Xbox 360 avatar on Microsoft Zune HD media devices

Microsoft is now offering Xbox avatar engraving on its Zune HD media devices.

Announced on Friday, potential Zune HD owners can choose from a number of virtual character poses using their very own Xbox LIVE avatar. Microsoft will then engrave the Xbox LIVE avatar straight onto your Zune HD in time for Christmas.

Zune HD2 rumors suggest that the software giant is working on a future device. Last month two job postings emerged relating to new Zune hardware design roles. The Zune maker is currently seeking principle and senior design developers. Considering the Zune HD was released in September 2009, it’s not likely that Microsoft is looking to tweak the design of the current model.

Rumors of a Zune HD2 device have been making the rounds for months now. Mary Jo Foley originally suggested that Microsoft was working on the HD2 after a tipster said new devices could arrive next year. The two new job roles seem to suggest that Microsoft is recruiting hardware design experts. A new commercial advertising the Zune HD emerged late last month which also shows Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about its media device.

Microsoft Xbox 360 is Number1 selling console in US

Market Research firm NPD has released its November figures which show Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is still the number one selling console in the United States.

The report notes that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is still the best selling console, having dominated the top spot for six straight months. The Xbox 360 sold nearly 1.4 million units in November compared to the 325,000 units in October. The figures show that 50% of spend on current generation consoles is on the Xbox 360 alone.

Microsoft launched its controller-less console accessory for the Xbox 360 across the world earlier this month. The Kinect sensor is a horizontal bar that sits at the base of your TV. The device has an RGB camera, depth sensor and multi-array microphone which runs proprietary software. Kinect allows for full-body 3D motion capture, facial recognition, and voice recognition. Owners will be able to interact with games titles using just their body. Pausing TV and fast forwarding movies can be achieved using a mix of hand movements and voice control.

Microsoft’s Kinect has been extremely popular. Microsoft recently revealed that it has sold 2.5 million Kinect units worldwide in just 25 days. The company expects to sell 5 million units by Christmas. The popularity of Kinect will likely contribute to the long shelf life of the Xbox 360. Microsoft has managed to keep the console fresh by updating its hardware and software regularly over the past five years. Do you expect Microsoft to introduce a new Xbox within the next two years?

Microsoft KIN Studio service is shutting down on Jan31,2011

Microsoft is shuttering its KIN Studio service on January 31, 2011.

Verizon customers are slowly receiving a leaflet to detail the changes. WPCentral has posted several images from the leaflet that show all KIN users will lose the ability to do everything over the air. Zune pass and email will still be available but features allowing the phone to sync to the cloud will be permanently disabled. The full list of changes is:

• Feed Reader will stop working
• Search Near me will stop working
• Posting Photos to social sites will no longer be possible
• Most pictures currently on Kin will only appear at thumbnail resolution
• Posting to Social Networks will no longer work.
• No comments from the loop
• Social network contacts will disappear.
• Loop will stop to work
• Kin Spot will only send to emails.
• Social networks only accessed from web browser.

The removal of said features cripples the platform entirely. Microsoft originally introduced the devices in May and killed them off after only two months. Microsoft said the decision to axe the Kin devices was to “focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7.” The software giant recently re-introduced both KIN devices on cheaper contracts. The Kin ONEm and TWOm, re-branded with the m appendage to their names, are currently available on two-year contracts at $19.99 and $49.99 respectively. The full retail price of the ONEm is $119.99 and the full price of the TWOm is $219.99. One of the early criticisms of both devices was the steep price plans and device costs. Microsoft and Verizon originally introduced both devices in May. The Kin ONE was priced at $49.99 and the TWO at $99.99. Microsoft and Verizon have cut the price of the devices in half to shift the remaining stock during holiday sales.

Microsoft Windows valued $110 billion surpassed IBM

Microsoft’s Windows operating system is now the most valuable software franchise in the world.

Windows, now valued at $110 billion, has surpassed IBM’s Middleware ($107 billion). The figures come courtesy of Trefis, a financial analysis firm who track the most popular stocks in the US. Trefis has been tracking Microsoft’s Windows sales over the past year and has published its results for all to see. “While most of the businesses continued to retain their position, Microsoft’s Windows Operating System emerged as the single most valuable software business segment in 2010. Microsoft Windows Operating System (at $110 billion) surpassed IBM’s Middleware, which at $107 billion now stands at a comfortable second,” states Trefis.

Windows isn’t the only software that’s doing well at Microsoft. The software giant’s other cash cow, Microsoft Office, now dominates the third position of most valuable software worldwide. Microsoft Office accounts for $86 billion compared to fourth place Oracle database software at $69 billion. Microsoft’s Windows operating system makes up about 41% of the company’s stock value. Microsoft Office contributes 32% to the company value.

Trefis attributes the dominance of Windows to an increase in PC shipments in 2010 and the phenomenal success of Windows 7. Worldwide PC shipments will reach 352.4 million units in 2010, a 14% increase from 2009, according to Gartner research. Windows sales have improved over the past year as a result of the increased PC shipments. Windows has also dominated the netbook market with 68% now running Windows.

It has been an incredibly successful year for Windows 7. Microsoft has confirmed that it has now sold over 240 million licenses of Windows 7 and that figure is expected to hit 300 million before the end of the year. Windows 7 now accounts for 25% of operating system market share. Microsoft’s success with Windows 7 began before the product was even widely available. Released in October 2009, the operating system has received praise from consumers, businesses and the media. In November 2009, Windows 7 managed to surpass Apple’s Snow Leopard market share in just two weeks. In early February it was revealed that Windows 7 had reached 10% market share in just three months.

Microsoft is currently in the planning and preparation stage for Windows 8. The software giant is expected to share more information and beta bits next year. Steve Ballmer has described the next release of Windows as the company’s “riskiest product bet”. Company officials are keeping any Windows 8 plans close to their chest. According to company insiders that have spoken to WinRumors, Microsoft is currently readying Windows 8 and is betting big on cloud computing. Microsoft is expected to build a ‘Windows Store‘ app store into Windows 8 and Kinect-like functionality. The software maker will also integrate social networking and cloud features into the heart of Windows to finally realize its vision of software+services. A number of cloud related Windows adverts will air over the next year to seek consumer awareness on the cloud.

Microsoft is currently readying its first Service Pack for Windows 7. A Release Candidate (RC) build was made available in October and a final version is expected in early 2011.

Lenovo IdeaPad Laptop G560 similar to lenovo G565

The Lenovo IdeaPad G560 is a feature-rich low-end laptop, meant to meet the basic needs of businessmen and executives. The addition of eSATA and HDMI ports provide value for money, while the presence of special multimedia buttons embossed on a glassy surface adds a touch of class to the design aesthetics of the laptop. It makes a decent buy at Rs. 31,990 with basic multimedia and executive style features. However, its weak performance across all the tests including gaming, will disappoint the performance hungry freaks and gamers.

Pros

• Affordable
• One touch recovery
• Addition of e-SATA & HDMI ports
• Biometric login

Cons

• Weak performer
• No dedicated video card
• Cramped key-spacing

The Lenovo IdeaPad G560 looks no different than its elder sibling - the G565, which we havereviewed earlier. However, subtle changes add a touch of class to the G560, giving it an identity of its own. Unlike the G565, the cover lid, screen bezel and the keypad layout are all coated in glossy black finish. While the rear-panel and the palm-rest are still coated in matte black finish, the keypad keys coated in glossy black and add a stark contrast to the textured battery compartment above the keypad. The screen bezel is marked with tread-like textures & decorated with four buttons each at the top and bottom, giving it an antique look. The glaring shiny surface on the cover lid and palm-rest are vulnerable to fingerprint smudges, compromising any positives derived from its antique yet stylish design.

Lenovo IdeaPad G560 (front view)

The Lenovo IdeaPad G560 is quite bulky weighing in at about 2.63 kgs. Inheriting the most characteristic features from itselder sibling – the G565, the G560 also incorporates subtle changes such as capslock & numlock status indicators, as well as mute, volume up/down and video recording buttons located at the top of the keypad. It is a welcome change to see the addition of eSATA and HDMI ports which were missing on the G565. The special status LED indicators, the Wi-Fi on/off switch and the multi-format memory card reader add value for money.

Malware to be serve by Microsoft adCenter network

Microsoft’s adCenter network (formerly MSN adCenter) has been found to be serving up malware via drive-by download exploits.

Armorize, a security solutions firm, describes the incident in a full informational blog posting. Attackers registered a domain name similar to an official advertising technology firm to dupe Microsoft adCenter and DoubleClick into authorizing the fake adverts. Attackers registered ADShufffle.com, similar to ADSuffle.com. The malicious ads were then served on both advertising networks for a short period of time.

Known sites that were affected included realestate.msn.com, msnbc.com and mail.live.com. Armorize investigated the reports after the adverts went live on December 3 and quickly rectified them with both DoubleClick and Microsoft’s adCenter. The attackers used the Eleonore exploit pack and the Neosploit package to install malware onto users PCs. Visitors could have been infected without having to click on any sites. “Over the past week, ADShufffle kept on changing the malware. Besides HDD Plus, other types of malware, such as backdoors, have been serve,” wrote Wayne Huang of Amorize.

Microsoft’s adCenter is the division of MSN responsible for MSN’s advertising services. Microsoft adCenter provides pay per click adverts for publishers

Malware to be serve by Microsoft adCenter network

Microsoft’s adCenter network (formerly MSN adCenter) has been found to be serving up malware via drive-by download exploits.

Armorize, a security solutions firm, describes the incident in a full informational blog posting. Attackers registered a domain name similar to an official advertising technology firm to dupe Microsoft adCenter and DoubleClick into authorizing the fake adverts. Attackers registered ADShufffle.com, similar to ADSuffle.com. The malicious ads were then served on both advertising networks for a short period of time.

Known sites that were affected included realestate.msn.com, msnbc.com and mail.live.com. Armorize investigated the reports after the adverts went live on December 3 and quickly rectified them with both DoubleClick and Microsoft’s adCenter. The attackers used the Eleonore exploit pack and the Neosploit package to install malware onto users PCs. Visitors could have been infected without having to click on any sites. “Over the past week, ADShufffle kept on changing the malware. Besides HDD Plus, other types of malware, such as backdoors, have been serve,” wrote Wayne Huang of Amorize.

Microsoft’s adCenter is the division of MSN responsible for MSN’s advertising services. Microsoft adCenter provides pay per click adverts for publishers