Microsoft
Microsoft's
newly crowned head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, doesn't believe the software
company will sell off its gaming division, he said in a recent
interview.Speaking to Edge Magazine in an interview excerpt published on Tuesday, Spencer said not only that the Xbox division will remain a part of Microsoft, but that it will be an important component in the tech giant's future strategy.
"Xbox
is maybe the most relevant brand that Microsoft has with consumers
today," Spencer told Edge Magazine, adding that the Xbox division is "an
asset that's extremely valuable, and since our future ambition is to
grow our consumer relevance, Xbox has to be at the center of that."
Spencer's
comments might quell some rumors suggesting the Xbox division could
eventually find its way to the Microsoft chopping block. After Microsoft
CEO Satya Nadella took on his new role earlier this year, he said that
his company must focus on mobile and the cloud, conspicuously leaving
Xbox out of that discussion. More recently, Nadella has acknowledged the
importance of the Xbox division, saying that its software experience
might be a suitable fit for other services Microsoft is working on.
Spencer, however, is the first to directly respond to the questions
surrounding a possible Xbox sale.
Spencer wasn't the only one to
chime in on Xbox's future in the Edge interview. Former Microsoft
employee and game developer Peter Molyneux took issue with Microsoft's
Kinect, saying that "it feels like an unnecessary add-on." He went so
far as to call Kinect a "joke."
When Microsoft unveiled and
launched the Xbox One last year, the Kinect stood at the center of the
company's sales pitch, saying that the sensor, which allows for
everything from controller-free gaming to voice commands to control
on-screen applications, would play a crucial role in the Xbox One
experience. So far, however, it has been panned by many gamers who are
displeased with the general lack of games that fully support the Kinect.
Molyneux went even further, saying that it does a poor job of
responding to voice commands.
Although he didn't respond to
Molyneux, Spencer promised more games for Kinect this year. He also said
that the Xbox One will be getting more titles available exclusively on
the hardware, rather than the PlayStation 4.
CNET
has contacted Microsoft for comment on Spencer and Molyneux's
statements. We will update this story when we have more information.
Windows XP, your time has come.
CNET
Microsoft
has been urging Windows XP users to migrate to a more modern OS as
support ends today. But even with the latest patches, XP had worn out
its welcome in a world of more advanced cyberthreats.As
Microsoft first announced almost seven years ago, XP loses support
today. That doesn't mean XP computers around the world suddenly stop
working. But it does mean that they're at higher risk since Microsoft
will no longer support them.
Specifically, XP users
will no longer receive bug fixes, security patches, or other updates
designed to protect the core OS. Today's Patch Tuesday marks the last
round of updates for XP. Yet even with patches a plenty, the OS at its
core has been living on borrowed time the past few years.
"Windows
XP was launched in 2001, which meant the design and engineering of it
took place in the late 90s into 2000, which was a very different world
when we think about the profiles of the malware and the profiles of the
hackers and bad people attacking PCs on the Internet," Tom Murphy,
director of communications for Windows at Microsoft, told CNET. "It was a
much simpler time."
Dinged by security problems in the past,
Microsoft has also made security a higher priority in the years since
XP. That focus helped it shore up Windows 7 and Windows 8 as more secure operating systems. In particular, Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative was the push needed to make sure all of the company's products are built with security in mind.
"So if you look at Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
over XP, there's a fundamentally different security model that makes
them more secure than an XP machine," Murphy said. "And there are ways
to reduce the risk [to XP] such as antivirus. But it's very important
that consumers understand that even with an antivirus software solution,
your XP machine is at risk because there's a chance there may be a
vulnerability in the actual operating system itself, and your antivirus
software will not stop that."
Netatmo
"Have
you ever seen the rain?" Creedence Clearwater Revival sang. Well, not
only have we seen it, we've monitored it on our smartphones via a
Wi-Fi-enabled precipitation sensor. Which is surely what Creedence meant to sing.
Netatmo's
Rain Gauge is a newly-available accessory for the company's Personal
Weather Station, which tracks environmental changes inside or outside
your home, measuring humidity and air quality among other things.
The
extra module attaches to a standard screw, Netatmo says, and is at home
in your garden, or gathering rainfall in a balcony. It connects to the
Weather Station over Wi-Fi, letting you track the amount of rainfall per
hour, or how much precipitation there's been over a longer stretch of
time. You can also set up custom alerts that will let you know when the
sensors register rainfall -- letting you know it's time to dash home and
take the washing in.
Only works with Weather Station
The Rain Gauge can be pre-ordered as of today
for $79, (or £59 if you're in the UK), though expect to wait 15 days
before it ships. Sadly, it only works with the Weather Station -- which
costs a much heftier $179 -- and you can only associate one Rain Gauge
with each Weather Station.
The accessory could be of interest to
horticultural types who enjoy monitoring their garden from afar,
however, and is part of a growing smart home trend that sees high-tech
tracking features used to give us new data about our everyday lives.
Netatmo has form in this area, revealing the sun-monitoring 'June' wristband in January.
Marguerite Reardon/CNET
Comcast
officially kicked off the regulatory review process Tuesday for its
$45.2 billion merger with Time Warner Cable with a filing detailing the
benefits and defending itself against claims that the deal would harm
competition.
On Tuesday, the company filed what's known as a joint
application and public interest statement with the Federal
Communications Commission. Last week, it filed a Hart-Scott-Rodino
notification with the US Department of Justice, which will begin the
antitrust review of the merger. And on Wednesday, David Cohen, executive
vice president for Comcast, will testify about the merger before the US
Senate Judiciary Committee where he'll answer questions about the
merger.
Now that the official filing has been made in the merger,
which was announced in February, the FCC will have a self-imposed
deadline of 180 days to review the merger and make its decision. Comcast
stock was trading down less than 1 percent, or 43 cents, at $48.65.
The
merger has sparked strong opposition from some consumer groups and
other critics, who say that a combined Comcast and Time Warner Cable
would be too powerful. Comcast is the largest cable operator in the
nation and Time Warner Cable is the second largest.
But Comcast
maintains that the two companies do not overlap in terms of the
broadband or video services they offer in any single market and
therefore pose no antitrust concerns.
Most experts believe that
regulators will see the world through Comcast's eyes and approve the
deal. But opposition to the deal could spark the FCC and the Justice
Department to impose conditions. The argument for merging
In
its filings, Comcast goes into detail regarding this point. It also
outlines the consumer benefits of the deal and explains the various
competitors it faces in both is broadband and video businesses.
Comcast's David Cohen summarized these points in a blog post
Tuesday. In Cohen's view, a combined Comcast and Time Warner are better
together than they are separately. He said that Time Warner Cable
consumer and business customers will both benefit from the transaction
in a number of ways. And he said the company is able to offer these
benefits without "diminishing competition in video, broadband, phone,
programming, advertising and other markets."
For consumers, he said these benefits include faster broadband services.
"While
TWC has upgraded its entire network to DOCSIS 3.0 and has plans to
improve speeds and further digitize its network, Comcast has already
transitioned to a fully digital network, stands ready to implement
DOCSIS 3.1 (the next-generation broadband standard), and has rolled out
some of the fastest Internet speeds and the largest Wi-Fi network in the
nation," he said.
Cohen emphasized that Comcast data speeds are
already faster than what is commonly offered by Time Warner. For
example, Comcast's most popular broadband tier is 25 Mbps, while TWC's
is 15 Mbps. He also pointed out that Comcast has been aggressive in its
Wi-Fi hot spot deploying. The company has deployed nearly 1 million
Wi-Fi hot spots in its territory, compared to only 29,000 deployed by
Time Warner Cable.
When it comes to video, Cohen also pointed to
Comcast's new X1 platform and its video on demand and online video
offerings that Time Warner customers will also have access to. Comcast
now offers 50,000 programming choices on TVs, while Time Warner cable
offers between 15,000 to 20,000.
Cohen also mentioned that
Comcast will extend its Net neutrality protections to Time Warner Cable
customers. Comcast agreed to adhere to the FCC's Open Internet rules no
matter what as a condition of its merger with NBC Universal. Since a
federal appeals court struck down the FCC's official regulation, Comcast
is the only Internet service provider bound to follow these rules. The
FCC is currently drafting new rules it hopes will stand up to scrutiny
in the courts.
Cohen also mentioned other benefits for consumers
as well, such as the extension of the company's low-income broadband
adoption program, Internet Essentials. This program will also be
expanded to Time Warner Cable territory, which will include cities such
as LA, Dallas, New York, and Charlotte, N.C. The competition question
Cohen
said he understands why critics are skeptical of allowing two major
broadband and video providers to merge. But he said the concerns are
overblown. And he pointed to a map that outlines the coverage areas for
the two companies.
"Comcast and TWC do not compete against each
other in any area, so there is no reduction in consumer choice in any
market," he said. "Customers will still have the same number of video,
broadband, or phone options before the deal as after it."
He added
that even when the two companies are combined, Comcast will still serve
less than 30 percent of the video market. He also emphasized the
company will divest about 3 million customers. He pointed out that 98.4
percent of the service area that Comcast and Time Warner serve,
consumers have a choice of one of these cable operators plus at least
one of the top 10 major broadband providers, such as AT&T or
Verizon.
He also pointed to a long list of competitors, who are
both traditional broadband and TV competitors, such as the satellite TV
providers and AT&T and Verizon, as as well as over-the-top Internet
companies who compete with Comcast in new ways to deliver video, such as
Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Google. What's missing from the arguments
While
Cohen and Comcast have done a thorough job of outlining the various
competitors in the broadband and video market and also explaining how
Time Warner Cable customers will benefit from the deal, the company did
little to address concern over Comcast's video content business that it
owns through NBC Universal. Many critics are fearful that combining with
Time Warner Cable would make the cable giant too powerful. And they
fear that the company will use this power in ways that adversely affect
competition and consumer choice.
And even though Comcast points
to Internet companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Google, and others as
content competitors, the reality is that these providers still have to
ride over Comcast's infrastructure to reach customers. And as a content
company itself through its control of NBC Universal, Comcast also
controls some of the content that these companies also want to provide
to their customers.
Another major fear among consumer advocates
is that this merger will lead to even higher prices for services for
consumers and businesses. Cohen said that the purpose of the merger is
to create efficiencies in the business through scale, but previously he
said that the he couldn't promise prices would go down post-merger. He
didn't address this idea of pricing in the blog post at all.
It will be these issues and others that Comcast's political critics are likely to raise at Wednesday's hearing.
U.S. Cellular puts foot on the 4G LTE gas
U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular outlined on Tuesday its intentions to expand and enhance its 4G LTE network this yea
The wireless provider
plans to add more than 1,200 4G LTE cell towers across its footprint
over the course of 2014. In doing so, U.S. Cellular will expand its
existing coverage in 13 states.
Its planned growth will spread out
across a number of states: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North
Carolina, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Looking ahead, Oklahoma City, Emporia,
Kan., and areas of Door County, Wis will also get LTE coverage for the
first time. All told, U.S. Cellular plans to have 4G LTE speeds in more than 93 percent of its network before the year is out.
Is it already time to start talking about the follow-up to the Moto X?The
kids, they just love the algebra these days. At least that's what the
marketing folks at Motorola seem to be thinking if the latest from
online leak-master @evleaks is to be believed. Late Saturday,
the notorious (and often accurate) Twitter account tweeted what appears
to be a leaked logo for the upcoming phone with no more information than
the claim that it's coming soon:
Motorola Moto X + 1: coming soon pic.twitter.com/7c8Gy16rdl
-- @evleaks (@evleaks) April 6, 2014
It's
hard to believe that "soon" will be anytime in the next two months, but
there's plenty of reason to expect the successor to the Moto X,
which was released in August of last year, at some point this summer.
It's hard to say what to expect in a Moto X2 or a Moto X + 1, but I
think upgrades to all the specs that count, particularly the camera, are
a safe bet.
It also makes sense that the Moto X + 1 could be the first Motorola phone to launch alongside the Moto 360 smartwatch running Android Wear,
and we know that the Moto 360 will be launching in the summer. My guess
is that there will be an even harder sell to buy these as a pair than
we've seen with the Galaxy Gear and Samsung's premier Galaxy phones. Just
about the only thing that's certain is that this will be just the first
among many other leaks to come. And if it does turn out to be called X +
1, we're going to have to endure lots of terrible algebra puns in the
marketing.
So get ready for Motorola to "cross-cancel the
competition until it's clear that the only way to solve for whatever "X"
is in your life is with the Moto X + 1."
The
USB Type-C connector, which governs ports and cables, will be smaller
than typical USB ports on PCs but bigger than those on mobile phones.
USB Implementers Forum
So now we know what the next-gen USB cable will look like.
The new design, called USB Type-C,
is designed to replace today's multitude of cables and fix a number of
their shortcomings. Type-C USB jacks will be small enough for mobile
phones, the cable will be reversible end-to-end so it doesn't matter
which end you attach to your computer and which to your digital camera,
and as with Apple's Lightning connector there will be no upside-down
when it's time to actually plug the cable in.
The USB Implementers Forum,
which oversees the Universal Serial Bus specification, announced its
plans for a new USB cable and port in December but hadn't settled on the
exact physical design of the connector. Now it's done, and the new
cables could arrive in months, the USB IF said Wednesday at the Intel
Developer Forum conference in Shenzhen, China.
"The
specification is anticipated to be completed in July 2014. We could see
products with the new cable by end of year," the USB IF told CNET. Expect new USB Type-C ports to live side by side with old-style ports for awhile.
USB Implementers Forum
Type-C cures all these ills, the USB IF argues
But along with the difficulties of dragging the entire PC, phone, tablet,
and gadget ecosystem into the future, USB Type-C faces another
challenge from the USB IF itself: a new attempt to encourage wireless
USB data transfer after last decade's effort flopped. Cables still have
advantages, though, including the ability to charge and power devices
and fast data-transfer speeds. Although the new wireless USB in
principle can reach into the gigabit-per-second range with 60GHz
802.11ad wireless networking, Type-C cables will support USB 3.1's
10Gbps rates.The USB prong itself measures 8.3x2.5mm, smaller than the
plugs that fit into a PC's USB ports today but larger than the
6.85x1.8mm of the Micro-USB B-type those widely used in mobile phones.
Cable supported cable lengths won't change.
Other attributes of the Type-C design, according to the USB-IF:
It'll make an audible click when plugged in correctly.
It's designed to accommodate future USB incarnations with higher data-transfer speeds.
It'll support USB's growing role in carrying power to operate and charge devices through the USB Power Delivery technology.
It's designed to be plugged and unplugged 10,000 times.
With so many USB devices in the market today, don't expect an
immediate transition to the new cable. It's likely PCs will include new
and old port styles side by side, and that people will have use for
cables and adapters that bridge the old and new styles.
