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Microsoft releases Bing app for Android, iOS, not Windows Phone 7
In a move that can be simultaneously described as puzzling and pragmatic, Microsoft has decided to bring its Bing for Mobile app to Android and iOS before launching it on its very own Windows Phone platform. The company announced the release in a blog post this week, highlighting the app's most noteworthy features, including a revamped maps module, a new deals service and real-time transit feeds. Interestingly enough, Redmond also based its app on HTML5, rather than Silverlight, in the hopes of providing greater continuity across mobile browser and app interfaces. Only at the very end of the post did Microsoft mention Windows Phone 7: "We're working to release the same consistent experience for RIM and Windows Phone 7 devices in the future, and will share more details as they become available." At first glance, this decision may seem somewhat counterintuitive, but it also makes a lot of sense, considering the fact that Android and iOS comprise the bulk of the consumer market (and, of course, the fact that Bing is already integrated within Windows Phone 7). It appears, then, that Microsoft is simply trying to get Bing out to the widest initial audience, which seems pretty logical. Android and iOS users can grab the app now, at the coverage links below.
Microsoft reportedly preparing Silverlight-like app framework ahead of Xbox Live update
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced a new slate of Xbox Live partnerships with Verizon, Comcast, and a host of other content providers. Now, the company has unveiled new details about the code upon which these new apps will run. Sources close to the situation tell GigaOM that the new framework, code-named "Lakeview," will be based on Silverlight, but will also bring a few new features from Xbox Kinect, including voice recognition and gesture-based controls. More intriguing, perhaps, are insider claims that Microsoft's new content partners stream video using Apple's HTTP Live Streaming, rather than Redmond's Smooth Streaming. GigaOM's sources went on to say that Microsoft has been introducing major changes to the platform over the past few weeks, in the hopes of having it ready for third-party developers once the Xbox Live update rolls out. Spokespersons for Xbox and Silverlight said they have "nothing to announce" about the new framework, though GigaOM reports that Redmond is aiming to release the update on Black Friday.
New Mediaroom clients to bring Microsoft's TV platform everywhere this year
The days of being tied to a traditional TV to watch your favorite shows is becoming less and less of a dream -- at least for Mediaroom 2.0 users, like those who subscribe to AT&T U-Verse. It hasn't even been a full year since Xbox 360 owners were first able to launch a U-Verse blade to watch TV, but it has been about nine months when we first heard rumors of Mediaroom clients for Windows Media Center (aka Monaco), Silverlight (aka Taos) and Windows Phone (aka Rome) would see the light of day. A recent post on William Zhang's blog, a Microsoft employee, confirms the rumored code names in addition to giving us reason to believe those using Mediaroom 2.0 software might still realize the three screen dream by the end of 2011 after all.
NVIDIA CEO sees major growth in mobile processing, quad-core tablets coming this year
During a sitdown with reporters yesterday, NVIDIA Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang discussed his company's near- and long-term financial outlook, while providing some insight into the chipmaker's quad-core future. According to Huang, NVIDIA expects to rake in between $4.7 and $5 billion in revenue during fiscal year 2013, with revenue from its mobile chip unit projected to mushroom tenfold by 2015, to a whopping $20 billion. Huang acknowledged that these predictions could be affected by external factors, including the ongoing patent wars between tablet and smartphone manufacturers, but didn't seem too concerned about their immediate impact. "At this point, it looks like it's much ado about nothing," he said. In fact, Huang foresees rather robust growth in the mobile processing sector, estimating that there are about 100 million devices that will need chips this year -- a figure that could soon rise to one billion, on the strength of more affordable handsets, efficient ARM processors and the rise of ultra-thin notebooks. And, despite his recent disappointment, Huang expects Android tablets to comprise a full 50 percent of the market in the near future, claiming that NVIDIA's Tegra chips can currently be found in 70 percent of all slates running Google's OS, and about half of all Android-based smartphones. In the short-term, meanwhile, NVIDIA is busy developing its quad-core mobile processors -- which, according to the exec, should appear in tablets during the third or fourth quarter of this year (quad-core smartphones, however, may be further down the road). Huang also sees room to develop wireless-enabled, Snapdragon-like processors, thanks to NVIDIA's recent acquisition of Icera, but he hasn't given up on GPUs, either, predicting that demand for graphics performance will remain stable. The loquacious CEO went on to divine that Windows 8 will support apps designed for Windows 7 (implying, perhaps, that Microsoft's Silverlight platform will play a major role in future cloud-based developments), while contending that smaller, "clamshell devices" with keyboards will ultimately win out of over the Ultrabook strategy that Intel has been pursuing. For the moment, though, Huang seems pretty comfortable with NVIDIA's position in the mobile processing market, citing only Qualcomm as primary competition. "We're the only people seriously on the dance floor with Qualcomm," he argued, adding that companies without a solid mobile strategy are "in deep turd." You can find more of Huang's insights at the source links below.
Netflix Watch Instantly streaming now works on ChromeOS, when it's working
It didn't make launch as was originally promised, but today the Netflix Twitter account officially announced streaming access is operational on Chromebooks (when it's not suffering an outage, like it was last night during Amazon's cloud server troubles). The Netflix ChromeOS plugin jumping to 1.0.2 a few days ago was a good indication it was on the way, but now you can take your CR-48s, Series 5s and the like straight to the Chrome Web Store and get outfitted for some Watch Instantly streaming. Unfortunately, despite rumors that it's on the way in the next year or so, there's no change for other environments outside of Silverlight-compatible OS X and Windows, but Linux users can always dream, right? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Windows Phone 7.1 is the likely name for Mango OS update
Microsoft's proper preview event for the next big release of Windows Phone may be mere hours away, but there's still time for a bit of good old fashioned web sleuthing before then. Latest on our radar is this Microsoft Developer Network page listing out all the APIs in Silverlight for Windows Phone 7.1. That's right, your eyes do not deceive you, there's a whole extra decimal added to the OS number, ostensibly signifying the move to the Mango update we're all so hungry for. We'd previously heard the moniker of Windows Phone 7.5 bandied about, but that was based on supposition more than anything else, and a .1 upgrade makes sense in light of the curent 7.0.7 version number. Fuller details will be forthcoming later on today, but for now, pencil in the number 7.1 alongside the dream specs of your next Windows Phone. [Thanks, Garret]
Silverlight coming to Xbox, bringing WP7 games along with it?
Silverlight started as just a humble Flash competitor and now, well, it's all grown up. Almost, anyway. It's a fundamental part of the Windows Phone 7 ecosphere and word on the street is that it's about to become a fundamental part of the Xbox 360 world as well -- or a part, at least. Microsoft's MIX 11 developer event kicks off next week and rumor has it that Microsoft will unload a new tier of Silverlight compatibility enabling apps on the company's console and there's the potential for writing apps that could run both on phones and on the console. That sounds like some utopian dream-world of the future, where wavey-arm Kinect antics replace touchscreen swipes, but the bigger question is does the Xbox 360 really need another app store? Will this co-exist with the XNA-developed titles or supersede them? Is this why Xbox developer boxes just got a lot cheaper? Might we finally get Angry Birds on our HDTVs? Such delicious ponderings.
Nokia to developers: no Qt for Windows Phone development
Nokia's been beating the Qt warpath for years after purchasing the developer framework from Trolltech back in January of 2008. In fact, Nokia just made the switch to Qt exclusively back in October in a sign of its unrelenting support for the unified development environment. That, like all previous Nokia strategies, is in for a big change today. While Qt will continue on as the development framework for Symbian and MeeGo, Microsoft will provide its free Windows Phone Developer Tools (Visual Studio 2010, Expression, Silverlight and the XNA Framework) to developers interested in developing for Nokia Windows Phones (get used to that phrase) while providing "guidance" to anyone wishing to port their apps to WP7. In other words, Qt will not be adapted for Windows Phone 7 APIs. Full letter after the break to what we imagine is a very disgruntled and previously loyal Nokia developer community.
Mediaroom rumors could put Microsoft IPTV on the fast track to success
We're hearing rumors today that Microsoft's already hardworking Mediaroom could be putting in overtime in the near future. According to ZDNet, not only is Microsoft working on a Mediaroom client for Windows Phone (aka Rome), but it's also got a Silverlight-for-Mediaroom project (aka Taos) in the pipeline, with a possible Silverlight-for-Mediaroom STB (aka Santa Fe) also on the way. As if it didn't already have a heavy workload, the platform is also up for a possible tie-in with Windows Media Center (aka Monaco). All this comes on the heels of chatter that the software giant is considering a new Xbox 360 TV service, incorporating Mediaroom, and news of a Silverlight SOC that could be worked into an STB like Santa Fe. All code names and acronyms aside, it looks like Microsoft is gearing up to give Apple and Google some serious internet TV competition, which means Mediaroom's going to have say goodbye to happy hour and hello to some serious all-nighters.
Game Boy emulator demoed on Windows Phone 7
If the main reason you're looking forward to picking up a Nintendo 3DS is because it plays Game Boy games, then you're a silly, silly goose. Plenty of phones can do just that, including those running Windows Phone 7, thanks to a new Silverlight hack from modder Samuel Blanchard. Check it out below!
WP7 Game Boy emulator demoed, soon you can show your Pokemans in Silverlight (video)
Classic gaming on the go is more or less old-hat for many smartphone platforms, but Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 is still playing catch-up. Latest addition is this Game Boy emulator, running in Silverlight courtesy of Samuel Blanchard, who created the video below and then triple-letterboxed it for your squinting pleasure. Right now it is still a work in progress, unable to save your in-game progress and needing some further polish, but it certainly looks like it runs well enough -- though hopefully he gets that aspect ratio fixed before offering this up for download.
Kinect Hacks: Flash, HTML, Unity and Silverlight integration
Blitz, an interactive marketing agency, has released its source code and scripts for a Kinect mod that outputs data compatible with Flash, HTML, Unity and Microsoft Silverlight. The company, which helped launch Halo: Waypoint with Microsoft and 343 Industries, explains that the device's standard C++ programming language was too limited for budding Kinect hackers. Hit the jump for the tutorial video.
Paramount rolls out Silverlight-enhanced movies for Windows Phone 7
Why simply download a movie when you can download a movie app? That's the thinking at Paramount, at least, which launched it's first Silverlight-enhanced movie app, School of Rock, for Windows Phone 7 devices this week. That's one of an initial batch of ten movies that will be released before the end of the year, which will also include Zoolander, GI JOE: The Rise of Cobra and Waiting for Superman, among other yet-to-be-announced titles. In addition to the movie itself, each of those will come packed with a range of extras including trailers, DVD-style special features, a Scene It? pop-up trivia mode, and the ability to create custom movie clips. As for how much they'll cost, School of Rock currently runs $10, although it's not clear if that will be the standard pricing for all releases.
Microsoft Silverlight girl hates spicy foods, has no nose
Meet Hikaru, a diminutive blonde that likes to sing, dance, and listen to music. By daytime, she's an anthropomorphic representation of Silverlight on Microsoft's Taiwanese portal, and by nighttime... well, she's still doing the same thing, it's a full time job, you know! We're just not really sure she's wearing the right outfit for the job -- it looks kinda breezy where she is.
Microsoft, SRS team up on surround sound for Silverlight, will this finally bring 5.1 to Netflix?
Of course, this press release from SRS Labs doesn't actually say Netflix will use its technology to enable surround sound audio on Watch Instantly streams, but when you claim your tools add "easy and seamless" surround sound decoding to Silverlight apps then we have an immediate suggestion as to how they could be put to use. Whether you give any credit to (or have even noticed) the SRS stamp on a bevy of media playing software and hardware, its ubiquity certainly means that interested parties (like, say, Netflix) could be sure the audio would be supported across the multitude of platforms they stream video to. Microsoft and SRS have issued the tools for anyone (even Netflix) to support 5.1 streams just by adding this code to their apps and are demonstrating it at IBC 2010 and on a demo website, all we have to do is sit back and wait for the technology to be implemented. If only we knew of somewhere an upgrade to surround sound on streaming video was in high demand...
Page-turning 'Macallan' UI will hit a Windows 7 tablet this year (video)
There's not much to your average prototype Windows 7 tablet -- just a netbook running the vanilla OS with a touchscreen instead of keyboard -- but if you've been wondering why you might care to buy one, just get a load of this Macallan UI. Developed by a third-party firm named UI Centric specifically for Windows tablet devices, it features a clean, finger-friendly interface capable of Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, and uses the crowd-pleasing page flip gesture for multitasking functionality. Perhaps most importantly, however, UI Centric claims it will actually appear on a real slate -- come Q3 2010, a "major manufacturer" will debut the first Macallan-topped device. We're curious to see how it (and a bottle of fine scotch) will stack up against September's ExoPC. Video after the break.
Microsoft pays Apple app devs to port to Windows Phone 7
Who would have thought this would ever happen? Microsoft, according to PocketGamer.biz, is throwing some substantial upfront money at developers of popular iPhone apps to port their products over to Windows Phone 7, which may be their last great hope of getting enough apps on the device to make it tempting. It doesn't seem to be going over all that well, since the word is that it's not really worth the money to go through the time and expenditure to port the C++ Objective-C apps over to Microsoft's standard formats of Silverlight or XNA Framework (C#). One of their sources did say that there was the potential for Microsoft to alter their development frameworks to include C++ Objective-C, but that remains to be seen. If if did happen, the time and labor factors would decline tremendously and the money would seem much better. But as it stands now, it's not going over too well in the development community. Update: Sorry for the mixup. Both PocketGamer and 9to5 are citing the challenge of porting C++ games to C#; however, if the point is to move iPhone apps to WinPhone 7, as our commenters have rightly noted, then it's a migration from Objective-C instead. [via 9to5 Mac]
Ballmer: Silverlight 'certainly doesn't run on the iPhone!'
Walt: Does Silverlight run on Android or the iPhone? Steve: It certainly doesn't run on the iPhone! My guess is if it did it would be blocked! That's just my guess! Read more of what Ballmer had to say in our D8 liveblog.
Netflix turns on HD indicator, queue for PC (including WMC) & Mac Watch Instantly streamers
Not that there was any doubt left, but we're getting numerous reports of users seeing the "HD" indicator appear while watching Netflix streams through the Silverlight player for PCs and Macs. Also, a special queue indicating the subset of content available for off-TV HD streaming is live now so users can see what is and isn't on the list (the HD is available boxart popup notifications are there as well, but don't appear to be entirely accurate.) Media Center streamers are in luck as well, as posters on The Green Button have noticed, although there's no indication within the client or queue itself in the WMC frontend the 3800kbps HD streams come through just fine. Unfortunately, we don't recommend anyone else watch Lost season one right now -- after last week's Across the Sea debacle it's just too painful.
Leaked Netflix blog post indicates official HD streaming to PC launch soon
Still not seeing any HD Watch Instantly streaming on your PC or Mac? Don't worry, as all indications point to a full rollout sooner rather than later, the most recent being this post that momentarily popped up on Netflix's official blog long enough to be caught by Google. We've asked about any upgrades for the Media Center plugin but haven't heard anything back yet, but for now it's just a matter of "when" will everyone see the HD icon light up on that Silverlight player.
