Category Archives: microsoft
Using MS Kinect to train police officers
A company, MILO Range is using Microsoft’s Kinect to train police officers. A lot of police offers has been using LED emergency vehicle lights and they said it was amazing. This technology has a lot of potential, especially when it starts working with virtual reality software like Oculus Rift. Here is a link to the article and here is a link to the company’s website
Using Excel as an artistic platform
Yes apparently people are doing it. I have no idea why but it pretty amazing what they are doing. You can check out more art here but I have posted a few examples.
Kids react to old computers
This is pretty funny
Pirates of Silicon Valley
This is a great movie that I hadn’t watched in a very long time but I recently was able to get it through netflix. It tells the story of steve jobs and bill gates as they rose to the top:
Xbox One’s Cloud
There are many people who either do not understand the cloud or wonder what it is. Here is a great article that explains it. Also, here is an infographic that visually explains it. In a nutshell:
– There will be 300,000 servers to power your games
– These servers will be dedicates. That means that microsoft will host matches so there will be less lag and less pauses in game from a host switch. Current PS3/xbox360 relies on p2p or host matches.
– There will be unlimited cloud storage for xbox live users
– Worlds will continue when you stop playing. So just like WoW on the PC, there will be a world on the server and gameplay will continue even when you are not on.
How does this compare to Sony’s cloud? Well Sony has been rather quiet about it. We do know:
– It releases in 2014
– They are using Gaikai but this is only for streaming ps1-3 games. – Will they have the same functionality as xbox 1? We honestly do not know. Rumors are that they will not. This comes from the titanfall developer who said ps4 does not have the technology to play their game. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen but Sony really needs to make it clear what their cloud is and is not. Unfortunately if it was more than what we know I am sure they would have said so. Better to not say anything when its not as good.
MS Surface tablet review
So I have not had my surface tablet for a whole summer and here is my review. I will also compare to my other tablets – iPad (1 and 3) and Kindle Fire.
Pros:
-Functions as laptop – ie it IS a laptop
-Has full version of windows 8-Plugs right into a mouse and has a physical keyboard
-Its a PC so it works with all software
-Good battery life
-Same size as ipad (although thicker/heavier)
Cons:
-Price. The pro is almost a $1000 dollars but it does replace a laptop
-Heavier and thicker than an ipad but not by too much.-Lack of apps. While it does do everything since its a full laptop it just doesnt have good app functionality. For instance, the facebook app is terrible and I am not even sure it was made by facebook.
Overall if I had to choose this vs the ipad or kindle, I would definitely choose this. Its a full laptop. It does everything. I cannot do much on my ipad other than browse the web and check email. I love the physical keyboard and mouse capabilities of this as well. This is definitely what every single business person needs instead of an ipad. Hands down this is much better to take to meetings and such. Having said that, if price is a concern the ipad/kindle are much more affordable. Also if you are just going to browser the web, go on facebook, and play with apps the ipad might be your best bet. Its all going to come down to your personal use. For me, this surface tablet takes the cake. Good job MS.
Xbox 1
So MS announced their new xbox today dubbed xbox 1. Thus far it seems pretty cool. Nothing I didnt expect though so no surprises. Seems like a great upgrade to the xbox 360. Actually this round of consoles all feel like upgrades rather than whole new systems.
Xbox 720 rumors
Many know that I am a fan of video games so I keep up with these latest rumors. Here is the latest from the xbox 720 and my thoughts on them:
Xbox 720 will:
*Support TV feeds similar to Google TV – I would definitely say this is true. Xbox already supports netflix, amazon prime, etc.
*Cost $500 (or $300 for subscription version) – This price point is off. $399 max for the best console should be what they go for. Most people are not going to shell out $500 for a gaming console. I know I will not be.
*Release in November – This makes sense. A release for the holiday season seems about right.
*Need to be online 24/7 – Not sure why this would need to be. Why would it need to be on when I am not using it? I shut mine down and unplug it when I am not on it now.
*Not be backwards compatible – While I could really care less about this, there are many people that like this sort of thing so supporting it is always a good idea but I understand not doing it if it can reduce the price of the machine for the end user.
Sources:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/04/10/next-xbox-will-reportedly-integrate-broadcast-tv-feeds
Add Run Command to Windows 7
Just had to access the run command this morning and realized it was gone. There are 2 ways to access it.
1. Press the Windows Symbol key(
)+R
2. This one puts it into the start options permanently:
- Open Taskbar and Start Menu Properties by clicking the Start button
, clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Taskbar and Start Menu. - Click the Start Menu tab, and then click Customize.
- In the list of Start menu options, select the Run command check box, and then click OK. The Run command will be displayed on the right side of the Start menu.