The Verge - Microsoft Posts

Future proofing: Xbox One to support 3D and 4K content

2013-05-23T20:02:03Z

The Xbox One is a next-generation console, and as such, it's built with some future proofing in mind. It can do things you're not quite ready for just yet, such as play back 4K resolution games, movies, and TV. And it'll support 3D visuals too, despite the fact that 3D in the home has yet to catch in any meaningful way when it comes to TV, movies, or games. Microsoft noted that the new console would support 4K at the Xbox One launch event on Monday, but 3D support was kept under wraps until Xbox spokesman Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb mentioned it in a Wednesday Yahoo chat session.

Microsoft says new Kinect for Windows launching next year

2013-05-23T16:27:28Z

In addition to launching its new generation Kinect alongside the Xbox One, Microsoft also plans to again release a version of the powerful sensor that's geared for Windows. A post on the company's Kinect blog today confirms the product will be released next year, meaning it will trail behind its console counterpart. Both versions of the new Kinect have been built on top of a shared foundation of technologies, however. When the hardware eventually does reach the hands of developers, Microsoft promises it will "revolutionize computing experiences" thanks to higher fidelity, an expanded field of view, improved skeletal tracking, and other improvements. We were impressed with the latest Kinect during our brief trial at Microsoft's Xbox One...

Microsoft puts a Windows 8 key on its latest mice, hopes to improve navigation (hands-on)

2013-05-23T16:00:02Z

Windows 8, as we all know very well at this point, was designed for touchscreens. Multitasking, the Charms bar, and Snap View (read: split screen) are all quite easy to use with touch gestures — and aren't that bad with a laptop's touchpad — but those who use a traditional mouse have been somewhat left behind. Microsoft is trying to change that today with two mice that are designed to make Windows 8 navigation a bit easier. Microsoft's solution? Place the Windows key directly on the mouse.

It's somehow slightly disturbing when you first see it — we're so used to the Windows key being resigned to sitting quietly between the control and alt keys. Nevertheless, it has a prominent spot on both of Microsoft's new mice, the Sculpt...

Google engineer publicizes Windows zero-day bug, claims Microsoft is 'difficult to work with'

2013-05-23T11:07:28Z

A Google engineer has once again disclosed a Windows flaw. In a Full Disclosure posting to the SecLists mailing list, Tavis Ormandy — an Information Security Engineer at Google — details a vulnerability in Windows 7 and Windows 8 that can be exploited by local users to gain escalated privileges. Security firm Secunia notes that the issue is "less critical" than other flaws as it's not a remotely exploitable one. Nevertheless, it appears that Ormandy has taken the full disclosure approach, stating he doesn't have "time to work on silly Microsoft code," rather than Microsoft's preferred responsible disclosure route that calls for vulnerabilities to be reported privately.

Ormandy previously revealed a serious vulnerability in Windows...

Lenovo avoids the PC decline once again as HP and others slump

2013-05-23T08:30:00Z

Lenovo's PC business has seen positive growth yet again, with quarterly shipments of its computers up 0.4 percent year-over-year. The growth comes despite what Lenovo cites as an 14.2 percent decrease of the industry as a whole over the same period. The Chinese manufacturer also reported 10 percent year-over-year PC growth over the past 12 months against an 8 percent industry-wide decrease. Lenovo's solid PC performance, along with very positive results in its other businesses like smartphones and tablets, contributed towards a 4 percent increase in revenue and a 90 percent increase in net profits (up from $67 million to $127 million) year-over-year.

In separate results, HP beat analyst expectations with its Q2 2013 earnings report, but...

AMD Jaguar: the Xbox One and PS4 guts that could power your next cheap laptop

2013-05-23T04:29:21Z

AMD boasted that its Z-60 Hondo chip would bring Call of Duty to thin tablets, and its boasts were for naught, but it looks like the company's latest processor core is going to see a lot of use in the next generation of cheap laptops. Today, AMD has revealed its basic performance claims for its Jaguar core, the same one that's reportedly built into the chips in both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The resulting Temash and Kabini APUs could finally have the combination of performance and battery life you'd need in an inexpensive Windows 8 tablet or laptop.

While some of AMD's charts are a little misleading out of context, this one is fairly straightforward: AMD claims that its low-power Temash system-on-chip simultaneously manages to...

HP Envy Rove 20 is the company's stab at a giant all-in-one Windows 8 tablet

2013-05-23T04:01:07Z

It's hard to say if there's a market yet for an all-in-one touchscreen PC that you can just pick up and carry around, but it seems that no Windows PC maker wants to be left out. Hot on the heels of Dell's XPS 18, Sony's VAIO Tap 20, and the Asus Transformer AIO, Hewlett-Packard has announced the Envy Rove 20. It's a tabletop PC with a 20-inch touchscreen, a four-hour battery, and a spring-loaded kickstand that folds flat into the frame.

We got to check out the Rove 20 briefly at an HP event in San Francisco late last month, and we're not yet sure what to think. The 10-point capacitive touchscreen felt responsive, and the kickstand has a very satisfying action (you squeeze a button around back to release the lever as you set it down) but...

HP redesigns Envy and Pavilion laptops for 2013, including one with a 3200 x 1800 screen

2013-05-23T04:01:06Z

Last year, Hewlett-Packard decided to unify the design of every thin and light laptop it sold, applying the same basic curves across every keyboard, touchpad, hinge, lid, and frame. This year, it's not just thin-and-light laptops getting the treatment: according to company representatives, CEO Meg Whitman has now mandated a unified design language across HP's entire portfolio of consumer machines. "She took a look at our portfolio and said, ''I don't know what's HP.'" Now, recessed hinges, revamped touchpads, and slim wedge designs — or at least the illusion of a slim wedge design — will be more or less standard across the company's lineup.

Microsoft recruits Siri to bad-mouth the iPad in new Windows 8 tablet ad

2013-05-23T00:01:37Z

Whatever era you call it, post-PC or simply PC plus, the Mac vs. PC war has ignited once again today. In a fresh Windows 8 ad, Microsoft is directly attacking Apple's iPad on price, an approach it took during the early Vista days with low-priced laptops. It's also doing it in a way that parodies Apple's own commercial, complete with Siri's voice.

Microsoft choses to highlight Windows 8's side-by-side apps with Live Tiles, PowerPoint, and the $449 price of the 64GB ASUS' VivoTab Smart as the benefits of Windows 8. It casually ignores any strengths of the iPad, while assuming consumers will purchase a comparable 64GB model at $699. "Should we just play chopsticks," quips Microsoft's ad, with a sequence that mimics the iPad mini commercial....

Microsoft updates YouTube Windows Phone app on the day Google demanded it be removed

2013-05-22T20:35:19Z

Microsoft is updating its Windows Phone YouTube app today. In a statement to The Verge, the company says it's making some changes to address concerns from Google. "Microsoft updated the Windows Phone YouTube app to address the restricted video and offline video access concerns voiced by Google last week," says a spokesperson. "We have been in contact with Google and continue to believe that our two companies can work together to hone an app that benefits our mutual customers, partners and content providers."

The update follows Google's demand for Microsoft to remove the YouTube app fully from its Windows Phone Store. Google objected to the lack of ads in Microsoft's application, and features such as a download option. Microsoft...