Author: The enConnected Team

Those looking to get in a little Xbox gaming on the cheap now have a few new discounted titles to consider including, Gotham City Imposters and Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light in this week’s Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week.

Until April 22nd, Xbox LIVE users can pickup I Am Alive for 480 Microsoft Points ($6), Gotham City Imposters for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), Goemetry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 for Microsoft Points, Warhammer 40,000 Kill Team for 320 Microsoft Points ($4), Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), HELL YEAH! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit for 480 Microsoft Points ($6), Bionic Commando Rearmed for 320 Microsoft Points ($4), Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 for 400 Microsoft Points ($5), Black Knight Sword for 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

We’re personally excited to get Gotham City Imposters on the cheap. Don’t get us wrong, Batman: Arkham City was great but you can’t go wrong with Batman and social games with gadgets. Not at all. Remember, these deals are exclusive to Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers.

Rest assured Windows Phone users, according to an email correspondence from the service’s support team, Hulu Plus is on it’s way to Windows Phone users the world over.

This comes from of all places Hulu’s Support Team who received an email after a Windows Phone users noticed the application wasn’t yet available for his device. From Hulu Support,

“Thanks for writing in with your interest in using Hulu Plus on your Windows Phone. We get a lot of requests for this platform, and we’ve been working on making it available for some time. In fact, the app should be released in the near future.”

The email then goes on to apologize that the service doesn’t already support Windows Phone devices, and that any updates to the line up of devices that Hulu Plus supports would be announced the moment it was ready.

Hulu Plus, is already available on Xbox LIVE and Windows 8, so finally bringing support for Microsoft’s mobile operating system would finally complete the availability puzzle. Hulu Plus allows subscribers to enjoy streaming episodes of their favorite shows the day after they air in addition to acting as a video on demand service. We reviewed the service and it’s accompanying application when they debuted on Xbox LIVE in 2011.

In an update announced late last week, Microsoft is rolling out an update to Xbox SmartGlass on Android that will allow for more Android devices to use the feature.

According to MajorNelson the updates to Xbox SmartGlass for Android include support for more tablets with a screen size of around 10 inches and 7 inches and running Android “Jelly Bean”, the ability to open browser links from within the application, the ability to send and receive Xbox LIVE messages, an always-on mode for users looking to avoid having to unlock their Android device whenever it autolocks, and a newly streamlined design.

Users of Microsoft’s SmartGlass app on Android will be prompted to update the app by the Google Play Store over the next week or two. Microsoft originally debuted Xbox SmartGlass as part of last year’s fall update. When originally announced during last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, the feature was designed to extend user’s experience in games, video and television shows onto whatever device they may also have in front of them. There are currently versions of Xbox SmartGlass for Windows 8, Windows Phone, Android, and iOS.

This past Tuesday, Microsoft shipped new updates for it’s Microsoft Surface and Microsoft Surface to address quality issues that had cropped up since each of the tablet’s launches.

In addition to improved solid-state drive performance, the Surface Pro has also received updates intended to resolve touch screen issues when booting from the device’s UEFI settings menu, connectivity issues when using the Surface Type and Touch keyboards, and an issue that caused airplane mode to disable the device’s Wi-Fi drivers entirely.

All of the Surface RT’s updates are related to it’s Wi-Fi card. These updates address issues related to wireless range, little to no connectivity, and system crashes caused by other Wi-Fi issues.

These updates, which are available via Windows 8 and Windows RT  settings under ‘update’ should go a long way in improving the performance of Microsoft’s first generation of tablets.

 

What happens when society completely breaks down and only a band of misfits are holding their local civilization together with rope and duct-tape? We don’t know but Xbox Video users can find out, with a discounted season pass on the new show, Defiance.

Until April 23rd Xbox LIVE Can pick up the entire first season of the science fiction show staring True Bloods Grand Bowler, for $17.99 in the Xbox Video Store. In addition, users can download a preview of the show for free.

The weather’s warming, flowers are in bloom. What better way to celebrate having to wash your car on a weekly basis is there than to watch a free sneak peak of History’s Counting Cars?

The show, whose second season premiered this week is all about buying, restoring, and selling classic cars. If that sounds like something that may tickle your fancy, you can check out the sneak peak for free right now in the Xbox Video Store.

Pilot of History’s ‘Counting Cards’ free in the Xbox Video Store

Today, Microsoft is kicking off the voting portion of it’s Xbox Video Awards.

The Awards program, which was first announced a few weeks ago on Xbox.com, seeks to honor the best in video entertainment that debuted this past year. Instead of focusing on the more technical aspect of video gaming making such as “Best Pixel Art” the awards seeks to offer categories tailored to Xbox LIVE’s audience.

Voting won’t be voting confined to the Xbox 360 Dashboard, users will have make their voices heard via a vote on two separate areas depending on the categories they wished to vote in. For example ‘Favorite Use of Archery’, and ‘Favorite Use of Zombies’ are both available for voting only on Xbox Video Awards’ Facebook page, while the Xbox LIVE Dashboard voting booth houses ‘Favorite Future Vision’ and ‘Favorite Bromance’.

Those who choose to visit the Xbox Video Awards Facebook page will also be treated to question and answer sessions with Star Trek: Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams. You can find the first of his video messages above.

Voting Kicking off in Xbox Video Awards Today

Until April 15, Xbox LIVE users can pick a up a large assortment of Xbox LIVE Arcade titles including Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and the wartime themed Battlefield 1943.

Deal of the Week titles until April 15th include Prince of Persia Classic for 400 Microsoft Points ($5), Counterstrike: GO for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), Real Steel for 320 Microsoft Points, Battlefield 1943 for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), Dungeon Defenders for 480 Microsoft Points ($6), RAW for 480 Microsoft Points ($6), Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), Marvel vs. Capcom Origins for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), and Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection for 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

Remember, Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week discounts are only available to those who have already subscribed to Xbox LIVE Goold.

Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Battlefield 1943

Starting immediately, Xbox LIVE users who happen to also pay for a subscription to Netflix will be prompted to update the service’s application on the Xbox 360.

According to MajorNelson, the update will include a number of bug fixes, improvements in performance and a new hub to showcase the streaming company turned content creators’ new original series like House of Cards and the upcoming thriller Hemlock Grove. 

Yes, to see either you’ll still need to have an Xbox LIVE Gold account, so don’t go getting any ideas.

Netflx for Xbox LIVE Update Incoming

According to sources who talked exclusively to The Verge, Microsoft will add support for higher resolution screens, and beefier processors in an update later this year.

That update, which is said to be officially referred to as General Distribution Release 3 or GDR3 for Windows Phone will add support for new quad-core processors from the likes of Qualcomm and new screen resolutions and larger screen sizes in 5 inches. These reports peg this Windows Phone GDR3 update as arriving on new devices during the holiday season. Currently Windows Phone 8 only supports, screen resolutions up to 720p and single and dual-core processors manufactured by Qualcomm.

The scope and release of GDR3 stand in sharp contrast to what we’ve heard about the next major release of Windows Phone. Codenamed “Blue”, this upgrade –according to these same reports, wouldn’t be delivered until “early 2013″ and would be much larger in its scope than Windows Phone GDR3. Windows Phone Blue would seek to bring the Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 platforms closer together by taking design and operational cues from each other.

If true, Windows Phone GDR3 would give Microsoft’s device manufacturers and licensees the flexibility they need to compete with devices being offered by Android vendors. Due to its current limitations there are no Windows Phone devices that can compete with newer flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Both of these devices include 1080p screens and quad-core processors.

Nokia CEO Steven Elop told TechRadar that he didn’t see the absence of multi-core devices as a particular problem of the platform in March of last year, remaking that:

“You don’t need a quad-core phone unless you want to keep your hands warm in your pocket. We’re believers in the experience, so fine you have this camera density and you have that camera density. Let’s put the pictures side-by-side and we’ll show which ones are better.”

As preorders and sales of the Samsung Galaxy S4, and HTC One start soon and devices powered by the Windows Phone GDR3 update may not come until the end of 2013 –Windows Phone OEMs, including Nokia will have time to find out if that’s true.

Reports: Microsoft to Bolster Windows Phone 8 with 1080p Screens & More Processors