Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Microsoft Ends $99 Promotion For Xbox

Earlier, Microsoft had announced that if the users were interested in a two year old contract, they could get Xbox 360 and Kinect for just $99. But this was almost two years ago, and now according to latest reports, they’ve repealed this offer. Microsoft spokesperson David Dennis said that the promotional offer was ended a while ago.

According to the Windows Live support team, the $99 Xbox 360 promotion was first made available to users exclusively at Microsoft Stores. Eventually, it was also made available with nationwide retailers like Best Buy, GameStop, and Wal-Mart. But then, if you planned to cancel the subscription ahead of schedule, you would even have to face an early termination penalty. Now, since the promotional offer has been discarded, the original price of the Xbox One is $499. But Albert Penello, who works as the Microsoft director of product planning, said that Microsoft is all set to introduce a subsidized offer later on in the Xbox 360’s life cycle. This created a stir among existing Xbox users, and many contacted the Windows Live support team to know if the news was real.

The announcement created such confusions among users because upon the announcement of the offer for Xbox 360, most of them thought that Xbox One would also be available for the same price. Now, getting Xbox One and Kinect for $99 isn’t really a bad option! But then, Microsoft has ended this offer, much to the dismay of the Xbox users. According to David Dennis, "This program was intended to be a pilot experiment from the start, and Microsoft routinely adjusts the mix of offers available to its customers, and this change was simply standard business practice. The subsidized model really makes a lot of sense towards the end of the life. People are more price sensitive. They are more cost conscious. It's a model I like; I'm sure we'll bring it back. But not right now." So, it is official that Microsoft has dropped the promotional plans for Xbox 360, and that gamers would no longer be able to get both the services for such a low price.

Xbox has been enjoying a supreme position in the field of gaming consoles. Now, it will be interesting to see how the sudden increase in price will affect its popularity.

Would Microsoft Release An Xbox One Controller For Windows 8 OS

One of the cool things Microsoft did in the past was to release a version of the Xbox 360 controller for the Windows PC. This improved the gaming experience of Windows gaming PCs. Now, with the release of the Xbox One gaming console, PC Gamers are awaiting the release of the PC versions of the Xbox One controller and the Windows 8 drivers for its installation.

Would there be a PC version of the Xbox One controller?

However, Microsoft so far has not confirmed whether there will be an Xbox One controller for Windows 8 in the future. But, they have tried to quash rumours about the release of such a controller and the necessary Windows 8 drivers this year.

Albert Penello, Microsoft’s Director of Product Management issued this statement – “There is no plan to do a new, separate controller that only works on Windows. It will be the same as it is on Xbox 360 – the Xbox One controller you have today will work. That's not to say that we may not ship also PC SKU of the Xbox One controller, much like we do on Xbox 360.”

In other words, Microsoft will soon release an Xbox One controller which you can use on a Windows 8 PC by installing its driver. But, there will not be an Xbox One controller for Windows 8 like the one they released for Xbox 360. The same controller can be used for both the gaming console as well as the Windows 8 gaming PC.

Some third party solutions already available

In fact, some enthusiastic fans have already started working on some solutions to make the Xbox One controller work smoothly on a Windows PC. There is this device called ControllerMax, which can be used to connect your gaming console controller to your Windows PC. This small device has two or three USB or micro-USB ports for connecting the controllers to your PC. It is very easy to use.

There is also a somewhat complicated software solution available online posted by some gaming enthusiast. But, it is not a good idea to install such third party applications. For the time being, stick to using the Xbox 360 PC controller for your gaming.

Microsoft is likely to release the PC drivers for Xbox One controller this year. You just have to wait a few more months.

Monday, May 26, 2014

How To Organize Photos In Vista?

Windows Vista was launched by Microsoft as a successor to Windows XP and comprised of many advanced features compared to XP. This operating system is made compatible to run on home and business laptops, tablet PCs, etc. The best option provided by Windows Vista is that it lets you store information more securely in the system. For any issues regarding the Windows Vista system, users can contact the Windows Vista help team.

As mentioned, you can easily store your photographs and organize them in your Windows Vista computer. While doing so, you can also assign a key tag to each photo. You can create a new folder in your pictures folder and store the latest photographs in it. But sometimes while relocating a particular photo, you may encounter issues. Several users have even reported that their systems crashed while trying to move a photo. In your Windows Vista computer, you can even name each photo session after the date and the tag. This will help you a lot in finding and retrieving them later on.

You can use the following instructions provided by the Windows Vista help and support team to organize your photos in your Windows Vista computer:

· The best option is to assign a few key tags, such as the name of an event, to the photos you have stored in the system. This is because if you name the photos, searching for those tags makes it possible to see all the pictures that were taken during those events.

· Once you set name tags to each folder, Windows Vista OS ensures that your chosen tag is attached to each batch of photos you import. You can also assign more tags to each photo, as it will help you in locating the pictures in your desktop more easily.

· Now, if you are into digital photography, then it is recommended to purchase some third-party photo programs like ThumbsPlus. This is because these programs contain options which have more photo management and editing features. These tools can in turn enhance the function of Windows Vista’s basic tools.

These steps can help you in organizing your photographs in your Windows Vista computer. If you still face issues in your Vista computer, do not worry. Feel free to dial our 24/7 Windows technical support number to get assistance.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Windows Phone 8.1 Released To Manufacturers, Rolled Out To Users Soon

Windows Phone 8.1 has started making news. The official release of the latest Microsoft mobile operating system was held in San Francisco, during Microsoft’s Build Conference. As it has been with the case of Windows 8 users, Windows Phone 8 users too will be able to update their devices with Windows Phone 8.1 once the update is rolled out. Microsoft said that the update will be rolled out soon. As of now, the update is released to the manufacturers of Windows Phones. The upcoming Windows Phone models will have Windows Phone 8.1 preinstalled in them.

Windows Phone 8.1 turn out to be historic step in Windows mobile OS

Popular mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS are receiving updates from time to time, although they do not make much news. Conversely, in the case of Windows Phone, the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update is a historic one. In this new update, Microsoft has introduced a number of new changes which would make the update quite different from its predecessor version.

Features of Windows Phone 8.1 update

Some of the new features Microsoft has added to Windows Phone 8.1 include Cortana functionality, lock screen customization UI and Internet Explorer 11 support. However, what has attracted many users is undoubtedly the Cortana functionality.

Cortana functionality in Microsoft support phone Windows Phone 8.1

Cortana functionality is a new feature that Microsoft is adding to its Windows Phone 8.1 update. This can be well described as the Windows Phone version of Apple iOS’s Siri and Android’s Google Now. However, the Windows version Cortana boasts of improved options.

Options in Cortana functionality for Windows Phone 8.1

Cortana has options like ability to allow users to set reminders without navigating to the UI (User Interface). It is quite convenient to use. If you want to set a reminder, for instance, to say something to your college, Ask Cortana to remind you about this next time when you make a phone call or text message or Skype chat with your colleague.

Internet Explorer 11 support

Microsoft support phone OS Windows Phone 8.1 is integrated with Internet Explorer 11. The software giant has also attempted to integrate a list of updates with latest mobile operating system. Other remarkable features of Windows Phone 8.1 include lock screen customization UI, improved Calendar options, and unique customization options. It is almost certain that Windows Phone 8.1 will be liked instantly by smartphone savvy users.