LONG weekend - Xbox 360 news
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sorry for the last of posts between Friday and today, I've unfortunately been busy at track meet, work, school, and all the other things affecting my life right now. There not much going on today with the shooting of the 32 students at Virginia Tech. My sympathies go out to the all the victims and friends/family of those unlucky to be there that day. I'll speak more about it on the other sports blog.
Back to gaming news, a rumour has been confirmed for the Xbox360 that when the Xbox 360 Elite will be released that Gamestop will have a special trade-in offer for those who have older Xbox's.
Here's the values:
Xbox 360 Premium : 250$
Xbox 360 Core : 200$
Xbox (old Black one) : 50$
I linked off Xbox 360 Rally so give them some credit, but enjoy the news if you're looking for that new Xbox.
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 10:34 PM 4 comments
Labels: Microsoft, Random, Video Games
Keeping Windows up to date
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
It just seems that no one will ever keep their computer secure unless Microsoft forces them too, which is pretty amazing considering what most people think about computers. I just borrowed a friend's laptop, which is running Windows XP SP2, yet somehow doesn't have Internet Explorer 7 installed and no other browser. How could you only have IE6? No Firefox, no tabs? I guess I've just been spoiled by my computer.
Do you guys often the same thing when using other people's computers? Are you like why do you turn off the automatic updates when you won't update yourself?
Just makes me wonder sometimes,
Alright more later,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 6:48 PM 0 comments
Labels: Computers, Internet, Microsoft
Midday roundup
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Just got in from work, and quickly went to my favorite quick news site Digg, and found 2 articles for you guys to enjoy. Not much going on in life or electronics, tech or the web so I'll talk about Video Games and Guns.
The first link is the annoucement that Sonic and Mario, mascots for the longtime rivals Nintendo and Sega, are now teaming up to compete in a sports game for the 2008 Olympic games. Wiifanboy.com has all the details but hey, it's a start, now let's see them go head to head in a fighting game.
The second link is for a program setup in Mexico where you trade your handgun for an Xbox360. Pretty interesting concept, getting guns out of the streets and more consoles out there. It's starting in Mexico City but will spread to other cities in Mexico. I like the idea, imagine if they did that in the US?
Alright more news later,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 2:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: Microsoft, Nintendo, Random, Video Games
New Black Xbox360 Announced!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Just hot off the presses at our favorite Tech blog Engadget is the announcement of a Black limited edition Xbox360. Without further adieu here's the pic.
Updated features include (quote from Engadget
* The Elite will be limited quantities only; that may be as much or as little as a couple hundred thousand.
* The case, controller, and Live headset will all be black. It will have all new packaging.
* Elite will cost $479, and will be a 3rd SKU; it will be sold alongside Premium and Core packs.
* Eventually Elite hardware (in white plastics) will take the role of the Xbox Premium. That is to say, after the Elite is launched and sold out, future Xbox Premiums will have 120GB / HDMI.
* We do not yet know exactly when 120GB / HDMI will become the standard for Premium, but it is loosely estimated to be late summer or fall.
* Elite models run cooler than normal 360s, but they are not yet confirmed to have 65nm chips.
* Prices may remain the same with the 120GB / HDMI hardware upgrade in the Premium Xbox, but we may still see a price cut on the line when 65nm chips start shipping.
* The HD DVD drive will not be internal or bundled -- Microsoft never did or nor does not currently have plans to put an HD DVD drive in the 360.
* There are no current plans to integrate WiFi into the Elite or future Premiums (although that can always change).
Pretty sweet deal, I wouldn't mind paying 479$ for that, which is still cheaper than any PS3. You can check out the full post at Engadget HERE and of course you're encouraged to post your thoughts.
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 5:35 PM 0 comments
Labels: Microsoft, Video Games
Interesting news about MP3 licensing, potential headaches for consumers
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Was just reading Wired earlier tonight while cleaning up the room, and they had a pretty lengthy piece on MP3 licensing and the verdict against Microsoft that occurred this week. It wasn't in the mainstream press because it wasn't directly against Microsoft, but it was Alcatel-Lucent asserting that they hold the patent for MP3's along with the original patent holder. What does that mean for us? A couple of things
1) If Microsoft loses the appeals, it's going to have to pay a lot of cash for continued MP3 use and will likely abandon the format.
2) Another codec is going to take it's place, and right now the 3 front-runners are AAC, WMA and Ogg-Vorbis
3) Many audio players and companies dealing with MP3's are going to have to pay another license to Alcatel-Lucent, and they're going to be in trouble judging by Microsoft's amount.
This is good for the opponents of MP3, but I feel it's generally bad for us. Dam patents, oh well it seems everything's in the air for now but don't say I didn't warn you when we're forced to move off MP3 to another format. You guys can read the full article at Wired.com.
Enjoy,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 11:28 PM 0 comments
Labels: Digital Players, Microsoft, Music, Tech
Personal Debate - Vista or not?
Thursday, February 01, 2007
I'm just talking to a friend over here, and since I've been looking at a lot of news, reviews and general stories about Vista, I'm wondering, should I upgrade? There's a lot of pro's and con's, and I'm beyond the requirements for Home Premium, so would it be worth it for me to pick up an upgrade copy?
Anyone else have these thoughts? Anyone sticking with XP for a long time to come? I wonder what's the opinions of the masses, most don't have a nice rig like I do, but for those with the requirements for Aero and with a decent recently purchased PC, what are you going to do?
Post away,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 2:10 PM 2 comments
Interesting, Zune's cracking under battery pressure?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
It seems that the Microsoft Zune, the attempt that the guys at MS have made to combat the iPod, has a free more issues to content with. There's a story on Engadget about Zune Screens Cracking Under Battery Pressure. Pretty crazy if it's true, since the info comes from an insider at Microsoft Tech Support who's working the call center. The battery expands when charging and puts too much stress on the screen apparantly. I wonder if more stories will come out, so now hold off on your Zune purchase, well, most people already did and purchased an ipod.
More later,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 2:26 PM 0 comments
Labels: Digital Players, Microsoft
Vista's out
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Yep everyone, the personal or retail release of Windows Vista is upon us. Of course there's been tons of articles, reviews, pictures and bashing of Vista over the last couple of weeks/days, but since today is the official release, I might talk about the article I liked the most.
It comes from MSNBC surprisingly, and it's Mac User who Switches to Vista. What? Blasphemy you say, well it's a nice objective look at someone who's going from the opposite side of the fence into the dark side without the usual fanboy zealotry that accompanies Mac fans. Really interesting look at things, and there's a little twist in the article that I don't want to mention. Go read it, well worth the time.
Another interesting read is from the Cult of Mac on Wired.com, and they also install Vista to a Mac Pro, and notice that it feels faster than OS X. Pretty interesting as well, haven't read the full article since I was linked from Gizmodo but looks like a nice read, check it out.
Alright enough for now,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 2:13 PM 0 comments
Vista Ultimate already?
Monday, January 22, 2007
You guys wanting some Vista Ultimate in the sleek retail packaging are going to have to wait until the 30th, or try to get an Amazon Pre-Order, or lastly, you can head over to China for one of these as seen on Engadget HERE. They make fakes of everything now don't they, even before they make it market. The most impressive thing is that the box art for the Vista Ultimate was release only a couple days ago, making this a REALLY fast release. Here's a pic,
Enjoy,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 12:08 AM 0 comments
Afternoon Digg Roundup
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Yep it's that time again, a quiet, snowy afternoon in Brooklyn and no class until the evening, leaving me to surf the net and post my favorite news from around. There's a good variety of articles on Digg, from Ubuntu to STD vaccine's, so I'll post my 2 favorite pieces for the afternoon.
The first is from Time.com, and it speaks about 10 states making it mandatory for girls to take an STD Vaccine against HPV. Pretty interesting debate being sprung up, is it worth to force all the girls to take it, or make it a choice and worry about the consequences if they contract it somehow still. Personally I'm all for the vaccine being mandatory, but I understand how some people could object.
The second is for gamers via 1up.com, which is a large gaming portal, and it asks the question, How Would You Fix Xbox Live?". I'm not on Xbox Live due to the connection at my dorm, but I don't think there's that much to fix, it's pretty much the best online multiplayer network amoung the 3 consoles, and they're always updating it and bringing more content so I don't have much to bitch about. Anyone have any gripes?
Then here's a little add-on for Firefox users. IF you have to access an FTP, why not have better management through Firefox? There's a nice Add-on called FireFTP, and it could make life simpler for those webmasters. I'll give it a run through tonight and post some thoughts,
Alright enough for now, post your comments and thoughts as always,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 2:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: Firefox, Health, Microsoft, News
Ok, I give in, I want a PS3
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Yea I've been spending my first day full day in NYC taking care of business, you know, going to work, going to practice, talking to my other boss for my library job. Basic bs that everyone has to attend to.
I've been thinking over the holidays of what my next big purchase is going to be. I have my cell phone, got everything I needed/wanted for Christmas (more later on that, I promise) and am pretty happy. Guess I just need something to look forward to getting. I wanted a next-gen console since Xbox360's been out and I was looking into getting a 360 but I realize how many PS2 games I still have and still actively play. So instead of buying both a ps2 and a 360 I might as well go PS3 and knock both out.
Yea I'm still not 100% but I'm really looking into it, what you guys think? what next-gen console you want? ps3, xbox360 or wii? Post your thoughts.
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 3:33 PM 2 comments
Labels: Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Video Games
As usual, Vista cracked, illegal KMS servers on the Internet, but Microsoft will still laugh
Sunday, December 03, 2006
I saw this blog post on Digg, from Josh's blog at Windowsconnected.com, where there is news of Chinese KMS servers popping up to authenticate Windows Vista so that they can get updates and etc from Windows Genuine Advantage sites/programs. It's normal that Vista will get cracked, but unusual for people to setup servers to authenticate the keys that have been leaked already.
However good old Redmond might be the last laugh, since Microsoft forces people no matter what license to authenticate every 180 days if they want the neat features like Aero and etc, so you can have a crippled version, which maybe be fine for the crackers, but the mom's and dad's that have a fake copy install by their sons might not work.
I think it's good for MS, bad for me since I can't remember the last time I was forced to buy a Microsoft operating system, but if they're getting smarter I think it's about time.
You can read the full article from WindowsConnected HERE and post your thoughts on the whole thing.
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 9:05 PM 0 comments
Up to take information on next generation Console Sales
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thought you guys might like this site where they show an update sales figure for each next generation console. Pretty interesting looking at the numbers, with only 300,000 total PS3's sold, well short of their 400,000 stated initial goal. As well I thought they're would be more Wii's out there, but it's still a LOT more than the PS3's.
As you can see the Xbox360 still has a comfortable lead on both consoles but we'll see what happens once production for the 2 other consoles start picking up.
My predictions are Nintendo 1, Microsft 2 and Sony 3 with each having 40/30/30 market share. We'll see in a year if I'm right.
Alright, here's the link to http://nexgenwars.com/.
Enjoy!
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 1:05 PM 0 comments
Labels: Hardware, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Video Games
That was quick, Zune hacked to wirelessly send MP3's without DRM
Friday, November 24, 2006
I knew that it wouldn't be long before someone hacked the Zune, after all it is a Microsoft device, lol. They managed to use the Zune as a portable Hard Drive or storage device, and once they figured that out it was simple for them to send MP3's renamed as image files without the DRM on them. I'm over simplifying the process but there's a much better explanation on Gizmodo with a guide to doing the hard drive mod and how to send the files. It's better they explain it since I don't think most of you guys have a Zune yet and don't really care yet.
Anyways if you're interested check out the Article on Gizmodo HERE and post your thoughts.
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 11:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Digital Players, Electronics, Microsoft
Rumours about Gears of War coming to PC
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Just reading the Opposable Thumbs Blog on Ars Technica, it's a great blog talking about the gaming industry in general. Today they have a piece about Gears of War coming to PC, well, speculation on how it will/will not since Microsoft's Games For Windows initiative had GOW as one of their featured titles. Well Microsoft went on the record that's they're NOT releasing it yet (they don't wanna kill their precious Xbox360 sales) but they din't say they're not releasing it ever, a la Halo 2 for PC (is that thing ever going to come out?
Anyways you can read further HERE and discuss if you've playing GOW how the PC vs the Xbox360 versions would be like.
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 2:01 PM 0 comments
Labels: Microsoft, Video Games
Thanksgiving morning news
Since it's Thanksgiving here it's kind of slow in the US (I woke up at 10am for the first time in months, I loved it) for tech news but there's a nice article on Windows Vista out and there's a hack out to see the Wii store from Firefox. Both pretty good reads on your Turkey day morning while waiting for the folks to cook and arrive.
PC World has a pretty big overview of Windows Vista out, speaking about the features and what they like/don't like. It's pretty comprehensive for the typical user, so check it out HERE. I might just get Vista afterall (I haven't owned a legal MS OS license in a while, maybe it's time i stop being a pirate, lol)
Next out for the gamers out there is a link to the Wii store. You need to run some javascript first but there's some cool pages there. The site has videos and screenshots for the lazy people (including me) and it's pretty interesting os take a look. Here's the page HERE so let me know what you think.
Alright enough for now, more later after I get back from the store.
-Steven
Posted bySteve at 10:50 AM 0 comments
Labels: Microsoft, Nintendo, Video Games
Zune's being released tomorrow, you getting one?
Monday, November 13, 2006
If I wasn't so lazy I'd put a poll up here asking you guys if you'd get a Zune or not. Since it's coming out tomorrow there's been a lot of press/reviews. I saw a really good link yesterday but never got around to posting it so here it is, sorry if it's old news.
This one is from IHT.com, stating that most iPod users are considering buying an iPod, here's the quote:
"That is why Steve Wilson, a consumer electronics analyst, was so surprised this month when he read the results of a survey by ABI Research of 1,725 randomly chosen owners of digital media players. To Wilson's shock, 58 percent of iPod owners told ABI they were likely to buy a Zune, the new player Microsoft plans to start selling in the U.S. market on Tuesday, and in 2007 in Europe."
Pretty interesting thing here, staying that iPod users aren't loyal. Here's the rest of the article HERE
Me, I'd look into a Zune maybe later for its video capabilities. I have my phone (SE W810i) for music since I don't want to carry 2 seperate devices on the go but if their movie support takes off then it might be work looking into. Anyone have any further thoughts? Post away,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 8:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: Electronics, Microsoft, Music
Sorry for the missing 2 days
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Yea I've been rather busy as of late with a lot of Athletic training and real life things in the way. It was my birthday on Saturday (11/11) and I also worked the whole day for the PSAL, so I kept myself busy. I really didn't get the chance to post much so I'll try to catch up today.
Btw someone pointed me out that New York isn't one of the cities in 3D for some reason, I didn't notice the bar on the side with the city listings so that's my bad. Here's a complete list
Atlanta
Baltimore
Boston
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Fort Worth
Houston
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Philadelphia
Phoenix
San Francisco
San Jose
Seattle
Enjoy and more later,
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 8:15 PM 0 comments
Labels: Internet, Microsoft, Personal
Unpacking the PS3 and Wii
Friday, November 10, 2006
Since about every news site has this URL linked too and since these 2 systems are coming out next week I might as well share them as well. Gizmodo has the Wii and PS3 final unpackaging, I might say the PS3 box looks nice, but the thing is a brick in size. The Wii has plain packaging but it's so small that it don't really matter.
For me the killer is this pic
Which one you want after that? lol
Here's the link to the original artice HERE
Enjoy and post your thoughts
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 6:06 PM 0 comments
Labels: Hardware, Microsoft, Sony, Video Games
Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D - Google Earth copycat?
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
I played around with Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D yesterday and coming from the Live maps that they had I was expecting a much better experience. However I found that the beta application wasn't as good as Google's 3D inside of Google Earth, not even close. Maybe it's because Google Earth is a much more mature stand-alone application but I expected more with Virtual Earth 3D. I had 3 3D buildings in Manhattan, yes 3, not very good. Didn't see any 3D in Montreal, but I expected that. I was able to tilt the screen and see the pictures from different angles, but no 3D buildings. Anyone else give it a shot yet? Did they fix NYC yet? Let me know your thoughts/opinions
Oh yea here's a link to the download, you need the plugin to use the local.live.com 3D function, Virtual Earth 3D Download
-Steve
Posted bySteve at 7:30 PM 2 comments
