Just yesterday, we told you about Bill Gates and Tim Cook taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge and dousing themselves in a bucket of ice cold water in the name of charity. A mere 24 hours later, ex-Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, takes the plunge, joining a number of other tech executives in the Ice Bucket Challenge list.
The ALS challenge is something that we told you about earlier today when Apple's VP of Worldwide Marketing took his ice cold water like a man and then nominated CEO Tim Cook to do the same. Well, meanwhile over on the other side of the PC war ex-Microsoft CEO and generally nice man Bill Gates has also been in on the act after Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg nominated him during his own dousing.
Today in Germany, Microsoft had a lot to say about its all-in-one entertainment (not so much just gaming) console, the Xbox One, whereby the company announced a number of upcoming features for the platform, including software updates and patches, exclusive games and perhaps most importantly, three new bundles, each with its unique set of offerings. The bundles include a FIFA 15 one, another with Sunset Overdrive accompanied by a nice surprise, and finally, a Call of Duty version featuring a larger hard drive.
We've reached the Gamerscom stage of the bustling list of exhibitions and conferences in the gaming calendar, and Microsoft has taken the opportunity of the occasion to outline a particularly exciting update for Xbox One owners. Pretty soon, early adopters of the new-ish console will be able to stream TV directly to their smartphone or tablet, adding yet another feature to the already expansive list of entertainment-specific perks.
Microsoft's next major operating system release, set to be named Windows 9, might not be ready to hit the shelves until next year, but reports have already started surfacing with respect to what it will curtail. According to sources close to the matter, the next iteration of Windows will include Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana, embedded deeply within the operating system.
One of the best ways to show consumers how much better your product is than a rival's is to compare your great invention with that of your adversary. Apple is one of the longest-standing nemeses of Microsoft, and in an attempt to showcase the Surface Pro 3's credentials, has used the MacBook Air as fodder.
Microsoft has been on the Web for 20 years, and to celebrate, has given us a throwback in the form of its first ever live webpage. As you'd expect, it looks more than antiquated, and as well as demonstrating how far things have come along both in terms of design and the complexities of the Web through the past two decades, makes us feel incredibly grateful that we don't have to see sights, or sites, like it anymore.
Microsoft has added a Digital TV Tuner to the Xbox One's repertoire of accessories, with the add-on set to launch in October. As we know, consoles today are more than just mere gaming machines - a point that the Xbox maker made rather too keenly for some gamers at the One's announcement last year - and below, you can find all of the relevant details on the Digital TV Tuner component including specification, price and availability.
Microsoft's Windows 8.1 release has been held in much higher regard than the preceding Windows 8, largely due to the fact that it plays more nicely with those rocking a more traditional keyboard-and-mouse rig. Despite the reservations that some users have in relation to functionality and ease-of-use, though, the user interface has seldom offended, and today, the software giant has added 11 new themes to its flagship OS.
The Xbox 360 may have arrived in white, well, off-white originally, with Microsoft adding a darker model at a later date, but this time around, the console sports a shiny, jet-black finish. Obviously, some prospective Xbox One owners were hoping for an alternative to the rather understated aesthetic of the software maker's latest entertainment machine, and this fall, the white color option will arrive as a part of the Sunset Overdrive bundle in October.
















