Author: The enConnected Team

For the next week, users can save a bit on Lets Golf 2, Flightradar24 and Cradle TO the Grave Premium as part of this week’s Red Stripe Deal for Windows Phone users.

Until Next Thursday Microsoft has knocked of 50% on the titles making Lets Golf 2 for $1.99, Flightradar24 for $.99 and Cradle To The Grave Premium for $.99.

Now make it happen folks, those Xbox achievements won’t earn themselves. As far as Flightradar? Well, we’re staying away from airports in the United States until after Congress clears up that budget debacle but you should feel free to fly to the moon, as they say.

Windows Phone Red Stripe Deals: Let’s Golf 2

Somehow or another, we missed it but enConnected Social user Mark Richey, was on the case. Apparently, Microsoft has rolled out an updated version of it’s desktop syncing application for Windows Phone 8 users.

Starting immediately, users will be able to sync podcasts from iTunes, editable libraries and get updates to the application automatically to their Windows Phones using the application.

There are no updates on when these updates might arrive to users of the Modern Window application. You can download the updated application here.

From The Social: Microsoft Updates Windows Phone 8 Sync App

What do I Need More Allowance, Banging on the Trash Can and Quale-Man all have in common? They’re all awesome, and they were all a part of a very deliberate move by Nickelodeon, to give the network a more interracial feeling.

In the upcoming book Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age, the executive producer of Doug, a popular cartoon on the network at the time, details the way in which the creator of the show, Jim Jinkins wanted to reach across the aisle to viewers of all colors. According to Doug Campbell, Jinkins was adamant about portraying people of all colors quoting him as saying,

“Look, we’re not black people, we’re not Mexican, but we want the cartoon to speak to all groups… Let’s try coloring them all different colors.”

Overall, the idea is completely intriguing, as we here at enConnected can confirm it worked, though the fact that Skeeter was meant to be a stand-in for the African American experience wasn’t exactly the best kept secret since we found out the true identity of Smash Adams. WhatCulture! also has a seriously detailed look at the first kids television network as well.

 

The Culture: Doug, Patty Mayonnaise & Race

Now that it has a little bit of time in between announcing the Xbox One and showing off more features for the console at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft is now detailing some of the design processes and thinking that went into creating the Xbox 360′s successor.

Xbox Wire has a terrifically detailed piece that goes into how hard the company worked on both the hardware and software for the Xbox One. It’s a long read, so you’ll definitely went to set aside some time to take it all in.

According to Microsoft, the company wanted to combine the Metro interface from products like Windows Phone and Windows 8 with it aesthetics it new consumers would appreciate. It also wanted to include the design language of the of the console with inside the Xbox ONE UI, according to Ramiro Torres, the Creative Director for the console.

“The design language is visible in Xbox One’s hardware. The console is evenly divided between the matte and gloss –the front in particular clearly reflects this symmetry– and the top brings together two even rectangles, where the vent panel’s edge detail matches the appearance of a selected tile in the user interface. ” – Ramiro Torres

Those who wondered why Microsoft chose to create a pure black console this time instead of the white it choose to use in the 360, the company apparently wanted to use what it calls a “liquid black” color to better help the console and it’s components blend in with the devices users already have.

There’s also more information about how the way the company was able to use 3D printers rapidly prototype ideas.

Microsoft says it will launch the Xbox One sometime this fall.

Microsoft Details the Design Process for the Xbox One

In a blog post this morning, Microsoft is detailing the new features it’s bringing to users of its Windows 8 operating system this fall.

That update, which until recently had been known as Windows Blue will introduce a huge array of changes to the way users interact with Windows 8. In fact the company is introducing so many changes that it should have just branded the update Windows 8.5.

Based on the details provided in to today’s post on Blogging Windows, the company is really making an effort to address the concerns that users have. First, the company will move more towards letting users customize the way Windows 8 looks. With 8.1, users will be able to select multiple pictures to display on their lock screen as well as use very short video clips and pictures as background for both the Desktop area, and the Start Screen. As rumored, users will get new Live Tile sizes so that they can better position the applications that are important to them instead of the large rectangles and squares that are available today.

 

 

If you thought that the Bing application of today was impressive, you’ll love the integration the search engine is getting in Windows 8.1. With the update, Microsoft will build Bing web search results into the Search Charm. That functionality will complement the charm’s current universal search functions and layout it’s results in a new panoramic search screen, which you’ll find above.

While we’re on the topic of integrated experiences, Windows 8.1 will include built-in background syncing for SkyDrive, the company’s cloud storage solution. Users will be able to purchase more storage directly from Windows 8.1’s control panel.

The company is also paying a lot of attention to the way people make use of Metro-style applications. Starting with Windows 8.1, users will be able to Snap as many Metro applications as their screen can support, and will be able to have these types of applications display on more than one monitor at a time, something users can’t do today.

Notably, Microsoft will restore the Start Button as well and allow users to boot directly into the Desktop, so that users who prefer to use that environment will be able to quickly do so if they see fit to do so. However, the option will not be enabled by default.

The company also plans to introduce updated versions of many of the applications that are built in Windows by default, including what it’s calling a “complete redesign of Xbox Music”.

 

“complete redesign of Xbox Music”

 

Microsoft has already announced that it will make Windows 8.1 available for free to users this fall. It will release a preview of the update during next month’s BUILD conference as well. It plans to detail more about the updated applications on it’s blog sometime in between that.

 

 

 

Microsoft Detailing New Features Coming in Windows 8.1 Update

Just in case you hadn’t been able to remember the complicated plot twists and strange cranial trauma that caused movie goers everywhere to collectively yell “what, Star Trek isn’t just for geeks”,  comes the most affordable movie rental we’ve ever seen in the Xbox Video Store. Right now, users can rent Star Trek (2009) for just $.49.

That $.49 will only buy users the right to stream the movie in standard definition for a term of 24 hours once they’ve hit the play button, but that’s still an awfully good deal for those who have plans to see the film’s sequel and haven’t looked at the film that started, or shall we say, rebooted it all.

Star Trek available to rent for just $.49 in the Xbox Video Store

Are you thinking about picking up the latest Skyline sports car in an effort to get closer to fast cars, studly men and bodacious babes ahead of this week’s premiere of Fast & Furious 6? You could spend most of your savings and pay out a fortune in gas prices each week or you could pick up other movies in the Fast and Furious franchise on the cheap this week in the Xbox Video Store.

Until Sunday, users can pickup The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and the extended edition of Fast Five for $6.99 each in the Xbox Video Store’s movie area.

Yes, the sale does include 2 Fast 2 Furious: Tokyo Drift as well, but for reasons related to it’s plot and writing, we left it for last so you might be compelled to save yourself from that car wreck of a feature length film.

Fast & Furious Now on Sale in the Xbox Video Store

It’s that time of year again everyone, out with the old and in with the new! It’s time to take a hot new electronic device out of some anti-static wrapping and get a nostril full of that new keyboard smell. Ok. So maybe we get a little overjoyed by the thought of Windows devices made cheap by their coming obsolesce but, what do you expect we’re geeks. Through Memorial Day in the United States users can pick up seriously inexpensive machines as part of Microsoft’s Memorial Clearance Sale.

As part of the deal users can pick up some of the most innovative Windows machines that debuted earlier this year and last fall with Windows 8 including the touchscreen equipped Asus VivoBook X202E for $449 and the HP Envy X2 convertible tablet/laptop for $599.

Microsoft’s retail arm has also marked down Battlefield 3, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Call of Duty Black Ops, FiFA Soccer 13 and Tomb Raider to just $29.99.

Now, what could you do with that extra money you’re about to save? May we suggest you earmark it for, well this fall’s must have life accessory?

Deals: Touch Windows Devices and Games on Sale at Microsoft Store

Today’s debut of the new Xbox One and it’s accompanying software and services is now available to watch online, this video only details the design of the console itself, it’s upgraded Kinect sensor, and it’s newly upgraded controller.

We’re still waiting for Microsoft to post of full-length video of today’s press event. When they do, we’ll update you guys.

 

Xbox One Video Now Available

The newly updated Xbox One, will ship with a host of new features including, a more accurate Kinect that’s always on, the company is now sharing more about the newly revamped Xbox LIVE that will debut alongside the console.

In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft elaborated on many of the Xbox LIVE enabled that the console will have. These features include an upgraded version of automatic matchmaking system called ‘Smart Match’. This new version of match making will allow the service to estimate waiting times and group users based on it’s calculations. It will also match users based on their “reputations”.

Xbox LIVE Achievements will grow to encompass more gameplay over time and will automatically capture video of user’s “epic moments”. Achievement capture will be made available in addition to Game DVR , a way for users to capture all of their video from their favorite games and upload it to the cloud. Whether that’s SkyDrive or some internal Xbox LIVE save area is still unclear. Users will also be able to edit that video using tools provided by Xbox as well.

Game developers will also be able to offload computations and processing to Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform. In theory, this would allow for the creation of larger of more complex games that don’t overly tax the hardware in user’s living room. According to Microsoft, users will still be able play games that rely on Azure if their console goes offline, though the company offered no details on it.

The company also says that it will build SmartGlass functionality into Xbox LIVE so that users can play multiplayer games and enjoy entertainment using a SmartGlass powered device. SmartGlass is currently available on Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, iOS and Android.

This new Xbox LIVE might be considered a mixed bag for users who’ve already heavily invested in the ecosystem. While achievements, Xbox LIVE accounts and Xbox LIVE Gold subscriptions will be able to travel between the Xbox 360′s Xbox LIVE and the new service, users won’t be able to play Xbox LIVE Arcade games that they’ve already purchased on the service.

Lastly, this new Xbox LIVE will allow the Xbox One to effectively replace the user interface and guide of a user’s cable box. Users will be able to navigate the entirety of their cable selection depending on what provider the use.

Microsoft plans to detail more about Xbox LIVE and the Xbox One at E3 in June. The Xbox One will arrive on store shelves sometime this year.

Meet the new Xbox LIVE