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AR glasses set to flood the market

Jul 222012

With Google’s ‘Project Glass’ AR glasses seemingly just around the corner (prototypes are currently on sale to selected developers), many of Google’s global technology rivals have been quick to react. Since Google obtained several patents for their device in June, during which time a pair of the glasses were modelled by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Sony, Nintendo, Apple and other smaller companies have announced their own AR glasses product.

AR glasses set to flood the market

One of the key features of all of these glasses has been the ability to take pictures on command. The concept of being taking pictures with just the eyes and voice is an appealing concept, perhaps because it will give humans the perceived powers of a science fiction robot, with a photographic memory. It is also a natural sign of market progression. In years gone by, the need was for everything to be mobile and transportable. Now that virtually all consumer electronics are capable of that, the latest need is for everything to be hands free. People can make phone calls hands free, but what else? You currently need your hands to take a picture, but is all that about to change?

Society in the 21st Century is one which expects to be able to take high quality photographs, whatever the circumstances and there are signs that AR glasses could very soon become the norm for casual photographers. Many smartphones are armed with technology to rival compact cameras, and soon most pairs of sunglasses will as well.

This is something which the electronics and technology industry must act upon. One of the biggest names in photography, Kodak, suffered huge losses for failing to react quickly enough to the digital revolution and it seems as though Japanese camera specialists Olympus are keen to not follow suit.

Lightweight and hands-free web browsing

Reportedly seven years in the making, Olympus’s ultra-compact wearable display prototype, the MEG4.0 has arrived. Weighing just 30 grams, these frameless glasses can project Internet and digital content right before your eyes but without blocking your view of the real world. Olympus claim that the product works well in bright sunlight, has a battery life of between two and eight hours, and includes an accelerometer which tells the glasses which way the user is looking. The digital content is provided by the user’s smartphone or tablet using a Bluetooth connection.

The early prototypes of the MEG4.0 do not currently feature a camera, although given Olympus’s rich pedigree in consumer and medical micro technology and photography, the camera is surely just a temporary absentee. It’s also unclear as yet whether Olympus plans to release the product themselves commercially, or to offer the technology to other developers.

What we do know is that for people hoping to be able to interact with the digital world using just a pair of glasses, the future is very bright indeed.

Sean writes about technology and its uses in the modern world for Direct Sight. Buy glasses online from Direct Sight here.

Zune to Expand Multiscreen Entertainment Services Into International Markets

Zune No Responses »

Jul 102012

Zune to Expand Multiscreen Entertainment Services Into International Markets

Sept. 20, 2010

Major entertainment companies provide music and movie catalog to the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

REDMOND, Wash. — Sep. 20, 2010 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the further international expansion of Zune, its digital entertainment service. This fall, Zune will expand its music and video footprint and bring the free Zune software, Zune Marketplace online store, Zune Pass1 music subscription service and enhanced features on Zune.net to new markets, providing a comprehensive entertainment experience on Windows-based PCs, on the go with Windows Phone 7 and in your living room through Xbox LIVE.2

“The integration between Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE is an exciting expansion in our entertainment offerings,” said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business Group at Microsoft. “Zune enables users to access the entertainment they want, wherever they want it — and now, more people than ever will be able to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that the Zune service offers.”

Zune software has been upgraded with new features and functionality and will serve as the Windows Phone 7 synchronization client. The new software (version 4.7) will be available to download for free in more than 20 countries, including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain, to easily manage your personal collection of movies, music, podcasts and pictures. Zune software continues to set the standard for entertainment software, providing best-in-class experiences to organize, discover and enjoy digital media with a variety of exclusive features. For example, the Quickplay menu enables immediate access to recently played content and personal favorites, and Smart DJ 3 automatically creates playlists from your personal music collection and takes the extra step of mixing in suggested music from the Zune Marketplace. The updated Zune software will also enable instant streaming of high-definition movies, allowing you to watch some Zune Marketplace movies in HD, with no download time, directly on a Windows PC.

Zune Marketplace online store is accessible from within the Zune software and offers the ability to purchase millions of individual songs or albums from its catalog, all in MP3 format. Here, consumers can also subscribe to Zune Pass,4 which provides unlimited downloads and music streaming capabilities from the Zune music library, including content from major music labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group, as well as thousands of independent labels. Zune Marketplace also has a large library of videos from major studios such as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution for purchase or rental. Video purchases will be accessible through Xbox LIVE and Windows-based PCs, and can also be added to a Windows Phone 7. Simply buy your favorite video from Zune Marketplace and watch it on the screen of your choice.9

Zune.net is the perfect resource for consumers as it allows them to download the software and set up a Zune account with a new or existing Windows Live ID.5 Zune.net will also provide Web access to Zune Marketplace so you can purchase music or use a Zune Pass to stream music directly through an Internet browser,6 as well as purchase video content.7

Zune Expansion to New Markets

As Zune expands internationally, its music and video service will be tailored for each market. Genre experts will custom program Zune Marketplace and feature the top songs, videos, movies and unique promotions for each country.

The fall 2010 international expansion of the Zune music and video service includes the following:

Zune Marketplace will extend services to several markets in Europe and beyond.

Zune Pass (U.K., France, Italy and Spain). The monthly music subscription service will be available for 9.99 euros /8.99 pounds per month for unlimited download and streaming access to the Zune music catalog and will be accessible on Windows-based PCs, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE. The offer in the U.S. will remain at $14.99 per month for unlimited downloads and streaming access, with the ability to keep 10 MP3s per month.8
Music purchase (U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Germany). Expansion to these markets will enable consumers to purchase MP3s and listen on their Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 or any other device that supports MP3 format. Users will also be able to purchase music videos to enjoy on Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 and Zune on Xbox LIVE.
Video purchase (U.K., France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).Consumers will now be able to purchase movies to download and watch anywhere — on the big screen in the living room with Xbox LIVE or their Windows-based PC as well as sync it to their Windows Phone 7 to enjoy on the go.9
Movie rental (U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). In addition to Zune video on Xbox LIVE, consumers in these countries will now be able to rent movies for viewing on their Windows-based PC or choose to sync the rental to their Windows Phone 7.

The global expansion of the service is the latest step in a series of milestones for Zune, including powering Bing music search results, the added ability to purchase music and video on Zune.net, and the forthcoming integration with Xbox LIVE and Kinect for Xbox 360. By continuing to integrate Zune across the most important screens to consumers, Zune provides an all-in-one music and video service for users to discover, enjoy and experience their entertainment wherever they want.

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft’s music and video entertainment service that provides an integrated digital experience across Zune devices, Windows-based PCs, Xbox LIVE and Windows Phone 7. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, elegant software, the Zune Marketplace and Zune.net online stores, the Zune Social online music community created to help people discover music, and the ZuneOriginals.net online media player customization store. More information can be found online at http://www.zune.net/en-us/press.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

1 Zune Pass available in U.K., France, Italy and Spain.

2 Zune Pass on Xbox 360 requires an Xbox LIVE Gold membership and a Zune Pass subscription.

3 Only available with Zune Pass.

4 Zune Pass is a music subscription; some Zune Marketplace songs and content are not available via Zune Pass. Available content may vary over time.

5 For cross-screen functionality, the same Windows Live ID needs to be used on the Zune software, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE accounts.

6 Internet browser support for Silverlight required.

7 Service features may vary based on market availability.

8 Keep 10 MP3s per month feature available to U.S. Zune Pass subscribers only, on their PC or Windows Phone 7.

9 Content available for download on multiple devices may vary over time. Availability of content and video resolution will vary by device.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news.Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Xbox 360 System Update Adds USB Storage

Xbox 6 Responses »

Apr 062010

It really does blow my mind how a company like Microsoft can keep going on with the way the run their business. They are so many years behind on things and ye they seem to continue to grow. They finally released an update to the Xbox 360 that allows me to fully use the on board USB and the box I have is over 5 years old.

That may seem lame but when you realize that they have limited it to a 16GB USB device than you must ask yourself WTF? I mean what is the logic in limiting me to a simple 16GB thumb drive? What about my 750GB device? I want to back up my Xbox data on an external drive. I want to download in game movies to my external drive. I cannot do either without the help of hacks and this is why the 360 is weak.

Xbox 360 System Update Adds USB Storage, Gotchas – PCWorld

Microsoft may be late adding USB storage support to the Xbox 360–Sony’s PlayStation 3 supported it off the block–but it’s finally live, for all you aspiring archivists. All you need to do is log into Xbox LIVE, pull down the latest update, and presto, you can dump data from your 360 to any external drive or memory key.

Well, almost any. Microsoft’s list of “gotchas” turns out to range from annoying to deflating, once you’ve read the fine print.

Free Black Friday Netbook, Zune HD From Microsoft

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Nov 292009

Free Black Friday Netbook, Zune HD From Microsoft – Reviews by PC Magazine

Microsoft has jumped on the Black Friday bandwagon, and is offering savings on Office Home & Student, free subscriptions to Xbox Live, and free netbooks.

Shoppers who buy a Lenovo T400 ($1,549) or X301 ($1,599) notebook or an A600 ($999) all-in-one desktop PC at a Microsoft retail store or online will receive a free Lenovo S10 netbook, a $350 value.

The first 50 customers who purchase a Sony VGN-NW250F/S ($780) or VGN-FW520F/B ($999) laptop will get a free 16GB Zune HD.

Xbox 360 sales surpass Wii, PS3

Xbox No Responses »

May 152008

Microsoft is beating the drums over hitting the 10 million units sold mark Xbox has had an extra year over Wii and thats not a good sign. Nintendo is going to hit the same mark much faster and Microsoft has certainly laid out a lout more in order to get the as well. It’s costing them big bucks to get to these benchmarks so I guiess they need to toot them up as often as possible.

I love Xbox Live but it’s going to be awhile if ever before Microsoft can claim dominance by any real measure. The Playstation and Wii will both be around for quite some time to come. I think Microsoft should start looking at how to broaden their fan base with more add ons and games for other demographics not including the hardcore gamers. The success of the Wii is certainly not just because every top gamer went out and bought one. The Wii is becoming the family unit and thats whats most dangerous to Microsoft. the true success in the Xbox package is Halo and that may be their biggest problem. Microsoft needs to offer more for the other household members if they want their console to truly dominate.

Xbox 360 sales surpass Wii, PS3 | Reuters

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday its Xbox 360 game machine beat Nintendo Co Ltd’s (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) Wii and Sony Corp’s (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 to reach 10 million units in U.S. sales.

“History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle,” Don Mattrick, a Microsoft senior vice president who heads the company’s Xbox business, said in a statement.

The Xbox 360 was the first of this latest generation of game machines to launch in the United States when it was released in November 2005. The PS3 and Wii were launched in the United States a year later.

The Wii is closing in on the Xbox 360, with 8.8 million units sold as of the end of March, while Sony has totaled 4.1 million PS3 units sold, according to market research firm NPD.

Microsoft also said global membership of its Xbox Live online service reached 12 million members.

Zune DRM Cracked!

DRM, The Zune No Responses »

May 012008

Microsoft DRM cracked, Zune freed: News – Security – ZDNet Australia

The digital rights management (DRM) software used by Microsoft to ‘protect’ music files so they can only be played using Windows Media Player, has once again been broken.

FairUse4WM first appeared in August 2006 on the Doom9 encoding forum, as a tool to strip the DRM from music files designed to play in Windows Media Player. A patch pushed out by Microsoft to fix Windows Media Player’s security flaw was subsequently cracked again by the originator of FairUse4WM, who identified him or herself only by the name “Viodentia”.

As a result, some providers had to shut down their Windows Media Player-utilising services, a prime example being Sky and its movie download service.

Microsoft filed a federal lawsuit against Viodentia for allegedly stealing its source code. Viodentia denied the claim and, unable to identify the hacker, Microsoft dropped its suit earlier this year. But now the utility is back, with a renewed focus on Windows Vista and the Zune, Microsoft’s answer to the iPod.

On Friday, a newly registered Doom9 user called “Divine Tao” (an anagram of Viodentia) pushed out a new crack, with the words: “This post introduces a new tool for uncovering the individual keys from Microsoft’s DRM blackbox components (“IBX”), up to version 11.0.6000.6324. Lacking the source code to the extant programs, I can only offer this output of my own efforts.”

Reports from Doom9′s users and the Web site Ars Technica indicate that the new crack works, which poses a problem for the Zune Marketplace music store. Microsoft had no comment on this latest development by the time of press.

The music industry has in any case been slowly moving away from the use of DRM, which many users see as overly restrictive. In April, Apple — proprietor of the iTunes music store — and EMI announced that they would henceforth be making music tracks available without copy protection, for a price.

Some music companies have in the past included DRM on physical audio CDs, but all have now dropped this approach in the wake of incidents such as the Sony “rootkit” debacle. In that episode, Sony was caught out hiding DRM software on some of its CDs that surreptitiously downloaded to users’ computers, sometimes with disastrous effects. Sony is currently suing the DRM provider, Amergence/Sunncomm, over the incident.

Anyone surprised that Microsoft and Sony are discussing Blu Ray for Xbox 360?

DVD No Responses »

Mar 072008

I guess we all understand why the HD drives in the Xbox 360 are external components don’t we? Lots of people faulted Microsoft for making the HD drive an external attachment but it was obviously a smarter move than making the same drive an internal component wasn’t it? No one could know who would win the format war and Microsoft hedged their bets by choosing the HDDVD drive in partnership with Toshiba by making it an add on component that can easily be changed over for another drive in the future.

Making the 360 a modular system was smarter in many ways. It helps keep the cost of the base unit lower and gets more users on your consoles. This is a safer bet then the move Sony made by including the Blu Ray player in the Playstation 3 whereby they have priced themselves above many entrants to the market and made themselves a high end system trying to compete with more affordable consoles like the 360 or Wii. Sony is sitting pretty now that the format war is over but they took one hell of a risk by integrating the Blu Ray and had this format war gone the other way this discussion would more likely be about the death of Sony and the Playstation than it is about a potential partnership between 2 of the top 3 console makers in the industry.

Microsoft has no problem in shifting sides, gears or partnerships and they will gladly open up to a partnership with Sony and include a Blu Ray device for the Xbox 360 in the near future I am certain. Why else would they have built the 360 with an external drive connection? What other choice does Microsoft have even? They are not going to develop some other format are they? No. They have no other choice but to concede a portion of future HD drive sales to Sony for every 360 sold if they want their player to be compatible with the only HD format available any longer. Don’t they?

And what about Sony? Do you think they will keep the Blu Ray a proprietary system and force Microsoft to develop an alternative or do you think they will settle for a slice of all HD drive sales on future Xbox units by establishing the Blu Ray as the HD standard for all game platforms? Do you think they want to risk the victory they have just claimed as the only HD format available? No. Sony will gladly take a piece of HD drive sales on Xbox because they know that at some point in the future all HD players will be Blu Ray and Sony will make money on every game console their competitors sell.
Sony Reportedly Discussing Blu-ray Xbox With Microsoft

Sony turned to Microsoft for a possible Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360, a senior executive told the Financial Times yesterday. On one hand, Microsoft has always supported the HD DVD format, which is now dead and buried, while Sony said they wanted to adjust to the consumers’ needs. After all, if we think of it, as there is no more HD DVD, what can the two companies do but talk?Everyone is curious to know how this collaboration would materialize in terms of prices, as Sony has kept a pretty high price tag on its Blu-ray so far. The question is: is Sony ready to give up the advantage the PS3 has now over Microsoft’s Xbox 360? As it appears, they’re nor afraid of a little competition, and that’s not all, as Sony will also get some great revenue from a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360.

Technorati Tags: microsoft, sony, xbox 360, playstation, blu ray

Microsoft to PC gamers: Prepare to go Live

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Mar 142007

Microsoft to PC gamers: Prepare to go Live – CNN.com

Microsoft Corp. Wednesday said its Live online service, which has attracted 6 million Xbox 360 console gamers, will be open in May to PC gamers who use its new Windows Vista operating system.

The move comes nearly a year after Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said the company’s vision was for “anywhere” gaming that would link video game consoles, cell phones and computers, and is a key step toward reaching that goal.

The PC version of Live will debut on May 8 with the launch of the Windows Vista version of “Halo 2,” Microsoft’s popular alien shooter game.

In June, Microsoft Game Studios will release “Shadowrun,” the first game where Live will support competition between players on the Xbox 360 and PCs.

Live members will need just one account, whether they play on the Xbox 360, the PC, or both machines.

Microsoft offers two Live subscription levels. Silver membership is free and the Gold level, which includes cross-platform play and other multiplayer features, costs about $50 per year.

Microsoft’s online gaming service has been a key selling point for its Xbox 360 video game console, which was released in November 2005 and competes with Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s Wii for top billing in the $30 billion global video game market.

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