If music makes the people come together, as Madonna says, the new Xbox Music gives people all the music they love, every way they want it.
Xbox Music, Microsoft’s new all-in-one music service, specially designed to let users listen to music in exactly the way they want, begins rolling out to millions of people around the world Oct. 16 on the Xbox 360, then to the masses with Windows 8 on Oct. 26.
The all-in-one music service combines the best aspects of free-streaming radio, music subscription services and music purchasing options, all in one elegant package, says Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business Marketing and Strategy. No longer do people have to rely on “service hopping” to get the music they love.
For example, Mehdi explains, here’s a not-that-outlandish scenario for a music lover today: you’re listening to an Internet radio station at work, say Pandora, and you hear a new song you love. You quickly stop what you’re doing and bookmark the song before it stops playing. Later, in the car, you open Pandora to look up the name of the bookmarked song, then you open Spotify so you can use your subscription to listen to it again. Two weeks later, you’re thoroughly in love with the song, and decide you want to buy it so you can burn it to a mix CD you’re making a friend, so you purchase the MP3 on Amazon or iTunes.
“There are a lot of individual services that do a good job, but today there isn’t a service which can pull together the benefits of download-to-own, music subscription, or free streaming services,” Mehdi says. “With Xbox Music, what we wanted to do is bring all of that value in one simple, easy-to-use service, then build some additional value on top — make it really beautiful, and have it work across all of your devices. We’ve been able to simplify the music experience in a really powerful way.”
Mehdi says Xbox Music will have arguably the largest music catalog of all music services, with 30 million songs, and that the experience offers a fantastic way of discovering new music. He says Xbox Music also will be the only all-in-one music service that enables users to listen to music in whatever way — and on whatever device — they choose.
“I’m excited as a consumer because I myself am a big music fan and this really will replace all of those other services I’ve been using,” Mehdi says. “From a business perspective, Xbox Music is a great way to show the world what Xbox means for broader entertainment on their phone, tablet, PC or console.”
With Xbox Music, users can listen to individual songs or full albums for free on their Windows 8-based tablet and PC; create music mixes and playlists; create artist-based Internet radio stations; use Smart DJ to create playlists with unlimited skipping; and purchase the music they want to own.
“We’re going to power what we feel is going to be the best music experience for users of Windows 8, and it’s the only operating system on a tablet that can do free streaming because of the rights we’ve secured,” Mehdi says. “It’s a great reason to buy Windows 8.” Xbox Music also has options for those who want to integrate their personal music library into their “digital music life,” says Scott Porter, principal program manager for Xbox Music.
And, because Xbox Music is a cloud-based service, users can take those carefully curated playlists, their favorite artists, and their streaming stations anywhere, and play them on any device.
“There are a lot of individual services that do a good job, but today there isn’t a service which can pull together the benefits of download-to-own, music subscription, or free streaming services,” Mehdi says. “With Xbox Music, what we wanted to do is bring all of that value in one simple, easy-to-use service, then build some additional value on top — make it really beautiful, and have it work across all of your devices. We’ve been able to simplify the music experience in a really powerful way.”
Mehdi says Xbox Music will have arguably the largest music catalog of all music services, with 30 million songs, and that the experience offers a fantastic way of discovering new music. He says Xbox Music also will be the only all-in-one music service that enables users to listen to music in whatever way — and on whatever device — they choose.
“I’m excited as a consumer because I myself am a big music fan and this really will replace all of those other services I’ve been using,” Mehdi says. “From a business perspective, Xbox Music is a great way to show the world what Xbox means for broader entertainment on their phone, tablet, PC or console.”
With Xbox Music, users can listen to individual songs or full albums for free on their Windows 8-based tablet and PC; create music mixes and playlists; create artist-based Internet radio stations; use Smart DJ to create playlists with unlimited skipping; and purchase the music they want to own.
“We’re going to power what we feel is going to be the best music experience for users of Windows 8, and it’s the only operating system on a tablet that can do free streaming because of the rights we’ve secured,” Mehdi says. “It’s a great reason to buy Windows 8.” Xbox Music also has options for those who want to integrate their personal music library into their “digital music life,” says Scott Porter, principal program manager for Xbox Music.
And, because Xbox Music is a cloud-based service, users can take those carefully curated playlists, their favorite artists, and their streaming stations anywhere, and play them on any device.
Source: Microsoft
Windows 8 is Coming Soon! Yes that is a title for the first of the $1.5 Billion campaign ads to market Windows 8.
Windows 8 hits the streets in less than two weeks on October 26th.
As a result the Microsoft marketing machine has kicked into overdrive, and we finally have our first of what is likely to be many television bound ads designed to reel in consumers far and wide to the new platform.
The newest video appears to squarely target the family crowd.
The ad is also launching the very same day the official Netflix app hits the Windows 8 store.
This is an important app to secure considering the Microsoft Surface also launches on October 26th, and it gives new buyers something to with their tablets day one.
Starting today, you can reserve a packaged DVD of the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $69.99 USD ERP* (U.S.) at select retailers.
When you receive your copy of the Windows 8 Pro upgrade, you’ll see that the packaging takes a fresh approach, in the reimagining of Windows.
Your package will feature one of 5 vibrant illustrations.
Microsoft moved to paper based materials (the exception of course being the upgrade DVD inside) which allowed us to make an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption and reduced the packaging weight by 41%.
In the U.S., you will find this offer at Amazon.com, Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and the Microsoft Store and many more. We suggest checking with your local retailers.
However, if you want to wait until October 26th you will be able to upgrade online via Windows.com using the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant for just $39.99 USD ERP*.
Online upgrade to Windows 8 Pro is supported for 140 countries worldwide, with 37 languages, and 23 supported currencies!
You will want to upgrade your PC to Windows 8 Pro sooner rather than later – this upgrade promotion for Windows 8 Pro both online and at retail runs only through to January 31st, 2013.
Also starting today, you will be able to pre-order new Windows 8 PCs and devices from OEM partners such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony.
If you purchase (or have purchased) an eligible Windows 7 PC anytime between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013 you will be able to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99 USD ERP** (U.S.) which will be redeemable starting October 26th.
These Offers limited to five upgrade licenses per customer. To install Windows 8 Pro, customers must be running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.
Source: Windows Team Blog
Today Microsoft reached an important milestone in the development of the new Office.
Moments ago, the Office engineering team signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build. This milestone means the coding and testing phase of the project is complete and they are now focused on releasing the new Office via multiple distribution channels to consumer and business customers.
This is the most ambitious release of Office Microsft have ever done. It spans the full family of Office applications, servers and cloud services.
The new Office has a fresh, touch friendly design that works beautifully on Windows 8 and unlocks modern scenarios in social, reading, note-taking, meetings and communications.
General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013.
Starting October 19, customers purchasing Office 2010 from local retailers or resellers will receive the new Office for free upon availability.
Customers will also see a preview version of the new Office on Windows RT devices, beginning with the Windows 8 launch on October 26.
Additionally, Microsoft have a number of programs that provide business customers with early access so they can begin testing, piloting and adopting Office within their organizations:
We will begin rolling out new capabilities to Office 365 Enterprise customers in our next service update, starting in November through general availability.
Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance will be able to download the Office 2013 applications as well as other Office products including SharePoint 2013, Lync 2013 and Exchange 2013 through the Volume Licensing Service Center by mid-November. These products will be available on the Volume Licensing price list on December 1.
IT professionals and developers will be able to download the final version via their TechNet or MSDN subscriptions by mid-November.
In the meantime, if you’d like to give the pre-release version a try, you can visit office.com/preview.
The launch of Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10 will change the way we use devices and the internet.
It opens up a new class of opportunities for us to reimagine all of our products and services including MSN.
MSN with more than 480 million visitors per month is the top site in 27 markets and remains one of the most popular media destinations on the Internet.
At first glance, you will notice the new look and feel. The new MSN is a full-screen experience that is clean, simple and built for touch.
Whether you’re reading daily headlines or catching up on the latest gossip, the experience is intuitive and consistent.
The content flows from the homepage to channels without interrupting the visual layout, and you’ll know what stories are most important, just by viewing the size of the story tile.
Available October 26th, MSN for Windows 8 gives you a place where you can be informed, decompress and let your curiosity reign.
From the updated user interface to blazing fast speed and comprehensive content, MSN showcases what it does best – instant access to the information you want.
Source: MSN Blog
If you buy a qualified Windows 7 PC between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, you can purchase a download of Windows 8 Pro at a special promotional price that varies by region.
The Upgrade Offer is available in the countries and Windows 8 will be available for download in 37 languages.
In case you are wondering what edition of Windows 8 you will receive when you upgrade it will be a download of Windows 8 Pro (Upgrade).
A Windows 8 upgrade DVD will be available for purchase for an additional cost. The price will be in addition to the cost of the downloadable software.
You may also need to pay for applicable shipping fees, duties and taxes for the DVD.
You should expect to provide information such as:
- Name
- Contact Details
- Email address
- Phone Number
- PC purchase details
- PC make / model
- Purchase date
- Retailer / PC Manufacturer
Additional information may be requested to enable your registration to be validated, including the Windows 7 product key for your qualified PC.
You can create your own installation media on a USB or DVD. During the installation process you are presented with an option to: “Install Now, Install by creating media, or Install later from your desktop”. When you select “Install by creating media”, you will be presented with the options to create USB or DVD installation media.
Customers who want to install Windows Media Center will need to purchase the Windows 8 Media Center Pack through the Add Windows Feature function after upgrading to Windows 8 Pro.
Playing DVD: For customers who already have third-party playback software, the Windows Upgrade Assistant will help determine if this software is compatible with Windows 8. If your PC is running Windows 7, you will have the option to keep this software during the upgrade to Windows 8.
If your PC is running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will need to reinstall the third-party playback software. Otherwise, you will need to acquire third-party playback software after the upgrade to play DVDs. Alternatively, you can acquire the Windows 8 Media Center Pack after upgrading. This pack includes the ability to play DVDs.
Customers with touch input hardware not specifically designed for Windows 8, but compliant with Windows 7 certification, will experience touch responsiveness at least as good as it was on Windows 7.
Since Windows 8 touch requires a higher degree of responsiveness and precision, Windows 8 certified touch PCs will provide a much better experience typing on the onscreen keyboard and using certain controls than on Windows 7 certified PCs. For instance, touchscreens supporting fewer than five simultaneous touch points cannot enable certain Windows 8 features and applications.
You can purchase your copy of Windows 8 Pro (Upgrade) from here: Link
![](http://windowsphonenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Visual-Studio-2012.png "\\" width=")
Alongside the launch of Windows 8 for MSDN and TechNet subscribers today, Microsoft has also released Visual Studio 2012, the latest version of its popular software development tool, for subscribers of both services.
S. Somasegar, the corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft, stated:
With Visual Studio 2012, we’re delivering a productive and powerful development experience, one that makes it easy to develop on your own or as part of a collaborative team, all the while building apps that target the latest platforms. The interesting question for every developer out there is – what app will you build today?
Microsoft still plans to hold a more formal online launch event for Visual Studio 2012 on September 12th.
Somasegar also announced today that Microsoft has released Blend for Visual Studio 2012, this software program will give developers a way to make apps specifically for Windows 8 that are written in XAML and in HTML.
Also available to download is a preview version of Blend + SketchFlow Preview for Visual Studio 2012 for making apps with WPF version 3.5/4.0/4.5, Silverlight 4.0/5.
< Previous Posts Next Posts >