Admittedly, the idea of a tablet-based Xbox just seems silly, so it wasn’t long after CES 2012 wrapped that we here at TFTS forgot about those rumors. Well, they’re back again, this time coming from Xbox World Magazine (via NeoGAF), which says that “sources” close to the project claim that the next Xbox will in fact feature a tabletesque controller.

Hearing Xbox World Magazine describe it, it sounds like this Xbox tablet controller will be a lot like the Wii U’s controller. It can function as a remote while watching TV (presumably using you console as a cable box), it can be used as an Internet browser, and even as a portable display if you ever want to take your games with you when you leave the house.

It sounds cool, but we’re not buying it. Reaction to the Wii U’s controller has been mixed so far, and Microsoft’s core audience are those who call themselves “hardcore gamers.” These gamers want a controller with face buttons and twin sticks, and are scarcely interested in gimmicks meant to capitalize on current trends. Perhaps Microsoft can offer a touchscreen controller that actually improves the hardcore gamer experience? Maybe, but it will catch a lot of heat from its Xbox 360 user base for even trying, and if Microsoft wants to stay on top of Sony in the next generation, its best bet is to simply play it safe.

But then, you never really know. Maybe Microsoft will take a chance and deliver a tablet-based console that consumers love. For now, what Microsoft is planning for its next console is for the company to know and for us to find out. That being said, what do you think? Is it really a possibility that Microsoft will ditch traditional controllers with its next console? Put on your speculation hats and jump down to the comments section to share your theories!

The Lumia 900 never officially received a release date, although rumors had pinned the phone as coming out on March 18^th. Usually, you can expect to see a phone up for pre-order a month or so before its scheduled release date, and Microsoft Stores accepting pre-orders somewhat unexpectedly only adds to these rumors. Those who wanted to pre-order the phone had to put down $25 on the phone.

Back at CES, Nokia announced the Lumia 900 as an AT&T exclusive. It’s got some nice hardware, including a 4.3-inch OLED display, 1.4GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 16GB of memory. Recently, a leak from Nokia also showed a white Lumia 900 for international markets, so if you’re outside the United States, you can expect to get your hands on one of these phones too.

No word officially on when we can expect AT&T and Nokia to open up Lumia 900 pre-orders to everybody.

While Office 15 is yet to be available in a public beta – it has just hit the Technical Preview stage – the new collection of productivity apps has been revealed in a video during which Microsoft was demoing Office 15 beta on an ARM-based device running Windows 8. What’s interesting about Windows 8 on ARM is that it will offer support for the desktop version of Office 15 apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. At the same time the company is also working on a native Office 15 version for touchscreen- and ARM-based devices that will run Windows 8. In addition to Office 15, Windows 8 on ARM will offer users a complete desktop mode experience that comes with File Explorer, Internet Explorer 10 desktop and other Windows desktop features. And while the desktop Windows versions so far are not ideal for tablet use, it will certainly be interesting to see how Windows 8 feels like on future tablets. But unlike Microsoft, developers won’t be able to port X86/64 apps to Windows 8 on ARM. Instead they’ll just have to create new apps for future Windows tablets that will support the new Metro UI.

As for Office 15, it’s clear from the video above, and the images in the gallery below that Microsoft is reinventing its productivity suite. Gone is the ribbon menu, or at least it’s very well hidden across the shown apps, which suggests that Microsoft may have something simpler in mind. Whether its Word, Excel or PowerPoint, the company is focusing on content rather than on a cumbersome menu. On the other hand, considering the complexity of Office apps, we’re certainly expecting all the menus, and then some, to be still there despite the minimal layout we see in the images below.

While it’s going to be interesting to see how Microsoft reimagined the Office experience to make our lives easier, we’ll certainly have to patient and keep waiting to actually be able to test it out. Microsoft is expected to release the Windows 8 beta at some point in the following weeks, quite possibly during MWC 2012, and we certainly hope it’s coming with Office 15 on board.

And while we’re at it, when will the iPad and Mac OS X versions of Office 15 be launched?

Microsoft is now offering Microsoft OneNote for free for Android. You can find it in the Android Market, and it’s actually pretty feature packed. You’ll be able to take notes, add text and bullet points, as well as pictures. You can even sync your notes up with Microsoft SkyDrive (Microsoft’s free file-hosting service) and retrieve them later from a PC. Great, eh?

OneNote will work on Android phones or tablets, but it does require Android 2.3.0 or later, meaning that later phones and tablets may not be able to run this great utility from Microsoft. Microsoft has already released a version of OneNote (with a similar feature set) for iOS, and of course, their own Windows Phone 7 runs a OneNote app as well.

It’s a pretty nice move by Microsoft to offer these apps for free on competing platforms. They are of course, at their heart, a software company, and they must be seeing it as important to get folks using OneNote and SkyDrive. Even if those people aren’t using Windows Phone.

You can find OneNote Mobile here on the Android Market. I can totally imagine some college students dropping this on their Motorola Xoom and using this for note-taking in college rather than a Windows laptop. Anybody else out there excited about OneNote Mobile for Android? Tell us about it in the comments section.

The Xbox 360 is being sold in the Kinect Star Wars bundle, meaning it’ll be sold with a Kinect sensor bar (all white) as well as a copy of Star Wars Kinect. The preview coverage of Star Wars Kinect has been spotty and some of what we’ve seen doesn’t look that impressive (“Lightsaber on!”). Major Nelson did release more information about the game though. It’ll have a few different modes, putting you in the cockpit flying a ship in space battles, racing speeder bikes, a “Galactic Dance Off” mode and of course, a lightsaber fighting mode. All these new modes include the podracing and rancor fighting modes which were previously announced.

The Star Wars Xbox 360 console bundle will also come with a copy of Kinect Adventures, like all other Kinect bundles. Don’t expect to get your hands on the R2-D2 Xbox 360 outside of the bundle, but rumor has it that Microsoft will be selling the C-3PO controller separately. The whole package will cost you $449 (“Your Republic Credits are no good here.”) and again, is set to be released April 3^rd. Tell us, are these the droids you’re looking for?

In addition to all the new features Windows 8 has to offer, and we have slowly covered some of them already in the past, the Consumer Preview will offer a working version of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Store, its own digital Windows application store inspired by Apple’s successful Mac App Store. A source familiar with the matter has revealed to The Verge 11 games that will be available in the Windows Store once the Consumer Preview is available including:

• Hydro Thunder
• Toy Soldiers
• Reckless Racing
• Angry Birds
• Ilomilo
• Rocket Riot
• Full House Poker
• Tentacles
• Crash Course
• Ms Splosion Man
• Wordament

Pricing details for the games is not available at this time, but users can expect both free and paid games, with prices starting at $1.49 for the paid ones. In fact, it looks like Pinball and Solitaire will be both pre-installed on the Windows 8 Consumer Preview build, while all the other games will be available to download from the Windows Store. In addition to games we expect plenty of other applications to be available from the Windows Store when the Consumer Preview version of Windows 8 becomes available, although no app titles have been leaked at this time.

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview with Windows Store access will be available later this month at which time we’ll find out more details about Microsoft’s progress with Windows 8 development. Let’s hear it from you, Windows users, are you anxious to play a native Windows versions of Angry Birds? What else do you expect from the future Windows 8 and its Windows Store?

That being said, the Lumia 800 handset will be unlocked and according to the folks over at The Verge, it will arrive with “no official carrier support.” The bundle pack will be priced at $899 and aside from the handset itself it will come with a few accessories to include the Nokia Play 360 wireless speaker, a Purity HD Stereo headset and in-ear Bluetooth headset. And in terms of when this bundle package will be available for purchase — it appears as if this will be a Valentine’s Day offering coming on February 14th.

With that, while it is nice to see that those in the US will be able to purchase and get an unlocked Lumia 800 without having to order from an overseas retailer we suspect that a $900 bundle is not going to be the way many want to go. Personally, we would opt towards forgetting the bundle and going the import route. Still, those looking for the complete package may be tempted and honestly, if you are looking for the phone and those accessories it seems like a solid enough offer.

Otherwise, aside from this bundle offer and the goodies that are included — the Nokia Lumia 800 is a Windows Phone 7.5 Mango device with features to include a 3.7 inch (480 x800) curved AMOLED ClearBlack touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass, a 1.4GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS and an 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus, LED flash, HD video recording and Carl Zeiss Optics.

And lastly, for those wondering — at least as of this time it looks like the handset will ONLY be available as part of this bundle pack.

ZDNet’s Ed Bott made graphs showing how each of these three companies made their cash in the busy Christmas quarter, but he failed to observe that Apple’s total revenue and profit in the fourth quarter of 2011 are bigger than Microsoft’s and Google’s revenues and profits combined.

Apple, a hardware company has various products that sell very well with the crowds. The iPhone alone made more than half of Apple’s revenue last quarter, with the iPad coming in second followed by the Mac laptops. Apple also sells iPods, Mac desktops, and plenty of digital content through its iTunes, App Store and iBookstore storefronts. In Q4 2011 Apple got $46.33 million in revenue and $13.06 billion in net income.

Google is an advertising-only company – or better said, advertising-mostly company – with 96% of revenues for the last two years coming from ads. Which is why Google is investigated in so many antitrust cases, as in more than one instance, the company has been accused of leveraging certain products it offers customers in order to boost ads revenue. Google wants in on the Android device manufacturing side of its mobile business, and that will happen once its proposed Motorola purchase is approved. In Q4 2011 Google reported $10.58 billion and net income of $2.71 billion.

Microsoft is a software company, having a huge market share in the PC business where its Windows OS and Office productivity suite have no real rivals. The company also did very well last quarter selling Xbox 360 units and Kinect sensors, the only successful Microsoft hardware to date. The Windows Phone business is not a cash cow yet, and it may take a while until it brings in serious revenue. In Q4 2011 Microsoft brought in revenues of $20.89 billion and $6.62 billion net income.

According to PocketNow, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore, the company’s Senior Vice President and Windows Phone Manager held a special presentation for Nokia to showcase some of the most important Windows 8 features. Here’s what you can expect from Windows Phone 8 Apollo:

• Multicore processor support
• New screen resolutions – up to four, pixel counts not mentioned
• Removable microSD storage support
• NFC support with carrier-branded and carrier-controlled “wallet experience” via secure element on SIM card or using phone’s hardware
• NFC features: tap-to-share across platforms
• Windows 8 integration – developers will be able to “reuse – by far – most of their code” when repurposing apps from desktop to mobile version
• Zune desktop client integration replaced by a dedicated companion application for syncing purposes
• Xbox Companion app available on Windows 8
• Skydrove support – seamless sharing of data between devices without PC sync
• Access to 100,000 apps in the Marketplace (by Q4 2012)
• Native code support for apps would offer more powerful apps and easier app porting from iOS and Android
• App-to-app communication
• Skype integration
• Basic camera lens app that can be further customized by OEMs
• DataSmart feature/app – tracks mobile data usage and smart Wi-Fi connectivity with WP8 trying to connect to carrier-owned WLANs when possible
• Proxy server support for increased page loading in Internet Explorer 10
• Native 128-bit BitLocker full-disk encryption for enterprise users
• Support for business app

Windows Phone fans will certainly appreciate the new changes as Microsoft is getting more and more serious about becoming an important iOS and Android contender. Maybe RIM should check out these efforts, which could pay off in the following years. After all, Microsoft also had to reinvent itself and move from the hideous Windows Mobile platform to something totally new and build a whole new ecosystem, app store included. Which is exactly what RIM needs to do to, with superheroes of without. But let’s also remember that while WP moves towards a very interesting Apollo version, iOS and Android will also have new features to offer later this year.

What smartphone are you buying in 2012?

In case you already own a Kinect for Xbox 360 and think that you’ll be simply able to hook it up to your Windows system and start using it for various gesture-based projects, then think again, as the Kinect for Windows is a standalone product. In other words you’ll have to shell out $249 for the Windows-compatible controller. In case you are a “Qualified Educational User” the price will go down to $149, but you’ll have to wait until later this year to buy the device.

In addition to Kinect for Windows, which is available to purchase starting today, Microsoft has already made available version 1.0 of the Kinect for Windows SDK and runtime which can be downloaded right away. In fact, Microsoft has continued to work on the SKD and runtime since they released the Beta 2, adding various improvements including:

•  Support for up to four Kinect sensors plugged into the same computer
•  Significantly improved skeletal tracking, including the ability for developers to control which user is being tracked by the sensor
•  Near Mode for the new Kinect for Windows hardware, which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 40 centimeters in front of the device
•  Many API updates and enhancements in the managed and unmanaged runtimes
•  The latest Microsoft Speech components (V11) are now included as part of the SDK and runtime installer
•  Improved “far-talk” acoustic model that increases speech recognition accuracy
•  New and updated samples, such as Kinect Explorer, which enables developers to explore the full capabilities of the sensor and SDK, including audio beam and sound source angles, color modes, depth modes, skeletal tracking, and motor controls
•  A commercial-ready installer which can be included in an application’s set-up program, making it easy to install the Kinect for Windows runtime and driver components for end-user deployments.
•  Robustness improvements including driver stability, runtime fixes, and audio fixes

The company will release SDK and runtime updates 2-3 times per year, and in the mean time we’re definitely interested to see what Windows apps developers will come up with to include Kinect functionality – so drop us a line if you’re currently creating such apps.

Here are more details about what the Kinect for Windows sensor has to offer:

• Near mode: Enables the camera to see objects as close as 40 centimeters in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation out to 3 meters.
• Shortening USB cable and small dongle Ensure reliability across a broad range of computers and improves coexistence with other USB peripherals.
• Support and software updates The Kinect for Windows hardware includes a one-year warranty, support, and access to software updates for both speech and human tracking.

And here are the minimum hardware and OS requirements to make Windows work:

• 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• Dual-core 2.66 GHz or faster processor
• Dedicated USB 2.0 bus
• 2 GB RAM
• Windows 7 or Windows Embedded Standard 7

Will you buy a Kinect for Windows?

And a rival like Microsoft will not just sit by and let this policy change slide, at least from a marketing standpoint. The Redmond-based company has purchased a round of anti-Google newspaper ads part of a “Putting People First” campaign, which is meant to show the advantages of Microsoft products, compared to similar offerings from Google, from the privacy point of view. The products that Microsoft advertises are Hotmail, Bing, Microsoft Office 365 and Internet Explorer.

Here’s what the ad above reads:

Google is in the process of making some unpopular changes to some of their most popular products. Those changes, cloaked in language like “transparency,” simplicity” and “consistency” are really about one thing: making it easier for Google to connect the dots between everything you search, send, say or stream while using one of their services.

But, the way they’re doing it is making it harder for you to maintain control of your personal information. Why are they so interested in doing this that they would risk this kind of backlash? One logical reason: Every data point they collect and connect to you increases how valuable you are to an advertiser.

To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to improve the quality of an advertising product. But, that effort needs to be balanced with continuing to meet the needs and interests of users. Every business finds its own balance and attracts users who share those priorities. Google’s new changes have upset that balance, with users’ priorities being de-prioritized. That’s why people are concerned and looking for alternatives.

If these changes rub you the wrong way, please consider using our portfolio of award-winning products and services: […]

Microsoft is very clear about its intentions, and I’ll have to say that unlike the Samsung anti-Apple smear campaign, this ad is not offensive in any way. But are the facts presented by Microsoft accurate?

As expected in this game, Google has responded to Microsoft’s own claims by placing ads on various websites including the Washington Post that simply say “We’re changing our Privacy Policy. Not your privacy controls.”

Furthermore the company has published a posts on its Google Public Policy blog in which it’s “busting myths about [their] approach to privacy.” Here are the myths Google is debunking, and it’s pretty clear that the Mountain View giant is going after Microsoft with this one:

• Myth: In 2011, Google made $36 billion selling information about users like you. [Fairsearch - PDF]
• Fact: Google does not sell, trade or rent personally identifiable user information. Advertisers can run ads on Google that are matched to search keywords, or use our services to show ads based on anonymous data, such as your location or the websites you’ve visited.

• Myth: Google’s Privacy Policy changes make it harder for users to control their personal information. [Microsoft]
• Fact: Our privacy controls have not changed. Period. Our users can: edit and delete their search history; edit and delete their YouTube viewing history; use many of our services signed in or out; use Google Dashboard and our Ads Preferences Manager to see what data we collect and manage the way it is used; and take advantage of our data liberation efforts if they want to remove information from our services.

• Myth: Google is changing our Privacy Policy to make the data we collect more valuable to advertisers. [Microsoft]
• Fact: The vast majority of the product personalization Google does is unrelated to ads—it’s about making our services better for users. Today a signed-in user can instantly add an appointment to their Calendar when a message in Gmail looks like it’s about a meeting, or read Google Docs within their email.

• Myth: Google reads your email. [Microsoft]
• Fact: No one reads your email but you. Like most major email providers, our computers scan messages to get rid of spam and malware, as well as show ads that are relevant to you.

• Myth: Google Apps aren’t safe, and aren’t government-certified. [Microsoft]
• Fact: Google’s Apps are certified for government use because they are secure.

• Myth: Google’s Privacy Policy changes jeopardize government information in Google Apps. [SafeGov.org]
• Fact: Our new Privacy Policy does not change our contractual agreements, which have always superseded Google’s Privacy Policy for enterprise customers.

• Myth: Microsoft’s approach to privacy is better than Google’s. [Microsoft]
• Fact: We don’t make judgments about other people’s policies or controls. But our industry-leading Privacy Dashboard, Ads Preferences Manager and data liberation efforts enable you to understand and control the information we collect and how we use it—and we’ve simplified our privacy policy to make it easier to understand. Microsoft has no data liberation effort or Dashboard-like hub for users. Their privacy policy states that “information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information obtained through other Microsoft services.”

What do you think, Google and Microsoft product users? Who’s right and who’s wrong about online privacy?

Microsoft is ready for the Technical Preview Program of Office 15 today, which means that a limited number of third-party customers that will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement will get to test out the new software in the coming months. The program is already full, which means you can’t get to test Office 15 at this time. Microsoft will continue to work on the new Office suite, and a public beta will be available in a few months, later this summer, although an actual release for the public beta has not been mentioned yet.

While the Technical Preview Program is ready to kick off, Microsoft is not really interested to share any details about the new features, or looks for that matter that Office 15 will have to offer. But the new product bundle is supposed to be something else according to PJ Hough, CVP of Development, Microsoft Office Division:

At this early point in our development cycle, I’m not able to share too much about Office 15, but I can tell you Office 15 is the most ambitious undertaking yet for the Office Division. With Office 15, for the first time ever, we will simultaneously update our cloud services, servers, and mobile and PC clients for Office, Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, Project, and Visio. Quite simply, Office 15 will help people work, collaborate, and communicate smarter and faster than ever before.

All we have to do now is wait for Office 15 details to get leaked, NDAs aside, that sort of thing always happen. And while we’re waiting for Office 15, we can’t but ask, Microsoft, where is Office for iPad?

Microsoft France’s marketing director, Cedrick Delmas, went on record with French publication Le Point, and made it quite clear that there was not going to be a new Xbox getting onto store shelves before the end of 2012. Where Delmas was much less definitive, however, was on the subject of a new Xbox model getting shown at the 2012 E3 event, coming our way as always this June.

Basically, Delmas made it plain that the Xbox 360 isn’t really at the end of its life cycle, and that they have no interest in competing with Nintendo (which if you ask me is a bit of a crock, but that’s me) in terms of product releases. Delmas points to the lack of a price drop in the Xbox 360 to show that they’re still very much in the game, and in this, he’s got a point.

But the overall picture now makes significantly more sense. We’d heard previously of Microsoft’s possible plans to release two different Xbox versions, one a simple scaled-down version to get Microsoft in the set-top box market and the other a more fully-featured gaming system, and this does seem to help point to that. Also, we’d been hearing earlier stirrings of the next Xbox getting shown at this year’s E3 for a release to follow the next year, and this would go a good way in providing proof on that too. Note that the only place Delmas is certain is in the “no release this year” front. His response to E3 showings is much more nebulous.

So what do you guys think about this one? Figure that we’ll see the new Xbox lineup start showing up at the upcoming E3 event? Or will we be waiting a while yet for Microsoft’s next console? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section below and fill us in!

A Russian website has gotten hold of an image that suggests a couple of new features for Windows Phone Tango, Skype integration and Google+ support. We’re not surprised to hear that Skype will be a native Windows Phone app in the future since Skype is a Microsoft-owned company, but we’re certainly surprised to see that Google+ support is also apparently built-in Windows Phone Tango. Or has the image below been manufactured?

Meanwhile, The Verge is also reporting on some of Tango’s future features, which means that more and more details about Tango will be available way ahead of the mobile operating system’s official launch. The publication notes that Tango will support up to three times as many languages as Mango does, or around 120, which suggests that Microsoft will push OEMs and carriers to sell Windows Phone smartphones in as many international markets as possible, a move that could help Redmond to gather more market share.

Another interesting feature for developers is C++ support, which should certainly be appreciated by game creators and not only. Tango is also rumored to support 256MB RAM, which means that Microsoft seems ready to invest time and energy in lower-end Windows Phone handsets, again, a move that should help Microsoft get more market share by way of selling cheaper WP handsets in various markets. Up until now, Microsoft had some strict hardware for WP handsets, with 512MB of RAM being the standard for current devices.

Tango is expected to arrive at some point in the second quarter of 2012, and we’ll probably hear more details about Microsoft’s upcoming mobile OS version at the Mobile World Congress even taking place in Barcelona, Spain in late February. Not to mention that on top of Tango there’s also a Windows Phone Apollo version, which we’re interested in hearing more details about.

Have you purchased a WP handset yet?

According to Forbes, Microsoft has understood the fact that Windows Phone still has a long way to go before it becomes an important player in the smartphone business and it has decided to bring the Xbox Live environment to other platforms, iOS and Android, which are surely used by Xbox 360 owners:

While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms.

Last quarter alone, Apple paid $700 million to app developers, and among those top grossing apps there are plenty of games. With over 315 million iOS devices sold to date, and with over 250 million Android devices purchased by fans, Microsoft can’t go wrong when it comes to porting Xbox Live titles to the App Store and Android Market. Sure, it has to share revenues with Apple and Google, but that’s still better than nothing. Furthermore, by making its Xbox Live titles available to iOS and Android users it may convince some of them to purchase more Xbox and Kinect units, so it can definitely be a great marketing solution for the Redmond-based company.

Since we’re talking about mobile gaming, we’ll remind you that earlier today we told you Nintendo is expecting even bigger losses for the 2012 fiscal year. Maybe the company should also consider bringing some of its popular franchises to the App Store and Android Market.

It’s annoying, but since the inception of DLC, it’s been the only thing that Xbox 360 owners have known. Worse yet, Microsoft Points have permeated other Microsoft products, such as Zune and Windows Phone 7, so if you own a gadget made by Microsoft, it’s a safe bet that you’ve encountered Microsoft Points before.

However, that all may be changing soon if new rumors from Inside Mobile Apps are to be believed. According to IMA’s sources, mobile developers have been informed that Microsoft is gearing up to phase out Microsoft Points entirely by the end of the year. They will be switched out with – gasp! – real-world money, dictated by whichever region your account is set to. That sounds incredibly convenient, doesn’t it?

Unused Microsoft Points will be converted to actual currency once Microsoft begins making the switch, and mobile developers are apparently already being told to move forward with plans for digital content with this change in mind. A shift like this seems well within the realm of possibility, considering that full games on Xbox Live are purchased with real-world currency, as are apps for Windows Phone 7. That being said, keep in mind that Microsoft has a history of doing things that don’t make much sense, so expecting a change like this may not be the best idea until Microsoft makes an official statement on these rumors.

In any case, I would love to see Microsoft move away from using Microsoft Points. It doesn’t make sense that Microsoft would want to make the process of taking your money more frustrating for you, but as I said, Microsoft isn’t exactly known for thinking logically. What do you think? Is it possible that Microsoft may be phasing out Microsoft Points this year, or do you think the company will keep using them? Head down to the comments section to sound off and keep it tuned right here to TFTS – we’ll be sure to update you as more news about these rumors develops!

Microsoft corporate VP Phil Spencer answered that question in the most recent issue of Game Informer (as reported by Gamesindustry.biz), saying that there’s a difference between releasing good exclusives and releasing a lot of exclusives, and as far as Microsoft is concerned, it’s the former that really matters:

It’s about quality and impact, not number of releases in a year. Creating core IP, as many first-and third-parties have seen over the years, isn’t an easy thing. I went through the process of creating Gears with Epic and I know the sweat, time, and effort that went into it.

It isn’t that Microsoft’s console really lacks exclusives either – it’s just many of them have been showing up on Kinect, a peripheral that not many core gamers are interested in. Not counting Kinect games essentially leaves Gears of War 3 as the only notable Xbox 360 exclusive in recent memory. That pales in comparison to Sony’s exclusive lineup for the PS3, which Spencer also took the time to comment on, saying, “They’ve done a great job at selling old franchises with HD remakes.”

After that remark, many Sony fanboys will likely jump on the fact that Microsoft released its own HD remake last year with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, but Spencer was quick to clarify that Microsoft doesn’t want to get into the habit of releasing games from the prior generation with an HD coat of paint.

To be completely honest, I don’t see why Microsoft wouldn’t. There’s plenty of original Xbox games that could do with an HD makeover, and doing something like that will let Microsoft get some 360-exclusives out the door while saving some money on development costs. It seems like a win-win to me, but apparently Microsoft doesn’t see it that way. What do you think? Should Microsoft begin offering more HD remakes to fill the gap in between increasingly sparse exclusives, or should Microsoft not go down that route? Jump down to the comments section to speak your mind!

IDC and Gartner have earlier issued estimates that Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform will likely gain traction in the next couple of years, and will eventually overtake iOS in terms of market share by 2015. At present, Windows Phone has less than 2% market share globally, according to IHS iSuppli metrics. But the platform will see a strong rise in the next few years to reach 16.7% by 2015. By that time, iSuppli predicts iOS’ market share to fall to 16.6%.

Meanwhile, Android will continue to grow steadily, rising from its current 47.4% market share to 58.1% by 2015. As TechCrunch points out, though, Apple’s iPhone will remain a premium product, given its limited model releases. In contrast, Android handsets are a dime-a-dozen, and can be bought cheaply, depending on the make and model. With hundreds of Android handset models being released each year, it’s likely to be flooding the market.

Microsoft seems to be following Apple’s product philosophies in some way with Windows Phone, with strict design and technology specifications being imposed on its partner manufacturers. At this time, WP7 is likewise seen as a premium product, although Microsoft plans to introduce entry-level models in its 2012 roadmap.

Even with a very small minority share in the smartphone market today, the future looks promising for Windows Phone. Perhaps Nokia’s earlier-questioned switch to the WP7 platform is not such a bad idea, after all.

Instagram has quickly grown to become one of the more popular camera and photo-sharing applications for iOS devices. Aside from the filters and features, the community around Instagram has made it into a sought-after application for both users and platform owners. The service had been rumored to be within acquisition sights by several social networks.

Instagram’s CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom has long promised to release an app for Android, but this has not yet materialized. Sources say that Instagram’s release on Windows Phone 7 might even come ahead of the Android version. Fast Company cites sources that hinted Microsoft’s WP7 team was likely to be working closely with Instagram.

With Instagram currently having about 15 million users, is there sense in expanding to a platform that only has a minority smartphone market share? Perhaps Microsoft’s tight control over Windows Phone 7 specs and user experience elements makes it an ideal candidate for porting apps like Instagram. In contrast, Android fragmentation results in the use of the platform on a variety of devices. Some devices would run on slow processors with limited memory, which might severely impede the Instagram user experience.

Neither Instagram nor Microsoft would comment on the matter, though. But as Fast Company opines, it would make sense for Microsoft to bring in killer apps that would help improve the Windows Phone 7 userbase. Would cool apps like Instagram convince Android or iPhone users to switch to the critically-acclaimed but commercially panned WP7 platform?

Microsoft wants its Windows 8 operating system to be a convergent system, in that it should support a variety of devices, including desktops, portable computers, tablets, and perhaps even smartphones. As such, Microsoft has touted the development of an ARM variant of Windows 8, noting that most tablets being produced and sold today are based on the ARM platform instead of Intel.

But while Microsoft has released a public beta of Windows 8 to seek feedback from developers and early adopters, this release is limited to the Intel variant. This has resulted in speculation that the ARM variant of Windows 8 will be limited to OEM partners for installation on their devices. Likewise, there is question whether Microsoft plans to release the Intel and ARM variants of Windows 8 simultaneously. While Microsoft has hinted that it wants to release both variants at the same time, it’s more likely that Microsoft will first release Windows 8 for Intel, and then ARM.

What’s sure at this point is that Microsoft is imposing certain restrictions and requirements on OEM manufacturers and testers. The company has taken heed from Apple’s playbook in keeping tight control over both software and hardware, and Microsoft is doing the same for its Windows Phone 7 platform. The company is also imposing certain standards on OEMs that want to produce computers and tablets that run Windows 8, such as a two-second wakeup time.

Will Microsoft release Windows 8 for ARM as a separate piece of software? Will users who own ARM-based tablets like the HP TouchPad, BlackBerry PlayBook and even the Apple iPad 2 be able to install Windows 8 on their devices as a separate download or purchase?

Apple’s brand is worth $33.492 billion, according to Bloomberg‘s release of the Interbrand Best Global Brands 2011 report. According to the study, Apple’s brand value is the largest this year, by far, at 58% year-on-year increase over its 2010 value. In the previous year, Apple was ranked #17, and its jump in 2011 far exceeded that of Amazon’s increase — which was the closest — at 32%.

In the list are a few other technology companies, like IBM, Microsoft and Google. Big Blue holds the #2 top spot, at $69.905 billion. Redmond’s software giant is at third place, valued at $59.087 billion. Meanwhile, the Mountain View search leader and Android maker is at #4 spot, valued at $55.317 billion.

However, even if IBM and Google are valued higher, their brands’ growth is not as high as Apple’s. IBM’s brand value grew only 8% from 2010. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s brand value actually fell 3% from its 2010 figure. Aside from these, other tech companies have also made it to the top 20, including Samsung at 17th place, and Nokia at 14th.

Remember that these figures do not correspond to market capitalization, but rather the brand value. Apple has, at some point, held the top spot as the most valuable company in the world, in terms of market value. But with a 58% jump in brand value, is Apple set to become the top-valued brand in the next few years? Coca-Cola is currently at #1 spot, so this might mean that more people in the world want a Coke than they want an iPhone, but with the popularity of the iPhone, iPad, iPods and Macs, this might change in a few years.

Microsoft originally promised Skype integration in Windows Phone 7, as earlier noted by Windows Phone program director Joe Belfiore. However, WP7 popularity has not soared since then, Skype integration has not materialized. But with Microsoft ramping up its marketing efforts, particularly with Nokia’s flagship Lumia series now out in the market, it seems the time is ripe for Skype integration.

Sources cited by the Verge say that Skype for Windows Phone might launch in time for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this February. However, the initial launch will not be a deep integration with the smartphone operating system. Rather, Microsoft’s release of its “Apollo” update late 2012 will incorporate Skype into WP7 after the interim release planned in the next few months.

There’s no word on how carriers will take the news, though, since VoIP apps are definitely eating into carrier revenues. Carriers are complaining that free video calling, VoIP and messaging services are slowly becoming the preferred means of communication, especially for users wanting cross-platform and international communication. And with Microsoft heavily banking on marketing from both carriers and manufacturers, we’ll see how Skype integration will pan out in the near future.

OnLive Desktop is a cloud-based service that lets users do their cloud computing from just about any device. The service is currently available available through an iOS app meant for the iPad. With OnLive Desktop, users can manipulate a full-fledged installation of Windows as if it were residing on the iPad itself — of course, fast broadband connection is required to ensure stable connectivity.

OnLive Desktop lets users run Microsoft Office apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The service’s welcome guide even touts the touch-friendliness of Windows 7. “If you haven’t used Windows 7 with touch before, we think you’re in for a surprise.”

The OnLive service started out as a cloud-based gaming service that lets gamers play online games even without powerful machines. Only a fast Internet connection is required. But given that they’re now launching a “thin client” meant for productivity applications, OnLive CEO Steve Perlman said gaming was only their ultimate test of whether a cloud streaming service were viable in the real world. Now launching in public beta, the OnLive ”thin client” is available with a free 2GB trail this week. The free 2GB cloud storage acts like one’s Documents folder, and OnLive will automatically save your session data and documents.

The service is currently free available with free trial, although OnLive will charge $9.99 monthly for access to their cloud operating system through the Cloud Desktop Pro Plan. This comes with 50GB of space and the ability to install one’s own applications. Aside from individual users, OnLive is also targeting enterprise users, and will soon offer versions with collaborative apps, support for IT department management, and screen sharing.

In short, it looks like Microsoft will soon be making some more money off both Chrome OS and Android. But that being said, the details for this patent agreement signing have yet to be revealed. In fact, the standard line was given;

“The contents of the agreement have not been disclosed.”

Otherwise, here is what Microsoft had to say;

“We are pleased to have built upon our longstanding relationship with LG to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Together with our ten previous agreements with Android and Chrome OS device manufacturers, including HTC, Samsung and Acer, this agreement with LG means that more than seventy percent of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S. are now receiving coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft. “We are proud of the continued success of our program in resolving the IP issues surrounding Android and Chrome OS.”

That aside, it was also noted that LG has joined the more than 1,100 other companies that Microsoft now holds agreements with. These agreements come as part of the IP licensing program that Microsoft launched back towards the end of 2003. All said and done, it looks like Microsoft is making quite a bit of money from patents and that LG is simply the latest in a long and ever growing line. Regardless though, if nothing else, this sounds like good news for anyone that had been hoping to see something Android or Chrome OS related come from LG.

According Gaikai chief product officer Nanea Reeves, who spoke to an audience at CES earlier today, one of the big three will drop out of the console race before the next generation arrives. As reported by IndustryGamers, Reeves predicted that this will be the earth-shattering announcement at E3, rather than the reveal of a new console:

Not all of the current console makers will have one more generation. That will be the big news at E3.

As I said, “interesting.” Since Nintendo has already announced the Wii U and will be showing it off at E3 2012, that pretty much just leaves Sony and Microsoft. Sony has been making consoles for three generations now, and since it just released the PS Vita in Japan last month, it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. That is unless Reeves means to say that Sony will leave the home console market behind and focus only on portable gaming (which doesn’t seem all that likely).

On the other side of the coin, Microsoft has been pumping money into the Xbox brand like there’s no tomorrow, and that strategy seems to be working quite well. The Xbox 360 had another great holiday season and Microsoft is reporting that 18 million Kinects have been sold worldwide so far, meaning that we can deem Microsoft’s foray into motion gaming a resounding success (lack of software aside). Microsoft seems very serious about making the Xbox family of products a group of multimedia must-haves, and to give up when momentum is still very high doesn’t make much sense.

So yeah, I’m a little bit confused to say the least. I’m not entirely sure why Reeves thinks that one of the major console manufacturers will bow out at some point in the near future, but she must have her reasons. What do you think? Is there any truth to Reeves’ statement, or do you think that all three companies will remain in the console game as we transition into the next generation? Leave us a comment with your thoughts below!

We’d been hearing about Microsoft’s Pay TV plans for some time, so to hear now that they’ve been suddenly halted is far from what you might call good news. But apparently, once Microsoft had finished building the service, and then even provided a demo for network staff, the time came to figure out just how much it would cost to get current shows and live network feeds on so people could get what they’d been wanting for some time, the fabled a la carte programming system.

And Microsoft, once they saw the prices, balked. Turned out that networks were asking massive sums for the rights to air various shows and network feeds on Microsoft’s systems, sufficiently so that Microsoft basically saw a tough time making a profit from the service that they’d built. Thus, instead of looking to offer up the Xbox as a way to replace the cable box, Microsoft is now looking to make a mark in redundancy by offering up content to current cable subscribers.

This gives a little bit of edge back to the Apple television concept, which, based on these reports, will now be competing on an even keel with Microsoft since they no longer have the content advantages they’d previously offered up. But both will likely still have the unusual way to interact with the channels, through voice activation and the like, so the Apple / Microsoft television battle will likely be much less the horse race it was formerly, but still could provide some interesting results.

So what do you guys think here? Is the future of home theater looking a little bleak as a result of Microsoft’s bowing out? Or do things look brighter for you? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section below and tell us what you think!

Microsoft is a company too big to briefly explain in a Ballmer-led keynote what’s going to happen in the following year. There are simply too many products to talk about and not enough time to dedicate to each of them. But the worst part is that Microsoft doesn’t really have any breathtaking product to impress us with in early January. Sure, there’s Windows Phone 7, Windows 8, Metro UI, Kinect, the Xbox, the future of Microsoft Office – they’re all great products, some of them better than others – but the only thing we are interested in, at a CES show, is the new stuff. And the new stuff can’t be properly demoed if there are so many things to talk about. Also, the new stuff can’t be demoed if there’s nothing really new to show off.

After an awkward introduction from Gary Shapiro and some necessary pleasantries, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer – Ryan Seacrest scripted dialogue only revealed one interesting product for this year, Windows 8 and its Metro UI-based shape-shifting interface that’s, hopefully for Microsoft, going to help the company steer the Windows OS into the post-tablet world we’re living in. Everything else was a reminder of what Microsoft’s currently has to offer, stuff we’re already more than familiar with.

Windows Phone 7

A variety of new Mango phones have been announced lately, with two of them being unveiled at CES today, the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan II that will hit AT&T soon. They’re the first WP7 handsets that will sport 4G LTE support. Other than that, nothing is really special.

What’s worth noting is that Microsoft will also sell the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 in the USA, but no carriers are interested in the 800 so you can expect the unlocked Nokia device to be sold at full price in Microsoft stores while the 710 will hit T-Mobile stores soon.

Metro UI

The Metro UI has been continuously mentioned, but unfortunately for Microsoft, people are still not buying Metro UI-based devices. Windows Phone 7 sales are still shy, otherwise Microsoft would stamp the number of sold WP7 devices on its forehead, just like it does (see below) with Xbox and Kinect numbers. Hopefully the Metro UI will work for Windows 8 computers, although that’s a serious gamble for the company, as Microsoft is about to totally change that comfortable Windows UI so many users have become accustomed to to something entirely different.

But in Microsoft’s defense the Metro UI is totally original, both for smartphones and tablets, and it happens to be a truer iOS contender than Android is.

Speaking about the competition, Microsoft tried, and failed, to demo voice recognition on a Windows Phone Mango device during the show, so while they may claim they’re already doing Siri-like stuff on WP7, it turns out it doesn’t really work all that great during a live keynote.

Windows 7 and Windows 8

Windows 7 is already installed on 1.3 billion computers around the world, and that’s definitely impressive. Those machines will all be upgradeable to Windows 8 according to Ballmer. That will happen later this year when Windows 8 launches – in fact in February the company will release its next Windows 8 build, which, while not final, will be available for users to download.

Taking direct hits at the iPad, a very popular device that sold in tens of millions in its first two years, Ballmer implied that Windows 8 will be the OS that will deliver consumers the same computer experience across a variety of devices, tablet included.

The company’s Chief Marketing Officer for Windows, Tami Reller, demoed Windows 8 on tablets and that was the best part of the staged Microsoft show. Sure, Windows 8 is not yet ready to launch and it will take a while to see the first Windows 8 tablets in the wild, but at least we’re looking at a new line of products that will truly challenge the iPad. Because Android tablets, except for the mid-ranged Kindle Fire, are not really putting up a decent fight.

Windows 8 combines various Windows PC elements with tablet elements, and while certain touch-based actions seem familiar, they have been reinvented by Microsoft and built into a new UI and a fresh OS. There’s a new way to lock screens, there are gesture-based actions, there are multiple windows/apps opened on the screens, there’s Semantic Zoom (sort-of similar with Expose on a Mac) and there’s multitasking. And plenty of other things we’ll experience later, when a proper, longer demo of Windows 8 tablets will be offered.

What Microsoft wasn’t able to show is an actual flagship device, a tablet, that’s going to run Windows 8. But it did reveal that the new computer OS works well with Intel processors but also with NVIDIA Tegra 3, Qualcomm or TI chips.

It wouldn’t have been a Microsoft show if the company didn’t remind us about some of the recently released Windows-running machines. And since this year we’re talking about Ultrabooks every day at CES, the company showed us a few of those, hinting that a Dell Ultrabook is also due. But the question is what Ultrabook will be able to impress in a similar manner the MacBook Air does?

The Windows Store – a direct response to the Mac App Store – is coming in late February and it’s going to be available in any language that Windows supports. Once it launches, we should expect free and paid apps in over 200 markets. In fact Microsoft already demoed a HTML5-based Cut the Rope application for Windows 8. The irony here is that Cut the Rope became famous because of iOS, and Microsoft picked this particular app to demo it today because it is famous.

Xbox and Kinect

The gaming business, just like the Windows business, is really profitable for Microsoft. The company has shipped over 18 million Kinect sensors and it’s bragging with 66 million Xbox users and over 40 million Xbox Live subscribers.

What’s coming to Xbox and Kinect this year? You’ll be able to control your console with your Mango device, if you’re planning to buy one and you’re going to get access to News Corporation content on the console including Fox, Fox News, WSJ and IGN. The company also demoed a rather silly interaction between Kinect features and TV shows, specifically showing us a new Sesame Street TV experience. Kinect Sesame Street TV is coming only on Kinect later this year.

More interestingly, the Kinect is coming to Windows on February 1, which is great news considering the variety of smart Kinect hacks we’ve seen since the gaming peripheral was launched.

The Final CES

Ballmer ended this year’s CES edition sweating, and the show left us wanting for more. Microsoft is a giant corporation with lots of best-selling products, but only a few of them are really shining when compared with the competition – and yes, I’m referring to the Kinect and Xbox. In other words, the company doesn’t really need such unrevealing CES opening keynotes, does it? At least until it changes leadership!

That isn’t a bad thing of course, but for someone who’s about pick up a flight simulator for the first time, realizing just how deep the rabbit hole goes can be pretty intimidating. If you’re someone that’s always wanted to try flight sims but didn’t know where to start, you might want to check out Microsoft Flight when it releases this spring. Microsoft is pushing Flight as a free-to-play game that will work with either a keyboard and mouse or an Xbox 360 gamepad, so you won’t need to out go and buy a cutting edge flight stick just to have some hope of getting your plane off the ground.

According to Major Nelson, Microsoft Flight is going to be a PC-only game that’s free-to-play for everyone, but those who sign in with a Games For Windows Live account will gain access to supplementary missions and the Boeing Stearman plane. Microsoft Flight takes place on the big island of Hawaii, which admittedly isn’t that big if you’re cruising thousands of feet above it. Flight will also give plane enthusiasts the chance to “fly” the amphibious ICON A5 before real life aviators get to plop down in the pilot seat, since the plane won’t be entering production until the end of this year.

As with any free-to-play game, Microsoft Flight will feature extra content for players to purchase, and since this is Microsoft we’re talking about, it seems safe to expect a relatively bare bones experience at first and a lot of paid DLC following release.

From the way Microsoft describes it, it seems that Microsoft Flight is meant more for the flight sim newbie than it is for the aficionado, so those who have been playing flight sims for years are probably better off sticking with 2006′s Microsoft Flight Simulator X for now. Will Microsoft Flight one day be a suitable substitute for the discontinued MFS series? Only time will tell, but for now, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

What do you think? Will you be checking out Microsoft Flight when it releases this spring, or are you sticking with MFS X for the time being? Watch the game’s new trailer below, then head down to the comments section to tell us how you feel about Microsoft Flight!

Microsoft Windows tends to be bloated after months of use, especially with the multitude of programs, updates and patches installed, as well as user customizations and settings. If you’re using a shared computer or if your computer has limited resources, then the application bloat can even be worse. But Microsoft plans to help users keep their systems clean with a new restore and refresh feature in Windows 8.

The two related features will enable users to either reset their Windows 8 installation, which wipes out user data, or refresh the installation, such that user data is retained. Microsoft Windows Fundamentals team Desmond Lee explains it as such:

• Reset your PC – Reinstall Windows and remove all personal data, applications and settings from the computer;
• Refresh your PC – Reinstall Windows, but keep all personal data, Metro apps and important settings.

Users will find that each option is appropriate in certain circumstances. For example, if you simply want to remove application bloat, or revert to default Windows, but still keep your documents, settings and some apps (particularly the Metro apps), a “refresh” is the best option. But if you want to start from scratch, then the “reset” is more appropriate. The Windows 8 team likens it to a hardware “reset” button at the back of a device, such as a router or modem, which can be used either to restart the machine or wipe out its settings altogether.

The reset option will include a feature that thoroughly deletes user data, such that it cannot be recovered easily later on, which can be useful if you’re selling your computer, giving it away, or disposing of it through any other means. This can be particularly useful in an enterprise setting, too, when IT departments upgrade computers, re-assign computers, and the like.

These recovery options won’t take too long, with the PC Refresh taking 8 minutes and 22 seconds. Meanwhile, a Reset will take anywhere from 6:12 to 6:21 for a quick or thorough reset with BitLocker enabled, to 23:52 for a thorough reset without BitLocker. Although not mentioned explicitly, these reset and refresh options are likely to also be available on Windows 8-powered tablet computers.

The current reports say that the Nokia Ace is likely to get its debut at the CES 2012 event next week, and when it does make its appearance, it will promptly be followed up with a massive marketing pitch that weighs in at fully $100 million dollars in marketing support. Just for the sake of reference, a 30 second spot on the 2012 Super Bowl is said to sell for an average of $3.5 million, so the coalition of Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T could purchase fully 28 of those ads with that kind of money, and still have cash left over.

Also, part of this marketing blitz will come at the AT&T retail store level, with AT&T providing top billing for the new Windows Phone models, something that will be received well, undoubtedly, by the Windows Phone buffs out there who don’t think their brand has been getting the kind of attention that it should. But one thing is clear: when you put nine figures of marketing support behind a device, you’re clearly not planning to abandon that device any time soon, so for those of you who were hoping for a new Windows Phone to take on the iPhone and the entrenched Android lineup, Nokia may be your best bet.

But will it make a difference? Windows Phone is the newcomer to the party, and it’s going to have its work cut out for it to get users away from their current platforms, as well as to bring in those as yet uncommitted users who don’t have smartphones yet (and there are plenty of them out there, for reasons of cost or availability or the like). The current market is very tight, and Microsoft pulling support from other platforms could be a taller order than expected.

But what do you guys think here? Figure that Microsoft, Nokia and AT&T are putting in the right stuff to get Windows Phone recognized as a real competitor? Or is this just a case of throwing good money after bad? Whatever you think, the comments section is the place to say so, and we always like hearing from you, so head on down and fill us in!

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Microsoft a patent for ensuring pedestrian safety while defining routes on a map. Microsoft’s “pedestrian route production” patent will automatically adjust a user’s route based on certain circumstances and conditions about one’s present location.

The patent states that the system will “construct a direction set that allows the user to take paths that take him to his home in a quickest amount of time while keeping the user relatively safe (e.g., taking the user through neighborhoods with violent crime statistics below a certain threshold).” This means no passing through dark alleyways and shortcuts where the likelihood of being mugged is high. And these route adjustments will be based on statistics collected in these areas, such as police and media reports, and the like.

However, if a user is the adventurous type, the proposed navigation system will take into consideration a person’s tolerance for unsafe environments, and whether the user has “historically cared about safe neighborhoods.” Likewise, it’s not just crime statistics that the system takes into account. The system can also help users also avoid routes that are unsafe in terms of harsh temperatures or other weather hazards.

The patent also claims demographic information can be collected alongside pedestrian directions, although no specifics were disclosed as to how this will be used. It’s likely that Microsoft will be including safety information in Microsoft Bing Maps, which launched its walking directions feature in March 2010, but the company has not yet announced any plans to do so.

Pedestrian routes are already an established feature in several mapping services, including Google Maps. But these only compute for the fastest routes, either on foot, car, or public transportation. Safety information will go a long way in ensuring a smartphone user doesn’t end up getting mugged (and losing the smartphone to thieves) along the way.

That said, not to confuse here, ChevronWP7 was not released or made by Microsoft, just approved for sale by them. But it seems that there were some limitations put in place as part of that approval. Anyway, going back into the history just a little bit more, the price for ChevronWP7 was announced back in July and then the tool went on sale in November.

Anyway, moving forward it looks like there may not be any more option to purchase the ChevronWP7 unlock tool. It seems that Microsoft put a limit of sales in place. That limit was 10,000 and coming by way of the @ChevronWP7 Twitter account — that limit has since been reached. A recent message told the news;

“Our agreement with Microsoft was to sell no more than 10,000 tokens, hence “sold out”. We’re discussing if we want to up that number.”

Bottom line, if appears as if (for now) you will not be able to get the tool. And that means that users are not going to be able to unlock all these fancy new WP7 phones that we are expecting to see in the coming months. You know, those LTE capable models that are heading to AT&T and those Nokia models that many have been dreaming about.

And lastly, for those hoping to read some good news about more “tokens” coming available, based on other tweets from the @ChevronWP7 account, they “don’t (currently) have plans to restock.” Of course, that is not to say they will not have a change of heart. And just in case they remain sold-out of tokens for ChevronWP7, there are some alternatives available, one of which comes as The WindowBreak Project.

Facebook officially dropped support for Internet Explorer 6 late in 2010, and the company is about to cease support for users running Microsoft’s aging Internet Explorer 7 browser. While Facebook still runs on IE7, one of its newest and most important features will not. In particular, Timeline does not appear on IE7, and users who still run the five-year-old browser will see an old Facebook profile design, littered with styling issues, which might make the page unwieldy to use.

Facebook could have included partial support for IE7, which handles CSS differently from newer browser versions. However, the social network has apparently opted against this, and instead focused on designing for newer standards. As such, it’s likely that Facebook will be officially phasing out IE7 support altogether sooner or later.

IE7′s global market share is falling, currently at just 4% (in comparison, its predecessor, IE6 has a 1.8% market share). Other major web service companies have also dropped support for Microsoft’s ailing browser, with Google announcing that popular services Gmail, Google Docs and Google Calendar will no longer work properly with IE7. Developers and interface designers are likely not interested in exerting efforts to cater to an old browser with outdated (and slow) rendering technology, especially given its dwindling market share.

As a side-effect, users who, for some reason want to view old versions of a Facebook profile — which essentially turns off Timeline — can use IE7, or set their browser-agent to Internet Explorer 7, as noted by the Sociable.

Microsoft has reportedly identified the root cause of the SMS bug plaguing all Windows Phone 7 smartphones so far. Reported just this December, the messaging-based vulnerability will cause affected phones to automatically shut down. Meanwhile, the phone’s messaging hub will also lock the user out, with the only recourse being a full mobile phone restore.

In short, just a single SMS can wreak havoc in a WP7 smartphone. The vulnerability also exists in other services, such as Facebook, particularly when a user has pinned a friend as a live tile on the home screen.

Khaled Salameh, who was among the first to report the vulnerability to Microsoft, says the company’s security team contacted him to say the WP7 SMS bug has been confirmed, with the root cause being found out. The company is already testing the fix.

Microsoft also reports that a similar bug exists in desktop applications, particularly Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, Silverlight-based applications, Visual Studio 2010, Expressions Blend and Windows Presentation Foundation-based applications. With the bug, A single malicious user can theoretically block out everyone from his or her address book from logging in to Windows services. The message recipients’ desktop clients will crash upon login.

Microsoft’s senior product manager for Windows Phone, Greg Sullivan, has confirmed that the company is working with partners to fix the vulnerability. “We are working on an update to address the issue and will work with our partners to coordinate its release,” Sullivan says, although no definite timeline has been detailed.

In short, this offer is for those who are willing to purchase an LG Optimus 7 smartphone with Telus.

“Buy the LG Optimus 7 with Windows Phone between December 15 and January 31st, 2012 to receive a FREE 12 month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold”

In addition, it seems as if there are only a limited amount of these available. According to the fine print on this offer, it will expire “when 1250 codes for the 12 month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription are all distributed.” In other words, you need to make the purchase before the end of the month and also hope that 1250 other people have not already claimed their subscription.

Otherwise, the phone can be purchased with Future Shop or direct with Telus. And just to clarify, you are buying the phone on a three-year agreement. Though we should mention that the handset is currently available for free with Telus, well, free on a three-year agreement.

All said and done, this seems like a solid offer — one that should be nice for those who had been considering picking up a Windows Phone smartphone. In terms of the phone, the LG Optimus 7 smartphone is running Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and the features include a 3.8 inch (480 x 800) WVGA display, 1GHz processor, 16GB of internal storage, 1500 mAh battery and a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash. As for the Xbox Live integration with Windows Phone, you can connect and play games with friends as well as access your profile, avatar, gamerscore, achievements and track your friends.

And lastly, after you get the phone (and your promo code) you will need to surf on over to www.windowsphonepromo.ca to enter your claim for the 12 months of Xbox Live Gold.

That being said, the details are coming by way of the WMPoweruser blog who are reporting based on word from what they describe as a “reliably [sic] tipster.” In short, the rumors are suggesting that Microsoft will begin rolling out a library of exclusive Windows Phone game titles.

At this point we have yet to see anything in terms of which games are being developed. But on that note, the development is said to already be underway and once ready we should begin seeing “an exclusive app a month.”

Of course, some will make the comparison to what Microsoft did with the Xbox. Seemingly a smart strategy. Maybe we will see something along the lines of a Halo or Gears Of War come available for Windows Phone. Though on that note, the recent history has been telling us something else entirely. Not all that long ago Microsoft released a Halo companion app for Windows Phone. Granted, that is nice, but not nice enough of an exclusive to attract users from Android or iOS. Plus, Microsoft also recently released an Xbox game for iOS — Kinectimals.

Bottom line here, this all sounds like a good enough plan. But then again the real challenge will be in making it happen. These rumors also make it seem like Microsoft will be changing their Windows Phone marketing. In the past Windows Phone advertisements have often focused around ease of use and being able to put your phone down because you can get the inforamtion you need quickly. This would be turning the phone into a game platform. Then again, we suppose it would not hurt to have two options — one for those who like Xbox gaming and one for those who like ease of use and productivity. Either way, we would like to see Windows Phone succeed.

Microsoft’s current Windows Phone 7 offerings mostly cater to the higher-end market, which is perhaps one reason they haven’t seen the popularity of Android in terms of user base and growth. Microsoft expanded support to more countries and additional languages with Mango, but they’re not stopping there. In a leaked roadmap, the Windows Phone 7 release, and the subsequent Mango update were only the beginning.

The general release of Windows Phone 7 in the fourth quarter of 2010 was about user-experience differentiation and launching a high-end product. Meanwhile, the Mango update this Q4 2011 was meant to provide new features, new languages and support for additional countries. As of October 2011, Microsoft has already set its sights on two major milestones by 2012, with Windows Phone 7 updates codenamed Tango and Apollo.

Tango focuses on “products with the best prices,” by second quarter of 2012, which means Microsoft and partners are likely to come up with phones that are less expensive (and less feature-packed) than their current flagship offerings. This might help the platform gain popularity among entry-level users, which, arguably, Android dominates at present.

But the bigger news is that the Apollo update is aimed at “increas[ing] overall volume,” with Microsoft offering “competitive superphones,” aimed at business users.  These are presumably smartphones powered by dual-core processors and running high-definition touchscreens. This is planned for 4th quarter of 2012, when Microsoft sees faster uptake of the platform, and therefore an improved market share. In short, it seems Microsoft is still testing the waters, and will be bringing out the big guns when the market is ready for enterprise-grade WP7 smartphones that pack a punch.

If you’re a Windows Phone user, you may not be happy with the current state of backing up the information on your phone. But Microsoft is looking to fix that with its newest opening, looking for someone to join the Windows Phone Backup, Migrate and Restore division. From the posting:

“Our goal is to ensure that no matter if someone loses their phone, drops their phone in a lake … a user can quickly and seamlessly get their phone back to a good state.”

The problem here, naturally, is that we can’t tell what in the world that means. Since they’re planning for catastrophic events involving the failure of the phone itself. If you drop a phone in a lake chances are pretty good you’re not getting that phone back without breathing gear and a willingness to search, and if you’re out around, say, Lake Michigan, you may never see that phone again if it hits bottom.

This does suggest some kind of off-site backup capability. Now, there are multiple ways to do this, starting with cloud storage and proceeding on to using your laptop or desktop as a backup storage facility, so just which Microsoft has in mind with its new posting is unclear.

However, when you consider that Windows Phone in general is in desperate need of a competitive edge to take on the current big two, a really good backup and restore function might go a long way toward providing it. But what do you guys think here? Figure that Microsoft can snag some market share with really good backup and restore? Or do you think that such a move would be too little, too late? No matter what your opinion on this one, we always love hearing from you, so hit the comments section below and tell us what you think!

That being said, the new color variant for the Radar 4G has been spotted on the official Microsoft website. More specifically, it has been spotted on a Windows Phone page on the Microsoft website. Of course, the catch here, aside from this one image of the handset — we have yet to hear (or for that matter, see) anything else on it.

In other words, we are unsure of whether or not this is just a mocked up image designed for use on the Microsoft website or if this will be another color variant for the handset. One thing is clear, this new Radar 4G variant is sporting T-Mobile branding and that suggests that if it is coming — it will be coming to T-Mobile.

Otherwise, as you can see in the above images, the new color variant retains most of the same look (white parts) as the original Radar 4G. The black is more a border than anything else. And sadly, the images on the Microsoft page are only offering a look at the front of the handset. Though on that note, we sort of hope that the black carries around and fills in the backside completely.

Either way, we will certainly keep an eye out for anything else in terms of whether this is the real deal or nothing more than a Photoshopped image. And on that note, while the Radar 4G may not be the latest and/or greatest anymore, it still appears to be a nicely spec’d Windows Phone device. The features of the Radar 4G include Windows Phone 7.5 Mango along with a 3.8 inch (480 x 800) Super LCD display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 0.3 megapixel front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash.

The new found support for suggesting features from your device comes by way of the Suggestion Box app, which is now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

“The Windows Phone Feature Suggestion Box app allows you to provide feedback and make your voice heard to the teams building the Windows Phone application platform.”

The app requires Windows Phone 7.5 or higher, measures in at less than a 1MB file size and is currently sitting at version 1.2.0.0. As to some of the features, of course, there is the obvious in that you can suggest new features and capabilities, however the Suggestion Box app also offer the following;

• This app connects your Windows Phone to the Windows Phone Suggestion Box forum (http://windowsphone.uservoice.com)
• Browse current suggestions (sortable by top ideas, hot ideas and new ideas)
• Comment on submitted suggestions
• Add up to three votes to suggestions

Otherwise, the Suggestion Box app requires you to offer your suggestions in 25 words or less. Also worth noting, Microsoft states that you should not “send any novel or patentable ideas, samples or demos which you do not want to grant a license to Microsoft.” Oh and, the items being suggested are community based and just because they are included (or popular) that does not guarantee that they will ever come available. Or as Microsoft puts it; the “listed items and their rankings represent community interest in features, and does not represent an actual priority list for the product team.”