Microsoft’s E3 event gives you a chance to play upcoming games
It’s not unheard of for game console makers to invite fans to their media events — largely to get more cheering than they’d usually get — but Microsoft is upping the ante for its E3 gathering this year. It’s planning to offer 500 tickets that gets you into both the company’s June 15th press conference as well as a FanFest (June 14th through the 18th) that lets you play upcoming Xbox games months in advance. You’ll also have VIP access to an eSports event and a meet-and-greet with game industry bigwigs. Be prepared tot make a lot of sacrifices if you’re determined to get in, though. You’ll have to be in the Los Angeles area, of course, but you’ll also have to line up for those tickets on the 14th. Otherwise, you’ll just have to watch the blogs and live streams like everyone else.
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Major Nelson, Xbox.com
Engadget’s new buyer’s guide picks: the GS6, Spectre x360 and more!
Another month, another handful of reviews. Which means another round of new additions to Engadget’s various buyer’s guides. For the fifth month of the year, we’ve got five new products to induct, including Samsung’s excellent Galaxy S6 and the HP Spectre x360, one of our new favorite laptops. As you’d expect, our other recommendations are solid too, but they each fall squarely in the “not for everybody” category. That includes the Apple Watch, currently the best smartwatch on the market, along with the low-powered Surface 3 and the 12-inch, mostly port-less MacBook. Whatever your tastes, chances are we’ve got something that makes sense for you. Check out the full guide here, and stay tuned for even more picks — because who knows what we’ll be buzzing about next month?
Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Wearables, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, HP
Source: Engadget Buyer’s Guide
Microsoft’s custom time-lapse app, Hyperlapse now available in Beta for Android
Time lapse gives users the ability to shorten lengthy videos into the smaller form, letting you get a good idea of what transpired without having to spend hours. Microsoft has now announced the arrival of its new app which lets you create such videos, known as Hyperlapse Mobile Beta.
The app is available for Android users in the Beta form, so some bugs and glitches might be present. The company urges developers and users in general to pass on feedback about the app to further improve its functionality.
Compatibility list is somewhat limited though as the app only works with the Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 4, Google Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, the HTC One M8, One M9 and the Sony Xperia Z3. All devices should be running on at least Android 4.4 or higher for Microsoft Hyperlapse to work.
The Play Store link is available, but it could take a couple of hours to go live. Make sure you bookmark it so that you can download the app in a few hours.
Source: Google Play Store, Google+
Via: Reddit
Come comment on this article: Microsoft’s custom time-lapse app, Hyperlapse now available in Beta for Android
Microsoft’s super-stable video recording arrives on PCs and phones
Microsoft’s Hyperlapse is now more than just a clever idea in a research lab — the folks in Redmond have released apps that help you record and produce super-stabilized videos on Android (in preview form), Windows and Windows Phone. Much like Instagram’s software, the algorithmic tools whittle down your shaky footage into high-speed, smooth clips that your friends are more likely to watch. The big differences are in the amount of control you get. You can zip beyond Instagram’s 6x speed limit, for example, and the desktop app (Hyperlapse Pro) uses 3D modelling to steady the footage from GoPros and other common action cameras.
All these apps are available today, although it’s important to note that the Android edition only works on some phones at the moment. As for an iOS version? Microsoft tells us that it didn’t write a client for that platform because there was already a competitor (no surprises as to who) in the App Store. It’s “evaluating” an iOS release in the future, but you’ll currently have to rely on that other Hyperlapse app if you want to produce shake-free iPhone videos.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft Research, Microsoft News Center
Nokia’s stores are turning into Microsoft resellers
It’s been a long time coming, but some of the last vestiges of Nokia’s phone business are going away. Microsoft has started converting Nokia’s stores and service centers into “Microsoft Resellers” (catchy, we know), complete with the colorful branding that you’d expect from a regular Microsoft store. It won’t have the sheer variety of hardware, so you shouldn’t expect to pick up a laptop while you’re getting your phone fixed. However, the transition is still a big deal if you live outside of North America — this may be the first time you’ll visit a Microsoft shop, and your first chance at trying certain devices. As sad as it may be to see Nokia’s name disappear from street corners, this is good news if you feel like you’ve been missing out on Microsoft’s latest tech.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
Source: Microsoft Conversations
Microsoft details the many different versions of Windows 10
A new Windows release wouldn’t be the same without many different versions of the OS to confuse the heck out of you. In a blog post this morning, Microsoft finally gave us the skinny on Windows 10’s upcoming versions — and they’re all pretty familiar to Windows fans. There’s the usual “Home” version for mainstream consumers, and the “Pro” version for business users. The latter is different from Windows 10 Enterprise, which is meant for large organizations with support for large-deployments. There’s also a version of Windows 10 targeted specifically at schools, which is likely part of Microsoft’s plan to take on Google’s Chromebooks. Microsoft is also differentiating the mobile versions of the OS: Windows 10 Mobile is what you’ll see on most consumer phones, but there’s also a “Mobile Enterprise” version for businesses.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Skype’s live translation feature is open for anyone to use
Today Microsoft removed the sign up process required to beta test its Skype Translator app. Now if you want to use the almost real-time translation service, you can just download it without filling out a form. The service closes the communication gap between individuals speaking different languages by transcribing what a person just said or typed for the other party. The app is available for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 preview. If you’re interested in chatting folks that speak a language different than your own, the service supports four voice languages — English, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin — and 50 languages via IM. So go ahead, make new friends in China and India and start chatting.
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/4kUFq8F4YpQ?rel=0
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/QRj5jpS09ic?rel=0
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Source: Skype
Microsoft’s age-guessing tech highlights effects of homelessness
Microsoft’s how-old.net isn’t the most reliable age detecting software. The company set it up as a demo site and never expected it to go viral (two million shares on Facebook). While thousands of users checked in to see how old an algorithm thinks they are, Toronto’s Covenant House used the social tool as a catalyst for a pressing cause. They created a web ad that shows Cale, a 22-year-old homeless man, stamped as a 43-year-old on how-old.net. “The message was simple: living on the streets robs kids of their youth,” Josie do Rego, Director of Development and Communications, told Engadget. “We wanted to remind people that the streets are no place for young people.”
While the campaign hasn’t gained the same traction as the software, it makes a poignant point. There are about 65,000 homeless young people in Canada. And according to HUD’s latest Annual Homeless Assessment Report, about 194,302 youth and children were homeless on a single night last year in the US.
Covenant House is the largest privately-funded homeless youth agency. It provides shelter and services including counseling, education, job training and more. In Canada, their efforts are largely funded through donors who account for about 80 percent of their $21.8 million budget. “Social tools allow us to instantaneously reach a broader audience,” says do Rego. “[They can] generate more awareness and understanding of the plight of homeless youth, as well as generate donations in support of our programs that help youth move toward independent living,”
[Image credit: Covenant House Toronto]
Via: Fast Company
Engadget giveaway: win an Xbox One, Chromecast and more courtesy of Plex!
You may have done the spring clean around the house, but have you organized your digital media, too? Installing the Plex Media Server software can help centralize all your scattered music, movie and photo files into one place and serve them up wherever you go. You can access that content using the Plex app, which is available for mobile, smart TVs, set top boxes, streaming devices and game consoles, and it’s easy to share with friends, too. To help one lucky Engadget reader enjoy the full Plex experience this week, the company has provided an Xbox One and a Chromecast, along with a Lifetime Plex Pass for total access and premium features. There’s also a $100 Amazon music gift card in the prize bundle to celebrate the recent update of Plex Music. Gracenote and Vevo are onboard to help build automatic playlists, provide mood-based soundtracks, match your collection with over 140,000 music videos and deliver extra helpings of metadata. Just head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to two chances at winning this powerful multi-media package.
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Xbox One, one (1) Google Chromecast, one (1) Lifetime Plex Pass and one (1) Amazon music gift card for $100.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until May 13th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Alt, Microsoft
Microsoft pours money into undersea data cables
For many internet giants, undersea fiber optic cables are a lifeline. In some cases, it’s the difference between delivering fast services overseas and watching people give up in frustration. Microsoft knows this all too well, it seems, as it just poured money into three subsea fiber projects (Aqua Comms, Hibernia and New Cross Pacific Cable Network) that should speed up connections to Asia-Pacific and Europe. The Redmond crew sees this as a small investment that could pay off big in the future. As it explains, online products like the Azure computing platform and Office 365 are booming — it only makes sense to have those moneymakers running as smoothly as possible. This isn’t really an altruistic gesture, then, but it could go a long way toward improving your internet access as a whole.
[Image credit: US Pacific Fleet, Flickr]
Filed under: Networking, Internet, Microsoft
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Microsoft
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