The latest Xbox rumor circling the web is that Microsoft is going to launch an Xbox 360 Kinect bundle with 4GB or storage  for $99 tied to a two-year subscription that will cost $15 per month and will include Xbox Live Gold and some extra streaming content. Microsoft is planning to target this against the Apple TV and Roku box specifically but also looks to battle the PlayStation 3 as well.

Looking at the overall cost this possible offering would be is about $420 now for the cheapest Xbox with two years worth of Xbox Live Gold and the new $99 proposed bundle with  subscription would be about $459. So Microsoft would be making a few more dollars on that option.  Also with E3 coming along and the rumors of a new streaming music service codenamed “Woodstock” and the supposed launch of Xbox Live Diamond TV service finally launching this cheap bundling option makes sense. But this is only a rumor that it will show up next week and we still have the other practical rumor of an Xbox 360 Lite console to debut instead.

Source: The Verge

Windows Phone’s shortcomings give it the ultimate opportunity to propel itself in the race for top smartphone manufacturer. Windows Phone 7.5, better known as Mango, came to fruition mid way of last year and it became a welcome addition to the platform. It added great functionality in the social and multi tasking department; as well as enhancing the live tile aspect of the platform. Microsoft seemed to be on the path of steady and significant upgrades that every consumer wants. Windows Phone can win, if Microsoft steps it up.

The Reality

Microsoft began their refresh for a place in the mobile space to late.  iOS and Android already had their feet set in stone when it came to market share. The bad distaste consumers had from Windows Mobile also didn’t benefit the cause. Windows Phone is vastly different than anything else on the market, but as the past as shown being different isn’t enough in this mobile ecosystem. Upgradable differentiation is the key to constant progression with your product.

The Software

Metro UI is a fluid and elegant piece of work. It takes Apples form of simplicity with a pane of applications and gives it a taste of 21st century eye candy. From the outside looking in, it gives a valiant effort for the most part. Consumers want to get intimate with the operating system, but it’s seemingly boring interface isn’t enough to convert them. Only everyday Windows Phone users know how the user experience drastically differentiates itself from the crowd. It never slows down or push itself more than it needs to. Its a very nicely knit package that performs more like a piece software that’s been around longer than just 2 years.

The Apps

Apps, apps, and more apps. Applications have become the holy grail or the crucifix for present day mobile operating systems. They extended the functionality of the software as well deeply integrating a consumer with its fellow man. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Apple gave birth to it, Google copied it, and Microsoft is trying to redefine it. The app hysteria around Windows Phone is somewhat unwarranted. Quantity should never overtake quality and in Microsoft’s case, they have a pretty good mix of both. Windows Phone already has the core apps baked into their software so there’s no worries in that department. WP email client is only second to Blackberry’s iteration and the strict hardware guidelines make every experience the same as the next device. The majority of the tech world finds these guidelines as a limiting attribute that ultimately hurts WP expansion, but quality user experience breaks the status quo of beefy specs anyday. Apple is the ultimate showcase of that idea mastered to perfection.

The Hardware

Microsoft mandates that all their WP devices have a hardware requirement to ensure the best user experience for all consumers. In theory, this is genius. It destroys the negative aspects that open source platform brings to the table and supplements it with efficiency. The only problem with Microsoft’s initiative is that all their hardware requirements are last generations tech. It’s a shame that hardware like a snapdragon processor, 512mb of ram, and 800×480 screen resolution have become considered ancient in the tech world. It’s goes to show you the speed of innovation in the mobile industry. It’s truly something to marvel at. Even tho WP doesn’t need the advances in technology such as a quad-core processors or 1gb of ram yet, it does however have to future proof its prized software. Firmware updates have become the make or break feature of present operating systems. It gives the consumer a new lease on the user experience. It puts them at a comfort level knowing that their device won’t be obsolete in a matter of months. Again, Apple has done an amazing job in this regard. Apple has mastered the craft of making its consumers blissful with every device. Microsoft should keep strict hardware for its next version of WP. It just needs to make sure that the hardware is compatible with future versions of itself.

Summary

Windows Phone has been the talk of the town in the tech world the past few weeks. The majority of it is coming from two very distinct viewpoints. One being that Microsoft needs to give current WP users the Apollo update. This update is supposedly going to be an epic change in nature. Multiple different sources have said the update will and will not becoming to current Mango devices. Not to add to the fray, the only thing i will say is that NOT giving current WP users the update is beyond idiotic. I rest my case. The second surprisingly is the Nokia Lumia 900. The consensus is that hardware wise, it’s in a class of its own, and on the other hand, it’s just another WP device. The funny thing is that the negative aspect of various reviews still say that it being another WP device isn’t necessarily a bad thing, only that other current generation operating systems like IOS and Android are more advanced. The critics are right in more ways than one. But Microsoft and current WP users should take one thing away from all this sudden Windows Phone hysteria. Windows Phone has POTENTIAL! Tremendous and warranted potential. Microsoft has to supplement its own shortcoming with progression in the mobile space. A 2 year old operating system causing this much discussion can only mean that people WANT a Windows Phone. They just can’t in it’s current state. I can’t help but feel the Metro UI is a reincarnation of WebOS trying to resurrect itself lol. Maybe it’s the tech geek inside of me, or maybe it just has THAT much potential. Only time will tell, but in the mean time, STEP IT UP MICROSOFT!

SkyDrive is Microsoft cloud storage solution and today they released a new desktop app for both Windows and Mac OS. The app is available for Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and OS X Lion. The desktop app create a separate folder on your computer that will sync with your cloud storage. You can drag and drop files over (up to 2 GB per file) and  sync them to the cloud. There is also a new fetch file option that lets you access your files from a remote PC running the same SkyDrive app which will come in handy if you forget to sync a file you need

.

Microsoft has also changed the free storage option as new users will received 7 GB of storage and there are new yearly plans for additional storage. Current users can opt-in their accounts to keep their 25 GB and if you are now uses 4GB or more than you will automatically be opted-in so you don’t lose the storage. This is a limited time offer so upgrade your accounts ASAP.

The download is available now all you need to do is login to the web version of SkyDrive to grab it.

For Windows Phone users the SkyDrive App has been updated as well and now includes batch selecting, quick share, folder permissions management and more.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is the first high-end flagship Windows Phone for the U.S. from Nokia. The phone exclusive to AT&T is set to bring the Finnish phone maker back to the United States with a bang. Do they accomplish this?

Nokia Hardware: Well crafted beauty and power

When you first look at the Lumia 900 you will notice its all uni-body design made from a single polycarbonate mold. While that prevents the ability to have a removal battery and expandable storage you can’t help but appreciate the beautiful design and how comfortable it feels in your hand. There is a 4.3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display that makes everything you view look great and pop out even in direct sunlight. Under the hood there is a 1.4 Ghz single-core processor that keeps the Windows Phone experience smooth, 512 MB, 16 GB of storage, 4G LTE, HSPA+ 21 Mbps, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 1840 mAH battery. For cameras you get a 1 megapixel front facing camera a 8 megapixel rear facing camera with dual led flash and 720p HD video capture.  Nokia packs the Lumia 900 with plenty of power.

Nokia Apps: Drive, Transit, Maps comes to Windows Phone

The partnership between Microsoft and Nokia brings exclusive benefits Nokia Drive, Nokia Maps and Nokia Transit are very popular apps on Nokia’s Symbian and MeeGo devices that have been brought over to Windows Phone 7.  Nokia Drive brings full true turn-by-turn GPS navigation with offline map support and solid performance. Nokia Transit gives you you’re city entire transit schedule in hand with exact minute accuracy in my test on a recent trip into downtown. Nokia Maps is a much more robust map program than Bing Maps and even includes local scout type functionality.

While each of these app perform well and replace and even fill in missing elements of native Metro UI interface. Nokia Transit is the only one that fully uses Metro UI while the other apps have some elements of it and they feel more like ports that native applications to the platform. There is also a lack of synergy between all three apps. For example you can’t search for something in Nokia Maps and then hit a button to instantly open up Nokia Drive to navigate there. Still with these few flaws you will be satisfied with them.

The Lumia 900’s camera is only held back by Microsoft’s Software

Nokia is well-known for put high quality cameras in their phones and the Lumia 900 continues this with its 8 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and f2.2. The still image and video quality you get is the best out of any Windows Phone. You get crystal clear images with great color reproduction and the audio with video is clear and audible. Even with all this you feel that the camera is being held back because of the lack of Nokia’s camera software. You are regulated to using only the Windows Phone camera app and while they are decent controls it’s no where near the robust features that you get with Nokia’s software which give you close to digital camera controls. Microsoft needs to open the camera controls more for 3rd party development.

The front facing camera has a wide lens which lets you see more people in a chat. You can fit up to two people in the camera and have a smooth clear video chat.

4G LTE Is Fast With Good Battery Life

Nokia and Microsoft had to figure out a way to solve the LTE battery issue. While LTE is blazing fast data speeds it’s lately been coming at the cost of poor battery life. While I had initial worries about this when this phone was first announced I can safley say that this will not be an issue for Windows Phone. With heavy usage of e-mail, data, music and GPS the battery will last you about 8 hours which is a full work shift. If you don’t use too much GPS navigation throughout the day you can score about 10 and if your moderate across the board you can get  a solid 15 hours which will cover the whole day for most people.

Now as far as the LTE goes its speeds are a welcome edition to Windows Phone with our speeds going between 5 Mbps – 18 Mbps download and 4 Mbps – 8 Mbps for uploads. These are great speeds for internet sharing and hostpot usage which is enabled on the Lumia 900 and can support up to 5 device and provides a solid and consistent connection of 4G LTE and HSPA+.

Speaking of connection the cell phone connection on the Lumia 900 performed well with no dropped calls and clear audio on both sides of the call. The LTE would drop out and then quickly reconnect when not in use which seems to be a common thing for LTE devices.

The Best Windows Phone Available In the U.S

AT&T scores a sweet exclusive with the Lumia 900 and for the price tag of just $99 this is the best valued smartphone anywhere. You get the best hardware with solid, lag free and consistent user experience of Windows Phone and true 4G connection with LTE. I do wish that you could replace the battery and add storage which are key features for the power users but this phone isn’t just aim for that demographics its for all users across the board.  Nokia has given Windows Phone the hardware it needs to compete now Microsoft needs to bring the software up another notch to match it. The Nokia Lumia 900 hands down the best Windows Phone available in the U.S. market.

Rumors have surfaces about a new Xbox and it’s not the “Xbox 720” that many have been talking about. This new “Xbox Lite”  one instead is a low-cost machine set to compete with the Apple TV. It will come in a small simple box design with no optical drive and made to work with apps, Xbox Live and Kinect Games and stream movies, tv shows and music. Its said that the “Xbox Lite” will be “price competitively with the Apple TV.

With what we know not this could be the box that helps launch the Xbox Live Diamond TV service that we heard about last year and while we don’t know how powerful the system would be but I could also see the OnLive gaming technology being used on this box as well which could give it the edge over the Apple TV that it will need.

Also rumored is that  as soon as this launches the next generation of the Xbox aka “Xbox 720” will launch soon after and said to have graphics close to “James Cameron’s Avatar-level” graphics, and a tablet-like controller with a touch-screen and standard dual-analog stick controls/buttons. If the graphics can be pulled off alone you’re looking at a serious game changer from Microsoft.

While all this is cool its just rumors from now and reportedly good info from an anonymous Microsoft employee but only time will tell what’s truth from fiction. Share your thoughts below.

Via Walyou

Image courtesy of DigitalTrends.

The flagship Windows Phone for Nokia the Lumia 900  will finally make its way to stores on April 8th. The Lumia 900 is a Windows Phone 7 handset with a 4.3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display, 1.4 GHz single-core processor, 512 MB of RAM and a 8 megapixel camera. It will be the first LTE Windows Phone in the market and exclusive to AT&T. It will cost you just $99 and you have the choices of Cyan Blue and Black Matte and White which this color won’t be available under about the 22nd. Check out our hands-on from CES 2012 below and press release.

Press Release:

AT&T Brings First LTE Windows Phone to Market With Nokia Lumia 900, Available for Customers April 8 for $99.99

DALLAS, March 26, 2012 — The Nokia Lumia 900, the Windows Phone named “Best of CES” for all smartphones, will be available exclusively in the U.S. from AT&T* on April 8 for $99.99. One of the first 4G LTE Windows Phones in the world, the Nokia Lumia 900 gives AT&T customers more 4G LTE choices than ever before and the largest selection of Windows Phones in the U.S. For more information, customers can visit www.att.com/lumia or AT&T’s Consumer Blog.

Consumers who can’t wait to get their hands on this new smartphone can pre-order it in cyan or black beginning March 30 by visiting http://www.att.com/lumia or any AT&T company-owned retail store. Qualified business customers who receive wireless service discounts can pre-order the Lumia 900 online, beginning the afternoon of March 30, at http://www.att.com/nokialumia900.

Running on AT&T’s superfast 4G LTE network, the Lumia 900 delivers an unsurpassed mobile experience. With 4G LTE speeds, the people-first style of Windows Phone 7.5 and outstanding design lets customers access their emails, music and social media quickly and helps them look good while doing it. The Lumia 900 will be available in unique and eye-catching cyan blue and a matte black on April 8, with a newly announced high-gloss white version on sale beginning April 22.

“AT&T and Nokia’s relationship spans many years and we’re thrilled to introduce their first 4G LTE Windows Phone only for our customers,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T Mobility. “The Lumia 900 is impeccably designed with clean lines and a camera that rivals stand-alone digital cameras on the market today. Combine that with the people-first Windows Phone experience and our 4G networks – the nations’ largest – and it’s clear that this is one of the best phones customers can find.”

The Nokia Lumia 900 has a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display for rich, bright images both indoors and out and a long-lasting 1830 mAh battery for enjoying content.

Its 8 megapixel camera includes Nokia’s exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, with large aperture (F2.2) and wide angle focal length (28mm) for high-quality, uncropped images even in low-light conditions. The front-facing camera boasts a large aperture and a wide angle lens that ensures sharp, bright images for high-quality video calling, right out of the box. Additionally, customers can enjoy their favorite music and videos from their Lumia 900 wherever they are with the Nokia Purity HD On Ear Stereo Headset by Monster, also available beginning April 8.**

The Nokia Lumia 900 offers AT&T customers a range of leading content experiences such as:
AT&T U-verse Mobile lets U-verse TV subscribers browse the U-verse TV program guide, schedule and manage their DVR recordings, and watch hit TV shows while on the go. The U-verse Mobile library includes more than 100 TV series and more than 700 TV shows from a variety of genres.
Nokia Drive, available to download from Windows Phone Marketplace, provides free voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation with a dedicated in-car user interface that turns the Nokia Lumia 900 into a GPS navigation device.

The exclusive ESPN sports hub is pre-loaded on the Nokia Lumia 900, and provides a one-stop sports application for news, videos and scores.

Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. 4G speeds delivered by LTE, or HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul, where available. Deployment ongoing. Compatible device and data plan required. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Learn more at att.com/network.

Limited-time offer. Nokia Lumia 900 requires a new 2-yr wireless agreement with voice (min $39.99/mo) and min monthly data plan ($20/mo). Subject to Wireless Customer Agrmt. Credit approval req’d. Activ fee $36/line. Geographic, usage and other terms, conditions and restrictions apply, and may result in svc termination. Coverage and svcs not avail everywhere. Taxes and other charges apply.

Data (att.com/dataplans): If usage exceeds your monthly data allowance, you will automatically be charged overage for additional data provided. Early Termination Fee (att.com/equipmentETF): After 30 days, ETF up to $325. Restocking fee up to $35. Other Monthly Charges/line may include a Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge (up to $1.25), a gross receipts surcharge, federal and state universal svc charges, fees and charges for other gov’t assessments. These are not taxes or gov’t req’d charges. Visit a store or att.com/wireless to learn more about wireless devices and services from AT&T.

Source: CNET

Today Microsoft released the official consumer preview of their latest operating system Windows 8.  Last year we saw the developer preview that was met with high praise but now you can download the version that is close to what the final release will be like. You do have to remember that this is just a preview and things could change drastically from the final version although it’s not common that it does.  Grab the download link below to choose which version you want and check out the video we made of installing Windows 8 in a virtual machine from last year.

Consumer Preview With Tools

Consumer Preview ISOs

Dell’s entry into the Ultrabook market the XPS 13 is now available starting at $999. We first saw the XPS 13 at CES 2012 and the specs are impressive with a 13.3 HD display with 1.3 Megapixel HD webcam, up to a Core i7 processor, 4 GB or RAM, up to 256 GB of Solid State Drive storage, Intel HD Graphics 3000 and up to 8 hours and 53 minutes of battery life. Check out the hands-on demo we got from CES 2012 below.

Source: Dell

Tech Specs:

Processor

• 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2467M processor (1.60 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.30 GHz)
• 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2637M processor 1.70 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.80 GHz (4G) TPM

Operating System

• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English

Memory³

• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz

Chipset

• Intel® QS67
  Dimensions
  Height: 0.24-0.71” (6-18mm) / Width: 12.4” (316mm) / Depth 8.1” (205mm)
  Starting at Weight⁵
  Starting at 2.99lbs (1.36kg)⁵
  Productivity & Entertainment Software
  Adobe® Reader X, Microsoft® Office Starter (reduced–functionality versions of Word and Excel with advertising), WebCam Central, Skype™ with H.264 enablement, Skyhook (post launch), Internet Explorer®, Windows Live™ Essentials Wave 4, McAfee® SecurityCenter trial, Dell DataSafe, Dell Stage
  Construction
  Machined aluminum in silver
  Carbon fiber composite base
  Magnesium palmrest with soft touch paint

Video Card

• Intel® HD Graphics 3000

Display

• Silver Anodized Aluminum and 13.3" HD (720p) Truelife WLED Display with 1.3MP HD Webcam

Audio and Speakers

• High Definition Audio + Waves MaxxAudio® 4
  1.5W x2 = 3W total

Hard Drive

• Up to 256GB³ Solid State hard drive

Power

• 47WHr battery; 6-Cell Li-Polymer (built-in)^{6
  6}Battery is built-in to the laptop and is not replaceable by the customer.
  Up to 8 hours, 53 minutes battery life⁶
  AC Adaptor
  45W AC adaptor
  Keyboard/Touchpad
  Standard full size, backlit chiclet keyboard; spill-resistant
  Glass integrated button touchpad with gesture support

Camera

• 1.3MP webcam with dual array digital microphones

Wireless

• Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 802.11 a/g/n with Intel® Smart Connect Technology + Bluetooth 3.0
  Intel® Wireless Display ready⁷

Ports, Slots & Chassis

We got some one on one interview time with Windows Phone’s Senior Product manager Greg Sullivan. He talks here about how they made the transition from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone 7. He also talks about their approach with handset manufactures and carrier relationships. Check out the full interview below.

Since this is my first article for this site, I feel that I should explain who I am before getting into my reasoning.  I am a 26-year-old PC gamer, and have been primarily gaming on PCs since Quake 2 came out, desperately trying to connect to any server that would have me on my 56k connection.

In terms of the kind of PC gamer I am, I would say that I am “that guy.”  I will always say that a keyboard and mouse is the best controller, and will always moan and groan when you tell me you purchased the latest Call of Duty title for your Xbox or PS3.  Playing first person shooters with thumb sticks is like trying to hit a home run with a broken piece of plywood.  It just doesn’t work. That being said, I absolutely cannot wait for new consoles to come out.  Why?

Graphics Are All Dated

The Xbox 360 and PS3 are pretty long in the tooth as far as hardware goes, and although it’s impressive to see what developers can still do with the hardware they are still severely limited by it.  The cores in my current PC processor are taking turns napping and my video card is now in a coma because of developers holding back to make their titles multi-platform.  There have been a few exceptions recently (Skyrim, Battlefield 3), but even those 2 aren’t really pushing the envelope.

New Control Methods

Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of consoles.  That being said, I’ve always wanted to use my precious keyboard and mouse and play Halo, Resistance, or whatever other console exclusive shooter is out.  Yes, I am completely aware that there are products that allow you to do this, but I really think that it should be a native thing.  Screw balance.  There are ranking systems now.  Let the people who want to play with controllers hover in the low levels while the people who want to seriously play get up to the intermediate/expert levels.  Will this ever happen?  Probably not.  But one can dream.

Consoles ARE Better for Some Things

When I want to play competitively, which is most of the time, I’ll boot up my PC.  If I want to sit back and relax and maybe take some story in, I’ll boot up my 360 or PS3.  Cinematic storylines are a better experience on a console than on a PC mainly because of my home theatre setup.  Bigger screen, bigger speakers, more to take in. While you CAN do this with a PC, it just doesn’t feel the same to me.

Although I am a PC gamer, I am realistic.  I know that consoles are the future and that they do bring in a lot more revenue than PC games.  Whether or not I will be able to keep using my keyboard and mouse for years to come will be up to the gaming industry.

Follow Ryan Chua @THEREALCHUA