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Argo, Microsoft's iPod killer
Engadget, our sister blog who is always in the know when it comes to gadgets, have snagged a picture of a possible design for Microsoft's Argo. What the heck is the Argo? Why, it is Microsoft's attempt at an iPod killer.According to the scuttlebutt the Argo will be part of the XBox brand and feature, along with all the routine media playback options, a wireless net connection and a social aspect along the lines of the XBox online experience. The real kicker? Microsoft is rumored to so want to convert people from the iPod and iTunes that they will replace, for free, all the music that you bought at the iTunes Music store with Janus DRM'ed Windows Media files.Microsoft has confirmed none of this, of course, but it seems very likely to me. I won't be trading my iPod in anytime soon, but there are countless XBox 360 users out there that might.
Microsoft's "Argo" / Xbox wireless portable media player
We've had to sit on this one for a while, but it's about time we showed you guys at least one possible form Microsoft's Argo / Xbox-branded wireless portable media player could take. Sent to us from an insider working on the project, we're told the device pictured above is indeed a part of "Project Argo," and from what we can tell it definitely jibes from the blurry pics we caught a while back; though if the piece from earlier today is to be believed, this could just be one of numerous Microsoft portables. It's hard to tell just how much larger the screen on this thing actually is, but it does indeed appear to be a 4:3 aspect ratio display, and could be 3, even 3.5-inches wide. Keep your eyes peeled, you know we do our best to have this stuff as early as possible.
Microsoft DAP said to be part of Xbox-branded product lineup
Some more details have leaked out about Microsoft's unannounced-but-well-known WiFi-enabled digital music player that shed some light on its role in Microsoft's overall home entertainment strategy -- though you'll still have to deal with that blurry pic for now. According to sources cited by The Seattle Times, the upcoming DAP is only one of several offerings that will be part of a larger lineup of Xbox-branded products, which will also include Microsoft's upcoming online media service -- the one that will dupe all your iTunes tracks for free -- and a dedicated software media player. Codenamed Project Argo, this initiative is said to be spearheaded by Xbox co-founder J Allard, and is rumored to support the so-called XNA toolkit for allowing developers to easily port games to multiple platforms -- possibly setting the stage for that heavily-rumored Xbox2Go. There's not too much here that we didn't already know, but it's becoming increasingly clear that Redmond has a definite battle plan for waging war against Apple and others in your living room (and pocket), and that the company is starting to make good on its promise of turning the 360 into a true digital hub.[Via Joystiq]
