The economy looks bad and as many as 2 million Americans will have lost their jobs by years end but things are looking up for at least one young job hunter if he or she has 3 years experience in user interface design with Visual Basic. The right person with those qualifications and others can be working for the Zune team on a number of things including the Zune Device User Interface and Zune Xbox.
So as tough as the economy is Microsoft is still building upon their commitment to Zune with an obvious long term plan on improving Zune Xbox integration.
The Zune Design team seeks a visual designer who is passionate about software design, software innovation and consumer entertainment experiences. We are looking for a strong, collaborative designer to work closely with the creative directors to propose innovative designs and content solutions for the Zune Device UI, Zune Xbox and Zune PC Application. You will be part of a small, but experienced, design team working with multiple feature teams to help ship exciting and emotionally engaging products for Zune. Additional responsibilities include creating interaction design solutions and creatively merging the interaction and the visual directions.
My latest project is the Xbox 360 Portable. Figured that was a more appropriate name than laptop, because seriously, who’d put this in their lap? It weighs almost as much as my sister’s cat.
I updated my Xbox 360 with the new Xbox Experience about 4 days ago and in those few days I have had to endure two full days of power outages and no internet. It’s been rather horrible and I am most upset that I have not been able to play with my new Xbox (it feels like a completely new system). I have had the chance to set it up and configure my avatar as well as preview some of the videos and NetFlix options but I have not had much time to do a full run through. I have some video I shot of the interface but I have not been able to upload anything more than the Xbox Intro video from two days back.
I’ll post more pics and videos and more reviews of the various features of the New Xbox Experience over the next few days.
All in all, Microsoft’s NXE adds a useful set of new features wrapped in a sleek new interface. So rich are these options that the free update would have been worth the $50 or so that a new game costs. In fact, the NXE turns the Xbox into one of the most compelling set-top boxes available for gamers and non-gamers alike.
I have actually wanted to chuck our Xbox out the window and into the pool when my kids fight over it. It can be rather frustrating to be honest and I can completely understand how he feels. It’s pretty crazy how bad the kdis can get over these games and I don’t think any parent would be wrong for doing something like this. it’s certainly not violent as many of the commentors seem to feel and i think it’s a very creative way for dad to nail the message in
Of course it may be that I’m sick and violent like this guy but I don’t think so. it’s been a long time since I hit anyone or anything and I don’t have a record for violent crimes or anything like that. If I were violent I imagine it would have come out by now. Anyway, here is a creative way to make your kids share their next game player.
ArsTechnica has a nice comparison of the Apple TV versus the Xbox 360 as the best choice for home entertainment system or digital hub. It’s a pretty easy for me with the Zune and a PC to take the 360 as a better choice for my digital lifestyle and it’s probably the better choice for millions of Windows users as well.
Apple TV is probably great for some folks but why would you miss out on the gaming capabilities and Xbox Live by choosing an Apple TV unless you already have a Wii or Playstation and no need for the Xbox game console? Seems like the Xbox 360 is an easy choice over the Apple TV for most of us.
* Cheaper than the Xbox 360
* Cheaper HD rentals
* Less restrictive licensing
* Build quality
* Better integration with the iTunes store
* Silent running
* Small form factor
Why the Xbox 360 is better:
* Lots of features when combined with Vista Windows Media Center
* Better picture quality (at the expense of file size)
* Plays games
* DVD drive (and the option of HD DVD)
* Includes cables
