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Latest Gear Live Videos
Windows Phone 7 trailer gets Lawrence of Arabia treatment
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Videos,
Ahhhhh snap! Microsoft is officially bringing “it” by touting the Windows Phone 7 as the next revolution in smartphones. Introduced with a cinematic touch by utilizing Lawrence of Arabia themed teaser trailer, Windows Phone 7 rides blurringly from out of the distance into the forefront. Okay, we’re a bit too enthusiastic, but something about Xbox Live on our phones makes us get all giddy inside!
Gallery: Windows Phone 7 trailer gets Lawrence of Arabia treatment
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Deal of the Day: Xbox 360 Halo Reach Limited Edition Console
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, Microsoft, Video Games,
We know that a lot of you are exciting about Halo: Reach, but for those super-fanatics, Microsoft has a limited edition Xbox 360 Halo: Reach console that we are featuring in the Deal of the Day for today. This is the new slim console, but rather than black, it’s silver. Along with the console, you also get a copy of Halo: Reach, and two wireless controllers along with headset. The console typically sells for $399, but with the Dell promo code you get $30 off the cost, which makes this thing a fantastic deal considering you are getting $419 worth of hardware and software in the package, and that the console is limited edition. You can order it now, and it will ship on September 14th alongside the release of Halo: Reach.
Save $30 on Xbox 360 Halo: Reach limited edition console bundle
Gallery: Deal of the Day: Xbox 360 Halo Reach Limited Edition Console
Windows Phone 7 gold dev tools coming in September
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Microsoft, Software,
Keeping true to their promise to have Windows Phone 7 devices out in time for the holiday season, Microsoft is getting ready to realase development tools to the public. The gold build will be released September 16th, and the Marketplace can start being bombarded with apps in the beginning of October. Apps are a key factor in solidifying Microsoft’s golden boy into the popular circle of smartphones.
With progress continuing to move forward on the Windows Phone 7 front, we can no longer doubt Microsoft’s ability to push a decent quality product out in time for the holiday season. Some other sources even speculate that devices carrying Windows Phone 7 OS may be out before Halloween, such as the Cetus pictured below.
Click to continue reading Windows Phone 7 gold dev tools coming in September
Read More 
| Windows Team Blog
Gallery: Windows Phone 7 gold dev tools coming in September
Deal of the Day: Xbox 360 slim, Wii, Nintendo DSi sale
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Hot Deals, Microsoft, Video Games,
If you’re a gamer looking to pick up a new console or some accessories, then today’s Deal of the Day is for you. Whether you are looking for a 250GB Xbox 360 slim, the black or white Nintendo Wii summer 2010 bundles, or a Nintendo DSi, you can pick them all up at a nice discount. If the Xbox 360 or DSi are on your radar, you can grab them for $20 off their normal price. If you’re more focused on the Wii side of things, you can get a new Wii bundle for $30 off the normal price. In addition, you can get Wii Fit Plus with the Balance Board for $25 off, and a Sony PS3 controller for $20 off as well! Hit the link for all the details.
Save up to 40% off XBox 360 slim, Wii, Nintendo DSi and gaming accessories!
Gallery: Deal of the Day: Xbox 360 slim, Wii, Nintendo DSi sale
Bing Maps Presents The Taxi Fare Calculator
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Internet, Microsoft, Software,
Tired of hailing down cab drivers who pretend to take you the fastest route, only to bog down your travelling with weird routes that add to the total fare? Bing is, as they’ve now added the ‘Taxi Fare Calculator’. This enables you to keep track of the best routes your taxi driver should be going, as well as an estimate on the total fare. Bing Map’s Taxi Fare Calculator was developed during the ‘King of Bing Maps’ competition, and is being tweaked to include more cities. As of now only a few dozen cities around the world are included. However, when more routes are mapped out and a dedicated mobile version is available, you can expect everyone in the know to use the Taxi Fare Calculator to avoid getting the run around from cabbies in unfamiliar cities. Check out the calculator here
Read More | Bing Community
Gallery: Bing Maps Presents The Taxi Fare Calculator
Ballmer unhappy with iPad sales figures, says Windows slates are job one
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Handhelds, Microsoft,
Microsoft is frustrated by the success of Apple’s iPad. Well, who wouldn’t be if you were once the greatest thing to ever happen to computer technology? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer let the world know that he is quite jealous of the iPad’s success in the market, quoted as saying that the iPad sold “certainly more [units] than I’d like them to have sold.”
This open admission of envy doesn’t come without a back up plan however, as Ballmer unseals his lips just enough to mention a future Microsoft tablet in the works. The only other tidbit of info he let slip was that “the operating system is called Windows.” That’s a no brainer.
Whether or not Microsoft’s Windows 7 tablet will be able to capitalize on the iPad’s success and beat it at it’s own game is unclear at this point, but Ballmer has high hopes. “It is job one urgency. No one is sleeping at the switch,” states Ballmer in reference to the Microsoft tablet. Expect this Windows 7 based tablet to hit the market in time for the holiday sales rush.
Read More | Cnet via The Next Web
Gallery: Ballmer unhappy with iPad sales figures, says Windows slates are job one
Windows Phone 7 Preview
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Editorial, Handhelds, Microsoft,
With iOS, Android, WebOS, and BlackBerry dominating the smartphone scene, Microsoft has been noticeably absent from the game. Now they are aiming to change that with Windows Phone 7. Whether Microsoft will be able to pull a rabbit out of its hat and become relevant in the hearts and pockets of users is completely up to what Windows Phone 7 can do. The OS was recently previewed and it is promising to say the least, but is still flawed in some key areas.
The Good
- While in lock mode you will have an at-a-glance look at time and date, incoming emails, calender appointments and texts. A simple upwards slide of the screen reveals the elegant dashboard, which uses a “tile” interface that is very well done. Your tiles are completely customizable, allowing you to “pin” your favorite and most used tiles to your home interface, such as playlists, people, webpages, and apps.
- What you will notice right off the bat is that the touch screen response is incredibly fast. In fact, the smoothness of touch is right up there with iOS 4 as the most responsive UI on a smartphone ever.
- The keyboard is one of the more important aspects of a smart phone (who talks anymore?), as users will definitely need a cooperative keypad when sending texts and emails. Windows Phone 7 manages to pull it off exceptionally well. The virtual keyboard works in both vertical and horizontal modes, and as expected, is better suited for horizontal use. Though, the feel of the keyboard shouldn’t be taken too seriously just yet, as we will have to wait to get our hands on a finished piece of retail hardware to gauge its comfort in use.
Click to continue reading Windows Phone 7 Preview
Gallery: Windows Phone 7 Preview
Fortune names their 50 smartest people in tech
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Microsoft, Misc. Tech,
Fortune has gone all tech on us this week, compiling a list of who they think are the fifty smartest people in tech. We found it interesting because most lists focus on the richest CEOs, or straight up performance on the job rather than things like intelligence, and the vision and impact they have on the tech world. The way they did it was to break the list down into ten categories (smartest CEO, smartest founder, etc.) and then list five names in each, listing a top choice for each category in the process. Here’s a peek at what they came up with:
- Smartest CEO: Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple
- Smartest Founder: Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook
- Smartest Designer: Jonathan Ive, Senior VP of Industrial Design, Apple
- Smartest Academic: Danah Boyd, Social Media Researcher, Microsoft Research
Hi the read link below to head to Fortune for the full list.
Read More | Fortune
Gallery: Fortune names their 50 smartest people in tech
Hey, have you been wanting to get your hands on Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360? They’ve been on display at all five of the official Microsoft stores, which pretty much no one lives by in the grand scheme of things. However, on July 15th, Kinect will be playable at 13 different Macy’s locations across the country, for one day only. We’ve got the full list of stores hosting the Kinect demos after the break.
Click to continue reading Play Kinect at Macy’s on July 15th
Gallery: Play Kinect at Macy’s on July 15th
New Xbox 360 250GB now available to order
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Microsoft, Video Games,
Those of you who were salivating over that new redesigned Xbox 360 announced yesterday at E3 2010 can now place your order for the Kinect-ready unit. Amazon, Newegg, and GameStop all have pages set up that allow you to order the new system, which we are guessing will start shipping today or tomorrow. Here are the links:
- New Xbox 360 on Amazon: Includes $5 Amazon MP3 credit
- New Xbox 360 on Newegg
Let us know if you take the plunge!
