Xbox Live and Zune Marketplace problems

There are reports emerging stating that both the XBOX Live Marketplace and the Zune Marketplace are not functioning properly.

It is said that the XBOX Live Marketplace is having problems reliably processing purchases, and the Zune Marketplace seems to have a fundamental problem with its entire database. Many sources seem to think that the possible reason for this issue is the recent free Thriller video which proved to be very popular. Read more

Microsoft Bing search engine and BingTones

From the moment we posted the news that Microsoft’s Live Search may change its name to ‘Bing’, we knew something big was coming.

Then the inevitable happened, and Microsoft’s Bing was made live with a massive budget for promoting purposes Read more

Microsoft Zune 3.1 Update: Go get it

For all those that own a Microsoft Zune you will happy to know that there is a brand new Microsoft Zune 3.1 Update, this all new Zune update 3.1 features more goodies for you like Sudoku for example. Read more

Microsoft Vista Dying, Windows 7 coming June 3rd 2009

Before we tell you about the latest news we have to say Microsoft Vista is pretty rubbish, maybe you have to get used to it who knows but there is something about it that just does not cut it.

Bill Gates mentioned not so long ago about Windows 7 and that it could be coming sometime next year, well the latest news has it that it will be available June 23rd 2009, finally at last this means that Microsoft Vista is dying.

This date is fantastic because many though that it was going to be released sometime in 2010, Vista as we all know only had a three-year lifespan so it was expected to see a successor.

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Xbox 360 game tester tells of hardware failure and loses job

Robert Delaware, an Xbox 360 games tester lost his job after talking to a journalist from Venturebeat about a problem with the Xbox 360.

In the article that was published in Venturebeat , Delaware told journalist Dean Takahashi about the problem he came across whilst working for VMC, which is a company that tests games for Mircrosoft, he told Takahashi that he could see that the “Xbox Live updates embedded in retail games could turn working consoles into worthless hulks”.

Now, Delaware has lost his job at VMC for breach of his confidentiality contract, but he has said that he doesn’t care if it leads to a battle in court with Microsoft. When asked how he feels now he lost his job, Delaware said “It feels good it was the moral thing to do”. It seems that Delaware is ready for a fight with Microsoft, he seems pretty confident and not backing down to Microsoft.

Source: pocket-lint

Microsoft: Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 SP1 Framework Upgrades

Microsoft has just made available for download Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 SP1 Framework Upgrades plus other associated products. Below you will see what Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 delivers.

First up is the Visual Studio 2008 SP1, the new upgrade will give you Improved WPF designers, SQL Server 2008 support, ADO.NET Entity Designer, Visual Basic and Visual C++ components and tools (including an MFC-based Office 2007 style ‘Ribbon’), Visual Studio Team System Team Foundation Server (TFS) addresses customer feedback on version control usability and performance, email integration with work item tracking and full support for hosting on SQL Server 2008 and Richer JavaScript support, enhanced AJAX and data tools, and Web site deployment improvements.

Next up is what the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 will deliver, it will deliver Performance increases between 20-45% for WPF-based applications – without having to change any code, WCF improvements that give developers more control over the way they access data and services, Streamlined installation experience for client applications and Improvements in the area of data platform, such as the ADO.NET Entity Framework, ADO.NET Data Services and support for SQL Server 2008’s new features.

All developers can download these new service packs, for Visual Studio 2008 download please visit here and for the updated .NET 3.5 Framework visit here.

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Microsoft 60GB Xbox 360 UK release August 15

New details not long in shows that Microsoft are release the 60GB Xbox 360 in the UK on August 15, the 60GB edition of the Xbox 360 gaming console has been mentioned a few times but now it is indeed true that it will be releasing in the UK on the date giving above.

It will retail at the same price as the phased-out 20GB edition for only £199 GBP, both the Xbox 360 Arcade that sells for £159.99 and Elite version that sells at £259.99 GBP will not be affected what so ever by this brand new model.

Many gamers knows that the Xbox 360 can deliver and now with the stunning 60GB we know this will be much appreciated, gamers are always crying about more space without the need for an external option.

Will you be buying the Microsoft 60GB Xbox 360 when it releases in the UK?

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Microsoft looks at Powerset after Yahoo setback

Microsoft are not a company that spends to long licking its wounds, not long after the whole Yahoo saga, the software giant is now looking towards a new deal to buy semantic search engine Powerset. Microsoft are doing all they can to try and close the gap between themselves and Google. It looks as though Microsoft will stop at nothing to become the biggest search engine.

Microsoft has said that by purchasing Powerset, they will be able to deliver a smarter way of searching the web. Powerset is a totally different search engine to one that Microsoft use, they use “semantic Web” technology which brings up results that is based on an understanding of a words meaning, as well as the context of its use. This is a totally different concept to most other search engines like Google and Yahoo; they work by primarily matching words in queries to those on a web page.

Microsoft announced the news of this new deal on July 1 and has said that they share the same vision as Powerset. Early reports say that Microsoft has offered more than $100 million in order to acquire the company; however there is no official news on how much Microsoft will end up paying for Powerset.

If the deal does go through then this could be just what Microsoft need to try and close the gap on rivals Google, in some areas search engines like Powerset outperform the likes of Google. Microsoft is in a good position as Google will find it very hard to replicate the same results as Powerset. However; Microsoft has to make sure that they do not take any shortcuts; they will have to build everything from scratch.

Google has already hired some semantic search experts, in the hope of developing this technology for themselves, looks as though Microsoft is about to get the jump on them.

Microsoft Windows XP No Longer: Either love Vista or wait for Windows 7

Microsoft retires Windows XP; Microsoft has stopped making available Windows XP to large computer firms such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo and even software retailers. There will be a few exceptions where Windows XP will in fact be unavailable to retail shoppers and computer makers; this is a big blow to some because it means forcing quite a few Microsoft PC users to migrate to Windows Vista OS, or if you hate Vista then having to wait to 2010 for Microsoft Windows 7.

This new move has been panned for months, they will continue to offer the operating system to system builders that is, small, independent PC makers, through July of next year. What we do like is the fact that Microsoft are still offering to make Windows XP available to builders of ultra-low-cost laptops and PCs, you know like Asus, they will do this until the end of 2010, Windows 7 will be out then. This has apparently been seen as an attempt to prevent the likes of Linux from being a more established beachhead in emerging markets. Also, some PC makers, including Dell (Dell), are giving customers continued access to XP for an indefinite period if they buy certain models of Vista-based computers. There is a loophole in Microsoft’s licensing terms that lets users of its most current operating system “downgrade” to a previous version at no additional cost. There are many hardcore users who love XP and they are not going to give up their beloved OS without a hard fight, there has been a petition to save XP which has been launched by a computer industry publication and has so far more than 210,000 online signatures.

Like I many users hate Windows Vista and love XP, XP is what I am using still and will continue to do so, the reason I hate Vista so much is because of its compatibility with older software. One thing is for sure and that is users will not sway away from XP anytime soon. Microsoft has said that they will extend support for the OS until 2014.

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer Microsoft’s Unstoppable Team: until now

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer have been the driving force of Microsoft for the last 28 years and an unstoppable team, well that’s until now. Bill Gates turned to the job of chairman in January 2000 and let Steve Ballmer become CEO; now at the end of June we will see this partnership change again.

Gates day-to-day role at Microsoft will end but he has said he will spend 20% of his time working on Microsoft projects, with all successful businessmen, the work will become part of them. Some people have said Gates is retiring, I say to them “That will never happen”. He will take more of a back seat again, but will always have a foot in with the plans and direction of Microsoft, even at 20%.

With Steve Ballmer taking more control of Microsoft’s direction, is this the right choice?

When Gates ends the job as a full-time employee, we will see Ballmer run Microsoft for around another 10 years. Not only will he be 62 years old then but also he will be one of the longest running Fortune 500 CEOs. With the next 10 years being a true Web era and many of Microsoft’s products and services being build for this, does Ballmer have what it takes to keep Microsoft at the top?

The man has energy and loves competition; these are two very good traits for any Ceo, although some people who watch Microsoft closely think that Ballmer is not the right man and even say he has not made crucial decisions when they were needed. These include firing underperforming executives that were not hitting the goals Microsoft needs to hit.

The industry has changed a lot since 2000 and it does look like Microsoft has slipped a little when compared to Apple Inc and Google Inc, these two brands have made massive achievements compared to Microsoft of late.

Since Bill Gates disengaged himself from Microsoft, has it had an affect on their performance?

Source: Read

Video of Microsoft revealing Windows 7 at D6: The scoop shows multi-touch support

We are all up for Windows 7 and when Microsoft showed off a snippet of it working we fell in love because the scoop is it reveals multi-touch support. Steve Ballmer and mastermind Bill Gates was on stage at D6 talking all about Microsoft.

The company have not said much and are of course being “coy” about Microsoft Windows 7, some have said that some people have blamed chit chat early on in Vista development for saddling the operating system with too high of expectations which makes things difficult for developers. Ballmer is a lovely man because he was good enough to show off the smallest snippet as they call it of Windows 7, the main thing that stands out here is the fact it reveals multi-touch support which is fantastic and of course something I would love to play with. The demo was running on a Dell Latitude XT tablet notebook and apparently Microsoft is working the whole interface with multi-touch experience in mind.

Expect Windows 7 in late 2009 or early 2010 which for us is too far away, we would love to buy it now as it seems something we would love to use everyday, well that of course if it works good. To me Windows Vista is a pile of crap and has gone back to XP. Maybe I am old fashion but I need something that stands out and with Windows 7 featuring multi-touch support which is great.

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Microsoft and One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Partner: Windows Available on XO Laptops

The latest press release news in is about Microsoft and One Laptop per Child (OLPC) partnering to give very affordable computing to students worldwide. It is also said that Microsoft Windows is now available on XO laptops, these trials will begin in key emerging markets next month.

Microsoft and One Laptop per Child (OLPC) have yes just announced an agreement which will indeed make the Microsoft Windows operating system available on OLPC’s low-cost XO laptops for the world’s poorest children, their plan is to start all this as soon as June in key emerging markets. We all know that by providing high-quality education for our children in the developing world is very large indeed in solving any single organization, so with Microsoft and OLPC committed to working with nongovernmental organizations and governments will ensure the success of these pilot programs.

With the availability of Windows in addition to Linux on XO laptops this will now allow customers the expanded choice of operating environments that best fit their requirements and that their intention to create a version of the XO laptop which will provide the best ability to host both Linux and Windows operating systems, this will in return give the users the ability to run either on XO laptops.

Part of the press release says ““Transforming education is a fundamental goal of Microsoft Unlimited Potential, our ambitious effort to bring sustained social and economic opportunity to people who currently don’t enjoy the benefits of technology,” said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft. “By supporting a wide variety of affordable computing solutions for education that includes OLPC’s XO laptop, we aim to make technology more relevant, accessible and affordable for students everywhere.”

Microsoft have now spent well over a year working on a variety of partners to develop customized drivers that enable Windows to run on the XO laptop and now Windows now supports the laptop’s e-book reading mode writing pad and custom keys, standard Wi-Fi networking, camera, as well as the power-saving and other features of the XO hardware. More technical details regarding Windows for the XO laptop and a video demonstration can be found at http://blogs.technet.com/jamesu

Microsoft Worldwide Telescope just launched: Is this better than Google Earth add-on Sky?

If you love galaxies, exploding stars, exotic nebulae and basically anything to do with astronomy then you will really love the newly launched Microsoft Worldwide Telescope. The new WorldWide Telescope from Microsoft is a free tool that puts together images from the best ground and space based telescopes in the world and collections include pictures from the awesome and well known Hubble and Spitzer telescopes oh and of course the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

All this and so much more is just a click on the mouse away for all you amateur astronomers, the tool which is web based and allows you the user to zoom and pan around the planets and even trace their locations in the night sky. There are some pretty cool things you can do such as see the X-ray view of the sky, cross-fade into the visible light view and zoom into bright radiation clouds plus you can even discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago.

If you want to use the system just click the link below, to use this all new system you will need to download WorldWide Telescope from the internet and just so you all know it only runs on Windows operating systems. WorldWide Telescope is a great tool for educational purposes which will indeed inspire young people. The new WorldWide Telescope from Microsoft is not the only a tool for astronomers to explore the night sky from their computers, do you remember when Google who are Microsoft’s rivals launching their very own Google Sky which is an add-on to Google Earth.

Microsoft Worldwide Telescope system requirements are as follows - 2GHz or faster processor, 2GB of RAM, 1-10GB of free disk space, Graphics card with 128 MB RAM or 256 VRAM, Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista, Net connection and Macs must run Windows OS.

This content requires the Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Now go and visit www.worldwidetelescope.org/ and have a play.

Microsoft Automated Service Agent: natural language solution for customer service needs

Today at the SSPA Best Practices 2008 conference, Microsoft Corp. announced that it has further enhanced its online self-service and internal support tool, Microsoft Automated Service Agent (ASA), with a variety of new features. Powered by Microsoft’s natural language technology, ASA is a hosted solution that allows customers to interact in a chat-style session and ask questions in their own words, and helps them get concise, accurate answers. The solution helps to deflect support calls, guide users to the right answers, and serve as a valuable knowledge resource inside the enterprise. A winner of the Spring 2008 SSPA Recognized Innovator Award for Innovation in Usability, Microsoft ASA currently has customers across multiple industries, including the financial, high-tech and telecommunications industries.

“As consumers are becoming accustomed to the immediate resources of the Internet, they expect the same level of satisfaction in their customer service interactions,” said David Sliter, group general manager of the Industry Solutions Group at Microsoft. “We developed the Automated Service Agent to empower customers to resolve their own issues and to alleviate the burden of assisted service calls. As an effective online support solution, ASA helps enterprises enhance the customer service experience by helping provide fast, accurate answers that enable immediate customer action.”

New Features and Functionality
The latest version of ASA offers a number of key features that help improve the customer experience. The features include new feedback functions, troubleshooting and search capabilities, and the ability to guide customers through rich content and highly secure tools already on the site, which include the following:

• In-Agent Feedback allows enterprises to dynamically capture ASA success rate and fine-tune content.
• Decision Trees allow enterprises to quickly create troubleshooting trees that can help guide customers to the right answers.
• ASA in SharePoint Query allows users access to internal networks of information through a SharePoint search.
• Side-by-Side ASA positions the ASA window to the side of the primary Web browser so users can view both ASA responses and Internet content simultaneously.

Internal IT Support
Microsoft ASA also can be used as an internal IT support solution and serve as a knowledge tool for help desk agents within an enterprise. Because ASA can handle a wide array of topics, programs, features, troubleshooting and valuable how-to information, the solution can help reduce service-desk call volumes, improve help desk operations, and improve end-user productivity.

“With Web 2.0 changing the way we interact with the Internet, enterprises need to incorporate strategies that enable them to respond to the unique requests of their customers,” said Mary Wardley, vice president, enterprise applications and customer relationship management (CRM) software at IDC. “Providing a self-service channel on the Web has become a necessity for companies that wish to enhance their customer service interactions. Microsoft Automated Service Agent can help improve the customer experience and complement existing CRM solutions.”

“We needed to find a solution that would reduce contact volume caused by tax filing deadlines,” said Kris Nagoda, project manager for TurboTax Interactive Agent at Intuit Inc. “By implementing Microsoft Automated Service Agent, we saw virtually immediate benefits with a significant reduction in customer contacts. In addition, the solution is easy to deploy and maintain, so we are able to constantly improve the ASA and provide a better experience for our customers.”

About Microsoft Automated Service Agent
Microsoft Automated Service Agent (ASA) is a hosted solution that provides customer service and internal support to enterprises. By leveraging its natural language technology, ASA has the ability to communicate conversationally with customers and deliver concise, accurate answers. The ASA platform currently handles millions of chat sessions, which help reduce support costs and provide a better overall experience for customers. More information on Microsoft Automated Service Agent can be found at microsoft.com/asa.

Sales of Microsoft Xbox 360 have doubled in Europe

Not so long ago it looked as if the Xbox 360 hand lost its crown as the best games console on the market as the Sony PS3 started to close the gap. Sales of the Xbox 360 were affected; ok not only from the onslaught from Sony’s PlayStation 3 but also as a shot in the foot from Microsoft themselves with the RROD issue.

Well thanks to some huge prices cuts of the Xbox 360 in Europe it seems as if the next-generation console sales have started to increase, well by double in fact. It seems that being able to purchase an entry level Xbox 360 for just £160 was an attractive offer for consumers.

It was thought that with the recent demise of the HD DVD, it would affect sales of the Xbox 360, but it looks as though people are just interested in the gaming side of things, and the Xbox certainly does that part well.

Not only has sales of Microsoft’s games console increased but it looks as though the Xbox 360 sells 7 times more games than that of the Sony PS3, however you have to remember that the Xbox 360 has been out a lot longer and also the console has many more games as well.

Source - Pocket Lint

Microsoft let loose Xbox 360 HD DVD player update: Do you still love?

We all know that HD DVD has died and gone to heaven but Microsoft are not letting that stop them, because they are still showing the current Xbox 360 HD DVD player owners amazing love with the release of today’s auto update.

You can connect to your Xbox Live with a HD DVD player firmly integrated into your 360, once you are there you will be asked to download a new update, this new update will apparently help with the compatibility issues with some titles and will add additional support for network features.

Oh we must tell you that this update will not bring back to life Toshiba’s commitment to HD DVD but it should make your HD movie viewing a little better.

Oh Microsoft you do try!

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Is Microsoft really working on 360 Wiimote control? No Confirmation

We are not too sure if this is real or just a little bit of fun, but what we do know is we will just wait and see the outcome. According to MTV News Microsoft are at this time secretly developing a Wiimote-like motion controller for the Xbox 360.

Hey Nintendo get your suing shoes on! No seriously a source has said that the new unit has been in development since August, the interface is be developed by Rare.

The whole Wiimote-killer idea should be much better than the Nintendo control because it will feature an analog stick, four face buttons, microphone and possibly integration with the Xbox Live Vision Camera.

It seems though Microsoft are having problems getting this new control out by the end of the year, so as I said above, shall we just sit back and wait to see what happens.

Bill Gates says Windows 7 OS will launch next year?

In a recent interview at the Inter-American Development Bank, Bill Gates has hinted that says Windows 7 OS could launch next year. Gates was asked about when this new operating system will be available, which he replied “Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new version.”

However it is not certain if it will be the full version of Window 7 or just a beta version. One thing is sure; it is a lot sooner than many thought. It shows that Windows Vista has not taken off as good as Microsoft had hoped.

As yet there are new details on what features Windows 7 will have, and Bill Gates was not giving anything away either. One thing is certain, they will learn from mistakes made from Vista.

Source - PC Pro via Pocket Lint

Official News: Microsoft Windows XP will be no longer as of June 30th 2008

Official news not long in is reporting that Microsoft have announced that their Windows XP will not be in shops from June 30th 2008, does this mean that Windows XP will cease to exist?

Well apparently they are not withdrawing all of their support for the old operating system but mainstream technical support will indeed keep on until April next year, they are saying that there will be a version of Windows XP for ultra-low-cost computers (ULCPC) and that they are allowed to use Windows XP Home until June 30, 2010.

Source – Press Release via Gear Diary

Next-gen Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles with built in Blu-ray coming 2008

Remember back when we told you about Xbox 360 not getting Blu-ray (See Here), well the latest news has it that despite Microsoft attempting to crush Xbox 360 Blu-ray rumors the rumors are indeed back with a vengeance.

According to sources chatting to DigiTimes, Lite-On are developing a built-in Blu-ray Disc drives for the next generation Xbox 360 games console and apparently Lite-On are expecting to ship the BD players for assembly in the second half of 2008.

Oh and apparently the apparent smaller Xbox 360 will hopefully reduce the power supply from 210-watts to 170-watts.

I am taking this all with a pinch of salt; do any of you want to comment on the above? We are waiting.