Today Microsoft Corp. announced the worldwide availability of its new Windows 7 operating system. Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for people to do the things they want on a PC. The new operating system offers a streamlined user interface and significant new features that make everyday tasks easier and allow people to get the most out of computers of all styles and sizes. MORE »

Attached below is a video by Dan Rayburn at The Business of Online Video demonstrating the Zune add-in currently available through Xbox LIVE Preview. The add-in, as you’ll see, gives you the option to download or stream a movie from the service in SD or HD and has the ability to detect your connection speed before giving you the option to make the purchase (a 1080p movie, Dan says, requires a minimum broadband connection of around 4Mbps). But what’s really impressive is that movies seem to start instantly with no apparent buffering. Check it out. MORE »

Mary Jo Foley has an interesting post up at ZDNet which hints that Microsoft may soon be targeting its Zune Pass music subscription service to the iPod and iPhone via Windows. Microsoft’s Jose Pinero, Director of Communications for Microsoft’s TV, Video and Music Business, told Foley that “We are evaluating a lot of options in terms of platforms.” Interestingly, Foley says she’s already using Zune Pass with her non-Zune Sony Walkman MP3 player. Foley believes, after speaking with Pinero, that the future of Zune is “all about software and services and not hardware.” I say: It sounds like we’ll be seeing a Zune iPhone app. However, I think there’s also a distinct possibility that Microsoft will soon take a page out of Apple’s playbook and release a Zune Marketplace app for Mac OS X like Apple did with iTunes on Windows. What do you say? Remember, there are lot of Xbox 360 (with Zune Marketplace) owners out there who are Mac users. MORE »

We’ve seen the humble PC mouse evolve from one button with a trackball to multi-buttons with a scroll wheel and laser tracking. Now that mult-touch is all the rage on laptops, touchscreen PCs, and smartphones, the technology is set to take the mouse and derivitative navigation products into new and exciting realms. Below are two videos showcasing what’s here now (Wacom Bamboo Touch) and what’s to come (Microsoft prototype mice). Personally, my two favorite devices of the bunch are the Microsoft “cap mouse” (offers a familiar form factor with an intuitively placed multi-touch control area) and the Wacom Bamboo Touch (essentially transforms the mouse pad into an extra large touchpad). MORE »

I’ve been hesitant to post any info on the rumored Microsoft Courier Booklet, but Gizmodo seems to keep getting their hands on leaked video and photos of the device that makes it too hard to ignore [Video: 1, 2]. Essentially, the Courier Booklet (which supposedly is going to be produced by Microsoft) is a dual-screen, touch PC Internet tablet featuring Microsoft Surface like capabilities. However, what really steals the show on this device is the pen and multi-touch driven UI that offers familiar cues to how we navigate the physical and digital world. Personally, I love the sketchbook / notebook vibe of the device. And the web page integration, contacts, sticky notes, and “pocket” holder functionality is executed superbly (well, at least in the demo). But truth be told… I’m not too sure how close Microsoft is at rolling out this product when their “Codex” prototype (if it’s based on that) is still rough around the edges — see video below. MORE »

Microsoft Store has posted the juicy specification details on the Zune HD Wireless Media Player that many of you have been waiting for. It also appears that the Zune HD will be hitting store shelves as early as mid-September (pre-order window: 8/13 – 9/15). Product hightlights: 720p video-out capable (additional AV dock required), 3.3-inch (480×272) 16:9 OLED touchscreen, Internet browsing, FM / HD Radio tuner, 802.11g Wi-Fi, and support for content downloads (apps coming soon) via Zune Marketplace. However, there’s one tidbit mentioned in the fine print that caught our attention: Only SD quality TV recordings from Windows Media Center are supported for syncing — HDTV and protected recordings are not. In short, users will be limited to getting their HD content from “other” sources / means (like a DVR-MS transcoder) and from the previously mentioned Zune Marketplace. Full specs posted below. MORE »

Microsoft has a rolled out a new system update for the Xbox 360 that adds a slew of new user experience enhancements and an exclusivity agreement. For the foreseeable future, the Xbox 360 will be the only game console to natively offer Netflix movie streaming (available only to Xbox LIVE Gold members). In other words, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii owners are out of luck — though you can tap into Netflix via PlayOn. Another bit of news that was mentioned in the system update announcement is that Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and Zune Video functionality will be coming this fall to the console.

Missing Remote, with help from Microsoft MVP Andrew Cherry, have a posted a quick guide to some newly discovered “switches” in Windows 7 Media Center that people can take advantage of to customize the default user experience. Some of the things you can turn on and off include: startup animation, startup sound, chrome-less windows, start in widescreen mode, start in media only mode, and others. Example: If you want to disable the startup animation, you’d create a target shortcut like %windir%\Ehome\Ehshell.exe /nostartupanimation via Properties under Start > All Programs > Windows Media Center.

Now that the cats out of the bag with the Zune HD, one can’t help but wonder if this is still too little too late for the Zune. Does the addition of the Zune HD really change anything for the Zune and the related Zune Marketplace? MORE »

It appears that Microsoft has been sizing up the competition and has some innovative plans of their own. Microsoft is announcing that this Fall they will be releasing the Zune HD Portable Media Player featuring a built-in HD radio (a first in the segment), OLED 480×272 touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity for downloading and streaming content (from the Zune Marketplace & Zune Pass music subscription service), a multitouch optimized Internet browser, and HDMI video out @ 720p via a separate A/V docking station. MORE »