My Xbox LIVE doesn’t have the console-controlling functions of the Xbox Companion app, but it does offer gamers access to their Xbox LIVE account info, including game achievements, your 3D avatar and friends management and messaging. In fact, if you don’t have a keyboard accessory for your Xbox controller, it makes chatting with friends, managing your friends list and setting Beacons, which alert you to when your friends want to do the same thing as you, much easier.

var galleryData = [{"title":"MyXboxLIVE-iPad1","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive-ipad1.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}, {"title":"MyXboxLIVE-iPad2","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive-ipad2.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}, {"title":"MyXboxLIVE6","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive6.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}, {"title":"MyXboxLIVE5","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive5.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}, {"title":"MyXboxLIVE4","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive4.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}, {"title":"MyXboxLIVE3","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive3.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}, {"title":"MyXboxLIVE2","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive2.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}, {"title":"MyXboxLIVE1","caption":"","thumbnail":"http:\/\/gigaom2.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/myxboxlive1.jpg?w=48&h=48&crop=1"}];
 

It’s actually a very handy little app, and it does a good imitation of Windows Phone 7 for people who haven’t experienced that platform’s interface yet. Sounds are taken straight from the Xbox itself, and despite a little lag when switching between some screens as the info is retrieved from Microsoft’s servers, it’s a pretty fun way to navigate content that’s kind of a chore to view on your console.

The app also includes a “Spotlight” section that presents you with video trailers and featurettes normally available through the console. It’s free, so if you’re an Xbox LIVE user, there’s no reason not to check it out.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
• Forecast: Tablet App Sales To Hit B by 2015
• Forecast: the evolution of the e-book market

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM

Just as the rumors indicated, Microsoft is bringing video from a number of providers beyond the ones it initially announced to the Xbox 360 in its fall update, including big guns like Verizon and Comcast. While Verizon is promising “a selection” of its live TV channels on the Xbox 360, as we’d expected Comcast is only bringing its Xfinity TV video on-demand offerings (no AnyPlay powered live TV — yet) for subscribers when it launches “in the coming months”. Other notables on the list include Lovefilm and BBC TV streaming in the UK, HBO Go, and Syfy. As promised during E3, the services integrated with Xbox will offer support for search across whatever video is available, no matter where, as well as support for Kinect voice and gesture controls. The universal search is promising, as it pulls together various services in one UI as we discussed on the podcast yesterday, but the reality is content providers and geographical limits on what services you can pick from are still throwing up walls. Check after the break for press releases from Microsoft, Comcast, and Verizon detailing what you’ll be able to access and where, as well as a video introduction to the new services.

..developing

Continue reading Microsoft reveals new TV providers including Verizon and Comcast coming to Xbox 360 (video)

Microsoft reveals new TV providers including Verizon and Comcast coming to Xbox 360 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Major Nelson  |  Microsoft Technet, Verizon, Comcast, MS PR  | Email this | Comments
Engadget

So, you will discover that you are experiencing this Xbox 360 ring of death when you turn on your Xbox and instead of the four green lights appearing, you will see three red lights surrounding the power button and your game console will refuse to work anymore. Going through this is no fun at all since it makes your Xbox unusable. If you like to fix your Xbox cheap and fast, then you need to find other solutions instead of sending it to the manufacturer.

When you experience the Xbox 360 ring of death, it won’t just disappear on its own because it is a fatal error. This problem will just continue to persist no matter what you do in trying to revive it. Definitely with the right instructions, there are now helpful solutions that you can do to get rid of this problem.

This problem doesn’t just strike out of the blue though, before the Xbox 360 ring of death actually happens, you will notice a few warning signs prior to this. You will encounter graphical problems while you are playing games, the console freezing often interrupting your play, and also not being able to turn the Xbox off automatically making you switch it off manually by pressing the power button are all signs of the red of ring death problem.

If it just so happens that your Xbox conks out while it is still under warranty then that is a great thing. However if it isn’t under warranty then sending your Xbox to Microsoft for repairs will cost you a lot which is why you have to search for other choices such as using a repair guide that is affordable and will surely get your Xbox up and running again.

To fix any problems with the Xbox 360 Ring of Death along with other problems, check out 3 Red Light Fix which a repair manual that will help you fix any problem you are experiencing.

Earlier we discovered that J. Allard, the Father of the Xbox, is leaving Microsoft. This was the goodbye email he sent to his team: More »










Microsoft – J Allard – Xbox – Monopolies and Oligopolies – Economic

View full post on Gizmodo

The WSJ solidifies an intriguing post by Mary Jo Foley last week that J. Allard, the guy behind the Xbox, Zune and Courier—or more formally, the Chief Experience Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft’s E&D division—is leaving after Steve Ballmer killed the Courier tablet project. More »










Microsoft – Xbox – J Allard – Mary Jo Foley – Steve Ballmer

View full post on Gizmodo

Originally posted at Web Crawler

1. One of the most common reasons why people need to fix Xbox 360 is because of overheating and damage that occurs to the internal components of the gaming console. As a result you might only need to remove your Xbox from the area that you have store it in. Heat might have become trapped and all you need is to bring it out in the open for it to “Breathe”.

2. A second alternative is to return your Xbox 360 to Microsoft where they will fix Xbox 360 for $140. You will have to cover the shipping and handling charges as well. This can be a good way to deal with the problem if your 90 warranty has not expired. The drawback is that you will lose access to your Xbox 360 for about 6-8 weeks, but if you are patient this might be the approach for you.

3. The final choice for those fanatics who can’t wait two months to fix Xbox 360 and start gaming again is to purchase an inexpensive Xbox easy repair guide online. These Xbox repair guides will fix Xbox 360 in less than an hour. They come with instructional videos and are extremely easy to use. The best guides also come with technical support and a no questions asked money back guarantee.

Hopefully this information is helpful. As the saying goes: To fix Xbox e 71 360 is always better than to not fix Xbox 360. The longer you allow your Xbox to experience error messages the more damage that is being done to the consoles internal components. Try one of these strategies or find a good Xbox repair guide before it is too late!

ERHYI7890HUJY6FDG7WGP9ASFASVZ

There is more than likely only one problem and that is overheating.

Xbox 360 Overheating Repair

Simple really the overheating is being cause by lack of airflow, they made the Xbox so compact that the sensitive components within your system are not able to cool off properly.

What happens is that many of the parts within the Xbox are held in place by thermal glue and as your system heats up the glue begins to expand, the components are allowed to shift or move out of place.

A Quick Tip

If the internal parts have not moved to far out of place, this may be of some help. Does your Xbox sit on or near your Television, VCR or DVD player, then it is time to move it.

These other systems give off heat of their own and can be adding to your overheating problems and constricting the airflow.

Be sure to keep your Xbox off of the carpet or your bed as this will also contribute to the lack of airflow to your unit.

For Those That Have An Expired Warranty

Since for most, the first thought is to send your Xbox back to Microsoft to be fixed. You will want to know that they will charge up to $140 dollars to do the repair. They also are so swamped doing repairs and warranty work it may take 4 to 8 weeks to get your console back.

Gamers Choice – Xbox 360 Console Repair Guide

These guides are known by many names and there are several reasons they are considered the best option.

1. They are manuals and have instructional video that will walk you through the entire process from beginning to end.

2. The cost of the repair guide at the time of this writing is still under $30 dollars.

3. This will be a permanent fix and one that can be done quickly and easily.

To have the Xbox 360 console repair done for you, can run up to $140 dollars and take a couple of months to be returned or you can spend a few hours of your time, watch some video to learn how to do the repair yourself and do it for less than $30 dollars.

The policy is a no questions asked – full money back guarantee. This is a permanent fix for your system. The longer you go without the repair, the more extensive it will become, the video will walk you through the process so you can take care of your unit now Click Here: Xbox locks up repair

ERHYI7890HUJY6FDG7WGP9ASFASVZ

(Note: If you don’t understand what the heck Windows Phone 7 is, read this first.)

Here’s the official word from Microsoft on how WP7 will incorporate Xbox Live.

“Games—This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.”

What we saw in Microsoft’s demo today fleshes that concept out a bit. There will be a Spotlight section, with your Xbox Live avatar and notice of friends’ achievements. And of course, there will be games—”premium titles” with achievements and multiplayer connected to other cellphones, PCs and Xbox 360 consoles.

Don’t let the simple interface fool you. Xbox Live on a phone is more than having your avatar on one more screen because of the three types of games I believe we’ll see on Windows Phone 7.

The Three Games of Windows 7 Phone

The first type of game will be a lot like an iPhone title. Powerful pocket hardware will push impressive graphics (that make the PSP and DS look sad). That’s a simple idea that I know all of you can wrap your heads around.

Now, some of these games may be released cross-platform, as Microsoft teased today. They’ll be what I classify as the second type of gaming on Windows Phone 7—casual, connected titles that allow anyone with a Live account to join in (no matter if they’re on a WP7, 360 or PC). You won’t see the most beautiful XBLA titles on the phone, of course, but something like Worms? Why not? A buy it once, play it anywhere model would make this type of game incredibly enticing. UPDATE: It appears that Windows Phone 7 will run XNA framework, meaning it should be (theoretically) compatible with the Xbox 360′s XNA games.

The third type of game—the one that will appeal most to the hardcore gamers—is the Xbox 360 expanded title, something unmentioned by Microsoft but that I see coming a mile away. Imagine a minigame accompaniment to Halo that could unlock more content/resources/anything. Now imagine that such a game is driven by some of the most powerful handheld processors in the world. (You should be picturing something that looks a lot like Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies on the iPhone.) But with the iPhone, Nazi Zombies never leaves your phone—nothing about it will affect your Call of Duty experience on your home console.

Such no longer needs to be the case when the game is connected to Live. AAA franchises can make their way to the mobile space with Microsoft in a way that they never could with Apple. Put differently, pocketable games can have console-level repercussions.

Microsoft’s Mobile Trump Card: Nobody Else Has an Xbox Live…Not Really

While the iPhone is a treasure trove of pocketable amusements, they’re pretty much self-contained entities working in a closed box. Sadly, pretty much the same thing can be said about the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. Nintendo and Sony have both experimented with connecting their mobile and home platforms on a title-by-title basis (and no doubt, the PSP’s early promise of Remote Play still sounds like a revolutionary idea today), but neither company has been all that successful in bridging the gap to create a seamless digital experience.

Plus, let’s face it, neither Sony nor Nintendo is relevant in the smartphone business—the present and future of pocket gaming. And while the iPhone is tough competition, it’s one phone. Windows Phone 7 Series is a specification (that includes baseline hardware specs and software specs) for many phones that could potentially be on many carriers.

Imagine if Nintendo let any willing manufacturer integrate Wii/DS services. That’s essentially what Microsoft is doing here.

But when it really comes down to it, is Microsoft selling us the Xbox 360 experience on cellphones, or are they pitching putting cellphone games on the Xbox 360? And will anyone want to create original, non-ported content for the Windows 7 Phone Series when there are 75 million iPhones and iPod touches out there already?

Time will tell. Despite what promises to be the most full-featured mobile gaming platform of all time, Microsoft must woo developers to create compelling mobile content before any of this matters.

Microsoft will kill Xbox Live support for original Xbox games. Rumor has is that this is being done to increase the numbers of friends you can have on Xbox (360) Live. Right now it’s at 100 people—a limit imposed by old Xbox architecture—, but clearly you need more.

The switch will be flipped on April 15—Tax Day here in the U.S.—and from then on, no Xbox Live for your orignial Xbox.

The move will also affect Xbox Live Originals played on Xbox 360.

Let’s be clear: you can still play your original Xbox games, you just can’t use them on Xbox Live.

The biggest original Xbox game still being played on Xbox Live is Halo 2, where some 3,500 people still play the game regularly, according to some place I forget.

Xbox Live launched in November, 2002. I was 16 at the time, and picked up Xbox Live on day one—I wisely predicted that it would be sold out at Best Buy, so I picked it up from Circuit City— and played Unreal Championship online like it was my job for a while there. I was pretty good! Oh, memories.