Latest look at ‘Halo 5’ is entirely devoid of Master Chief
If you were hoping to see more of Spartan 117 ahead of Halo 5: Guardians release this October, today isn’t your day. Sure, there’s a new trailer embedded below, but it isn’t gameplay. Nor does it tell us much about what’s going on with the game’s story (Dr. Halsey working alongside Covenant Elites is intriguing, though). It’s bombastic, pretty, and stars Nightfall protagonist Jameson Locke, but the clip ultimately rings a bit hollow. If you want to see what Nathan FIllion looks like after spending some time in the uncanny valley, however, you’re in for a treat. Everyone else that’s expecting some hot new footage of Master Chief on the battlefield will almost assuredly be disappointed, though.
Filed under:
Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source:
Xbox Wire
Tags: gaming, halo, halo5, halo5guardians, hdpostcross, jamesonlocke, microsoft, video, xbox, xboxone
Bing wants to help you win a fantasy football championship this season
Our own Aaron Souppouris put Cortana to work betting on English Premier League matches last season, and now Bing wants to offer more help with NFL action. Microsoft’s search software has been making sports-related predictions for some time now, and this season it wants to help you dominate that fantasy football league. To lend a hand in selecting your lineup each week, Bing will offer updated player projections and suggestions for free agent pickups. Sure, ESPN, Yahoo and others already serve up a similar collection of weekly rankings, but Microsoft’s search engine has a decent track record when it comes to sports (and Oscar) predictions. Bing will continue to predict games every week, much like Cortana has done since the start of last season. It’ll also give you updated team power rankings every Tuesday alongside updated projections on your team’s postseason chances. And as you might expect, it wants to be your home for states and other game-related info while you watch at home. You can put Bing to the test when the NFL season kicks off Thursday, September 10th.
[Image credit: Joe Robbins/Getty Images]
Filed under:
Software, Microsoft
Source:
Bing Blogs
Tags: bing, fantasyfootball, football, microsoft, nfl, predicitions, search, sports
Xbox One bundle packs 1TB hybrid drive and Elite pad for $499
Microsoft is launching a premium “Elite” controller for the Xbox One next month, so of course it’s also readying a new console bundle that includes the pad and a 1TB “Solid State Hybrid Drive” system. From November you’ll be able to get the set for $499 — pre-orders start today in the US and it’ll be exclusive to GameStop and Microsoft Stores for the first month. For comparison, the regular 1TB Xbox One bundle costs $399 — so with the $150 Elite controller thrown in, you’re getting at least $50 in savings. If you need a reminder, Microsoft’s new gamepad has an extra four bumpers on the back, “hair trigger locks” and the ability to customize the thumbsticks and D-pad with swappable parts.
If you already own an Xbox One, or think the Elite controller is just a little too expensive, Microsoft has another pad for you to consider. The “Special Edition Lunar White Wireless Controller” is the same as the regular gamepad, albeit with a white and gold color scheme and some improved grips on the reverse. It’s a GameStop exclusive in the US and will be coming out in late September for $64.99 — there’s no word just yet on an international release. Regardless, if you’ve been debating an Xbox One purchase, you now have a ton of bundles and accessories to consider. And with a bunch of exclusives coming down the pipeline, there’s little else Microsoft can do now to close the gap with Sony’s PS4.
Filed under:
Gaming, Microsoft
Source:
Xbox Wire
Tags: microsoft, xboxone, xboxonebundle, xboxoneelite, xboxoneelitebundle, xboxoneelitecontroller
The After Math: Spam kings, Microsoft milestones and a bionic penis
It’s been a wild week, and not just for our stock portfolios. The internet’s self-described “Spam King” admitted to posting more than 27 million ads on Facebook. Microsoft celebrated the 20th anniversary of Windows 95 by dredging up a promo video featuring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry. Because Friends is never not topical. And a British man endured an 11-hour surgery to have the world’s first bionic penis installed. Good times! Slideshow-315959
Filed under:
Microsoft
Tags: aftermath, bionicpenis, friends, microsoft, theaftermath, windows, windows95
Microsoft prevails over an 8-year-old attempt to block its phone sales
Remember the heady days of August 2007, when the iPhone had barely reached store shelves and the Nokia N95 was all the rage? The US International Trade Commission sure does. After reviewing an 8-year-long case, the ITC has ruled that Nokia’s phones (now Microsoft’s) don’t infringe on InterDigital patents covering 3G cellular technology. The decision eliminates the possibility of an import ban that would have prevented Microsoft from selling many of its phones in the US, including modern day Lumias. Things very nearly didn’t go the company’s way — a judge had ruled in April that Microsoft was using InterDigital’s patents, which would have forced the folks in Redmond to pay up.
Microsoft is understandably “grateful” for the ruling, especially as it just recently sued InterDigital over “abusive licensing practices.” This fuels its argument that InterDigital is trying to extort cash from innocent companies. As for InterDigital’s response? It’s trying to put a brave face on the loss, arguing that the verdict has a “limited impact” on its future business given Nokia’s fall from grace. That’s true, but InterDigital had pushed for an import ban on the assumption that it would be collecting huge royalties from a mobile giant. There’s no disguising that this is a major failure for InterDigital, even if the damage is mostly symbolic.
[Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
Via:
Bloomberg
Source:
ITC (PDF), InterDigital
Tags: 3g, cellphone, interdigital, internationaltradecommission, itc, microsoft, mobilepostcross, nokia, patents, smartphone
Razer is making its own customizable Xbox One controller
The Xbox One already has an expensive controller tailor-made for competitive gamers, but Razer believes there’s room for another one. Today at PAX, the company announced its new $150 Wildcat controller for Microsoft’s latest console. Razer says that it built the controller under the direction of competitive gamers, something that led to a 25 percent weight reduction over the standard Xbox One controller. The controller also has four additional buttons that can be remapped in any way you see fit and a “quick control” panel along the bottom of the controller to let you quickly switch profiles, adjust chat volume or muting audio.
Beyond the lighter weight, the controller also includes rubber palm rests and analog stick covers for increased grip as well as some superfluous-sounding “aircraft grade” aluminum triggers. Naturally, as a Razer product, there’s a lot of Mountain Dew green here — it’s certainly more garishly appointed than the Xbox Elite controller. If that’s your style, or you’re just really interested in having the lightest controller possible, the Wildcat will be available this October.
Razer is also finally ready to officially release its Nabu wearable wristband, something the company first announced way back at CES 2014. The company released a different band called the Nabu X since then, but now the original Nabu is ready to go after some pretty big changes. The most notable difference between the Nabu and the Nabu X is that the new Nabu features a screen for notifications, rather than the simple LED-based system the Nabu X features.
It also includes the expected step-tracking and sleep tracking features as well as some notifications, but Razer’s also releasing a new companion app for iOS and Android, and Razer says that the band will work with “connected apps” like Google Fit, Facebook, Instagram, and a few others. How exactly those apps will interface with the Nabu remains to be seen, but we should find out more when it finally launches in October. It’ll cost $99.99 and pre-orders start on September 15th.
Filed under:
Microsoft
Tags: microsoft, nabu, razer, razernabu, wildcat, wildcatcontroller, xboxone
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp0G5sAdsQA
Welcome back to the Android Apps Weekly show! Let’s jump right into the headlines for this week:
- Microsoft is now letting people download Cortana as part of a public beta which is the first time it’s been officially available to the public. There is only one problem and that is that you cannot participate in the public beta unless you live in the United States. We don’t think that’ll change which kinda sucks.
- A new app called Vysor was leaked recently and it prompted developer Koushik Dutta to just release the application. It’s a Chrome app that lets you easily control your Android device from your computer. It’s a nifty tool even if it’s in beta and keep an eye out for pricing because there will be some pricing options eventually.
- Facebook M has been officially announced and much like the leaks said, it’ll be a personal assistant that lives inside of Facebook Messenger that helps you buy things along with a suite of other functions for productivity. It’s currently in testing and we have no clue when it’ll be available to the public.
- Earlier this week, Rovio announced that they’ll be laying off 1/3 of their work force. The speculation is that the Angry Birds franchise is finally starting to falter as the company just released Angry Birds 2 not long ago. The company maintains that it made these layoffs to be leaner and more agile.
- Earlier this week, Amazon killed off the free app of the day and replaced it with a new application called Amazon Underground. The new app is meant to offer a lot more apps that the company is calling “actually free”. You can download and install Amazon Underground just like any other Amazon app.
For even more Android apps headlines, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter. There we have a whole lot more apps and games news that we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can even sign up using your email address and we’ll send it to you every Friday!
Subscribe to Apps Weekly Newsletter
The latest apps, games and Google play news in your inbox once a week.
While you’re at it, why not check out the Android Authority Twitch channel? Yes, we’ll be doing YouTube Gaming very soon as well but we still plan on hanging out on Twitch! Right now our streaming schedule is Sunday and Monday at 4PM EST. Come hang out, chit chat, and play some video games!
AMC
[Price: Free]
Late last week, AMC released its own official application to the Google Play Store. It comes with a lineup of AMC programming including The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Hell on WHeels, and a lot more. You do need a cable subscription to have access most of the content but some stuff you’ll be able to access for free. It’s missing some features here and there and the app is suffering from release day bugs, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Get it now on Google Play!
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ Experience app
[Price: Free]
Earlier this week, Samsung released the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ experience apps. The point of these apps is to show people what kind of experience they can get with these devices and Samsung has released similar apps in the past for their flagships. They’re fairly easy to use and it’s a nice experience to have if you plan on buying either of these devices or just want to see what they’re all about.
Get it now on Google Play!
YouTube Gaming
[Price: Free]
YouTube Gaming is finally official and Google has released the official app to prove it. Google’s competitor to Twitch is in full swing and the application will give you access to everyone who is streaming games. You’ll also be able to engage with past broadcasts, plenty of channel and page browsing options, and the app will offer live streams from large events like E3, PAX, and Gamescon. It’s definitely worth checking out and hey, you’ll see us there very soon!
Get it now on Google Play!
Framed
[Price: $0.99]
Framed is an award-winning puzzle game with a unique premise. You are given a set of video clips which you must arrange to create a certain story scene. If you do it incorrectly, you lose and if you do it right, you can proceed. It’s backed by a pretty decent jazz soundtrack and there is a lot of game here to play. It’s definitely something a bit different and actually very fun to play. It’s only $0.99 and it’s worth every penny.
Get it now on Google Play!
Lara Croft GO
[Price: $4.99]
Last and certainly not least this week is Lara Croft GO. This highly anticipated game has finally made its way to Google Play to extremely positive reviews so far. This title features 75 puzzles over five chapters as you guide Lara through obstacles and fights with various creatures. It holds true to the series as you’ll be exploring ancient ruins with mythical puzzles. It looks good, it plays great, and $4.99 isn’t an unfair price at all.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps and games news, tell us more about it in the comments! Thanks for reading, watching, and subscribing and we’ll see you next week!
Microsoft shoots down Xbox One Mini rumor
The Xbox One is a large console, but it seems Microsoft is in no rush to unveil a slimmer model. The company was rumored to be launching an “Xbox One Mini” in October, but Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s head of Xbox, has shot down the idea on Twitter. His “not real” statement is pretty definitive, although of course, that doesn’t mean Microsoft isn’t planning a redesign for a later date. Although the Xbox One’s sales are behind the PlayStation 4, it has a slew of exclusives coming out this fall including Halo 5: Guardians, Forza Motorsport 6 and Rise of the Tomb Raider (okay, that last one is actually a timed exclusive). If Microsoft is working on a “Mini” model, it’s more likely to appear at somewhere like E3 next year.
@av_xz Not real.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 27, 2015
[Image Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under:
Gaming, Microsoft
Via:
The Verge
Source:
Phil Spencer (Twitter)
Tags: microsoft, philspencer, xboxone, xboxonemini
Microsoft Snip annotates screenshots with voice notes and scribbles
Screenshots come in handy when offering feedback and comments on any number of things. To lend a hand with that process, Microsoft has a new app for Windows that’s up to the task. The software is called Snip, and in addition to capturing parts of your screen to share among your friends and colleagues, the app also lets you mark up the snaps. With both voice notes and stylus scribbles, Snip gives you two options for getting that point across. When you’re done, you can paste the image into another app (they’re copied to the clipboard by default), distribute it as a web link or save it to your device as a video (MP4). When you lend your voice to the captures, the app automatically turns them into videos. And yes, they can be embedded on the web should the need arise. If you’re looking to give it a go, the app is available in beta form now from the source link below.
Filed under:
Software, Microsoft
Via:
The Verge
Source:
Snip
Tags: app, microsoft, microsoftsnip, notes, screenshots, snip, software, windows
Microsoft renders for flagship Lumia phones leaked online
If you’ve been wanting to see the two high-end Windows phones Microsoft has been developing, then you don’t have to wait until the official launch. Evleaks has posted the renders for both devices on Twitter: the larger, cyan one with a 5.7-inch screen is known as codename Cityman, while the black phone with a 5.2-inch screen is Talkman. They’re expected to have Quad HD displays, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and 5-megapixel front shooters. Cityman might be powered by an eight-core ship, while its smaller sibling might be equipped with a six-core processor.
According to The Verge, they might also support USB Type-C as well as Qi wireless charging. Evleaks tweeted out the renders as a response to another image showing a Cityman connected to a peripheral that will allow it to support Microsoft’s new Continuum feature. Based on what we’ve seen earlier this year, Continuum can turn phones into teensy Windows computers. These devices could be launched at an upcoming Microsoft event this October — we’ll keep you updated with all the pertinent info, especially when you’ll be able to buy them.
.@bdsams I see your Cityman, and raise you a Talkman (top to bottom) pic.twitter.com/u9rACR4CeX
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 27, 2015
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Source:
evleaks (Twitter)
Tags: cityman, lumia, microsoft, mobilepostcross, nokia, talkman
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