Microsoft has added a touch screen to their new lines of Zune called Zune HD. It is stated it will arrive come fall. Zune HD includes an HD Radio Reciever and HD Video output. In order to get the full HD quality to be played, you must use an HD television via a docking station and HDMI ports. The screen will utilize organic light-emitting diodes that is supposedly to improve picture quality.

Microsoft has plans to combine this video feature with the Xbox gaming console. The integration of Zune Video to Xbox Live is said to debut next week at E3.

Picture by Engadget
Source: PCMag.com

Microsoft is running a promo this weekend which they call “Xtival Spring ‘09″ where they are giving everyone an Xbox Live Gold Membership from May 1 to May 4. All of you out there with Xbox Live Silver accounts, here’s your chance to play with you Gold friends or just see what you’re missing out on. I’ll be playing Gears of War 2 this weekend for sure, what about you? What are you going to play during Xtival Spring ‘09?

[Xbox.com]

It’s finally possible to gift things from Xbox Live! Today, Amazon.com launched the “Amazon Xbox Live” store where they offer Microsoft Points, Live subscriptions, and Xbox Live Arcade game codes. Prior to today the only way to purchase any Xbox Live Arcade game was through the Xbox 360 console and it would have to be done on the account it was to be applied to. With the new Amazon Xbox Live store, you can purchase an Xbox Live Arcade game code or Live subscription for your friends & family.

Check Out the Amazon Xbox Live Store

I remember when the Ultimate Steal promotion from Microsoft first came around a few years ago. Since then, I had thought they had stopped offering that but today I was proven wrong. A quick trip over to TheUltimateSteal.com showed me that Microsoft was still offering their ridiculously high dollar software for a ridiculously low price. So, what’s the deal? Microsoft has decided to offer their $679.95 Office 2007 Ultimate package to students of universities around the country for only $59.95. The process of getting a copy is extremely simple too. To get your copy, assuming you are a student, follow the steps below.

• Click Here
• Click on the Buy Now link
• You will be prompted for you university email address
• Follow the link in your email to checkout
• Download the software from Microsoft & enjoy

One of the most dreaded things to see on Microsoft Windows system is the Blue Screen of Death. In this instance, I had a computer show the Blue Screen of Death upon booting claiming:

UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME
STOP 0×000000ED (0xaaaaaaaa,0xbbbbbbbb,0xcccccccc,0xdddddddd)

This error can either be caused by a problem with an IDE cable or the BIOS in which case you just replace the cable or reload the fail-safe default settings in the BIOS. However, most of the time this error is caused by some sort of problem with the volume.

To fix this problem you will need:

• A copy of the Windows Installation Disc
• About 1.5hrs of time

Fixing the problem:

1. Boot up your computer to the Windows Installation Disc (You may need to press a button like F12 to see the boot menu)
2. When the Windows Welcome Screen loads press the R key on your keyboard
3. Once you get to the command prompt type chkdsk /r then press Enter
4. When the check disk is complete you will be returned to the command prompt
5. Type fixboot and press Enter
6. When the fixboot is complete, type Exit and press Enter
7. Your computer should reboot and your problem should be gone.

This week, at the Game Developers Conference, Microsoft will be showing off one of its latest Xbox 360s. With the release of the Red Resident Evil 5 Limited Edition Xbox 360 Elite just a short while ago, it only seems appropriate that Microsoft keep the trend of more colorful devices flowing. The new blue colored section on this Xbox 360 is more than just decoration, it doubles the memory of the Xbox 360 from 512mb to 1gb. What’s the catch? Well, unless you’re a game developer, you won’t be able to get your hands on one as they are a part of a new Xbox 360 development kit. The extra memory is there to give game developers some extra power to tweak their software before releasing it to the public. How much would you be willing to drop to get one of these Black & Blue Xbox 360 with 1gb of memory? I’d give $500, it’d be worth every penny if it’d speed up the menus that seem to take 2 minutes to open.

[Source]

The Limited Edition Red Xbox 360 Elite which has been rumored for a while has finally been offically announced / confirmed. The new Red Xbox 360 Elite will be available in an “Exclusive Red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition Bundle”. When will you be able to get your hands on one? The same day Resident Evil 5 ships, Friday, March 13, 2009. The bundle will be available for $399 but demand is likely to be high so you may want to go ahead and pre-order yours soon.

The bundle will contain:

• Xbox 360 Elite Console with Exclusive Red Finish
• Limited Edition Red Wireless Controller
• 120GB hard drive
• Resident Evil 5
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
• Exclusive Resident Evil Premium Theme
• Xbox 360 Black Wired Headset
• HDTV-ready component HD AV, HDMI and Ethernet cables

With the life end date of Windows XP getting pushed back time and time again, it looks like the downgrades are becoming more expensive to get a hold of. Dell, who is one company that offers Windows XP downgrades on their consumer laptops and desktops has tripled their cost to $150. Is this Microsoft / Dell’s way of pushing more consumers to Windows Vista or is this simply their way to make more money off of Windows XP? The answer isn’t very clear as of now but one thing is evident, it may be time to consider switching to Vista rather than pay an additional $150 for an old operating system.

Microsoft is always trying to tap in to other markets but I didn’t see this one coming. Microsoft has decided, in collaboration with Common, to create a Softwear by Microsoft collection. This is a line of t-shirts featuring things like “DOS” interlaced together or a set of binary code or even my favorite, the Bill Gates mugshot t-shirt. As of now it is unclear what the pricing of the pieces featured in the Softwear by Microsoft collection will be. You can expect to see Microsoft’s new clothing line showing up in stores on December 15th.
See the entire collection at the official Softwear by Microsoft website.

Quote from Microsoft.com

This is Softwear by Microsoft. A clothing line that taps the nostalgia of when PCs were just stating to change our lives. With retro logos, classic photos, and geek-chic iconography, these pieces showcase the DOS days of the software company that now connects over a billion people.

[Source]

WTF? That’s pretty much all I can think of to say about this video. If Microsoft ever really ran this as an Xbox 360 ad it’d either be an enormous success or epic failure. Either way, it’s still pretty amusing to watch. Oh yeah…there’s a guy in this video too but the older woman kind of overshadows him.

[Source]