Microsoft’s Video Tuner outfits Windows Phone 8.1 with easy clip editing
Windows Phone 8.1 users have been rather strapped when it comes to video editing apps straight from HQ, but now Microsoft is looking to lend a hand. With Video Tuner, Redmond serves up a new app that wrangles smartphone clips with the ability to apply filters, add music (non-DRM protected MP3s, natch) and apply a range of corrective adjustments — including speed tweaks. As you might expect, once the finished product is ready, footage can be broadcast directly to various social channels, with the exception of Vine. The software can save videos in the proper format for Twitter’s video stream, but there’s no direct sharing at this time. Video Tuner supports MP4 files and allows editing of video captured from the same device on which it is installed. You’ll need a Lumia handset running Windows Phone 8.1 to nab up the new offering, but it’s already available free of charge from Microsoft’s app repository for those who qualify.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
Source: Windows Phone Store
Microsoft not scrapping plans for retail Xbox Ones to act as development kits
Last year Microsoft announced plans to let every Xbox One become a software development kit at some point. Earlier today, Xbox Advanced Technology Group’s Martin Fuller reportedly told the audience at the Develop conference, spotted by Digital Spy, that that was no longer the case. Except that’s not quite the case. When we asked Microsoft if the comments were accurate, we were told outright: “The comments today were not accurate.” Further, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “We remain committed to ensuring the best possible solutions for developers and hobbyists to create games for Xbox One. We will share more details at a later date.”
Why’s this important? Well, for starters it’d allow anyone access to otherwise expensive development tools and thus further along the indie community, allowing practically everybody with the requisite know-how to make games for the platform. Development kits, also known as debug consoles, allow the user to play work-in-progress games on them, among other things. As the name implies, they’re typically only given to game studios, but select members of the press that need early access to a game for coverage purposes (mostly for access to preview and not-final review versions of games) get them too. While the general public likely wouldn’t have much use for the development tools this would open up, the move could be just the thing that causes the indie scene to explode on Xbox One.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Digital Spy
Microsoft’s ‘Project Spark’ game creator headed for October release
Microsoft’s Project Spark has already been available to early testers for the better part of four months, but gamers have been kept in the dark over when it’ll finally go on general sale. Until today. The company has announced that the retail version of its game-creation title will hit Xbox One and PC in October as part of a phased worldwide rollout. It’ll be available first in the Americas on October 7th, then make its way to Asia-Pacific countries on October 9th before hitting Europe on October 10th. Microsoft is pricing the Project Spark Starter Pack for Xbox One at $39.99/£29.99 and will include packs full of sounds, effects, animations, props and “advanced creator features” that will help you create a virtual world that you (and hopefully others) can be proud of. It’ll also feature the first sci-fi pack Galaxies: First Contact, Champions Quest: Void Storm, special characters and the first episode of what the developers are calling an “epic campaign adventure.” The good news is that there’s plenty of time enjoy the open beta , check the source links below to get involved (and earn achievements in the process).
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Project Spark (Xbox One), (Windows 8.1)
Google, Microsoft and Instagram rush to fix Flash flaw that could steal your data
Yet another critical security flaw has been found for Adobe’s notoriously sieve-like Flash plug-in, this time by Google Engineer Michele Spagnuolo. His exploit tool, called “Rosetta Flash” is just a proof of concept, but could allow hackers to steal your cookies and other data using malicious Flash .SWF files. The exploit is well known in the security community, but had been left unfixed until now as nobody had found a way to harness it for evil. So how does this affect you? Many companies like Twitter, Microsoft, Google and Instagram have already patched their sites, but beware of others that may still be vulnerable. Adobe now has a fix, and if you use Chrome or Internet Explorer 10 or 11, your browser should automatically update soon with the latest versions of Flash, 14.0.0.145 (check your version here). However, if you have a browser like Firefox, you may want to grab the latest Flash version from Adobe directly (watch out for unwanted add-ons with pre-checked boxes). Finally, if you use apps like Tweetdeck or Pandora, you’ll need to update Adobe AIR — that should happen automatically, but the latest version is 14.0.0.137 for Windows, Mac and Android.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Krebson Security
Source: Michele Spagnuolo, Adobe
Microsoft offering $75 credit if gamers upgrade to an Xbox One
If you’ve pondered buying an Xbox One but have felt a sense of loyalty to your Xbox 360, Microsoft is very keen to help you make the switch. As spotted by user BeforeU on NeoGAF, the company is running a new promotion that gifts its “very best customers” with a $75 promotional code if they buy an Xbox One or any Xbox One bundle. It appears that not everyone is eligible for the offer, with Microsoft only targeting a subset of Xbox 360 owners across the US ahead of its July 31st deadline. However, there’s no word on whether the promotion will come to other countries. To find out if you qualify, turn on your Xbox 360 and make sure it’s connected to Xbox Live. If you’ve been selected, you can order a (full-priced) console from any retailer and Microsoft will credit your Xbox account with $75, as long as you redeem your voucher code by October 15th. That’ll cover you for at least one Xbox One game like Destiny, ensuring your game collection gets off to a good start.
[Image credit: BeforeU, NeoGAF]
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Via: VG247
Source: NeoGAF
Xbox One July update brings Achievement tweaks and improved voice control
After almost a month of testing, the July update for Xbox One is here. Committed to a rapid pace of improvements, Microsoft has delivered a number of new features, including a new Snap mode for Achievements, improved voice functionality and the ability to ‘Like’ your favorite recorded clips through the SmartGlass remote app. The new Achievement tweaks are designed to provide instant feedback while you play games, letting you track your progress and search for online solutions to help you unlock the more difficult challenges. If you’ve recently invested in a Kinect-less Xbox One, today’s update lets pull up the Snap menu with a double-tap of the home button (because you can’t issue voice commands without Kinect). That button combination lets switch back and forth between apps too, so you’ll now have more control over your multi-tasking flow. With the choice to select a spoken language, your Xbox One can also differentiate between your accent and where you live — perfect if you’re an Englishman in New York struggling to turn your console on.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Xbox One System Updates
Nokia Lumia 930 hits the UK on July 17th with free wireless charging pad
Before being swallowed by Microsoft, Nokia had one last flagship up its sleeve: the Lumia 930. Smartphone aficionados might be familiar with the combination of 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip and 20-megapixel camera, given the 930 already exists in the US as the Lumia Icon. This international edition comes with Windows Phone 8.1 right out the box (no developer loophole required), and we’ve just learnt it’ll be available in the UK from July 17th. We don’t have a SIM-free price to report currently, but you should be able to pick one up on contract from most major carriers and retailers from around £33 per month. Each handset will come with a wireless charging pad included in the box, and until the end of July, each purchase will also come with a special starter pack including a portable wireless charger, Bluetooth speaker and £20 app voucher.
Filed under: Cellphones, Microsoft, Nokia
A proper Nokia Lumia device running Android is coming our way, report says
We’ve all heard this rumor before, we’ve heard it numerous times in fact. All that hope and then we get Nokia X which is an abomination of sorts, not an Android device, hence the use of “proper” in the title. Abomination might be a strong word, but Nokia X is neither a Windows Phone nor an Andriod device. It looks like a WP and it is run by extremely limited Android platform which lacks some basic Google apps and it’s an entry level phone. Anyhow, we’re not here to talk about Nokia X.
When Microsoft bought Nokia it was hard to believe they’d ever release an Android powered handset. You might recall that Nokia X was also launched before that deal closed, although Microsoft did introduce Nokia X2 afterwards, so that did leave us some hope I guess.
Well, a known leaker @evleaks shared something rather interesting with us today. @evelaks is usually right so we decided to give this leak some attention. He teased us with the following sentence:
“Big news: Android-powered Lumia incoming, from Nokia by Microsoft”
Unfortunately we don’t get any more details when it comes to this leak, but this is still something. You might notice he mentions “Lumia” in that sentence, which leads us to believe this won’t be another Nokia X-like device but a proper Android offering by Microsoft-owned Nokia brand.
I don’t know about you, but we’re very, very excited about all this. As I said, this leaker has an amazing track record, so he definitely did get our hopes up. How about you, do you think this will ever happen and would you buy an Android-powered flagship Lumia device, presuming they don’t mess with Android on a core level?
Source: @evleaks
The post A proper Nokia Lumia device running Android is coming our way, report says appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Xbox One’s Kinect sensor coming to Windows on July 15th
Microsoft’s plan to bundle Kinect with the Xbox One may not have been to everyone’s taste, but that’s not stopping it from expanding sales of the motion-sensing peripheral. In fact, you’ll only have to wait just over a week to get your hands on the second generation Kinect for Windows. We know because the company has updated its pre-order listing with the promise of shipment by July 15th. The sensor, which costs $199/£159, delivers better depth sensing, 1080p resolution, a wider field of view and various other improvements. Developers have been invited to publish their creations to the Windows Store, so there’ll likely be more Windows Kinect apps to download than ever before — good news if you’re not interested in the Xbox One but have always wanted to wave your arms about in front of your PC.
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Via: CVG
Source: Microsoft Store (US), (UK)
Nokia by Microsoft may have an Android-powered Lumia device on the Way
Remember when we thought the Android-powered Nokia X was going to be Nokia‘s last hurrah before being completely consumed by Microsoft? Well, it looks like Android may still be playing a big part of Nokia’s ongoing future under its new omnipotent leader. Everybody’s favourite leaker, @evleaks, has today suggested that there will be a Android-powered Lumia device to come from the newly branded Nokia by Microsoft division.
This is probably most surprising as it was assumed that Microsoft had let Nokia continue with the Nokia X line of devices as an entry level package to help pull people towards Windows Phones, but having an Android-powered device among its most premium devices would be a revelation. It would likely be yet another forked version of Android, utilizing Nokia’s slowly growing Nokia Apps marketplace, though that does open up the possibility of being able to root and flash custom ROMs onto hardware that would otherwise be impossible to access for Android users. Just imagine a Nokia 1020 running Android…
Still, we still have to see whether this actually comes to pass, but it’s definitely something to look out for in the future. What do you think about the possibility of an Android-powered Lumia device? Would you be interested?
Source: @evleaks
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