Tech News Updates

Microsoft and United hooked up back in June for a hardware-less Zune partnership , which seems to have turned out pretty sweetly for both parties. Dave McLauchlan, chief Zune HD evangelist, has dished the news that the two companies are stepping up their relationship with a set of 500 Zunes being provided for long-haul flights to Hong Kong and Australia. Before you cry foul and say you never get on a flying tin can without your own media, Microsoft’s angle here will be to preload those OLED-sporting babies with exclusive content, including flicks that haven’t yet made it to a DVD release. Dave himself has been running around movie studios and closing deals, while the Zune HDs in question have now been encased in rubber, had their screens protected, and batteries charged. See them in a group shot after the break. Continue reading Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

If you examined the fairly impressive roster of Windows Phone 7 Xbox Live launch titles that Microsoft waved proudly in our face the other day, you might’ve noticed that EA is particularly absent from that glorious list. Well, the folks at Mobile Entertainment bothered to ask EA Mobile about that absence, and EA had this terse reply: “We are constantly evaluating new platforms and opportunities, but have nothing to announce right now.” Pretty eye opening, right? In absence of facts, there are all sorts of avenues for conjecture. EA could be holding out for a better carrot from Microsoft, checking to see how successful the platform will actually be, or just playing its titles close to its chest. Or maybe they’re just resting after a long round of Madden testing and binge potato chip eating. We’re not going to get all worked up about it right now: it’s not like we’re short on platforms right now suited to shepherding the hapless lives of our Sims. EA a notable holdout on Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7, doesn’t have much to say on the subject originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

This time last year, almost to the day, Microsoft saw its first annual sales decline in history . Things are looking much better now, with the company reporting a record $16.04 billion in revenue, a 22 percent year-over-year increase for its Q4 revenue ending June 30th. In fact, revenue is up across all divisions, with Windows and Windows Live seeing the biggest uptick (43.5 percent to $4.55 billion) followed by Entertainment and Devices (27.3 percent to $1.6 billion). Operating income, on the other hand, paints a different picture of E&D, showing a $172 million loss for this quarter (compared to $141 loss in Q4 last year), but looking over the entire fiscal year, the home of Xbox and Zune this year did $679 million in operating income — a sizable jump to the $108 million from 2009. The overall operating income for the company is $5.93 billion this quarter (net income $4.52 billion), a 49 percent increase over last Q4, and $20.36 billion for the year (18 percent compared with fiscal 2009). We know you’re interested in comparisons, so we’ll just go ahead and break it down for ya: the gang in Redmond is still beating Apple in both revenue ($16.04 billion vs. $15.7 billion) and profit ($4.52 billion vs. $3.25), but that margin feels smaller than it used to. Enough to keep the rumored pressure off Ballmer? Frankly, we don’t even think biplanes could knock the man off the top of a tower, but Windows Phone 7 has a lot to prove, and fast. Microsoft is hosting a webcast of its report later today — usually much ado about nothing, as far as we’re concerned, but we’ll listen in and let ya know if anything interesting pops up. Update: Some interesting Xbox 360 statistics. 1.5 million consoles were sold this last quarter. Xbox Live has 25 million members, and for the first time since its inception, the revenue from the Marketplace exceeded subscription revenue. Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Remember that chart that pointed out the differences between Google, Apple and Microsoft? Well, it’s looking increasingly like Google is intent on filling any and all gaps in its portfolio. Those good old unnamed sources have been talking, originally to CNET last week and to the Wall Street Journal today, and disclosing Google’s supposed intent to introduce its very own music store. This would initially encompass a web store where you can stream or download tracks, with a search tie-in that’ll get your money into Google’s pocket in the fastest possible way. Subsequent plans are said to include Android integration in 2011 — something that Google rather nonchalantly demoed at its I/O conference last month. Of course, none of this is as yet confirmed, but it looks like Apple and Google will be competing across yet another front — hold on tight. Google setting up music store later this year, looking for search and Android synergy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Schlepping your Xbox 360 around in your carry-on is a hardly ideal solution for platinum-level frequent fliers. Not only does it take up a significant portion of your roller, but once you get where you’re going there’s no guarantee that your hotel’s wood-paneled tube will know what to do with your high-end gaming machine. Enter the GAEMS Portable Console Gaming and Entertainment System, which carries not only an Xbox but also a 15-inch, 720p LCD in the lid, and speakers to boot. Flip open your console and you’re good to go, though we’re wondering whether there’s room in there for the power brick too. We do know that your controllers will not fit, which seems like an unfortunate design choice if you ask us. The GAEMS suitcase ships sometime before the end of the year for around $250, and yes there are PS3 and new Xbox 360 versions coming too. GAEMS suitcase is the solution for bad-spelling, frequently-travelling Xbox 360 gamers originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

What, no red carpet unveiling for new desktops? It seems HP’s portability-deficient PCs have gone through a number of tweaks as of late. The Pavilion and Slimline collection ranges from Intel Celerons and AMD Semprons to Core i5s and Phenoms . Pavilion Elites crank it up a notch further with numerous Phenom and Core i7 multi-core processors. All-in-one MS230z gets a recharge, too, but the TouchSmarts remain largely, erm, untouched since its late April cleanup . The closest we have to a new model here is the all-in-one 200xt, which really is just a 200t with Intel’s Core 2010 chips. Exact details of the upgrades are sketchy, but the real takeaway here is that you were looking into a new HP desktop, now’s as good of a time as any. Full list of updated models via LogicHP . HP discretely introduces all-in-one 200xt, refreshes desktop lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Jun 2010 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Well, it looks like the Courier’s demise could be having some far bigger implications for Microsoft than anyone had suspected. According to ZDNet ’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft’s Chief Experience Officer and CTO for its Entertainment and Devices division, J Allard , has been on sabbatical from the company for the past short while and is “unlikely to return” — all due to the fate of the Courier. According to Foley’s sources, Allard was “the champion” of the Courier, and had reportedly made his feelings about the device and its ultimate demise clear on numerous occasions — including, of course, directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. According to another of Foley’s sources, things eventually got so heated that Ballmer “showed Allard the door” because of their disagreements about the Courier’s potential. So, did he jump or was he pushed? Microsoft isn’t saying, and Allard is seemingly nowhere to be found. J Allard leaving Microsoft over Courier axing? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 12:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Google’s homepage goes amazing to celebrate Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Get ready for an acute case of DVR inadequacy courtesy of SnapStream , which has pieced together what it’s calling the world’s largest DVR, and we’re inclined to believe them. Run a coax in the back and, with a fully configured unit, you can record a whopping 50 channels simultaneously onto over 100TB of storage. The trick is it’s actually five separate rack-mounted SnapStream DVRs that all join together to share storage, work across tuners, and to fight the evil King Zarkon from the planet Doom — or at least to record all the Voltron reruns ever aired, ever. No word on the cost of a fully-configured rack, but given the size of that thing (check out the door in the background for comparison) we’re thinking it might not fit in our entertainment center anyway. Gallery: SnapStream’s monster DVR SnapStream’s monster DVR records 50 channels at once, even when nothin’s on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Few reporting on Microsoft are as plugged in to the day-to-day happenings in Redmond as Mary Jo Foley. So much so that she’s apt to write an entire column (or two) about internal Microsoft reorganizations — moves that can be telling from a company attempting to seamlessly integrate its Zune, Xbox, Media Center, and Windows Mobile products, services, and experiences. While you might find it interesting that Enrique Rodriguez has left the company in the latest shakeup to hit MS’ Entertainment and Devices unit, the following sentence presented as fact is what caught our attention: “Pink is the codename for both the set of premium mobile services and one or more Windows Mobile phones aimed at the teen/twenty-something market.” Of course, what she’s referring to is the infamous Project Pink , the mystery whatsit said to be emanating from the Microsoft Premium Mobile eXperiences (PMX) group built around the people and technologies nabbed after the Danger acquisition. We’re also intrigued by the discussion of Pink in a separate breath from the consumer build of Windows Mobile 7 . This makes us wonder if Microsoft is working on a three-pronged strategy that will result in targetted Windows Mobile 7 business and consumer devices as well as Pink phones specifically aimed at teens and twenty-somethings. Mary Jo Foley speculates that the Pink devices might be the first to run Microsoft’s new premium Pink services but still be WinMo 6.x based — if true then we could see a launch this quarter, no need to wait for Windows Mobile 7 which isn’t expected until the end of the year . How many days until Mobile World Congress again? [Thanks, Pratik] Microsoft Pink targeting teens and twenty-somethings, devices launching in Spring? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink