Redmond, Washington—Microsoft is giving consumers more gigabytes for their buck. The company today announced an Xbox 360® console with triple the storage space of the original console, but for the same price of $349 (U.S.) estimated retail price.

Available in retail stores in the U.S. and Canada starting in early August, the upgraded Xbox 360 will include a 60GB hard drive for storing the growing wealth of digital entertainment available for the console, including music, movies, television shows, and game content. In addition, Microsoft today dropped the price of its 20GB Xbox 360 console in the U.S. and Canada to just $299 (U.S.) (ERP) while supplies last, a savings of $50.

"We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we're giving it to them at no extra charge," said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. "No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you'll have three times the storage to manage all that great content."

Xbox 360 is just one of three Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment systems Microsoft offers. Microsoft's Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with a 256MB memory unit and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games, is a value for the whole family for $279 (U.S.) (ERP), and the premium Xbox 360 Elite console is available with a 120GB hard drive for $449 (U.S.) (ERP).

Out of the box, the Xbox 360 console is ready to provide an incredible gaming and entertainment experience:

• Xbox 360 console: The console is equipped with a cool white finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in high definition (HD) entertainment (up to 1080p for gaming), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) output.
• 60GB Hard Drive: The 60GB detachable hard drive allows you to save your games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos, and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the premier one-stop digital download center for entertainment.
• Upscaling DVD Player: With an HDMI cable (sold separately), watch your favorite DVDs in near high-definition using the upscaling capabilities of Xbox 360.
• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller: This award-winning, high-performance wireless controller features the Xbox Guide Button for quick, in-game access to friends and music. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of up to 30 hours on two AA batteries.
• Xbox 360 Headset: The headset lets friends and family around the world chat while playing games, watching movies, or sending voice messages on Xbox LIVE.
• Xbox LIVE Silver Membership: For no additional cost, Xbox 360 owners can chat with friends online, collect Achievements to improve their Gamerscores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, and purchase or rent HD movies and TV shows, as well as the best in downloadable games from Xbox LIVE Arcade. (Broadband Internet access required.)
• One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold: An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Those who subscribe to this premium service can engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor their matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, and chat with an entire group of friends at a time.
• via xbox

No sooner does Variety all-but-confirm that Microsoft's somewhat mysterious Lips karaoke project will be shown at E3 then Gamekyo gets their hands on some apparent promotional shots of the game's wireless microphones (above) and box art. No screenshots of the gameplay yet, but the photo dump does include two pictures of people standing around with microphones near their mouths (you know, in case you were wondering what karaoke looked like).

Actually, these singing shots do show one interesting feature: the "lights on the shaft of the microphone that pulse to the rhythm of your voice," that were hinted at in last month's leaked Intellivoice Intellisponse survey. According to the pictures, this feature takes the form of two rings of light near the base and tip of the microphone, bathing the singers' hands in an ethereal blue or red glow. We'll let you know if the feature comes off as trippy or tacky when we inevitably get some hands-on time with the game next week...

via joystiq 

Microsoft's Robbie Bach 'thought about killing' Surface

Microsoft's Surface computing is the kind of Buck Rogers' technology that can dazzle consumers and boost a company's "cool" factor. But in an interview last week, Robbie Bach, Microsoft's president of Entertainment & Devices Division, said he came close on multiple occasions to deep-sixing the project.

I probably thought about killing it every year it was in development," said Bach, the man who forged a reputation as a hit maker by spearheading Microsoft's Xbox game console.

During the interview, at a Microsoft-sponsored dinner attended by a handful of reporters, Bach said that the excitement generated over the technology has taught him more about an interesting metric: "customer delight." I'll get to that later.

Originally code-named Milan, the Surface computer looks like the 1980s sit-down Ms. Pac Man machine. It uses infrared cameras and a projector to create a touch-screen that can respond to multiple users' hand gestures, as well as interact with other objects. Bach said that Surface was in development for about five years in a "pure incubator" environment with 20 Microsoft employees developing the computer.

Surface has wowed audiences everywhere it's been showcased. Nonetheless, serious challenges still lay ahead, such as reducing the price so consumers can afford it as well as shrinking the clunky 22-inch-high table and 30-inch horizontal display.

"We don't want to be in the furniture business," Bach quipped. Microsoft has said it plans to have the consumer version on shelves by 2011.

Right now, the devices are starting to appear in the retail stores of cellular carrier AT&T. Sheraton hotels, Harrah's casinos, and T-Mobile retail locations are also expected to get the machines. At about $10,000, the price is too high to be considered a consumer product. Finding a way to reduce costs, as well as the computer's size, were why Bach was skeptical about Surface as a profit maker.

"I didn't have a clear line of sight on what the business model was," Bach said. "I was always asking myself whether we could afford to keep it."

Surface did have one important cheerleader: Bill Gates.

Gates is a huge proponent of Surface computing. At a gathering last month of CEOs in Redmond, Wash., Gates said he wants to turn everything we touch into a computer: "It will be absolutely pervasive," he said. "When I say everywhere, I mean the individual's office, the home, the living room."

Bach called Gates a "big supporter" of Surface.

Besides generating applause from reviewers, Surface provided another benefit. Bach said he learned about how to gauge "customer delight" better. He cautioned, however, that Microsoft isn't just out to create gee-whiz products--not unless a sound business plan can be found for them.

"The Buck Rogers stuff won't carry the day on its own," Bach said, adding that just because something is cool doesn't mean it's going to make money (See Segway)...

via news.cne 

Can It Be? New Ford Escape Nav System Schools BMW, Lexus, Acura And ALL Others

Last week, 001 and 00k were caught up in the insanity of American Idol finals during the 2009 Ford Escape Press Event.

Ford has been a sponsor of the show since the beginning so they were able to wrangle us and other members of the press some tickets to the finals.

It was definitely exciting even though my guy didn't win (David A.) but the real excitement was seeing the first hand demo of the new navigation system that fully integrates the Microsoft SYNC technology.

Being a tech guy I normally don't get blown away by demoes, unless of course Steve is giving one, but this one was VERY impressive.

To say that this new system schools BMW, Lexus, Acura, Mercedes, Audi, etc., etc., etc., would be a HUGE understatement.

NOTHING on the market today even comes close to what capabilities are offered on this new Escape.

At ANY price.

And this system will be making its way into every new Ford/Lincoln/Mercury from this point forward.

Don't take my word for it.

Just watch our EXCLUSIVE video demo yourself and you WILL be blown away and envious!

Because it's not in YOUR car.

And you WILL want it!

I especially loved how it can instantly survey where you're at and find the cheapest gas prices and routes you to that station.

And the messaging functionality is a Godsend.

If you have trouble viewing the video above, click here to download it 

via autospies 

Microsoft and Cannon PC Partner to offer CableCARD Media Centers

Cannon PC, the award winning Media Center specialty company, announced May 25th its partnership with Microsoft and will be offering dual Digital CableCARDs on its line of Media Center PCs and has plans to release quad cable cards systems in the near future.

"We are excited about our partnership with Microsoft and the opportunity to offer our customers Digital CableCARD" said Gregg Cannon of Cannon PC. "Cannon PC has worked hard over the years to establish itself and major player in the Media Center market and CableCARD will allow us to bring the next level of this exciting technology to our customers."

For those not familiar with Digital CableCARDs, they allow customers to watch and record their cable TV channels, including premium HDTV channels like HBO-HD and ESPNHD directly on their media center without the need for a set top box. You can even stream the HD content to other rooms in the house via Media Center extenders.

As the winner of nine national and international awards, Cannon PC has been designing Microsoft Windows based Media Centers for over four years. Their business model is specifically targeted to Media Centers and Media Center technology. "We contribute our success on focusing our resources on what we do best and aligning our self with strategic partnerships including A/V integrators, homebuilders and cutting-edge home automation companies." said Cannon.

Cannon PC offers a of line of Media Centers for the tech savvy consumer as well as a high end line of Media Centers tailored for the custom integration market. Cannon PC has a unique dealer program for qualified A/V installers and integrators that are looking to offer their clients reliable feature rich Media Centers at a competitive price. Unlike other Media Center manufactures, each system can be completely customizable to fits the customers need or the A/V project.

Their Home Series line of Media Centers consist of the AMD based ultra small form factor FX Series Media Center as well as the Intel based MX Series house in an A/V style case. Either system can be purchased through their online site.

The Cannon PC Pro A/V Series consists of three models; the LX, EX and RX. The LX has been redesigned to include a stylish new case that integrates gold plated front audio connectors, quick access USB and Fire Wire connections as well as a 28 in 1 media card reader. The EX features a 12" HD touch screen and room for over 6 TB of disk storage. The RX unit is a sleek rack mount system that will fit nicely into any standard A/V rack and each system comes standard with a blu-ray DVD drive.

All Cannon PC Media Center comes standard with features such as a 28-in-1 media card reader, front IO, USB and fire wire connections, dual NTSC and HDTV tuners (with CableCARD shipping soon), 8 channel HD audio, P35 Express chipset, Quad Core and Dual Core Processor, high end ATI or NVIDIA graphics cards, up to 8 GB or RAM and up to 6 terabytes of internal SATA hard disk storage. Each system uses state of the art motherboards and components that utilize cool and quiet technology to ensure that their systems are whisper quiet and low on heat. All systems are backed by a 1 year factory warranty.

Cannon PC has been designing high end Media Center since its founding in 2004. To learn more about Cannon PC Media Centers, visit them online at http://www.cannonpc.com.

For information contact:
sales@cannonpc.com
832-364-6608

Cannon PC, LP is a Windows Media Center PC computer company. For more information, contact us at (832) 364-6608

# # #

Read more Press Releases from Greg Cannon:

• Cannon PC Releases Pro A/V Series Media Centers
• Cannon PC Media Center Named Top 100 Products of 2005
• Cannon PC Awarded 2005 Top Newcomer Award for Media Center
• Best Product Award Given to Cannon PC Media Center
• Cannon PC Releases Two New Media Center PCs for Home Automation and Home Theater
• Cannon PC Announces Partner and Affiliate Programs - Discount Pricing to Home Automation, Home Theater Stores.

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• Prominent Gamer-Girls Break Ranks & Announce New Co-Ed Gaming Clan: DSO (Delta Special Ops)...
• via 24-7pressrelease

Ford demonstrates new nav system with Sirius Travel

One of the cool features that Ford is introducing for the 2009 model year is its updated navigation system with Sirius Travel Link. When we went out to drive the updated 2009 Ford Escape this week, Ford's chief technology spokes-model Alan Hall gave us a guided tour of the system. The next generation nav unit takes the traditional touch screen GPS unit and integrates it with the popular SYNC system that debuted last year, while adding real time downloadable information from Sirius and a 10GB jukebox. The Sirius system provides information such as live weather maps overlaid on the navigation data, current fuel prices, movie listings and more.

With the jukebox, you can insert an audio CD and automatically rip it to the internal hard drive like you can in the Cadillac CTS. The full Gracenote CDDB database is incorporated so that the meta-data can be automatically added. The screen can even display the album artwork. The system can even play DVDs with the video only being visible on the front seat screen when the car is in park. As soon as the transmission is shifted into gear, it only plays the audio track. If you pull up a restaurant listing, it can automatically dial your bluetooth phone through the SYNC system. Like SYNC, the whole system can be controlled by voice commands so you don't have to take your hands off the wheel. The new setup will be on most 2009 Fords, with bigger vehicles like the new Flex and the MKS getting an 8-inch touch screen while the smaller Escape makes do with a 6.5" inch screen. Ford will be charging $1,995 for the full system including SYNC, the nav system, Travel Link and the jukebox. Check out a pair of video run-throughs of the system after the jump.

via autoblog 

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Creative scraps Wi-Fi player, focuses on design

Creative has for now shelved its plans to develop a Wi-Fi capable player, the company's Nordic product manager Jan Hvidberg has revealed in an interview. The senior official confirms the one-time existence of the ZEN Share but says that there were "technical complications" developing the player that prompted the company to drop the project. The executive doesn't rule out the possibility of a future player with wireless but for now shelves hopes of an immediate release. In place of the Share, Creative is purportedly set to launch a new player within the next two months that will have an "exciting" design, according to Hvidberg. No details have been publicly revealed, but the device is expected by many to be the ZEN X-Fi. The player is believed to be an upscale version of the ZEN with a metal back, the company's X-Fi audio processing technology, and Wi-Fi now a possibility. Creative would allegedly ship the device with between 8GB and 32GB of storage.

Hvidberg further makes it clear that any future players will be exclusively based on flash memory; hard drive-based players such as the ZEN Vision aren't expected to come back, he says. The stance is one of the first from a larger jukebox designer. Many, such as iRiver, have informally dropped hard disk-based players from their new introductions but have rarely ruled out a return to the format entirely. Apple and Microsoft are increasingly skewing their own lineups towards smaller and more reliable flash but continue to hold on to hard drive storage for significant components of their model range...

via electronista 

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Microsoft says no Spring Xbox 360 Dashboard update coming this year

We'd been getting pretty used to getting an Xbox 360 Dashboard updates every other season or so, but it looks like it's going to be a barren spring: there's no update coming this spring, according to Xbox Live manager Marc Whitten. In an interview with Next Generation, Whitten said that Redmond's focusing resources on "building the proper infrastructure and scale for the service" -- which hopefully means those Live outages will soon be a thing of the past. Whitten also said that the Live team is working on a Live DRM update that'll allow XBLA games to be re-licensed and played offline if you swap consoles, and that underperforming XBLA titles with Metacritic scores under 65 percent will be eligible for delisting. Sure, sure -- just make with that wacky motion-sensing controller soon, okay

via engadget 

GameStop to Stop Zune Sales

SAN FRANCISCO -- Video-game retailer GameStop(GME - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) has decided to stop selling Microsoft's(MSFT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) Zune players at its stores due to what it sees as insufficient demand from customers.

The move is unlikely to affect GameStop, whose sales come almost completely from video games but it puts up another hurdle in Microsoft's attempt to grow Zune sales.

"We have decided to exit the Zune category because it just did not have the appeal we had anticipated," said a GameStop spokesperson. "It (also) did not fit with our product mix." GameStop made the decision about a month ago. GameStop said it will sell Zune players online until it clears out its inventory.

GameStop has hundreds of stores across the country and losing that distribution channel could hurt Zune sales. Many of GameStop's customers are avid users of Microsoft's Xbox 360 console and could have presented a cross-selling opportunity for Microsoft.

Microsoft said Friday that the Zune continues to be carried by other big-box retailers. "We have a set of great partnerships that give Zune a strong presence at retail including Best Buy(BBY - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), Target(TGT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), Wal-Mart(WMT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and others," said Adam Sohn, director of marketing for Zune, in a statement. "We will continue to invest in retail partnerships and have seen good momentum online and at retail over the last few months."

Microsoft has sold about 2 million Zunes since the device's release in Nov. 2006. Zune is estimated to have about 4% of the overall market share for digital media players currently.

Zune's total sales are a fraction of those for rival Apple's(AAPL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) iPod. Apple sold 10.6 million iPods in the last quarter alone.

GameStop first offered Zunes to its customers for pre-orders in Oct 2006.

The decision to stop selling Zunes took a toll on the company's margins in the first quarter. Gross margins for the quarter were 26.1%, down from 27.2% the same quarter year before, reported GameStop on Thursday.

Shares of GameStop were down $3.15, or 6.2%, to $47.72 following in-line guidance for the current quarter and fiscal year.

Andy Wilson, a researcher from Microsoft Research's Redmond, Wash., campus, demonstrates LaserTouch. An infrared camera tracks how he touches the screen to prompt a response from the software.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Microsoft researchers on Thursday demonstrated a new, low-cost method for manipulating a digital desktop or wall display with two hands.

Called LaserTouch, the prototype is the latest invention of computer vision specialist Andy Wilson, a researcher from Microsoft Research's Redmond, Wash., campus. Wilson has worked on Microsoft's Surface computing, among other projects. But more recently he's developed a sensing technology system that would allow people to retrofit any display--e.g., a desktop or projector--so that they could use their hands, instead of a mouse, to interact with the computer.

The system uses a low-cost infrared camera and lasers to track how the user touches the screen in order to prompt a response from the software. The result could be a virtual chess game with a friend over a networked computer, or a better way to show off a PowerPoint presentation, Wilson said.

"It's a simple technique," Wilson said Thursday during a presentation of the prototype. Wilson was referring to the low-cost camera and laser setup, but he said the magic is really in the software he's developed.

On Thursday, Microsoft hosted its fourth research road show here at its Silicon Valley campus since the local arm opened in 2001. The event, which was open to press, academia, high-school students, and industry, was designed to demonstrate the company's research efforts and new technologies emerging from the labs. (The company has labs in Redmond, Mountain View, and, this summer, in Cambridge, Mass.)

LaserTouch is the newest prototype from Microsoft Research, but researchers also presented other previously unveiled projects from the labs. Those included Microsoft WorldWide Telescope, a virtual telescope for scientists and the public to peer into the heavens.

Researchers also previewed Boku, a programming language for kids on the Xbox 360 game controller. The technology lets kids guide, or "program," the behavior of a virtual robot through the use of visual cue cards in the game, rather than HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).

Even though LaserTouch was billed as an "inexpensive" multi-touch sensor technology, Wilson didn't say how much such a system would cost. He said that there aren't any plans to turn LaserTouch into a product as of now, partly because there are still problems with the technology. For example, it doesn't support multiple users that well. If two people were attempting to manipulate the display, for example, one person's hands might block the laser from "seeing" the other person's hands.

If turned into a product, however, it might save someone as much as $10,000 if they were in the market for a Microsoft Surface computer.

Still, the company is working on bringing down the cost of computer vision-sensing technologies to improve products like games, according to Wilson.

via news.cne 

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