SkyDrive on Xbox One – First look

Jeff Henshaw, Principal GPM,Xbox takes us to a quick first look at how SkyDrive works on Xbox One.

SkyDrive on Xbox One provides a seamless way to enjoy your photos and videos, or those shared with you, on the big screen. The app also takes advantage of exclusive Xbox One features: You can open photo albums from channels in the OneGuide, play music alongside your slide show with Xbox Music, and control the whole app with gestures and voice, courtesy of Kinect.

 

 

By default your Xbox One will display the photos and videos from your SkyDrive account. You can then set your photos or photos shared by friends to drive slideshows or show up as a custom channel in OneGuide, the program guide on your Xbox One (Source)

Amazing Xbox One Invitation ad

Have you seen this new Xbox One invitation ad? Looks amazing !!

“This is an invitation to a new generation. Where your games and entertainment are no longer separated, but together in one. This is an invitation from the all-in-one, Xbox One. Jump ahead.“

And here’s behind the scenes to see the making of Invitation, the Xbox One launch ad

Kinect Voice Search by Bing–Throw your remotes!

Check how Bing works on Kinect for Xbox 360. Who needs remotes when you are the controller.

You say it, Xbox finds it ! Dashboard update and Kinect Voice Search (available with select Xbox Live content) coming this Holiday.

(Source)

Xbox Companion app for Nokia Lumia– Its Not Just gaming;watch films,listen to music controlled from Lumia

 

Earlier in our posts, we had seen how to Play Kinectimals on Windows Phone, transfer it and continue playing on Xbox. So its not just gaming, Nokia Lumia phones come with some amazing features and functions. You can interact with your Xbox 360 right from your Nokia Lumia smartphone using the Xbox Companion app. You’ll be able to watch films and listen to music, all controlled by your smartphone. Upon activating the app in the Nokia Lumia phone, you can use Bing to search for any content.

The video demos an overview of the Xbox companion app which integrates Xbox Live and Windows Phone on Nokia Lumia handsets.

Coming in the next couple of months, Xbox users will be able to download the system software that updates the dashboard look and feel, as well as giving you a whole heap of new features.

(Source)

Play Kinectimals on Windows Phone, transfer it via Tag and continue playing on Xbox

Play with your Kinectimals cub on your Windows Phone, so allowing you to travel around with the cub in your pocket with you. But the coolest thing about this new Windows Phone game is the cross platform interaction with the Xbox 360. After playing Kinectimals on your Windows Phone, you can transfer that animal into Xbox 360. And continue playing on XBox360. There’s an option within the game that when selected displays a QR code. Pop this code in-front of the Xbox 360 Kinect and it will register your animal, transferring it to your Xbox 360 in an instant.

Check it out to see how it all works on your Windows Phone

(Source:Channel9)

Kinect to Kill - Halloween Special from Channel 9 team

 

The channel 9 team is again at its spookiest best. Its ‘famous’ Halloween videos brought every year has come up this year again with a Halloween video with brilliant performance from its team. Warning: Those with weak hearts can skip this video.

It's that time of year again...when the ghost and the goblins come knocking at your door. This year we invite you to watch a story about frirendships, love, horror and of course- a crazy serial killer! Enjoy!

Starring : Dan Fernandez, Laura Foy , Paul Mestemaker, Tina, Golnaz Alibeigi (Please add those who I might not have recognized and not have included in this.)

Gears of War–Windows 7 Theme collection

Here are some Windows 7 Gears of War themes from Microsoft –old and new :

Gears of War 3 Launch theme

Celebrate the launch of the latest installment in the Gears of War series for Xbox 360 with this free Windows 7 theme, featuring glorious images from the savage, fantastical world of the all-new Gears of War 3.

Download Gears of War 3 Launch theme

Gears of War 3 Delta Squad theme

These characters are as tough as they come. Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, and the other heroes of Delta Squad come to life on your Windows 7 desktop with this free theme for Gears of War 3.

Download Gears of War 3 Delta Squad theme

Gears of War 3 theme

Prepare your desktop for battle with this free Windows 7 theme containing portraits of Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago and Anya Stroud from Gears of War 3.

Download Gears of War 3 theme

Here are some Gears of War themes released earlier -

Gears of War 2 theme

Put Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad right on your Windows 7 desktop with these free blazing stills from the Xbox blockbuster.

Download Gears of War 2 theme

Gears of War theme

Your desktop becomes a post-apocalyptic doomscape where the Delta Squad, armed with chainsaw bayonet-mounted assault rifles, battles the subterranean Locust Horde. This free theme for Windows 7 includes detailed shots of Ben Carmine, Dominic Santiago, and other Squad members from the hit Xbox and PC game, plus conceptual artwork and stills from the "Mad World" television commercials.

Download Gears of War theme

For more such cool Windows 7 themes please check http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/personalize/themes

[video] Windows Phone interacting with Kinect

Demo showing how it is possible to use Windows Phone to interact with a Kinect-powered game. This was demoed at Mobile World Congress held earlier this year.

Source : channel 9  where you can also check about project Bunnyhop (codename KinectoPhone).

Download Kinect for Windows SDK Beta

As expected in my previous blogpost Kinect SDK to be made available today ?, Kinect for Windows SDK beta is now available for download.

The SDK is available for free from Microsoft Research. The SDK includes not only drivers but also APIs, device interfaces, installer documents and resource materials. It’s another exciting milestone for a technology that has captured the imagination of millions, and has become the fastest selling computer electronics device of all time.

Download the SDK beta and all other details from http://research.microsoft.com/kinectsdk

Some more interesting links -

• Programming Guide: Getting Started with the Kinect for Windows SDK Beta
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Coding4Fun Kinect Toolkit
• Kinect for Windows Quickstarts

 

Kinect for Windows SDK Quickstarts will get you up, running and coding away from install to working with the major Kinect features !

TheQuickstarts videos includes at present -

• Installing and Using the Kinect Sensor
• Setting up your Development Environment
• Camera Fundamentals
• Working with Depth Data
• Skeletal Tracking Fundamentals
• Audio Fundamentals

Kinect SDK to be made available today ?

It has been sometime when Kinect for Windows SDK beta was announced to be coming later this spring. Now Channel9 has made an announcement to join for a Special Channel 9 Live Kinect Event.

The Channel 9 team will be broadcasting live from the Channel 9 studios for a special Kinect focused event on June 16th 2011 from 9:30AM PST.

Just head to http://channel9.msdn.com/live for a live and interactive broadcast .

As you watch live, submit your questions via Twitter with the #Ch9Live hashtag and it’ll be answered in real time.

So will there be the announcement of availability of SDK today or any time soon, so check out the LIVE broadcast.

(Source: Channel9 )

the Kinect for Windows SDK is a programming toolkit that will enable researchers and enthusiasts easy access to the capabilities offered by the Microsoft Kinect device connected to computers running Windows 7.

For more info on Kinect for Windows SDK beta please check here.

List of countries where PayPal is available as an Xbox LIVE payment option

You can use PayPal as a payment option to purchase Xbox LIVE Gold memberships (both new and renewal), Microsoft Points, and game content. PayPal is available in many, but not all, Xbox LIVE regions.

The following regions support PayPal as a payment option:

· Australia

· Austria

· Belgium

· Canada

· Denmark

· France

· Germany

· Hong Kong

· Ireland

· Italy

· Mexico

· Netherlands

· New Zealand

· Norway

· Poland

· Portugal

· Singapore

· Spain

· Sweden

· Switzerland

· United Kingdom

· United States

Other regions are not supported at this time.

For information on how to add PayPal, see the following article:
908655   Add or edit Xbox LIVE payment options

 

(SOURCE : Microsoft KB 2544412 )

Try XBox Kinect at your Home before you buy !

I’m sure you always wanted to try the immensely popular Kinect. Don’t worry, now you can try it before you buy. Its an initiative from XBox India.

 

Simply visit the stores listed below and experience the magic of the Kinect, right at home.
1. E Zone: Oberoi Mall, Mumbai
2. E Zone: Powai
3. E Zone: Koramangala Mall, Bengaluru  (Bangalore)

BTW did you know that Microsoft Kinect according to Guinness World Records is the fastest-selling consumer electronics device on record. Microsoft has sold more than 10 million Kinect since its launch on 4^th Nov.

(Source: @XBox360India)

Kinect Piano, Kinect Hand , finger and Skeletal tracking

Earlier I had posted about Microsoft helps in hacking Kinect to control Windows 7 where Video of Kinect giving Windows 7 Minority Report Treatment was shown.

Now many more hacks are coming up, check out these cool Kinect hacks -

A little application providing a full minority report interface.Hand detection software, along with the piano interface. The hand detection uses PCL (Point Cloud Library) from ROS (Robotic Operating System) which was developed by the folks at willow garage.

Kinect Piano

 

Kinect Skeletal Tracking

Kinect Skeletal tracking

Kinect Minority Report Interface -

Kinect Minority Report Interface

Here are some demos on Kinect hand and finger tracking -

 

Xbox avatar dance - Cool new Windows Phone 7 Ad !

Check out this cool new Windows Phone 7 Ad !

 

 

 

Create & update your Xbox LIVE avatar right from your Windows Phone !

Avatar XBox !

1000000 Kinect for XBox 360 sold in 10 days

 

Microsoft today announced that it has sold 1 million Kinect for Xbox 360 units worldwide in 10 days. This announcement comes a week before Black Friday, the biggest selling day of the year. Microsoft raised its worldwide sales forecast from 3 million to 5 million sensors sold by year-end and is on pace to hit 5 million by year-end.

Kinect was launched in North America on Nov. 4, followed by Europe on Nov. 10, and will land next in Asia (Nov. 18) and Japan (Nov. 20).

This demand will make it the biggest year in Xbox history.

For more details, please check the Source.

Video chat from TV with your Messenger friend on PC or Mac with Video Kinect

After playing games on your recently released Kinect you should check out this cool feature also. It’s the Video Kinect .

Video Kinect allows people to video chat with their friends, using the Kinect camera, on their TV. Of course you can chat with your friends on Xbox Live who also have a Kinect, but the really interesting part is that you can also chat with anyone who has a computer with a webcam, using Windows Live Messenger2011.

“All you have to do is link your Xbox Live Gamertag to the Windows Live ID that you use for Messenger, sign in on the console and you’re good to go. Video Kinect is accessible through the Kinect Hub in the Xbox Dashboard, so just wave your hand and swipe through to find it and launch, then hover over any of your friends to start a video chat. When looking through your contacts on Kinect, your Messenger friends show up just like your Xbox Live friends do. When you start the chat with one of them, they will see a Messenger notification on their PC, asking if they want to start a video chat with you.”

Video chatting from your PC or Mac with someone who’s using Video Kinect on Xbox LIVE gives you the same full-screen experience as when you chat with someone on a PC.

To see how Video Kinect and Windows Live Messenger work together, check out this video

Video Kinect and Windows Live Messenger Demo

 

For more detail please check the Source:

Video Kinect brings Messenger video chat to the Xbox 360

Stay in touch with Video Kinect on Xbox and Windows Live Messenger

You are the Controller–Kinect Ads

Microsoft launched a Kinect advertising campaign aimed to show people how the new controller-free entertainment experience can transform their living room.

“With Kinect, there is something for everyone. It transforms ordinary entertainment into an extraordinary experience. Kinect lets you control games, movies, music and more with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice. With Kinect, you are the controller.”

 

 

 

 

For more details, please check – Microsoft Presspass

The tech behind Kinect: Major subsystems, RGB camera, Depth Sensor

Watch this video to know about some of the technology behind the Kinect such as -

• Three major subsystems in the sensor (Optical, Audio, Motor)
• Optical consists of depth projector and sensor
• RGB Camera
• Depth Sensor
• Motor Subsystem
• Audio Subsystem

 

(Source )

Xbox LIVE and Windows Phone 7

Check out previews of the new games coming with Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone 7. Always be in the game with Xbox LIVE on your Windows Phone 7.

 

Xbox Live and Windows Phone 7

The Microsoft Store Launched in US, UK, Germany and Korea

Now you have one more easy way to access Microsoft products: The Microsoft Store http://store.microsoft.com/home.aspx or www.MicrosoftStore.com

Microsoft Store offers Microsoft’s entire consumer catalog, including desktop software, the Xbox console and its related game titles, the Microsoft Zune, and all of the company’s hardware, including mice, keyboards, web cameras, and joysticks. Along with a fast, secure buying experience, customers will enjoy an easy-to-use interface and useful product comparisons.

One of the reason for you to visit the store is Immediate software download option with the largest download catalog of Microsoft titles. 

In addition to the US Microsoft Store, there are also online stores for customers in the UK, Germany and Korea. Japan, France, Spain and the Netherlands are coming soon.  More countries will be added up throughout the year.

(Source:New Microsoft Store, Windows Team blog)