Microsoft Adding More Entertainment Features to XBox 360
Posted by Steve Fravel on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 · 
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Microsoft Corp. premiered the “Kinect” for Xbox 360 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) amid great fanfare and a live performance by Cirque de Soleil. The Kinect device, known in development as “Project Natal,” ushers in a new era affording “controller free” games and entertainment. In a press release, Microsoft heralded the entry as “transforming the way the world plays, entertains and connects with friends and family.” Kinect for Xbox 360 officially rolls out to consumers in the United States on November 4. Availability in other parts of the world will follow shortly after that date.
Microsoft’s Translating! Telephone
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 · ·
The folks over at TechCrunch had an opportunity to visit with Microsoft to get a sneak peak at some of the exciting new technologies they were working on. I thought one was particularly relevant to the rural telephone market- The Translating! Telephone (video after the jump).
The system provides live speech-to-text and speech-to-speech translation of telephone calls. Yes- read that again. I did say “live”. While not perfect, it has a way in which you can validate your intentions, and in a sense learn your speech patterns to become a better translator for you. Oh, and a nifty little side benefit is that it will provide a complete transcript archive in a user’s Exchange mail box so that the conversation can be recalled in the future (wonder what privacy proponents would say about that).
Could this be the thing that helps keep POTS in the home? Doubtful, but perhaps it will make actually talking to people cool again. I hate it when younger family members never answer the phone, but immediately respond to a text.
Read more
VOTW: Windows 7
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, October 26, 2009 · ·
Have you recently seen a funny, entertaining or informational video? The New Edge would love to hear from you. Please send your suggestions for the next “video of the week (VOTW)” to jward@ntca.org and your video might be featured in an upcoming issue.
Rural PC Project Releases Survey Results
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, September 21, 2009 · ·
The Rural PC Project, a joint partnership between NTCA, CSSA, and Microsoft, is attempting to increase broadband adoption by providing affordable and reliable laptops to rural consumers.
NTCA and CSSA are acting as program administrators, aggregating computer purchases to achieve lower per unit cost, while Microsoft has assisted with strategic planning support. Participating member telcos are able to offer the computers to their customer base on their own individual terms.
The Rural PC Project is currently conducting a pilot program with a handful of rural telcos. To date, more than 150 laptops have been shipped, including 25 netbooks. Read more
Microsoft and Yahoo Join Forces against Google
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, August 3, 2009 · ·
Microsoft and Yahoo struck a long-anticipated search deal last Wednesday under which Microsoft’s Bing search engine will power Yahoo’s search, and Yahoo will sell premium search advertising services for both companies.
The 10-year deal, which applies only to search, provides Microsoft will have an exclusive license to Yahoo’s core search technologies, as well as the ability to integrate them into Bing. Of note, Yahoo will maintain its own brand on its owned-and-operated search pages; Bing will be listed on those pages as having “powered” Yahoo’s search results. Further, both companies also will continue to be managed separately, maintaining distinct display ad sales teams. Read more
Google and Microsoft Embrace Cloud Computing
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, July 13, 2009 · ·
Internet titans Google and Microsoft both recently announced new desktop computing environments. Google came out swinging first, announcing last week that it is developing an operating system (OS) for PCs that is tied to its Chrome Web browser.
Here’s the quick and dirty on Google OS: Read more
Microsoft Launches ‘Bing’ Search Engine
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, June 1, 2009 · ·
In late May, Microsoft Corp. launched Bing, a new search engine and consumer brand. Microsoft is calling Bing a “Decision Engine,” designed to empower people to gain insight and knowledge from the Web and move more quickly to important decisions.
Bing will focus initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.
“Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they don’t do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. Read more