Six months after promising to integrate sight recognition technology into its HERE suite of apps, Nokia has finally updated HERE Maps with LiveSight. The update is available today in the Windows Phone app store and requires Windows Phone 8. By tapping a button in HERE Maps, users can enter LiveSight mode, which will scan the surrounding area and pull up relevant information about nearby locations, like addresses, phone numbers and ratings. Lumia owners familiar with Nokia's City Lens app will recognize the virtual signs attached to buildings viewed through the camera display and the HERE Maps version of LiveSight appears to have similar functionality -- including HERE's strongest selling point, offline access. If you want to see LiveSight in action, you can watch Nokia's preview video after the break. Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Nokia Comments Source: Nokia
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Boost Mobile launched a Mobile Wallet app and service today at CTIA 2013 with an interesting twist in that it is tied to a Visa Prepaid card. Boost Mobile customers simply hit up a store to get signed up, download an app onto their handset and once funds are added to their account can use them in a wide variety of ways. From sending money via the app to people in 135 other countries, the ability to pay more that 3,500 billers nationwide, top up your prepaid account and using the included Visa debit card any money in your account can be accessed via that card as well. The app also makes use of your handset's camera with its Quick Check feature -- which is coming soon -- allowing an account holder to snap a photo of a check and submit it using the app to have the check's value added to your mobile wallet once approved -- which is nifty, if you don't use a bank we suppose. There are no month-to-month fees for the service but each bill you pay will cost some $2 and climbs depending on how quickly you need the payment made against the account. The service launches in Los Angeles, San Diego and parts of New Jersey today with rollout to all markets expected by the end of the year. Gallery: Boost Mobile Wallet app and prepaid Visa hands-on Comments
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The Xbox One has finally arrived to serve up all of your living room entertainment in one place. But before you ready to open your wallet for Microsoft's next-gen console, you'd probably like to how the new Xbox stacks up against the old, and how its hardware compares to the next-gen competition from Sony, right? Well, a chart with comparable specs aplenty awaits you after the break. Comments
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Will Microsoft's Xbox One be the one gaming console to purchase over the Wii U and PS4? That's a question we'll have to wait until later this year to answer, so let's stick to the present. Redmond made a huge showing across both the software and hardware fronts today, ensuring gamers will have lots to look forward to. Whether you missed parts of the keynote or are looking for specific stories from the event, we've got you covered right here. Click past the break to find a full directory of today's news, from our exclusive look at how engineers built the Xbox One to details about fresh titles like Call of Duty: Ghosts and Forza Motorsport 5. Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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So, it's not the full laptop setup we were kinda-sorta expecting based on Samsung's announcement yesterday, but the Korean company's 13.3-inch 3,200 x 1,800 panel -- with a whopping 275 ppi -- is still plenty impressive on its own. Though the prototype was connected to a desktop PC rather than installed in a notebook, the demo gave us what we came for: a look at that sheer pixel density. You really have to see it to believe it -- with the desktop set to the screen's native resolution, menus, icons and text all appear tiny. The benefit of such a high resolution, of course, is that you can fit more information on screen, and it's more than a little reminiscent of Apple's Retina display. The booth wasn't equipped with internet access, so we couldn't test the panel's mettle with a trip to this very site, but images on the desktop and in Samsung's pre-loaded PowerPoint looked very bright and crisp. In addition to playing up the pixel count, Samsung touted its prototype as a "green panel," claiming 30-percent lower power consumption than existing LCDs. And like the flexible LG display we saw just a bit earlier, this screen won't stay off the market for long: expect a 13.3-inch version -- with touch capability -- to ship in the next two months, though it may debut on a third-party laptop, not necessarily one manufactured by Samsung. A rep told us that 14- and 15.6-inch versions will follow. Check out our hands-on video and photos for a closer look.Gallery: Samsung 3,200 x 1,800-pixel 13.3-inch display eyes-on Filed under: Laptops, Samsung Comments
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We're not done from Redmond, folks. Microsoft's Major Nelson is hosting a panel of Xbox One architects, and we're going to bring it to you. Join us for the liveblog! Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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Couldn't catch the live stream of Microsof't on-campus, in-tent Xbox One reveal event? And our liveblog simply wasn't enough to satisfy your hunger for more information, straight from Microsoft executives? We might call you crazy, but we'd rather just provide you a way to relive that experience easily and at your leisure. So here we are, doing just that -- take a look below the break for a teaser video of the new console, direct from Redmond to you. Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft Comments
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"If it ain't broke don't fix it" is as useful a phrase as it is folksy, and though the Xbox One is a complete reinvention compared to the Xbox 360, the controller is in many ways little changed. It's a bit more rounded, a bit softer to the touch and features redesigned shoulder buttons with their own discrete rumble controllers. The D-Pad is revised, the analog sticks has more texture and the battery backpack is no longer quite as pronounced. In other words, we think it's going to be great. Check out our gallery of comparison shots in the gallery below! Gallery: Xbox 360 vs. Xbox One controller Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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One of the more contentious rumors surrounding next-gen consoles has been potential changes to DRM and while Microsoft hasn't answered all our questions when it comes to the Xbox One, it took a few head on. The official FAQ starts off with the "always-on" DRM issue and also addresses used games, indicating that the box is designed "so you can play games and watch Blu-ray movies and live TV if you lose your connection," and that it does not have to always be connected. That said, it still "requires" a connection to the internet, promising cloud-based benefits for gameplay and more. Other questions answer things like whether the new console will require more power (no) and will our Xbox Live Gold subscriptions still work with the new and old hardware (yes). When it comes to used games, the FAQ's response is also promising, stating "We are designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games." We can still find enough wiggle room in those responses to remain curious, but it appears we should be able to avoid a SimCity-style meltdown (with our new games, since the old ones won't work.) Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft Comments Source: Xbox One FAQ
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It's true: the Xbox One will not play your Xbox 360 game discs, nor will your Xbox Live Arcade games transfer (not to mention any other content that's dependent on the 360's hardware architecture, anyhow). That Gamerscore you've been earning, though? That's gonna transfer. Sadly, due to the x86 architecture of the Xbox One, the PowerPC-based 360 titles simply won't run on the hardware. Microsoft's not super worried about consumer reaction, though, telling Engadget, "We care very much about the investment people have made in Xbox 360 and will continue to support it with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future," a Microsoft rep told us. That said, Xbox One is designed, "to play an entirely new generation of games -- games that are architected to take full advantage of state-of-the-art processors and the infinite power of the cloud." We got a glimpse at some of those new games this afternoon, but we expect to see much more at E3 in a few weeks. Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD Comments
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We gasped our way through the liveblog. We brought you news of the specs and the software and everything else. But now it's time time to take a deep dive into Microsoft's next-gen console and what it might mean for Earth's living room. Engadget was given exclusive access to the hallowed labs at the heart of this project and to the engineers who made it happen. We got to play with prototypes of the hardware and to discover first-hand whether Kinect 2.0 really can tell if we're winking. Read on past the break and we promise to spare you no detail.Gallery: Xbox One (hands-on) Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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You can't blame us for rushing to see LG's flexible OLED HD panel here at SID. First announced earlier this week, the 5-inch display sports a plastic construction, which allows it to be both bendable and unbreakable. Most alluring of all, though, is LG's intimation that the screen tech will debut in a smartphone by the end of this year. Before we get lost in thoughts about a tricked-out Optimus G, let's take a look at this early prototype. The panel is made of plastic substrates, which are both more flexible and cheaper to manufacture than their glass counterparts. In fact, cost-effectiveness seems to be the chief objective overall. Clumsy consumers will benefit as well -- in a smartphone, the glass above the screen could break, but the OLED panel would stay in tact, resulting in lower repair costs. At the company's booth, a demo area let attendees take a hammer to the standalone display and twist it every which way -- sure enough, it withstood these torture tests. In our hands, the 5-inch screen was lightweight and responsive to twists and bends; it felt like a slightly thicker film strip. An LG rep told us the panel could sport a bigger or smaller size when it debuts in a smartphone later this year. And though the prototype on display here today was labeled merely as "HD," we're sure that resolution could be adjusted as well. For now, get an early look in our video after the break.Gallery: LG 5-inch flexible plastic OLED display hands-on Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, LG Comments
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The engineers in Microsoft's windowless next-gen Xbox silicon lab are rattled. And understandably so. We're in their office, after all, and we have a mess of cameras in the one place you're not allowed to have cameras (or even cellphones). We're obviously outsiders on Microsoft's multi-building, security-heavy Mountain View campus, especially given our quartet of esteemed escorts: Todd Holmdahl, Ilan Spillinger, Nick Baker and Greg Williams. These four gentlemen are leading the charge on both Microsoft's next big thing and, perhaps more importantly, a major effort to internalize silicon architecture at the traditionally software-focused megacorp. The skittish engineers aren't worried we'll film the mess of 24-inch LCD screens running video-compression tests, or the rows of desks with water hose stations used for temperature stress tests, or even the sea of circuit boards in various states of disrepair -- that's all standard for any Silicon Valley computer lab. It's really just a single chip that's causing concern: a custom-built Microsoft SoC that sits at the heart of the Xbox One. It's this SoC that has us in Mountain View, Calif. -- in Silicon Valley, literally down the road from Google -- a mere five days before Microsoft will unveil its next game console to the world. Over six hours last Friday, we learned not just about that SoC, but also how the company plans to utilize it in the new console. We spoke with its four lead hardware architects. We toured the labs where they are testing the silicon, and where the next-generation Kinect was born. What follows is more than a look behind the silicon that drives the next Xbox -- it's a deep dive into the changing approach Microsoft's taking to creating devices.Gallery: Where the Xbox was built: An inside look at Microsoft's play for the next generation of gaming Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft Comments
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Despite its multiplatform status, Call of Duty is almost synonymous with Xbox. It's no surprise then, that Microsoft's new platform, the Xbox One, will be the first next-gen system to digest Call of Duty: Ghosts' DLC. This isn't unprecedented, of course -- the Xbox 360 also boasted a first-out-the-door policy with the series' DLC. Still, a big score for Microsoft, one significant enough to serve as the closing announcement of its Xbox One launch event. Activision's publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg went on to reveal the game's first official trailer, assuring fans that Ghosts would fun at a steady 60fps. "It will be the best Call of Duty game we've ever made," he promised, showing slides comparing the new game's Xbox One visuals against previous games in the series. Hungry for more? Patience, friend. E3 is still a few weeks away. Gallery: Call of Duty: Ghosts Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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Microsoft is clearly determined to sew up some of the best content for the Xbox One: it just revealed a special, multi-year partnership with the NFL. The two are working on an optimized experience that better integrates fantasy football, including score displays, onscreen updates and Skype. They also promise exclusive content, naturally, including a lock on translating many of these experiences to tablets. The partnership will extend to the real arenas, too -- among other technologies, Microsoft will bring Surface tablets to coaches and players to improve their communication and play calling. There aren't many more details so far, but it's evident that Microsoft wants to cater to football fans with a lot more than just its existing ESPN app. Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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Today Microsoft revealed the Xbox One, and confirmed rumors that its new game console is ready to take over as the heart of your home theater. The new box features HDMI in and out for passthrough with your cable or satellite box. It's even able to control connected devices with Kinect 2.0-detected voice and gesture commands thanks to IR blasters and HDMI-CEC. On stage, executives showed off the Xbox OneGuide, demonstrating a way to pull up information including trending programming or fantasy sports stats while watching live TV. There's also a live TV show for Halo in the works, and Microsoft brought NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on stage to talk about integration with the number one pro sports league. There's no word on exactly which cable, telco or satellite TV systems this will integrate with, but Microsoft's PR states "is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available" and mentions HDMI is required for the feature to work. It's supposed to be available at launch in the US, with "global scale" anticipated over time. Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft Comments
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The Xbox One is a big deal for consoles, but Microsoft just made a massive content announcement at today's reveal event -- a live-action Halo TV series. As if the existence of such a television show weren't enough, it turns out that 343 Industries is teaming up with renowned moviemaker Steven Spielberg to bring the world of Master Chief to life in serial form. Spielberg will be the executive producer and the show will provide "exclusive interactive Xbox One content," whatever that means. Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor Mr. Spielberg are telling when the show will actually be available for your eyeballs to view, but it is, most assuredly an actual thing. And just knowing that the follow up to Halo: Forward Unto Dawn is coming is enough, right? Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft Comments
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A number of launch titles have been mentioned at the Xbox One reveal event, but Microsoft Studios announced that it has more titles in development now than ever before. In fact, 15 exclusive Xbox One titles will launch in its first year and eight of those are brand-new franchises. Of course, we're still not exactly sure when that countdown will be begin, but perhaps we'll catch a glimpse of the software goods in a few days at E3. Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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The folks behind such games as the original Max Payne and Alan Wake are crafting a next-gen experience for the Xbox One in "Quantum Break." The tease video we saw showed a young girl, in real life, with her parents -- she apparently sees through time, and is able to convey what she sees, as she places a hand on her mother which shows her a massive war ship crashing through a bridge. We're then taken to an office building lobby being shot up. It's ... not clear at all what all this has to do with anything, but there you have it. We'll have more details as soon as possible.Gallery: 'Quantum Break' for Xbox One Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft Comments
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Phil Spencer just hopped on stage at Microsoft's Xbox Reveal event and has just unveiled Forza Motorsport 5 for the Xbox One. While there's no firm launch date for the console just yet, the next-gen racing title will arrive on launch day when Redmond's next gaming box arrives later this year. Microsoft hasn't published the eye candy-filled trailer it just played up on stage, but you can be sure we'll update here when it does. Update: Our fine friends over at Joystiq have gotten ahold of the trailer, which we've slotted in past the break. Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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Microsoft's Xbox One is promising even more second screen support than we saw on the Xbox 360. An improvement of the SmartGlass integration we've seen pop up on the Xbox 360, Microsoft says it can make your mobile device feel like it was "built" to work with your console. The current SmartGlass app has seen over 10 million downloads, and it looks like Microsoft is aiming for more this time around. It will also be able to screen scrape video, encode it to h.264 and send it over to your second screen, although what will work on which devices is still unknown. Developing... Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft Comments
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EA teased hours ago that FIFA 14 would be one of the first Xbox One games, but it just used Microsoft's event to unveil a considerably wider slate. FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, Madden 25 and EA Sports UFC are all coming to the new console within the next 12 months. All of them are using a new engine, EA Sports Ignite, that has 10 times the animation detail, smarter artificial intelligence, 3D crowds, 'living' sidelines and a daily dose of new content through Xbox Live. EA and Microsoft are getting cozier with the deal, too -- FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be an Xbox exclusive. We'll have to wait for more detail about that game later this year, but it's safe to say that Microsoft won't be lacking for major sports titles during the Xbox One's vital first year. Filed under: Gaming, Software, Microsoft Comments
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Thought Frostbite 3 was EA's only big next-gen games engine? Think again: the publisher just announced EA Sports Ignite at Xbox One's reveal event, a new game engine designed specifically for high-end sports titles. "EA Sports Ignite is designed specifically to help us blur the line between the real and the virtual." Andrew Wilson said as he took the stage, listing off a quartet of new games powered by the engine: FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Live and UFC. Wilson says the engine will allow EA developers to soak its next-gen sports titles in an unprecedented amount of detail, promising to hurdle the animation limitations of current sports games by a factor of ten. The engine's computational claims are even more impressive, offering as much as "four times more calculations per second," according to Wilson, who says it will allow EA to create "human-like intelligence." I guess developers are sick of bad computer AI too. Check out our Xbox One reveal liveblog right here. Comments
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In addition to showing of its next-gen console, Microsoft also detailed changes that are coming to Xbox Live. The outfit has increased to 300,000 servers to power Xbox One users -- up from 15,000 that handle the Xbox 360. Skype and Trending features offer social interaction while the online software will now feature a dedicated game DVR for uploading those Call of Duty exploits for all of your mates to see. In addition to being able to share highlights, searching for your next opponent has become that much easier. Music, movies, games and saved content are all stored in the cloud and devs will be able to leverage Live servers to offer more "living and persistent worlds." Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft Comments
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The latest update out the currently unfolding announcement in Redmond: the next-generation Xbox will run three operating systems simultaneously. Complementing Windows 8 and RT on PCs and tablets, there'll be a third distinct version of Microsoft's operating system that has been pared down specifically for the new console. This will be the main system OS will be used to run apps such as Skype and other non-game titles downloaded from the Xbox storefront. At the same time, virtualization technology similar to Microsoft's Hyper-V will be used to allocate the bulk of system resources to a second, dedicated "Xbox OS" when the user loads up a game. This game OS will remain a fixed entity throughout the life of the console, so that game developers will can be confident their games will run regardless of how much the Windows side of the machine gets updated. Finally, a third OS will work as a middle-man between the two, allowing the two sides of the console to talk to each other. Developing... Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Microsoft Comments
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