Of all the productivity apps available for our smartphone and tablet devices, it's fair to say those of the note-taking variety aren't exactly in short supply.
With the launch of Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 8, nearing ever closer, it looks as though the Redmond company is looking to provide a platform which could prove to be a lot friendlier to developers and small software publishers.
The last four of five weeks have brought about quite a bit of news and speculation surrounding Microsoft's Kinect motion detecting hardware. When Microsoft took to the stage during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at the beginning of this month, they announced that the original Kinect hardware had amassed more than 18 million sales during its first year.
Video games are a big business, and the mobile video game industry is growing at an alarming rate. You just need to look at the iPhone App Store’s top fifty applications to see just how popular games on mobile devices are, and again, they are growing faster than we actually hoped for. It is no wondering that developers are starting to invest a lot of time and money into producing highly polished and professional looking mobile games which in some instances even feature professionally recorded soundtracks.
Once upon a time it was all about Microsoft. When you thought about technology companies, mentioned enterprise software or even talked about an operating system, Microsoft was the name that was on the tip of everyone's tongue. With the recent rise from the ashes of Apple Inc., times have changed a little and suddenly the Redmond company don't have it all their own way. It is worth noting though, that the company is still producing quality software which mixes innovation with functionality and that doesn't look like it is about to change anytime soon with the latest announcement from the Office team.
Microsoft and its Windows Phone 7 have a big year ahead of themselves. Google and Apple currently have the mobile space all-but sewn up, and even old stalwarts like BlackBerry are struggling to compete with the new hotness that is iOS and Android.
The success of the Microsoft Kinect motion sensor for the Xbox 360 has obviously set the minds of the men and women in Redmond wandering. The motion detecting sensor was launched for the Xbox 360 in November 2010 and has so far shifted approximately eighteen million units. The estimated sales total paint an impressive picture by themselves, but when you take into account the 360 console itself has shipped around the sixty six million units, the fact that for every 3.6 consoles sold a Kinect has also been sold is very impressive indeed.
There were undoubtedly good times and bad times shared between the two rivaling tech-gurus Steve Jobs and Bill Gates over the years.
With the Xbox 360 being initially unveiled to the world in 2005, the time is fast approaching for Microsoft to bring their next generation Xbox console to the market place. There can be no denying that consumers are more than ready for a new gaming console, but the prospect of a new gadget from Microsoft inevitably bring about a flurry of speculation surround the specifications.
Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates will be remembered as two of the biggest tech luminaries of their time, long after both have passed on. Anyone who has seen Pirates of Silicon Valley will know how both Apple and Microsoft's histories are deeply intertwined, and how closely - and often not - Jobs and Gates worked together.
