It would seem that the clever little chaps over at Microsoft have been busy developing their next version of the Windows OS. Windows 8 has been demoed for the first time and at last it seems to feature the touch functionality that Windows 7 was sorely missing. To get a more in-depth intro to the new UI check out this video below.
I don’t know if it’s the David and Goliath syndrome but it seems that the competition are ganging up to take on Apple over their grip on the phone and tablet market.
So who is in bed with who? Well over the last couple of weeks some of the giants of technology have announced partnerships that should help them claw their way to success.
As promised here is our follow up to yesterdays Nintendo Wii post and today we are focusing on the Microsoft Xbox 360, so without further ado let’s get started.
Now in its sixth incarnation, the 360 has slimmed down from its original fat self (how many of us have wanted to do that!) by taking a leaf out of the PlayStation 3 which did exactly that a year prior. The system has been out since 2005 and is the biggest selling consoles in the present market and uses both the standard controller that many are accustomed to but also the recently released Kinect. A motion tracking camera in which you are the controller, but more on this later.
The slimmed down system measures (mm) 270 x 75 x 264 and is the second largest of the three current generation systems behind the PS3 and comes in varying versions, the only real difference is the hard disk capacity. The lowest you can buy is a 4Gb whilst the other a 250Gb however both contain the same hardware and like the Black Wii and PS3 comes in a glossy black to sit in with most living rooms without drawing too much attention.
Features
One of my pet peeves that I had with the earlier Xboxes was that they had no WiFi adapter which meant that you either had to use an Ethernet cable to connect it to your Router or part with another £40 to get a USB Wireless adapter which slotted into the back of the console. Fortunately, Microsoft have finally relented and placed one inside it so at least the technology has caught up with the Wii and and PS3.
Now another area Microsoft make more money is through Xbox Live. XBL is the network service offered by Microsoft that lets its subscribers play multiplayer enabled games as well other online services like Last.fm, Twitter and amongst others Facebook. If that isn’t confusing enough XBL comes in three flavours: the standard Free version which lets you chat to other players, add friends on the XBL Network; the ‘Gold’ standard which is what lets users access the aforementioned services and more for £40 (rumoured to be going up); and, finally the family pack ‘Gold’ pack which seems to be four gold subscriptions for the family managed under one main account.
How much is online gaming worth to you?
Unfortunately for Microsoft the 360′s have (as of April 2010) a failure rate in the region of 40% in which the console was returned more than once for repairs, usually as a result of poor soldering or a warping of the clamps which hold the motherboard to the chassis. It is believed that the new generation of consoles significantly reduce the amount of failures that plagued the system but Microsoft have apparently moved the internal hardware locations to prevent overheating.
Games
The 360 has got some spectacular titles gracing it, from the mammoth Role Playing Game series Fable to the critically acclaimed Halo First Person Shooter adventure there is something for everyone. Now I’m not going to spend a great deal of time on the 360′s and PS3′s game line up mainly because apart from having certain games as exclusives on each system a lot of games tend to be multi-format so what you can get on one, you usually can get on another. But, what may pique some people’s curiosity is the aforementioned “Kinect”.
Kinect is essentially a webcam and microphone bundled together into one sealed unit that sits in front of your TV pointing outwards, much like the Wii Sensor bar does. However, unlike the Wii it doesn’t rely on any peripheral for the user to be holding in order for it to track you. It captures the person(s) in front of the camera and you are the controller.
Imagine if you will, you’re playing a game of Tennis and instead of swinging a controller in time to hit the ball you slap your hand forward in the location of where the ball will be and the system takes care of the rest. Couple this with the built in microphone you can actually talk to the console and get a response, for instance if you’re watching a DVD you can tell the console to pause by saying “Xbox, pause.” and “Xbox, play.” to resume.
I think Charlie Brooker can sum the Kinect up better than I can.
Summary
The 360 is undeniably more powerful than the Wii and has better features in terms of Parental Controls as well as direct access with Social Networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LastFM (where you allow it) but what takes strong consideration is the on-line pay-to-play. Do you really want to spend more money paying for an on-line multiplayer service when other consoles offer it for free?
The 360 can be purchased from any good electrical retailer or online shop from £150 (for the basic 4Gb package) to £200 for the 250Gb system.
Finally tomorrow the PlayStation 3.
Well it’s about time! Considering Microsoft have given us a decade or three of vulnerable operating systems I’m surprised it took so long to see the final release of Security Essentials, their free virus and malware security suite. Fair enough there are lots of great freebie virus programs out there like AVG and Avast but they only provide you with basic protection unless you stump up the fee to go pro. Microsoft SE (as I’ll now affectionally refer to it) is one of the best combined virus and malware scanners I’ve seen in a long time.
Proving realtime protection as well as full scanning capabilities you’d have to go along way to find a better free security solution but as with all things free all may not be as it seems.
First of all only install this on a legitimate copy of Windows XP, Vista and 7. If you’re running a hooky copy from your mate I wouldn’t advise you trying this out as the install scans your version to see how ‘legal’ it is.
Now as it’s Microsoft and they’re all about profit it does seem odd to be giving something away. Now this is an unfounded observation of mine but I’m sure there must be some sort auditing element stuffed in there, but then again what software doesn’t nowadays?
But if you are good boys and girls and aren’t doing anything you shouldn’t then you won’t go far wrong. Get it here.