Microsoft introduced two new tablets during a launch event on Monday. The Surface 2, starting at $499, is the company’s follow-up to the Surface RT. It features a higher-resoution 1080p ClearType display and Tegra 4 chip. Microsoft is making a play for the content creation market with its $899-$1799 Surface Pro 2, presenting it as a full-fledged mobile workstation. During the demo, Surface GM Panos Panay teamed it with a RED Dragon Carbon Fiber camera to showcase 6K video capabilities. Continue reading Microsoft Targets Content Creation Market with Surface Pro 2

Microsoft is expanding its TV programming in order to market the Xbox One as a portal for games, music and video content. Microsoft hopes its new console will merge television viewing and video game playing. Additionally, the company is producing a live action “Halo” show that will involve director Steven Spielberg and a concept development team in the Los Angeles area. This show is just one of many ideas currently being developed by Microsoft. Continue reading Microsoft Expands TV Efforts, Sees Xbox One as Media Portal

San Francisco-based startup Occipital, creator of the 360 Panorama app and RedLaser barcode-scanning app acquired by eBay, is developing a 3D scanning accessory for iPads called the Structure Sensor. Inspired by the sensor technology of Microsoft’s Kinect, CEO Jeff Powers decided to change the direction of Occipital to develop a new scanning tool. The result is the Structure Sensor, which earned the company more than $250,000 in a single day through its Kickstarter campaign. Continue reading Turn Your iPad into a 3D Scanner with New Structure Sensor

Microsoft is developing a personal assistant app called Cortana that will compete directly with Apple’s Siri and Google Now. Cortana derives its name from an artificially intelligent character in Microsoft’s “Halo” series. Essentially, the app will be able to learn and adapt while utilizing machine-learning technology and the Satori knowledge repository powering Bing. The app will likely be released somewhere between 2014 and 2016. Continue reading Cortana: Microsoft Developing Next-Gen Personal Assistant

According to new projections from researcher IDC, tablet shipments will exceed personal computer shipments for the first time in the fourth quarter of this year. The new report underlines the shift in consumer trends from laptops and desktops to mobile devices. IDC expects that tablet shipments will reach 84.1 million units in the fourth quarter, while PC shipments will reach 83.1 million units. The total market for Internet-connected devices will jump 28 percent to $622.4 billion this year. Continue reading New Milestone: Tablet Shipments to Surpass PCs for First Time

Microsoft is now offering its Xbox Music service on more devices and via the Web. This is an expansion of the limited compatibility that the service offered at its initial release about a year ago. It brings familiar digital music services and software into a combined, single service. Xbox Music’s new platform support comes as Google, Apple and others are entering the music-streaming marketplace, with Amazon developing its own music-streaming devices. Continue reading Microsoft Now Offers Xbox Music Service on More Devices

Santa Clara, CA-based Assimilate has launched a free media player for visual effects artists, cinematographers and prosumers that supports Raw footage from digital cinematography and DSLR cameras. The new Scratch Play also supports formats such as OpenEXR and ProRes, providing digital imaging professionals and DSLR enthusiasts with the ability to review shots, pull stills, export CDLs or LUTs, and review animation at full resolution. Continue reading Scratch Play: Assimilate Launches Universal Media Player

Acer announced that its Liquid S2 smartphone will offer 4K video recording capability. While offering 4K video recording on a smartphone may currently seem unnecessary, it may become a more widely adopted feature of upcoming handsets. Meanwhile, Acer will also be including a touchscreen option for its low-end E1 laptop. The option of touchscreen for the Acer laptop may help overcome some of the initial confusion faced by Windows 8 users. Continue reading Acer Announces 4K for Phone and Touch for Low-End Laptop

Project Spark enables game fans to create their own games. Gamers can create any type of game world they desire, from rugged mountains to scorching deserts to beautifully lush jungles. They can also design opponents, monsters and other characters to inhabit their world. While this may be similar to a “sim” game, it is essentially the Xbox One features, specifically motion tracking and facial recognition, that truly set Project Spark apart as a creative tool. Continue reading Project Spark Lets Users Build Their Own Games Using Kinect

Microsoft is paying $7.17 billion in a deal to acquire Nokia’s devices-and-services business and license its mapping services. By purchasing Nokia’s core cellphone business, Microsoft is hoping to better compete with Apple, Google and Samsung in the fast-growing mobile business. The move follows the announcement of Steve Ballmer’s planned retirement as Microsoft CEO. Several Nokia executives will transition to Microsoft as part of the deal and could become contenders for Ballmer’s position. Continue reading Microsoft to Pay $7 Billion in Deal for Nokia Phone Business

A significant threat to the video game industry is harassment targeting game developers from gamers. Video game fan obsession has led to death threats among game developers, forcing them to leave their positions or the industry as a whole. Many fault the anonymous nature of the Internet, and others see the immediate availability to voice one’s complaints or gain notoriety. Groups look to support developers as threats become more commonplace. Continue reading Game Developers: Harassment Alarms Industry, Fuels Exodus

Social network Foursquare, which allows users to check-in to a variety of locations and share tips with friends, will soon offer suggestions automatically. The company will announce the first public test of its service that will automatically detect where a user is located and make relevant suggestions. The new app will be tested by 2,000 Android users within the next few weeks with plans to become more publicly available later in the year. Continue reading New Automatic Version of Foursquare, No Check-In Required

Japanese videogame maker Nintendo will be reducing the price of its most expensive Wii U from $350 to $300 due to market pressure following disappointing sales. Customer preference for the Wii U Deluxe model encouraged the company to reduce the price on that model first. The company also plans to offer new games and expand its lineup of handheld consoles. Nintendo will be releasing the 2DS, which can play mobile titles without a 3D image. Continue reading Nintendo Plans to Reduce Wii U Price and Offer New Handheld

The first commercial installation of a laser movie projector is scheduled for early next year at Seattle Cinerama, a theater owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The theater will be the first to acquire Christie Digital’s laser projector, as the technology has just been approved by the FDA. While laser projectors are more expensive than current systems, they are expected to improve 3D projection and eliminate the need to replace bulbs and cool projection booths. Continue reading First Commercial Installation of Laser Projector Scheduled

Intel is developing depth sensing 3D cameras and software that are able to detect an individual’s emotional state. While refined motion detection technologies are not entirely new, Intel’s product goes beyond tracking the physical movements of objects to determining what the movement actually means. Intel’s depth sensing technology will first be available in webcams and may eventually become available in laptops, smartphones and tablets. Continue reading Intel Develops Depth Sensing 3D Cameras to Track Emotion