1366×768. This was because Microsoft also made 1366×768 as the minimum for Windows 8 Modern apps to run while in snap view mode.
A few days ago, it was discovered that the leaked build of Windows Blue actually lowered that app snap view minimum resolution down to 1024×768. As it turns out, Microsoft recently, and quietly, announced that Windows 8 tablets can now be made with a 1024×768 resolution screen, down from the previous requirement of a 1366×768 resolution.
The change is thought to be a sign that Windows 8 devices are about to arrive with mini sized screens (and prices?) to compete head on with the likes of the Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire and Apple iPad mini and other successful devices that have with 7- and 8-inch displays.
One of the headline multitasking features of the currently shipping version of Windows 8, snapping, won’t work at this lower res. However, a leaked build of Windows Blue has revealed that Microsoft is changing its Snap View support to let 1024 x 768 users take advantage of a 50 / 50 Snap View. The changes are all part of improved support for 7- and 8-inch form factors and Microsoft’s official guidance notes that “partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.”
The change was announced on Microsoft’s Windows Certification Newsletter earlier in March. In making the change, Microsoft stated that while their were not encouraging PC OEMs to offer a lower resolution for their Windows 8 tablet products, they admitted, “We understand that partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.”
On Wednesday a blog post from Frank Shaw, head of PR at Microsoft, revealed that Windows Phone is outshipping the iPhone in seven countries.
According to the IDC, who measures shipped numbers, more Windows Phones were shipped into 7 markets than iPhones and more than Blackberry in 26 markets.
But before Apple fans explode with indignation, yes there is a catch. Windows Phone outsold the iPhone in a smattering of emerging markets, where the high price of Apple’s trendy phone is probably a barrier to sales success. In total Windows Phone led the iPhone in Argentina, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, and “rest of central and eastern Europe”.
In India, the arrival of low-end Windows Phone devices — namely Nokia Lumia 510/620/820 – has certainly boosted Windows Phone. Nokia’s also trying to market its Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 handsets via television and print campaigns. So it won’t come as a surprise if shipments are higher than that of the iPhone given that the iPhone commands a much higher retail price.
IDC’s numbers also reflect only the official number of cellphones imported into the countries. IDC said that in some countries, like Argentina and India high government taxes mean there is a very significant gray market in cellphones, which IDC doesn’t track. So it is hard to know actual market share in those places.
While it’s certainly good news that Windows Phone is breaking into emerging markets, Windows Phone has had issues breaking in to the tough, and arguably more significant North American market as of late. Tackling the developed markets is no doubt a priority for Microsoft at the moment, and with Nokia continuing to release new devices, hopefully for Microsoft, progress will come.
Do these facts diminish Microsoft’s announcement that Windows Phone outshipped the iPhone in seven countries — or not? Tell us in the comments, below.
Microsoft previously promised to release updates to Windows 8 core apps before Windows Blue becomes available, and it seems we don’t have to wait long before that happens – these updates will roll out tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26, according to a post on the company’s official blog.
None of the updates reinvent the proverbial wheel, but each app is receiving numerous tweaks designed to improve basic usability. Windows tablet owners will be especially happy with the new-look apps.
The Mail app will support organizational functions like flagging emails and creating folders. The Calendar app will get a new look and meeting scheduling support. And the People app will sport a new command bar to make it quicker for you to navigate through your contacts. There are a few other changes too of course.
When Microsoft released Windows 8 in October, its core productivity apps lacked deep functionality and features. Mail couldn’t even compare with Outlook.com, let alone with the full-blown Outlook Office application. Calendar had the basic bones, but again, lacked functionality compared to the Outlook calendar. And People was more novelty app than something actually useful.
However, it turns out that the newly updated Mail, Calendar, People and Messaging app for Windows 8 has removed support for Google Calendars entirely, pulling the ability to sync both new and existing calendars due to Google pulling the plug on Exchange ActiveSync support. Upon attempting to use the updated app you’ll receive a message similar to the one below, instructing you to reconnect your account.
We can’t connect to [address]@gmail.com because Google no longer supports Exchange ActiveSync. Reconnect to get your emails and contacts using a different method. Cancel to save your drafts and reconnect later
Once the update is available tomorrow, just tap or click on the “Updates” link that appears in the top right-hand corner of the Windows Store to install the update.If you have the Windows Store pinned to your Start screen, its live tile will alert you that you have an update available. You are required to go to the Windows Store to get the update as it won’t install automatically.
According to an unofficial tally by the site MetroStore Scanner, Microsoft has pushed past 50,000 total apps within the Windows Store.
The service also noted that there has been a large decline in new submissions since November of last year, with averages dropping from 400 to 150 in February before seeing an uptick to 200 in March.
It is unclear whether Microsoft’s new rewards program has helped in the growth. The company began offering developers $100 per app for new published apps submitted to either the Windows Phone Store or the Windows 8 Store before June 30th. Each developer can qualify for up to 10 apps per store, for a net total of $2000 in bonuses. All apps must meet standard certification requirements, and the app must do more than just launch a web page. Additionally, you cannot clone existing published apps.
The offers runs until June 30 but is exclusive to those living in the US.
As TechCrunch’s Matt Burns notes, it’s difficult to compare the growth of apps in the Microsoft Store versus rival Apple, which lists approximately 13,000 total apps or so in its Mac App Store as of this article’s writing, as there is a huge difference in the quality of apps available for the 2 OSs.
While this is good news for Windows 8 PC users, it’s not so great for Windows RT tablet users considering the iPad has 376,000 dedicated applications.
With that in mind there’s still plenty of work for Microsoft to do, but signs are more encouraging.
Add Nvidia CEO Jen Hsun Huang to the list of people disappointed with the debut of Windows RT.
[pullquote_left] “We expected to have sold more than we did,” he said Tuesday. “I think everybody expected to have sold more than we did.” [/pullquote_left]
Huang was speaking to financial analysts on the sidelines of Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California.
That “everybody” includes companies like Samsung, which launched the Ativ Tab with Windows RT, then canceled its future Windows RT tablet plans.
Toshiba pulled out from Windows RT production before it even released a single RT device.
Meanwhile, next to the Microsoft Surface RT, the Asus Vivo Tab RT,Lenovo Ideapad Yoga, and Dell XPS 10 have been hanging in there.
Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 for Arm-based chips like Nvidia’s Tegra processors. Traditional versions of Windows are written to run on Intel and compatible chips, but they won’t run on Arm processors. With Arm becoming so popular in tablet computers, Microsoft developed Windows RT to match Android.
While Huang’s comments on Windows RT’s current lack of success were to be expected, he then surprised the analysts by his pleas for Microsoft to launch an Outlook client that would run on Windows RT. In fact, he flat out said he has been praying to the “Outlook God” to make this happen.
He stated that if Outlook for Windows RT were released, “It would make my life complete. My life would be complete. I don’t know about you guys but I would need nothing else. I am one Outlook away from computing nirvana and I just hoping he is listening now. Outlook God, please.”
At the moment, the only Microsoft mail client for Windows RT is the Mail Modern app.
Microsoft is planning to release a new version of Windows Phone for the holiday season, according to a job listing posted by the company.
In the listing, Microsoft is looking for a software development engineer which would work on Windows Phone software.
[quote]
According to the listing :
This is a great time to join as we’re completing our current release are getting ready for our next release targeting the holiday of this year and we’re chartered with keeping the momentum for Windows Phone by bringing new killer devices and delightful user experiences. There are enormous growth opportunities in this role and organization.
[/quote]
Windows Phone is considered key to Microsoft’s mobile strategy, as well as Bing’s mobile market share. However, Windows Phone has been slow to catch on with consumers, a majority of whom continue to snap up iPhones and Android devices.
“Next release” does not give us much in terms of features or any other details, but we’d expect the update to be a major one, since Windows Phone 8 was launched in October 2012, and the previous major update, Windows Phone 7.5, was released in September 2011.
According to earlier reports, the next WP release, codenamed “Windows Phone Blue,” should bring both kernel updates and user-interface improvements.
Microsoft recently released “Portico,” the first significant WP8 update, and the software maker is planning other improvements under a broad effort known as “Apollo Plus.”
Following Sony’s PlayStation 4 announcement earlier this week, Microsoft is said to announce the next-generation Xbox console at a media event in April, according to publication Computer and Video Games.
Sony’s “surprise” PlayStation 4 announcement earlier this week reportedly caught Microsoft off guard at first, according to one Sony senior official that asked not to be named. The person in question said they definitely ruffled some feathers which seems likely considering most expected the two companies to announce their next generation consoles at E3 later this year.
Further evidence supporting Microsoft’s decision to host a one-off event is the fact that Ustechs, a company that has worked with Microsoft in the past on other media briefings, recently registered the domain XboxEvent.com.
Leaks for the Xbox 720 (codenamed Durango) have indicated it will feature some serious power internally. An 8-core 1.6GHz processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, an 800MHz graphics card, a 6x Blu-ray drive, USB 3.0, and gigabit Ethernet are rumoured to be included.
Microsoft is also said to include a new Kinect sensor that will include not only better tracking results for large rooms, but will ship with the console by default.
At its media event, Sony wasn’t able to show the actual hardware for its PlayStation 4, and only detailed a few specs, the new UI, and controller with touchpad. It’s not known if Microsoft will show off the Xbox design at its event. Leaks haven’t pointed to what the design will look like as of yet.
Baird Equity Research last month said the next-generation Xbox will be sold for $350-$400 in the autumn, right in time for the Christmas shopping season that’s sure to bring a slew of sales to the company.
Microsoft officials revealed on Friday that the Redmond, Washington-based company had been targeted by the same hackers who had previously set their sights on Apple and Facebook.
Last week Apple announced it had been hit by malicious software, known as malware, which took advantage of a vulnerability in a Java program used as a plug in for web browsing programs.
A few days earlier Facebook admitted it had been targeted in a similar way through a loophole in Java software created by a mobile developer called Oracle.
Facebook said that the malware infected employee laptops even though they were running up to date antivirus software, and described the attack as “sophisticated”
[quote]Describing the attack on Microsoft, Mr Thomlinson said: “As reported by Facebook and Apple, Microsoft can confirm that we also recently experienced a similar security intrusion. During our investigation, we found a small number of computers, including some in our Mac business unit, that were infected by malicious software using techniques similar to those documented by other organisations. We have no evidence of customer data being affected and our investigation is ongoing.”[/quote]
Like Facebook, Microsoft says it is still investigating how malicious software was planted on what it said were a small number of its computers.
Microsoft’s webmail, Outlook.com, has exited its preview stage with 60m users. According to Engadget, a third of those users have skipped over from Gmail, although they may still be using Google’s service as well.
As part of the process, all users of Microsoft’s Hotmail and other email services operating under different domains such as MSN.com will be automatically converted to Outlook.com by the summer, if they don’t voluntarily switch before then. All the old messages, contacts and settings in the old inboxes will be exported to Outlook.com. Users will also be able to keep their old addresses.
In short, Outlook.com is leaving its early days behind, as in the eyes of Microsoft it is ready for full-time usage, and thus the firm can finally ax the Hotmail product as a relic from a previous era.
Here are the key usership milestones for Outlook.com, to put the 60 million figure into perspective:
August 1, 2012: 1 million users
August 14, 2012: 10 million users
November 27, 2012: 25 million users
February 18, 2013: 60 million users
To welcome new users, Microsoft is financing what it believes to be the biggest marketing blitz in the history of email. Outlook.com will be featured in ads running on US primetime TV, radio stations, websites, billboards and buses. Microsoft expects to spend somewhere between $30 million to $90 million on the Outlook campaign, which will run for at least three months.
The Outlook ads will overlap with an anti-Gmail marketing campaign that Microsoft launched earlier this month. The “Scroogled” attacks depict Gmail as a snoopy service that scans the contents of messages to deliver ads related to topics being discussed.
Microsoft will finally try to repair the Surface RT Wi-Fi bug today as part of its monthly Patch Tuesday updates that will also comprise several fixes for Windows RT platforms.
The update addresses “limited Wi-Fi connection issues and contains driver updates to improve performance with Windows as well as the volume and power buttons”.
The Surface team confirmed in an AMA session on Reddit a few days ago that Microsoft would release two different patches for the bug, one expected to be released on February 12 and another one due in March.
“Wifi connection robustness has been improved with the Feb 12 Windows Update. Another version is in the works and will release Mar 12,” the team said on Reddit.
To see if you received the update, you can click on the upper right portion of the screen or swipe in from the right edge. Click on Settings, and tap onChange PC settings. Then, tap on Windows Update and Check for Updates.
Unlike Apple or Google, Microsoft doesn’t provide a very clear numbering system for its Windows RT updates. Apple, for example, uses nomenclature like “iOS 6.1.1”, while that seems to be nonexistent on the Microsoft side. This update is simply being called the “February update.”
At any rate, it’s good to see Microsoft addressing issues that users may be seeing, relatively quickly.
Apple Inc has been ordered to appear before Australia’s parliament with fellow technology giants Microsoft Inc and Adobe Systems Inc to explain why local consumers pay so much for their products, despite the strong Aussie dollar.
The House of Representatives launched a probe in July last year to see if some goods were more expensive in Australia than in other parts of the world.
Consumer bodies have often complained that Australians are overcharged.
The firms have previously made written submissions to the committee but have so far declined to appear in person. They are now scheduled to appear before the committee on 22 March.
Ed Husic, a member of the Australian House of Representatives, says that some estimates suggest Australian prices on some products are up to 60 percent higher than in the U.S. Husic told Kotaku Australia that “in what’s probably the first time anywhere in the world, these IT firms are now being summonsed by the Australian Parliament to explain why they price their products so much higher in Australia compared to in the U.S. Adobe, Apple and Microsoft are just a few firms that have continually defied the public’s call for answers and refused to appear before the IT Pricing Inquiry.
Husic took aim at Apple last week over local taxes paid by the company, telling parliament that Apple generated A$6 billion in revenue in Australia in 2011, but paid only A$40 million in tax – less than one percent of turnover.
Amitesh Deshpande receiving the grand prize from Mr Mor, Business Group Lead – Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd
Five Champions from across India. Five action packed games. Eight hours of continuous gaming. The atmosphere electric, the brawls rough. And finally, one prevailed to be crowned the king of Xfriends- The Ultimate Gaming Challenge.
After months of relentless gaming across seven separate blockbuster titles on Xbox Live such as FIFA 13, Resident Evil 6, Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and more, five national champions emerged. Yesterday, these champions took on each other in rounds of brutal battles to find the best amongst them. Xbox lovers and gamers across India took part in the Ultimate Xfriends gaming championship- the ultimate gaming competition on Xbox LIVE that pits gamers against each other. ‘Ultimate Xfriends’ , launched in September 2012- sought the best gamers across Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and India – the guys who’ll do whatever it takes to win. And they did do whatever it takes.
The grand prize, a 24 K Gold plated Xbox 360 console
At the thrilling grand finale of Xfriends, held at the FoG (Federation of Gamers) lounge in Delhi, the search for India’s best gamer finally ended. Amitesh Deshpande –who went head to head with five other really tough national competitors – took home a mega prize of an exclusive 24 K gold plated Xbox 360 console and the title of Ultimate Gaming Champion in India.
[quote]Battle weary but ecstatic about his win, Amitesh Deshpande said, “It’s awesome to be a winner and that too for a competition like this which got me playing against India’s best gamers on Xbox Live. It has been a tough fight, which made it all the more exciting to win against such good competitors. As Xbox Live lets me take my Xbox 360 online anytime, it’s the place for players (like me) to hang out and hone our/their gaming skills. I really hope Microsoft and Xbox bring us these events regularly. ”[/quote]
Anshu Mor, Business Group Lead – Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. said, ” These are some of the most exciting gamers one can find anywhere in Asia, in fact across the world. The level of competition seen here today is very, very impressive; the place is absolutely buzzing with their energy. To see them compete so fiercely, all for the love of gaming on Xbox, is very thrilling, exciting and inspiring for us. Moreover, the competitors have come from cities as far away as Trivandrum, Chhattisgarh, Raipur, etc. making it all the more special for us.”
We managed to talk to Mr. Mor about Microsofts plans ahead, stay tuned to know more!
Microsoft has taken aim at Google before with its ‘Scroogled’ advertising campaign, and now it’s revived the attack tactics, slating Gmail’s policy of reading your emails to target ads.
“Think Google respects your privacy? Think again,” says Microsoft’s advert. It says that nasty Google goes through your every email, reading every word, so it can target ads to you based on what you’re writing about.
[quote]”Emails are personal — and people feel that reading through their emails to sell ads is out of bounds,” said Stefan Weitz, senior director of Online Services at Microsoft in a statement. “We honor the privacy of our Outlook.com users, and we are concerned that Google violates that privacy every time an Outlook.com user exchanges messages with someone on Gmail. This campaign is as much about protecting Outlook.com users from Gmail as it is about making sure Gmail users know what Google’s doing.”[/quote]
To illustrate this, Microsoft has a pair of shifty-looking eyes reading an email. Outlook.com, however, “prioritises privacy”, according to the ad.
In a press release pushed out today, Microsoft said the Scroogled campaign is also an attempt to educate Americans on some of the bad practices used by email providers. A study commissioned by Microsoft reveals that 70% of consumers “don’t know that major email providers routinely engage in the practice of reading through their personal email to sell ads”, while a larger 88% disapprove of the practice.
Previously Microsoft has used the “Scroogled” catch-phrase to warn users against Google Shopping’s practices, but today sees the campaign expanded into a much wider attack on Google and their advertising methods. Gmail has been targeted this time around, but it’s likely more services will be highlighted in future campaigns.
