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Save $5 on Minecraft XBLA through MS Store deal
The Microsoft Store is selling Minecraft on XBLA for $14.99, $5 off the price you'd pay directly through XBLA. Unlike other recent Microsoft Store deals, there's no catch that we can see.
Microsoft touts 98-percent 'Smoked by Windows Phone' success rate, a few beg to differ
Microsoft's "Smoked by Windows Phone" challenge has been long on claims that Windows Phone can outrace your smartphone platform of choice in day-to-day tasks, but it's been short on hard numbers. Until now, that is. Company Evangelist Ben Rudolph claims that over 50,000 smartphones -- or 98 percent of all contenders -- have been beaten in the challenges since the company started running them back at CES, with just 638 people having proved their devices faster at a trade show or a Microsoft Store. That's good news for advocates, although it doesn't come without its share of controversies over fairness and whether or not the challenges overlook the advantages of your Android phone, BlackBerry or iPhone. Ultimately, the real challenge for Microsoft may be translating those successes into real improvements for its so-so market share.
Microsoft Stores offering $99 Xbox 360 with contract now
The rumored $99 Xbox 360 with two-year $15 a month contract is official. It includes a Kinect, Xbox Live Gold service and a two-year warranty. The offer is now available on the Microsoft Store site.The math works out to roughly $460 for the bundle over the next two years. Currently the 4GB Xbox 360 Kinect bundle has a suggested retail price of $299 (although it can be found for less), with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions costing about $50 a year, for a grand upfront total of $399 (or less) if you bought today.
Microsoft reportedly launching subsidized Xbox 360 bundle next week for $99 with a two-year subscription
Microsoft has long been pushing to get the Xbox 360 into as many living rooms as possible, and it looks like it could now be about to attempt a new tactic to further expand its reach. According to The Verge's sources, the company will launch a new bundle next week that will include both a 4GB Xbox 360 console and a Kinect sensor for just $99 -- the only catch being that you'll also have to sign a two-year contract at a rate of $15 a month. That will give you access to the Xbox Live Gold service, and potentially some additional streaming content, as well as a two-year warranty (there's also naturally an early termination fee for those that break the contract). From the sound of things, though, the new offering could be getting something of a soft launch -- the only outlet mentioned for the bundle so far is the rather limited number of Microsoft Stores in the US.
Rumor: Xbox 360 getting $100, contract-subsidized Kinect bundle next week
Microsoft is preparing to take a page from the cell phone carrier playbook by offering the Xbox 360 at a substantial initial discount, followed by a two year subscription service, according to The Verge. The bundle, which would cost $100 up front and $15 a month afterwards, includes a Kinect, Xbox Live Gold service, a two-year warranty and possibly various types of streaming content. The package deal may go on sale as early as next week at Microsoft's various retail locations across the country.Also like modern cell phone plans, an early termination fee would be associated with the service contract and levied against those who wish to leave their commitments early. Those who ride the entire contract out would end up paying roughly $460 for the bundle and its associated years of service. We've reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update as this story develops.Update: Microsoft issued Joystiq the following statement: "We haven't made any announcements and we don't comment on rumor or speculation."
Mass Effect 3 on sale for $40 at Microsoft Store Online
If you're still trying to finish the fight against the Reapers, the Microsoft Store is offering a pretty sweet deal on Mass Effect 3 for Xbox 360. While the game is listed there for $59.99, adding it to your shopping cart reveals a much cheaper price: $39.99, complete with free shipping.
Apple Stores and Microsoft Stores by the numbers
TUAW readers know from a series of posts we've run over the years that Microsoft has been opening self-branded stores throughout the U.S., usually just a stone's throw away from well-trafficked Apple Stores. Fortune's JP Mangalindan took a metaphorical bullet for the sake of a story and visited both the Microsoft Store and Apple Store in Santa Clara, California. What the reporter found was that while Microsoft is doing its best to emulate the look, feel and success of the Apple retail outlet, there are differences in the way that things are done. Mangalindan obviously had fun with his visits, listing the number of customers (14 at the Microsoft Store, 40 at the Apple Store), the number of employees on the floor (11 for Microsoft, 35 for Apple), and such questions as "Employees who said I wouldn't like the laptop I was looking at" (1 at the Microsoft Store, 0 at the Apple Store). My favorite part of the article was the response Mangalindan received from employees at each store when he told them that he was also looking at Macs -- "We're priced more competitively. What about this Ultrabook from ASUS? It's slim, light, and sexy" -- or at the Apple Store, also looking at PCs -- "Bro, they may be cheaper, but Apple's all about quality. Our customer service can't be beat. [fist bump]" While we've seen no definitive word on exactly how successful Microsoft's retail strategy is, we know that Microsoft is being almost fanatical about moving into the retail arena. TUAW has heard multiple accounts from Apple Store employees who have been approached by Microsoft to switch teams and go to work at Microsoft Stores; in some cases, the Microsoft offers have reflected dramatic bumps in salary over the comparable positions at the Apple stores. Have you had a good, bad or indifferent experience at either an Apple or Microsoft Store? Let your fellow readers know about it in the comments below.
Join us for Microsoft's Windows 8 press conference tomorrow at 9am EST!
If you're Microsoft and in the process of overhauling Windows so that it's equally at home on PCs and tablets, it would make sense to unveil a semi-final version at the world's premier wireless show. That's exactly what's going to happen tomorrow, when the company's executive team takes the stage here in Barcelona to show off all the changes it's made to Win8 since we got hands-on with the Developer Preview five months ago. Though we still won't know tomorrow what the final version will look like, we'll have a much firmer idea, as this will be the first version available to the general Windows-using populace. So what does Redmond have up its sleeve? Will the Windows Store open for business? A first look at some native touch-friendly apps? And what's to become of the Start button? Bookmark this page and come back tomorrow at 9am EST (3:30pm local time), when we'll be firing off up-to-the-minute updates. See you then! February 29, 2012 9:00 AM EST
Microsoft Store hacked in India, passwords stored in plain text
Frequenters of India's online Microsoft Store were briefly greeted with the suspicious visage of a Guy Fawkes mask this morning, following a hack that compromised the site's user database. According to WPSauce, Microsoft Store India's landing page was briefly taken over by a hacker group called Evil Shadow Team, who, in addition to putting a new face on Windows products, revealed that user passwords were saved in plain text. The group's motivations are unknown, though the hacked page warned that an "unsafe system will be baptized." The store is now offline, suggesting that Microsoft may have regained control. Read on for a look at the compromised password database.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft Store to expand retail presence by 2014, makes shopping for a PC redundant
Microsoft really wants to hang with the cool kids at the mall. Or, at least park its retail derriere next to the likes of Apple's sleek boutiques -- to the tally of 86 stores by 2014. We know most of you are scratching your heads thinking, "Microsoft store? Don't you mean Best Buy?" Aye, but we don't. The MS-branded outfits started cropping up in 2009 and with 11 locations already dotting our map, COO Kevin Turner hopes to plant some more Windows flags in California, Florida, most of the northeast and even some overseas territories. Comments regarding the Ballmer-led company's retail expansion came during the 2011 Worldwide Partner Conference and centered mostly on the benefits of customer feedback. It sure is nice to see the former market monopolist catering to us plebes, but we're more interested in the D-list stars and awkward dancing destined to accompany opening ceremonies.
Microsoft offers free Xbox 360 with back-to-school PC, professors shake their gray, uncool heads
With only the best interests of its younger customers at heart, Microsoft has a new back-to-school promotion: starting May 22, college students buying a new Windows 7 PC can also get a free Xbox 360 4GB console. That's right, free -- as long as your new computer cost at least $699 and came from Redmond or one of its partners, including HP and Dell. Online ordering will require a .edu email address, which even attendees of the School of Life know how to procure; if you'd rather shop at Best Buy or a Microsoft Store, you'll need an actual student ID. This isn't about convincing students they need more than a tablet computer, of course. It's about giving them the opportunity to be popular. "Get ready to be the coolest kid on your dorm floor with a killer new Windows 7 PC and an Xbox 360 -- all you really need for college," the company says. Yes, being the coolest kid on your dorm floor: pretty much the definition of Higher Education.
Toshiba puts its business laptops on a diet, intros the Portege R830, Tecra R840, and Tecra R850
Toshiba's thin-but-full-powered Portege R700 was such a hit among business types that the company is now designing other machines in its svelte image. Tosh just unveiled the Tecra R840 and R850 -- both of which ape the R700's slim build -- along with the Portege R830, a refresh to the R700 itself. The R830 looks the same, though it has a strip on the edge of the lid that looks like it's made of magnesium alloy, but is actually plastic -- a material that's expected to improve the signals of the the various antennae housed underneath it. And -- surprise, surprise -- this refresh adds a USB 3.0 port and Intel Sandy Bridge processor, which the company says should bump the rated battery life to a max of 11 hours, up from eight. Not the corporate type? The company will also sell an $889 consumer version, the R835, that has a one-, not three-year, warranty, and loses enterprise-grade features -- namely, Intel's vPro technology, a docking connector, and an ExpressCard slot. Meanwhile, the 14-inch R840 and 15.6-inch R850 are also getting Sandy Bridge CPUs, USB 3.0 ports, chiclet keyboards and all-around trimmer silhouettes. These laptops are now made with fiberglass-reinforced casing and the same Honeycomb rib structure that made last year's R700 sturdy enough to grab one-handed. Of the two, the R840's slim-down is more dramatic: it's 25 percent thinner than the last-generation Tecra M11, as you can see in the comparison shots past the break. That's largely thanks to Intel's Airflow Cooling technology, which rearranges all of the heat-generating components in a row and draws in cool air from outside the notebook, instead of within. And Tosh claims the battery can last up to ten hours on a charge (11 with an SSD) -- a vast improvement over the five and a half to six hours it promised the last time around. Moving up in size to the R850 will get you a number pad, but not that cooling technology. But it is about an inch thick at its thinnest, a point the PC maker is pleased as punch about. The R830, R840, and R850 start at $1,049, $899, and $879, respectively, and are available now on Toshiba's site, with the consumer-friendly R835 on sale at Best Buy and through the Microsoft Store. %Gallery-120886% %Gallery-120738%
Dell Inspiron Duo and speaker dock up for pre-order at Microsoft Store now, no clue when they'll ship out
The Dell-Microsoft symbiotic relationship continues where it left off with the Venue Pro, as another highly desirable piece of hardware has been made available at a Microsoft Store ahead of Dell: the transforming Inspiron Duo and its JBL-powered speaker dock. That's actually in your favor this time, however, as you won't have to trek across the countryside to one of Microsoft's seven brick-and-mortar stores, but rather grab the $549 convertible at Microsoft's website, and you can even get $50 off the audio station's typical $99 price. That said, these are most definitely pre-orders we're dealing with here and there's no expected shipping date on the site, so it's hard to tell if you're actually securing yourself the first spot in that "first week of December" line. They won't charge you until it ships, though, so if you're not willing to wait for our full review to see if that slick spinning screen is up to snuff, now is probably the time. [Thanks, Joe]
Caption Contest: Steve Ballmer goes on kill-crazy rampage at Microsoft Store
In the photo above you see Microsoft's Steve Ballmer performing a ribbon cutting at the company's new store in Bellevue, Washington. Shortly after finishing with the ribbon, Ballmer proceeded to rampage the store and patrons, leaving 17 dead, 6 wounded, and a stunned Miley Cyrus wondering if she had made the wisest career decisions. Ballmer was finally subdued by Dave Matthews, who knocked the CEO unconscious with an 8-foot bong. Josh: "I'm a PC, and I'm going to mess up your insides so bad, you'll pray for death." Ben Bowers: "Anyone else want to claim Windows 7 was their idea?" Chris: "To the cloud! With Windows 7 and Windows Live, Microsoft can mix and match its CEO's best faces until it's able to piece together a photo it's proud to share." Ross: "Using the power of Control-X while mobile is just one of the many superpowers Ballmer has and Windows Phone 7 users don't." Darren: "Moments before this tremendous occasion, Ballmer begrudgingly confirmed a prompt questioning his true intentions to dismantle a red ribbon." Nilay: "Touch my junk and I'll have you arrested." Don: "There can only be one!" Vlad: "I love this company! I love it so much I'm gonna cut it up into little pieces and eat it!" Joe: "Clearly event organizers hadn't planned for every possible emergency." Thomas: "Baby Ballmer cuts his own cord thankyouverymuch." Myriam: "Developers! It's time to get cut and paste into Windows Phone 7..."
Dell Venue Pro on sale at Microsoft stores, but good luck getting one
So, just as was rumored, it seems Dell pushed a small handful of Venue Pros to Microsoft's seven flagship stores for sale today. We just spoke with a friendly rep who told us they were "going fast" and didn't sound too confident that we'd be able to get one by the time we got down there, but theoretically if we did, it'd be $199 for a new line (or an eligible upgrade) or $449 outright. If you manage to score one, that'll put you about a week ahead of everyone else -- they aren't expected to be available straight from Dell's site until the 15th. On a related note, Dell's website is showing two configurations for the phone -- an 8GB and a 16GB model -- though none of the stores we called could tell us which one they were stocking. Let's hope for 16, eh? [Thanks, Andrew and @FocusedProverbs]
Dell Venue Pro launches November 8th at Microsoft stores, November 15th at Dell website?
We're finding it hard to hold back our enthusiasm for Dell's Windows Phone 7 slider, but come launch day the 4.1-inch Venue Pro may be a tricky one to find -- you'll need to line up at one of only seven Microsoft retail stores on November 8th (a likely date) if this allegedly leaked document is right. If you're willing to wait until November 15th, however, there's also Dell itself, which will apparently double as the only place you'll be able to go to get any support for the T-Mobile device. Neither niggle will stop us from nabbing one, however. For all we know, Lightning might not strike Windows Phone 7 twice. [Thanks, Ryan]
Samsung X430 headed for Microsoft Stores with a crapware-free copy of Windows
We just got a quick look at a previously Korea-bound Samsung X430 laptop that Microsoft has tapped as a "Microsoft Store Exclusive." It's pretty good hardware, both inside and outside, for the price. Also, due to its Store-exclusive nature, Microsoft also put the promised "Microsoft Signature Image" on here, which means a copy of Windows 7 completely free of crapware and trialware, though Microsoft has put a good quantity of first party software that you'll probably want like Windows Live, Bing Maps 3D, and Microsoft Security Essentials. If you ask yourself "how would Steve Ballmer use this computer," the Signature Image is pretty much the answer. For $1,099 you get a Core i3 ULV processor, GeForce 310M graphics, a 500GB HDD, and a 14-inch WXGA screen. Our favorite part is probably just the premium feel of this device, and its no-nonsense look, at least when it's open and you're actually using it -- that faux carbon fiber lid on the outside is a little loud. %Gallery-104830%
Found Footage: Apple/Microsoft throwdown at Mall of America
The USA's largest shopping mall will be the setting of an epic retail battle as Microsoft opens a massive store mere yards away from an Apple Store. Your Tech Weblog, a part of Minnesota's Pioneer Press, has posted some photos of the massive store-to-be. It's directly across the hall from Apple Store Mall of America, and it's much larger. As the video above demonstrates, the store will be longer and apparently much deeper than the existing Apple Store. All is fair in love and tech retail, as blogger Julio Ojeda-Zapata points out, so may the best retailer win. Microsoft has opened four retail stores in the US so far. There are two in California, one in Colorado, and one in Arizona. This will be the first location in Minnesota. Some have accused Microsoft of copying the Apple Store's look and feel a little too closely. Check out these photos and decide for yourself.
Kinect playable demo units now at Microsoft Stores
The Microsoft Store's official Twitter account is inviting folks to try Kinect at its stores "nationwide," which sounds a lot more impressive before the realization hits that there are only four locations in the entire country. The MS Twitter account also notes that Kinectimals will be shown off this weekend. Anyway, if you live near one of the four stores found in the western part of the continent, go check out the new tech that'll be available this November. If you don't live close to a store, save that gas money until we get an idea of how much Kinect will actually cost.
Kinect now playable at Microsoft Stores nationwide -- all four of them
Not lucky enough to find yourself in front of a Kinect sensor at E3 last week? Then it looks like you might not have to wait until November after all -- Microsoft has just announced that you can now try it out at any Microsoft Store nationwide. That includes the San Diego store that just opened today and, well, all three others -- in Scottsdale, AZ, Mission Viejo, CA, and Lone Tree, CO. Interestingly, Microsoft is also reminding folks that they can pre-order Kinect at the Microsoft Store website, but that site now states that "official pricing has not yet been announced," and that "$149.99 is an estimate only and subject to change."
