Microsoft Can Change The Way People Watch TV; Hopefully With Microsoft TV

It looks like every other technology giant is jumping on the internet tv platform. Initially there was Apple with the Apple TV, which has recently been updated. Then we have Google TV, which already struggling as it is, due to banning of provision of content from major providers and now, a brief Reuters report gives an inkling that Microsoft is all set to provide on demand video content through the Xbox, as the company is currently in talks with HBO and Showtime to broadcast and sell content through the Xbox.

Xbox, primarily is a gaming console, and a good one that is, considering the fact that Xbox has gained immense popularity with the niche gaming market. So using this very platform to provide quality on demand entertainment to users who already own this console, seems a very good move; however it should be kept in mind that Microsoft already offers ESPN through Xbox Live right now.

Interestingly enough, these consoles have brought latest technologies to the homes of millions of people who purchased them, seeing how The PlayStation 2 brought the DVD player and the PS3 the first ever Blu-Ray player to people worldwide, while not denying the fact that these devices some of the first to stream Netflix. So the idea of watching on demand versions of original shows and exclusive movies might be appealing to some, whereas it would be wrong to assume that people will start shifting to such platforms completely.

However, this platform is indeed gaining popularity with consumers and advertisers alike, and for Microsoft this move just might prove to be a beneficial one. Providing content via the Xbox will massively benefit both HBO and Microsoft, as the former will get a phenomenal amount of user base for their programming and Microsoft will emerge as the company that changed the way people watch tv altogether. We hope these reports don’t turn out to be mere rumors.

Via TechCrunch

Microsoft Windows Completes Its 25th Anniversary Today

Windows has been a worldwide phenomena for as long as we can remember. The globally acclaimed operating system has gained some tough points for itself from novices to power users alike, the reason why Windows has gained so much appeal is the fact that it is quite easy to use for people who take up learning computer and it offers the hardcore users a platform on which they have a wide array of possibilities.

25 years ago, on this very date Microsoft unveiled Windows 1.0, a product which was soon to become the most powerful operating system in the world. However, when it was initially launched, Windows was not a full fledged operating system, rather it was a graphical user interface (GUI) which ran on top of Microsoft’s signature operating system, DOS. in 1985, the Windows 1.0 was priced at $99.

Microsoft founder and Chairman, Bill gates had said at the initial product launch that the OS will provide:

unprecedented power to users today and a foundation for hardware and software advancements of the next few years.

and how right he was! since that very moment, we have seen Windows grow at an amazing exponential rate. From then onwards, the initially introduced GUI was gradually transformed into a full blown operating system that presented a user interface which was never offered before. As Windows began to transform, so did its popularity began to rise which ultimately made it the dominant operating system worldwide, an acheivement which Microsoft still holds today, with it’s newer version, the Windows 8 expected to be available two years from now.

However tough times maybe ahead as the world is in a continuous bid to make things more mobile and increase portability, something tells us that Windows would be definitely pulling up its socks in the near future. Nevertheless, we have all grown up with this operating system and are bound to have many memories attached to it. What have been your experiences with Windows in all of these years? We’d love to hear about them in the comments.

via Mashable

Hack The Kinect Without Fear, Microsoft Is “Excited”

Well well, what do we have here? Does Microsoft encourage people to hack its products? well it seems so! Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral for the Xbox 360 has been well in the news since it was launched on November 4. Microsoft claim that they have deliberately left open a provision for people wanting to hack the Kinect, contradicting their earlier statement that it would “work closely with law enforcement” to make sure that the Kinect is not tampered with.

The history of people trying to hack into the Kinect goes quite a way back, where Google engineer Matt Cutts had put up a bounty for anyone who could write simple hacks for the Kinect, similarly the open source community has also put up a bounty for producing an open source driver for the Kinect. In respect to this, Microsoft has said that it does not condone the modification of its products.

At first it was obvious that Microsoft was not at all pleased with the notion that people were trying to break into its shiny new product, but suddenly we saw a shift on November 19th when director of incubation for Xbox, Alex Kipman said:

Kinect was not actually hacked. Hacking would mean that someone got to our algorithms that sit inside of the Xbox and was able to actually use them. Which hasn’t happened. Or, it means that you put a device between the sensor and the Xbox for means of cheating, which also has not happened. That’s what we call hacking, and that’s what we put a ton of work and effort in to make sure doesn’t actually occur. What has happened is someone wrote a open source driver for PCs, which essentially opens the USB connection, which we didn’t protect by design, and reads the inputs from the sensor.

It has also been mentioned that there would be no legal action against people who will be involved in such sort of activities, rather the notion is here is that Microsoft is actually intrigued as to what people can come up with and write for its new peripheral, the Kinect.

via Mashable

Microsoft launches Windows Phone 7

You know what date is today? It’s 11th October the date on which Windows Phone 7 was to be given an official launch party. Steve Ballmer has done just that and announced their Windows Mobile successor which they hope will take them a long way in the intensely competitive smartphone market.

Glance and go is the slogan the Redmondians have used to promote Windows Phone 7 which of course refers to Live Tiles. Here is what Microsoft hopes to achieve with Glance and Go:

In today’s busy world we are spending more time heads-down on our phones than interacting with the people we’re sitting next to and missing out on important life moments. Windows Phone 7 was designed to deliver a mobile experience that has the phone working better for people, bringing together the things they care about most and helping them to get things done faster.

The giant device makers in HTC, LG, Samsung and Dell were part of the official Windows Phone 7 launch which will help both the parties for sure. A total of 9 Windows Phone 7 devices will go live in the year 2009. Windows Phone 7 devices will be up for grabs in Europe and Asia starting from 21st October whereas 8th November is the date on which Windows Phone 7 will hit retail stores in US.

[via Engadget]