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Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts

Monday, November 25, 2013

Apple Completes The Acquisition Of 3D-Sensor Company, PrimeSense


Apple acquires the famous PrimeSense startup from Israel for $360 Million! Primesense is a company which is mainly focused on 3-D sensor technology. Most of the Xbox fans will be aware of this technology which is used in Xbox 3D Kinect games.

Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet confirmed the PrimeSense deal with the boilerplate comment the company typically provides when news of one of its acquisitions leaks: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”

The exit marks the end of months of deliberation between the two companies, finally bringing the semiconductor company responsible for advances in motion and depth capture under Apple’s aegis.

The talks were first reported by Israeli news outlet Calcalist back in July, and news of the acquisition was reported earlier on Sunday by Globes.

Microsoft’s Kinect gaming product, which uses cameras and depth sensors to capture players’ motions and incorporate them into Xbox gameplay. (Microsoft now deploys its own homegrown sensor technology for the current generation of Kinect devices, which ship with the recently launched Xbox One.)

This is not the first Israeli-based acquisition Apple has made. The Cupertino, Calif.-based hardware giant purchased Anobit — a supplier of high-performance flash memory controllers — earlier this year for a reported sum of $500 million.


Updated at: Monday, November 25, 2013

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Microsoft Xbox One Sells 1 Million Units In 24 Hours Of Launch!


24 hours and 1 million units sold out! Microsoft Corp sold over 1 million of its new Xbox One game consoles within 24 hours of their hitting store shelves on Friday, on par with Sony Corp's PlayStation 4 despite launching in far more countries.

The new console, which launched in 13 countries, set a record for first-day Xbox sales and is currently sold out at most retailers, Microsoft said in a statement.

Sony said it sold 1 million PS4 units in 24 hours after launching last Friday in just the United States and Canada. The PS4 expands to other regions, including Europe, Australia and South America, from November 29. It then hits Japan in February.

Microsoft is already aiming to beat Sony on its ground and is building up a much higher configuration console, ofcourse costlier than Sony to beat the gamers into the new platform. Microsoft not only stops there, but also plans to include a broader consumer base of TV fans and music lovers with its interactive entertainment features and media apps.

"We are working hard to create more Xbox One consoles," said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy at Xbox.

Robert W. Baird & Co analyst Colin Sebastian has said he expects shipments of 2.5 million to 3 million units for both the Xbox One and PS4 in the fourth quarter.

Both the PS4, priced at $399 in the United States, and the Xbox One, with a price tag of $499, offer improved graphics for realistic effects, processors that allow faster game play and a slew of exclusive video games.


Updated at: Saturday, November 23, 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Xbox One Looses To Playstation 4 Sales Says Survey


The restrictions and policies along with the price point may be costing Microsoft's Xbox One, as the latest poll by Reuters shows that people are more inclined to buy Sony's Playstation 4 than the much upgraded and policy implied Xbox One.


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The poll was conducted from 23rd September to 27th September which revealed this stunning fact. Although Microsoft boasts about its much faster sensors, processor and graphics, it still comes at a cost - the most talked about implication was the requirement of internet connection to continue playing games, and ruled off the possibility of an offline pleasure. This has been received with much criticism, and made MS to rethink this policy. Here the Sony got the track and was promoting offline gaming as well at a $100 less of the price of Xbox One.

The poll showed 26 percent of 1,297 people surveyed online last week say they are likely to purchase the new PlayStation 4 when available, versus 15 percent opting for the Xbox One.

The interesting fact was that, among those below the age of 40. Of that group of 408 people, 41 percent picked Sony's PS4 versus 27 percent for Microsoft's Xbox One, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The Xbox policies had even surprised the Sony CEO(News Here) and this seems to have been the roar of the public. Sony Also have received 1 million preorders for the product, for which it was a proud moment(News Here).
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But 56-year-old participant Jon Leigh, who plays six to 10 hours of video games a week and lives in Harlan, Kentucky, thinks the Microsoft controversy won't sway Xbox fans. "People who use Microsoft products will continue to use them," he said. Leigh will go with the Xbox One because of its upgraded "Kinect" motion sensor, and because he's more familiar with the Xbox than the PlayStation.

The $399 PS4 and $499 Xbox One represent the first major upgrades of mainstream gaming hardware in years, setting game developers scrambling to put out new releases that take advantage of better graphics and faster processors. They are scheduled to hit store shelves from mid-November, about a year after Nintendo's slow-selling Wii U. Of the 1,297 respondents, only 3 percent said they now played games on the Wii U, versus 20 percent on the Xbox 360, 20 percent on computers, and 18 percent on Sony's PlayStation 3.
Indeed, 64 percent of total respondents said they would not buy any new game hardware at all this season, when posed with choices ranging from the Xbox and PS4 to Nintendo's 2DS and Valve's Steam Box. The Reuters/Ipsos poll underscored strong interest in Activision Blizzard's "Call of Duty: Ghosts," slated for November, which will try and take on Take-Two Interactive Software's mega-hit, "Grand Theft Auto V."


Updated at: Monday, September 30, 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013

Microsoft Surface 2 Tablet Hands On Review


Microsoft Surface 2 Hands-On | Engadget

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 (320 ratings)
Statistics: 0 favorite(s); 42690 view(s)

Microsoft just announced the Surface 2, the successor to the original Surface RT tablet. So of course, we did exactly what any self-respecting Engadget editors would do: we muscled our way to the front of the demo area and made sure we were the first to get our hands on it. Read on at Engadget: http://goo.gl/yH7AAu
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Engadget provides the web's best consumer electronics & gadgets coverage. Launched in 2004 by former Gizmodo editor and co-founder Peter Rojas, Engadget now covers the latest mobile devices, computers, TVs, laptops, personal electronics, hardware, tablets, and cameras. Engadget's video property is a part of the AOL On Network.

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Author: Engadget Published: 23 September 2013 

Updated at: Friday, September 27, 2013

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

UPDATE : Microsoft Buys Nokia for 7.2bn bid


Finland's Nokia, once the undisputed leader in mobile phones, has been struggling to respond to the challenge from smartphone makers such as Apple (AAPL.O) and Samsung (005930.KS).

Analysts say Elop's bold bet in 2011 to adopt Microsoft's untested Windows Phone software has yet to pay off.


The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014 and is subject to approval by Nokia's shareholders and regulatory approvals. Nokia partnered in 2011 with Microsoft and uses Microsoft's Windows software to run its mobile phones.

"It's a bold step into the future - a win-win for employees, shareholders and consumers of both companies," Microsoft's outgoing CEO, Steve Ballmer, said in a statement.

"Bringing these great teams together will accelerate Microsoft's share and profits in phones, and strengthen the overall opportunities for both Microsoft and our partners across our entire family of devices and services."

Nokia said in a statement it expected that Elop, along with senior executives Jo Harlow, Juha Putkiranta, Timo Toikkanen, and Chris Weber, would transfer to Microsoft when the deal was concluded. It did not say what roles they would take at Microsoft.

Nokia board chairman Risto Siilasmaa would take over CEO duties while the Finnish firm looked for a new CEO, it said.

Elop, a Canadian hired by Nokia in 2010 from Microsoft, has been one of the favourites to take over as Microsoft chief when Ballmer steps down.

(Reporting by Terhi Kinnunen; Writing by Alex Richardson; Editing by Mark Bendeich)

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Updated at: Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sony Boss Surprised By Xbox One Policies


At the conference the night before, in front of a global online audience, he had berated Microsoft for the mixed, confused positioning of its Xbox One console launch. At first it was going to be a digital-focused machine, with discs relegated to a secondary position; there would be no traditional pre-owned game sales, there would be a requirement for near-constant internet connection.

Sony has put its cards on the table. The PlayStation 4 release date is 15 November in North America and 29 November in Europe.

At a packed press conference earlier this week in Cologne, where the monstrous Gamescom event is being held, the company laid out its final pre-release vision for the machine. And it's all about games. Sure, there's a roster of video services (with LoveFilm and BBC iPlayer heading up the UK offering), but whether we're talking discs or digital distribution, triple-A publishers or one-person teams, it is and always has been about games.


Updated at: Thursday, August 22, 2013