Windows 8 / Xbox 360 / Windows Phone 8

It is not news that I am a fan of all things Microsoft. From Windows 3.1 to Windows 8, from Xbox to Xbox 360 and from Windows Phone 6 to Windows Phone 7.

 

Xbox 360: As some are aware I have been doing Xbox 360 dashboard beta testing for the past few years now and I enjoy it. The dashboard update is coming along nicely and I think should be released sometime around November 2012. I can't give out specifics as I am bound to keep it secret, but you can always check out the Microsoft E3 media briefing etc.

 

Windows 8: Released to Manufacturing later today, Windows 8 is the latest in Microsoft popular Operating System. Despite some peoples reactions to the OS I think it will be a popular Operating System. Faster than Windows 7 in benchmarks and even boot up time is quicker, Windows 8 is more about apps, like its Windows Phone and Xbox 360 counterparts. Apps are available through a app store and are installed along with a shortcut on the new Modern UI (previously named Metro UI) startup interface.

        I have had the pleasure of using Windows 8 for a while now and must say that its a good stable Operating System, that has built in SkyDrive support to store documents, pictures etc to the cloud. Windows 8 also has a people's hub similar to Windows Phone 7, where all your contacts are stored, you are able to view contacts from various social networks inc Windows Live, Facebook, Twitter even Google+.

I also have to point out although this is optimised for touch screen devices, it also works well with a keyboard and mouse, which is what I am using to post this post on my blog. 

Windows Phone 7.8/8: News is here that Nokia has something planned for 6th September which would indicate that they are announcing release of their Lumia Windows 8 handsets. Windows Phone 8 is the next in line of Microsofts Windows Phones, in this version of Phone we see:-

 

A Shared core with Windows 8.

New Star Screen Interface.

NFC Support.

Multicore support.

 

To name a few. Windows Phone 7.5 users will be getting a update to Windows Phone 7.8 which network carriers won't have a choice weather or not they want to hand this update out to handsets on their network. This will give some update features, although all update features have not been released to public, one of those features is the new Start Screen which the Windows 8 Phones will have.

Windows Phone 8107 update being rolled out next week on O2 UK

 

 O2 UK have stated on their twitter account that they will be releasing the 8107 update to their users sometime next week. This update will fix a lot of minor problems with their Windows Phones, which are as follows:

• Resolves a Gmail syncing issue.
• Fixes a location access issue. With this fix, the Me feature in the People Hub sends anonymous information about nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers to Microsoft only if you agree to allow the Check In function to access and use location information.
• Revokes digital certificates from DigiCert Sdn Bhd to address an encryption issue.
• Fixes an email issue related to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. With this fix, when you reply to or forward a message, the original message is now included in your response.
• Fixes a voicemail notification issue.

There is currently no word on the timeline for the update being released on any of the other UK networks, but we will keep an eye out.

 

Raspberry Pis $25 Computer

 http://www.raspberrypi.org/

Meet the Raspberry Pi — a bare-bones computer the size of a flash drive that costs $25.

 

Yes, it's real. And it's coming out next month, according to a new blog post by its developers on the Raspberry Pi Foundation website.

This little guy runs a stripped down version of Linux, an open-source operating system. Here are the specs:

• 700-megahertz processor (the iPhone has a 1-gigahertz processor)

• 128 megabytes of RAM (the iPhone has 512MB)

• SD Card slot for storage

• USB port

• HDMI Port

It still packs a punch, though — the processor is beefy enough to run Quake 3, a first-person shooter game that has some moderately intense graphics. It runs that game at about 20 frames per second at a 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution (that's about as high as most modern laptops).

 

 

Raspberry PSIs Running Quake

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e_mDuJuvZjI

Xbox Live Games Coming To iPhone And Android

 

 

 

When we first heard about Xbox Live Games coming to Android and iPhone we didn`t belive … but after that we seen the news on Forbes website and many others … so lets all Xbox fans hope that it will be a official app for Android and iOS. At Forbes they say that it will be a Double-Edget sward for Microsoft … but what do we care  we will play Xbox games on our Android device and all is OK 

Heres the news:

A recent job posting from the Redmond based company suggests that this may be the case. The job posting also indicates that the gaming service may be available to more than just Windows Phones.

“Microsoft has already released a My Xbox Live app for iOS, but it lacks gaming support,” Will Shanklin writes at Geek.com. “The job posting says that it plans to take the Xbox Live gaming and entertainment experience to mobile devices. It specifically refers to Windows Phone, iOS, and “other mobile platforms” (read: Android). An Xbox Live “developer familiar with Microsoft’s plans” also confirmed the move, saying that there’s no way Microsoft would ignore other platforms.”

HTC HD7