Posts Tagged microsoft
Microsoft introduces new Xbox 360 4GB bundle
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on July 21st, 2010
Microsoft has just announced a brand new way to spend your summer, and they don’t want you to do it outdoors. No sir, the big M prefers you to use up most of your waking time indoors thanks to a new controller-free way of playing video games with their spanking new Kinect system which will come bundled with an all-new Xbox 360 6GB console. Of course, what is the point of having all the hardware in the world when you do not have any software to go along with it? Microsoft has certainly not overlooked that fact, and will be rolling out “Kinect Adventures” packaged together in the bundle, retailing for $299.99 a pop.
Just in case you were wondering how you’re going to sweat it out with “Kinect Adventures,” you will have to open up yourself to 20 different adventures, where among them include navigating through roaring rapids and ducking and dodging through mountaintop obstacle courses and other exotic locations. All of those are done without having to worry about mashing buttons on a controller since there is none – in fact, all you need to do is make sure the Kinect device is properly calibrated and you’re good to go. Not only that, for those who want to get in on the fun but already own an Xbox 360 console can always pick up the Kinect sensor with “Kinect Adventures” separately for $149.99. The Kinect sensor itself, just in case you do not know, is capable of tracking your full body movements, respond to your voice and deliver a multiplayer experience right out of the box.
There will be a new Xbox 360 4GB console that will ship from August 3 onwards later this year in the US for $199.99 a pop, boasting a sleek new design, built-in Wi-Fi N connectivity, up to 4GB of internal flash memory (as you can tell by its model name), touch-sensitive buttons and a black matte finish – hopefully without any of its predecessor’s overheating issues.
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[ Microsoft introduces new Xbox 360 4GB bundle copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Microsoft introduces new Xbox 360 4GB bundle
Microsoft announces the Kinect, formerly Project Natal
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on June 15th, 2010
It has been a full year since we first mentioned Project Natal. That was at last year’s E3, and at this year’s E3, Microsoft finally unveiled the Project Natal as the Kinect.
As in Kinect to the Xbox 360 and use an RGB camera, 3D depth sensors, and multi-array microphone for a serious motion controlled game that does not require a white stick.
I am here for E3, the big video game in Expo in Los Angeles. The moment that I checked into my hotel room, I saw some sort of decal on my bathroom mirror that said: “All You Have To Do is Be You”. Then I saw the decal in the corner saying Kinect. At that point, I had no idea what the Kinect was.
I swear, the housekeeping staff must have put on that decal just before I walked through the door. I swear that Microsoft just officially announced the Kinect minutes ago, a few blocks away.
You had better expect the Kinect to be in household by Christmas. I believe that they already have over 15 titles ready to go for this, including a Star Wars game and a Dancing game that does not have a spotted matt like Dance Dance Revolution.
This could be the beginning of a new age of gaming. We shall see.
Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Microsoft announces the Kinect, formerly Project Natal copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Microsoft announces the Kinect, formerly Project Natal
Microsoft: “Excuse us, while we Pinch-the-Sky”
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on June 2nd, 2010
Once again, Microsoft Research is up to something amazing with Pinch-the-Sky. This project is currently a geodesic dome with cardboard shingles, and with an omni-directional projector in the middle that is gesture and speech sensitive.
One of the things that this thing can do is show the viewer the universe like nothing else. You can watch the video after the jump and see the user scroll through galaxies and stars, and magnify planets like an iPhone app. All of the stellar information comes from telescopes, and the user can even say things like “Saturn”, and the program will focus on Saturn.
It reminds me of these rooms on the U.S.S. Enterprise that are devoted to “Stellar Cartography”. It’s a heck of a lot better than looking at the infinity of space with two-dimensional maps.
Of course, Pinch the Sky has other applications too. For example, you can know what it feels like to be in a snow globe. It also has some weird diagram of social networking that really confused me.
Yeah, those don’t sound too useful. Still, I wouldn’t mind getting a geodesic dome and an omni-directional projector so I could do my daily work. Man, I could have hundreds of screens surrounding me, each one running some different application! Not only that, it would be cool to work under a geodesic dome.
Keep on working, Microsoft Research, keep on working.
Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Microsoft: “Excuse us, while we Pinch-the-Sky” copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Microsoft: “Excuse us, while we Pinch-the-Sky”
13 Tech Design Microsoft Method All-In-One
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on April 16th, 2010
I like concept technology as much as the next guy, and I love to see renderings of what could be the next “game-changing” gadget. The problem is when the source for this gadget is a website with nothing but renderings of neat stuff.
The supposed All-in-one from Microsoft. You know, it is one thing when you make a rendering of a product, and it is another game when you put someone else’s corporate logo on it. Then again, this all in one is suppose to be some sort of Microsoft Surface, then an architect’s drafting board, then some sort of presentation slab of some type. I have included a video of it after the jump so you can see it and possibly be amazed.
I suppose that since Surface is Microsoft technology, then you might have to put the Microsoft label on it. As far as I know, only Microsoft makes the Surface, and it could be copyrighted technology. You might note that the icons on the side of it included Xbox Cloud. So, I guess we can play games on this thing too.
All in all, I think that this particular item is all kinds of nifty, and I wouldn’t mind if every classroom had at least one or two of these guys. The Surface could help with some hands on learning, and the display could be very interactive.
Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ 13 Tech Design Microsoft Method All-In-One copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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13 Tech Design Microsoft Method All-In-One
Skinput: Get your whole body into your interface
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on March 2nd, 2010
What you are seeing here is not some sort of modern art, but it may make some statement about our society today.
This is Skinput, a conceptual technology that can recognize a user’s taps of a finger on the skin, but it seems to be limited to the hand and the rest of the arm.
This tech is under development from Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft, and requires that the user wear a certain armband with “piezoelectric cantilevers, or sensors that measure pressure, acceleration and force”. Click on the video after the jump to see this technology in action, and a most unusual method of controlling Tetris.
Skinput also uses a pico-projector to create images like menus on the user’s arm. With a tap on the skin above or below the menu, the user has a very unusual form of navigation.
You have to admit that this technology could have all sorts of applications for the mobile world. Just picture selecting your tunes on your arm instead of your iPod, or dialing your phone on your palm instead of your mobile device.
Still, I can’t help but this tech will lead to an age when we are all comfortable with integrating technology with our flesh. Then our cyborg teachers will say that it all began with Skinput.
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Skinput: Get your whole body into your interface copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Skinput: Get your whole body into your interface
Microsoft SideWinder X4 keyboard
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on February 3rd, 2010
Microsoft isn’t all software, you know? The company does have had its fair share of forays into the world of hardware and peripherals, with their Xbox 360 gaming console being a standout alongside the Microsoft ergonomic mouse and keyboard which made quite a splash when they were introduced in the last century. Of course, the keyboard was particularly memorable as it came in a contoured form factor, complete with its keys split down the middle. While that made it comfortable for typing, it didn’t bode too well for some gamers who configured their keys to take up the middle section of the keyboard. Well, fast forward to the 21st century and we have the new Microsoft SideWinder X4 Keyboard, a specially designed keyboard that offers gamers more control thanks to the industry’s most advanced anti-ghosting technology. Thanks to the advancements by the Applied Sciences Group, this new technology is able to enable the most complex key combinations during a hectic gaming session without missing a beat, featuring macro recording, mode and profile switching and adjustable backlighting among others.
What does anti-ghosting technology mean for the layman? Basically, it allows you to press up to 26 keys simultaneously, and since each key is scanned independently by the keyboard hardware, the SideWinder X4 will register each key press correctly, independent of all the other keys being pressed at once. In other words, the SideWinder 4 Keyboard by far excels where other keyboards fail, allowing gamers to execute key combinations that will be able to keep up with your skill and speed.
Other features include macro recording which allows lets them string together multiple moves into a single button press, while automatic macro repetition is a new feature which allows one to repeat the macro time and again with just a single key. Mode and profile switching is also supported, providing an extremely easy way to customize the keyboard for various games and users, with adjustable backlighting allowing one to set the right lighting level whenever you game in the dark. Expect to pick up the SideWinder X4 Keyboard later next month for $59.95 – to be sure you get a copy, Amazon allows you to place a pre-order later this week.
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[ Microsoft SideWinder X4 keyboard copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Microsoft SideWinder X4 keyboard
Pictionaire: The desk of the future
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on January 28th, 2010
Now that the iPad has been formally announced, let’s take it a step further with this iDesk. Actually, the technology that you see in this picture is called the Pictionaire, and it is under development by Microsoft Research and the University of California, Berkeley.
As you can see from the attached video after the jump, this 4 x 6 foot table has a camera mounted above it, much like the futuristic hexagonal-type board game that we reported on yesterday.
The user has the power to place a physical object on the Pictionaire, and, with a little drag-and-drop gesture, he or she will have a digital copy of that item. The original physical object can be moved, and the digital copy can be traced onto a whiteboard or a sketchpad.
The user also has the option of putting a wireless keyboard on the table, and the table can become a display. From what it looks like in the video, the user can type in a keyword and get the image that he or she is looking for, maybe from the objects that were on the Pictionaire before.
It reminds of a desk I saw in The Island. Some of you might not remember this film, because it was an intelligent Michael Bay film that didn’t involve giant robots beating each other up. I believe that the villain in The Island had a desk with projections, and he even had Ewan McGregor draw on it with a virtual stylus. You know that desks like this will be in offices of the future, unless the companies can afford a Surface.
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Pictionaire: The desk of the future copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Pictionaire: The desk of the future
More Courier details leaked
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on November 7th, 2009
More details have emerged about the operating systems and applications that power Microsoft’s new Courier Tablet PC.
Details about Microsoft’s alleged bookish tablet PC are beginning to surface, and with every bit leaked, the anticipation rises. Courier, the dual screen tablet which we reported about here a few months back, looks more like a book reader should look, but also enables a “cliff notes” representation of the data files saved on it, but also contains a searchable “journal overview” which enables users to search by subject, keyword, or other criteria.
Organizing data files is the “Library” interface browser. A favorites tray sits on the left hand screen for saving often used files for quick access, and there’s a digital version of the old school library card file for flipping through data files and their histories.
Users of Evernote will recognize a feature in “Browser” that allows clipping web content and saving to the journal application for further use.
Aside from choosing the favorites dock for often used files, users can also save files in a very interesting fashion, but dragging the file to the spine, which closes and saves the file – very cool idea.
Agenda is more than a calendar, it’s more like a daily journal which keeps track not only of appointments, but allows for taking notes and sketches by date and subject. Collaborate is a project based application no doubt to serve as a wireless connection with other Courier users in order to accomplish some project.
Fiinally, the digital stylus is more than just a handwriting interface, as it has two programmable buttons, a digital eraser, and activation of an artistitc drawing mode with the flick of the wrist.
Now many people may roll their eyes at a Software company making a hardware interface, but iCourier isn’t Microsoft’s first rodeo. With success of the XBox and XBox 360, UltimateTV (we still use this DVR and it’s excellent), Surface, and even the struggling Zune, Microsoft can easily develop a serious tablet computer for release and could challenge Apple as a hardware company to boot. But chances are, Redmond will simply license the design to other manufacturers. But we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on Courier, hoping it’ll be under our Christmas Tree someday!
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[ More Courier details leaked copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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More Courier details leaked
Microsoft shows off its next-gen computing muscles on campuses nationwide
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on November 6th, 2009
Even though Microsoft could probably easily rest on the profits from Windows 7, it is always good to hear them working on new ways of interfacing with computers. Lately, chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundle has been going from college to college, showing off the latest next-gen computer prototype.
Mundle has a lot of interesting things to say about the way computers are headed. One of his demonstrations includes a computer that can project its images onto a pane of glass in front of him. He says that the future will probably bring about a workstation that will include multiple displays, that will eventually work their way into 3-D images. I can’t help but agree with him.
Mundle then used gestures to rotate and focus in on an image of a wind turbine. Gesture recognition is something that has been under development, and I’m certain will be perfected by the year 2054. (Because Minority Report takes place in that year.)
Mundle also showed how a computer can recognize handwriting when doing searches, but his results page was quite confusing as it showed many pages like a quilt of many tiny tiles. He then used eye-tracking to scan along those tiles, and each one would enlarge as it came into focus.
It really is quite amazing to see what they are working on, especially the eye-tracking. I don’t know whether that was just a special effect, but I certainly wouldn’t mind having that now. Perhaps Microsoft is one step closer to achieving that 2019 vision of the future.
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Microsoft shows off its next-gen computing muscles on campuses nationwide copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Microsoft shows off its next-gen computing muscles on campuses nationwide
Xbox 360 Controller from Carl Archambeault
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on September 10th, 2009
I’m not certain if you can read the small print on the photo to the left, but it says “Project was to design a handheld gaming device that would combine the gaming power of the Xbox 360 and the music and video power of the Microsoft Zune”.
This was the vision of Carl Archambeault when he designed this controller with a slide out screen. This Xbox 1080 is a prototype that has a slide-out LCD screen. I am assuming that you get 1080 quality, but doesn’t the Zune HD have only 720p? Oh, wait, maybe it is called that because it is three times better than that pesky Xbox 360.
I believe that the purpose of this is to be some new type of portable video gaming system, but I thought this was some homage to the Sega Dreamcast, that system that celebrated its 10th anniversary yesterday.
Of course this begs the question: where do you insert the games? This also begs the question: where are the trigger keys? We also don’t know the battery life or how to charge this guy, but it’s a concept device, we don’t have specs yet.
I don’t have confirmation on this, but I have heard that this project is something that Microsoft is actually working on.
Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Xbox 360 Controller from Carl Archambeault copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Xbox 360 Controller from Carl Archambeault