The Xbox 360 is getting a little long in the tooth these days, leading to rampant speculation about what the next version of the hugely popular console will be like. The biggest question though, without doubt, as to be when we will be able to get our hands on the new console. When will the Xbox 360 be retired?
While we don't officially know what Microsoft will be introducing to the major Windows Phone 8 Apollo update that the company plans to drop later this year, people are as usual making mockups of what the future OS could look like. Now normally, I dismiss concepts as they are usually either impractical, ridiculous, or both, but this one is actually a pretty simple idea that can help boost the consistency between Microsoft's desktop and mobile OSes.
When purchasing a PC from one of the main manufacturers, the "unboxing" experience is swiftly marred by the barrage of unnecessary programs pre-loaded onto the computer. Known as "bloatware", it can be anything from free trials of various internet security suites, to vendor-specific programs - none of which the consumer has asked for.
More legal shenanigans today, with the news that Motorola is on the receiving end of some bad news with regards to an existing spat with Microsoft over the use of technology inside Android tablets and smartphones.
With Windows 8 set for launch later this year, the debate is still raging on about the relatively radical design changes implemented by Microsoft in the OS. Now, before I go on, I want to note that I'm not the type that's resistant to change. Improvement and progress is welcome, and I really don't mind adjusting to changes of any sort. But, the issue isn't with people like me; it's with users that struggled to understand Windows as it was before these radical changes.
Anyone who is familiar with the comings and goings of the consumer technology industry will be more than au fait with Microsoft's Kinect sensor and its associated attachments. What started out as a motion sensing accessory for Xbox 360 gamers has grown to be so much more, with people adapting the technology to be used in a number of different innovative and exciting situations.
As if students needed any more reasons to procrastinate and waste time gaming instead of studying, Microsoft is set to re-introduce its "buy a PC, get an Xbox 360 free" deal - another great offer in the Redmond-based Windows maker's push to get as many of the consoles in living rooms as humanly possible.
In order to reassure buyers that they aren't purchasing a PC in vain - with Windows 8 on the horizon and all - Microsoft will be conducting a special promotion (as Mary-Jo Foley revealed last week) during which they will provide Windows 8 Pro to buyers of Windows 7-based PCs (on or after June 2) for a low cost. But how low? Today, Paul Thurrott reported that he's hearing word from his sources that this promotional offer will be priced at $14.99.
As the technology world keenly awaits further updates (and soon, a Release Candidate) of Windows 8, the software maker is seemingly focused on a big push with regards to Xbox and Kinect. As well as the purported Kinect Play Fit package, which would place stronger emphasis on Kinect's fitness and well-being prowess, the Redmond-based outfit is said to be testing a modded version of Internet Explorer 9 on the Xbox 360 console.
The research and development teams over at Microsoft Labs can pride themselves on being the people who managed to come up with the fantastic Kinect motion-sensing hardware, a handy piece of kit that uses a built-in camera to detect and interpret motion. Since release, the Kinect has been super successful, both with owners of the Xbox gaming console and those technology enthusiasts who have sought to produce open-source software for the hardware.
