Office 365 Seems Ho-Hum…

By DustinPosted on

ComputerWorld takes the new Microsoft “To The Cloud!” Office 365 application for a test drive. All in all, they liked it but it is not without its faults. There is still a lot of work to be done with it.

Don’t be confused by the product’s name — it’s not a new or updated version of Microsoft Office. Office 365 is an upgrade of Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS). This revamped and renamed version of thBut the product, at least in its current form, has enough rough edges that it feels more like a series of applications bolted together than a well-thought-out, integrated whole.e suite adds subscription-based access to Office 2010 to BPOS and includes hosted versions of Exchange, SharePoint and Lync (Microsoft’s communications server), along with Office Web Apps, the Web-based version of Microsoft Office.

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But the product, at least in its current form, has enough rough edges that it feels more like a series of applications bolted together than a well-thought-out, integrated whole.

Windows 8 Focuses On Bringing PC Gaming Back

By DustinPosted on

There are many that claim that PC gaming is dying. With so many poor console to PC ports, I’m starting to wonder if developers are forgetting about the PC. Occasionally, there are some knock out PC games without being ported and they really show off what a PC can do. But, there are less A+ titles out there these days than what used to be. Microsoft aims to change that with Windows 8. I’m really looking forward to the new Flight Simulator that they are working on. I’m hoping they have a beta for it like they do with Age of Empires Online.

A relaunched Games for Windows marketplace was a recent fillip, but it is the hiring of Rahul Sood, the founder of gaming computer brand Voodoo PC and previously an outspoken critic of the Redmond company’s attitude towards PC gaming that underlines what TechRadar has been told about Windows 8.

“Windows 8 will represent a real new push into PC gaming,” the source told TechRadar. “Gaming will be a key component for the whole OS.”

Along with the new store, Microsoft has shown signs of waking from its PC gaming slumber in the course of 2010.

The announcement of a new Age of Empires game, along with Fable 3 and an updated Flight Simulator appear to be the green shoots of the new attitude.

Bad Parenting Gives Kinect A Bad Name

By DustinPosted on

A company has started work on a XXX game for the Kinect system, which has some parents running scared. I don’t let my kids play the XBox without me being there or know exactly what they are playing. If you throw a kid in front of the TV and XBox as if it were your babysitter, then of course they will eventually find something inappropriate. This goes for all games and television. There are things that I won’t let my kids play or watch. I monitor my kids when they play. There are some parents out there that are scared their child will download this game and play it without the parents knowledge. I chalk it up to bad parenting. Microsoft says they will block the title from online sources or being released as a physical game, but there are ways that this will end up in the public hands.

The company admits the maker of Kinect, Microsoft, did not give them permission to use their system,In fact, the company hacked the technology.As soon as they got word, Microsoft issued a statement saying they would block the game from being released which was supposed to be available online. It is still not comfort enough for the Valverde’s.”Anybody can get on-line with the XBOX360,” said Angelica.”It’s a possibility he could be able to buy it without me actually knowing.”

How To Get A Job At Microsoft

By DustinPosted on

Microsoft is a great company based in Redmond, Washington (just up the freeway from me). There is a lot of great talent there, and they are always looking for more. But, getting into Microsoft’s ranks and becoming a ‘Softie isn’t as easy as it sounds. From their very interesting interview questions to the job requirements, it can be complicated to land your dream job at Microsoft. Mashable has a nice article on how to up your chances on landing a job at the giant software company.

Though recognizing your ideal position is easy, actually getting the job is the hard part. For those looking to start a career at tech giant Microsoft, the sheer size of the company makes the hunt seem even more overwhelming. Resumes can get lost in a sea of applications, and finding the right contact to reach out to can be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

First PC Kinect Game Announced

By DustinPosted on

Although Microsoft hasn’t officially spoken out about PC compatibility of the Kinect for developers, there is a game announced for the PC that will utilize the Kinect. The Kinect was hacked within a week after launch, and many proof of concept applications have already been developed for Linux and Windows (one using a Wii controller for extra interoperability!). I’m sure CES 2011 will bring out a lot of new announcements from several companies, Microsoft included, that use the Kinect for the PC.

GamePrix told IncGamers that its game Divine Soul will include support for Kinect for its combat mode. The company also says that “there are many [PC] game companies that are trying to apply for this system.”

Questions abound concerning the announcement, including why GamePrix is divulging Kinect support when no other PC game company has, and does this mean an announcement about official Windows support for Kinect is coming sooner than later. Or is GamePrix just building support into its game and hoping that hackers take care of the rest? Maybe next month’s CES will provide a more definitive answer.

Microsoft To Stop Selling Family Pack

By DustinPosted on

The popular Windows 7 Family Pack from Microsoft, which gets you 3 licenses of Windows 7 Home Premium for under $150, has been rumored to be discontinued as of December 31st. This information comes from the Amazon site, telling would be buyers of the bundle that the availablity would be until December 31st, 2010 or until supplies last. Microsoft came under fire last year when it took the 3 pack off the shelves without warning. Let’s hope that it doesn’t suffer the same wrath as last year. This promotion has been extremely popular with many people wanting to save some serious cash when upgrading their home PC’s to Windows 7.

The bundle is currently sitting at #8 in the top software purchases on the Amazon site, behind Microsoft Office 2010, TurboTax, PhotoShop Elements, among others. Whether or not Amazon’s crystal ball is going to be true or not and the Family Pack is going to end it’s 13 week long availability is yet to be known. But, we don’t have much time to wait to see if it is true. So, if you are sitting on the fence this Christmas season now might be the time to finally make the decision and buy it while there is still time!

Happy Christmas To All!

By DustinPosted on

For those that celebrate the birth of Christ, otherwise known as Christmas, have a great holiday! Enjoy the times with family and friends, and be safe! For those that don’t celebrate Christmas, have a great weekend!

This new year will usher in a new direction with this website, with a lot more content with reviews on hardware and software. Starting out, we are going to do a series on Home Theater PC’s (HTPC) from start to finish with hardware selection, software to make your experience better (from the Media Center software itself to plugins).

Have a very happy Christmas!

Feel Good Christmas Story From Microsoft

By DustinPosted on

The so-called “Evil Corporation” has once again done good for someone else. With a lot of people hating on Microsoft and their corporate greed, they seem to do a lot of good in the industry.

Clearly, that would mean no netbook for Christmas morning. Fortunately, they elevated my call to the supervisor, Ron, who decided to bend the rules slightly by sending me a new netbook, free of charge, with my word that I would send my defective one back simultaneously. Everything worked out perfectly and soon, my mom will be able to surf the web on her new netbook. Ron even called me after they received my defective netbook to confirm they got it and wished my family a Merry Christmas. I hope you post this story to let people that know big, faceless corporations are still run by people who care.

Office Genuine Advantage Program Shut Down

By DustinPosted on

Microsoft has quietly shut down the Office Genuine Advantage program. You can now go download templates and add-ons for Microsoft Office without having to verify that your legally purchased Microsoft Office program is in fact genuine.

The sudden abandonment of the program appears to have taken other parts of Microsoft by surprise. As of this morning, there’s no hint of the OGA shutdown at Microsoft’s official Office Genuine Advantage Validation Issues forum. And if you search Bing for validate office, you’ll turn up a lot of dead links. The first result from Bing is a page entitled “Why validate Office?” But clicking that link, http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/office/WhyValidate.aspx, leads to Microsoft’s Windows home page.

Revision3 For Windows Media Center Released

By DustinPosted on

Now you can have another way to watch Internet TV, using Revision3 along with a Windows Media Center plugin. I really like WMC, and it’s going to be in a lineup in an upcoming series about HTPC’s.

Revision3 is the leading television network for the internet generation. We create and produce all-original episodic community driven programs watched by a super-committed and passionate fan base. Our hyper-connected audience gets the vast majority of its entertainment, information and social connections through the internet.