E3 is one of the best gaming conventions that there is out there.  Happening once a year in Los Angeles, it attracts thousands of gaming programmers and nerds alike.

This year, Microsoft may have launched a new ground breaking technology that may push other video game consoles off the shelves.  The new Microsoft Xbox Kinect – formally known as Project Natal.

For several days leading up to the press event, Twitter’s stream was filled with E3 announcements and hashtags for a new device for what we all thought was #ProjectNatal.

Come time for the official press announcement, Microsoft announces that the product itself is called Kinect.  A new revoluntionary device that will connect to you to your Xbox360.

Kinect scans your whole body and senses your every move to play a game without using a physical controller. Kinect will let you play the game without any barriers, no controllers, just the way you were meant to.  You physically become part of the game.

The press event was filled with Cirque du Soleil performances that allowed you to be on the floor with the performers and hands on with the interaction.

Kinect is due to be available in stores during the holiday season of 2010.

*photos taken by Krystyl or provided by Microsoft Xbox

Search is where it’s at on Facebook. Moving even further away from display ads, Microsoft has announced it will no longer be selling them on the Facebook site at all. The move was accompanied by the announcement that Microsoft will also be using Bing as the default for web search on Facebook on a global scale, pushing beyond the current U.S. restrictions outlined by their existing partnership.

Microsoft has said in a blog post that the decision to stop selling display ads on Facebook was a mutual decision, and that Microsoft would like to focus on the aspects of Facebook advertising that make sense. As Microsoft has already shared its plans to expand its current Bing offering on Facebook, it appars as though search may have a lot to do with the monetization of Facebook and related advertising options.

Right now Microsoft Bing is still rolling out new features on a regular basis, seeking additional adoption from web users and mobile users alike. Upon launch, Bing was already rather inclusive as far as features go, with a multimedia approach to search that also leveraged the social web more directly than Google. Incorporating Twitter and Facebook into their long term search plans indicates Microsoft’s hopes around the social web as they pertain to its own investment in Facebook.

Bing’s search results on Facebook, however, are pretty dismal. Going along with Facebook’s simple format for displaying information, it’s difficult to even tell that it’s a Bing search. Unlike the vibrancy of Bing’s main search portal, Bing results on Facebook are merely a series of links. That’s archaic compared to most search engine’s increasing ability to better contextualize search data. This is particularly notable as far as Bing is concerned, as its move towards contextual search results is one way in which Microsoft could be looking to out-do Google.

This process of contextualizing search data has been an ideal attached to the potential of social networking platforms, with Facebook leading the race. As Facebook continues to open up its platform towards more default public sharing, Microsoft’s Bing is leveraging that publicly-shared information to provide more relative search results in some cases. Tying search into more aspects of our actual Facebook experience can be another way in which an improved Bing presence on the social network could be used to Microsoft’s advantage.

The old tactic of becoming a default tool across as many partnering services as possible is one that Microsoft is now able to better employ on web-related platforms, particularly Facebook. With the social network claiming over 375 million users now, accessing those users on such a large scale could be a major benefit for Microsoft Bing.

By Julie Blaustein

If you haven’t been to a Lunch 2.0 you should make it a point to schedule the time around lunch to attend one. After all, everyone needs to eat lunch. At Lunch 2.0 you not only score a free lunch but you will also meet new companies, smart people, eager recruiters and maybe even go home with some bling. Lunch 2.0 was started about 2 years ago when folks would sneak into other folks’ corporate cafeterias to eat lunch. Today the lunches are eagerly hosted not only in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Seattle but now in Europe and Asia. Great press has been written about Lunch 2.0′s including from the SF Chronicle and the WSJ. The recent Lunch 2.0 held at the Powerset’s office in San Francisco was held for Bing. Bing was in town to celebrate its six-months since the launch and the recent partnership with Twitter.

It was a full-capacity crowd at Bing. Keep in mind, one can not just sign up on Facebook, one must provide full disclosure of who it is that will be coming for lunch on UpComing to be truly rsvp’d. Sadly, Lunch 2.0 hopefuls were turned away for the Bing Lunch 2.0 at the Powerset front desk if they were not on the list. If you were lucky enough to gain admittance, get past the front desk and up the elevator, you found yourself served a gourmet lunch, beverages including beer, along with desert. Bing goodies were also served including a Bing hat just in time for the winter chill. All types showed up from the web 2.0 world. A few of the players that I ran into included recruiter Robert Greene of GreeneSearch who places whiz kid engineers into the hottest start ups, Jamie Perlman who does Business Development for SlideShare and is known for his ability to “sweet talk” anyone into any deal, Salesperson Michael Hansen of ZenDesk, the latest darling of the start up world and CEO Marc Cramer of SurfCanyon whose technology is integrated into Bing!

To join the list and get alerts for the next Lunch 2.0, go to their website, Facebook Page or their LinkedIn Group. If your company wants to host, you might want to first read How to Host a Lunch 2.0 and if you can handle it, then contact the organizers at their Lunch 2.0 site.

Bing Greeters Giving Out Bling

By Miiko Mentz (@miikomentz)

Microsoft Corp. has just opened its first retail store in the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall in Scottsdale, AZ and Bubblicious had a chance to visit the store, speak with customers and get a tour from Michael Forrest, senior director of customer experience at Microsoft. Forrest left Apple, Inc. earlier this year to join Microsoft and help them launch their first two retail stores and likely others next year.

Most of the talk, at least in tech circles, about the new Microsoft store was focused on how the store design is almost identical to Apple’s retail stores, minus the 120 47-inch HD screens that line the walls inside the Microsoft store. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with Microsoft bringing on Apple’s former real estate chief George Blankenship as a consultant, and wooing former Apple employees such as Forrest to jump ship and join Microsoft.

When asked how do you not plagiarize yourself in terms of store concept design and developing the Microsoft customer experience for the retail stores, Forrest didn’t exactly answer the question and instead shared how his 22 years of retail experience extends far beyond Apple and that it’s about creating direct connections with customers. He said that Apple and Microsoft are two very different companies. Forrest wrapped up that question with “I had a great time at Apple, and feel very, very fortunate and feel honored to be a part of this project.”

What will be interesting to see is if Apple decides to up the ante and make significant changes to its stores, especially the ones that will be located in the same mall with Microsoft stores. According to the Orange County Register, the Apple Store in The Shops in Mission Viejo, where Microsoft’s second store opens later this week, closed on September 13 for renovations. Apple as not set a date for that store’s re-opening.

Be There, Be Excited, Be Entertained, Be Early
That was the theme and words in an advertisement printed in Sunday’s October 18 issue of The Arizona Republic, Phoenix’s main regional newspaper. And people did exactly that for Thursday’s grand opening. They came out by the thousands with hundreds arriving early; some camped out overnight and waited 12 hours before doors opened. The first 1,000 people received a gift bag and tickets to an evening performance by Ashley Tisdale. The store opening coincided with the launch of Windows 7, which has been well received by customers and industry insiders. For the software giant, it’s a welcome change after the struggles it had with its previous operating system Windows Vista.

Microsoft is set to open its second store this Thursday, October 29 at 10:00 a.m. in Orange County at The Shops in Mission Viejo. Canadian singer Justin Bieber will perform. Tickets for the 5:00 p.m. performance will be given out at 10:00 a.m. Thursday.

Check out highlights of our interview with Forrest and the store tour he gave Bubblicious.

Interview Highlights:

Store Tour:

Related post:
Windows 7 Arrives with a Bang

Windows 7 has arrived with a bang. But unlike the launch of XP (remember “Start Me Up”?), the hype seems more directed, initially, at the tech community as opposed to the average consumer.

Windows offered Launch Party kits, so you could host your own celebration over getting rid of Vista. Additionally, Microsoft is part of a host of deals, including an impressive laptop/netbook/desktop bundle for $1200 and a buy a new Win 7 PC/get an additional free copy of Win 7 free deal.

Perhaps the most surprising news is that Microsoft is moving into the retail arena. In a move obviously calculated to hit at Apple, Microsoft has relaunched an online store and opened new retail locations. That’s right – it won’t be long before the Apple Store in your local mall will be neighbors with the Microsoft Store. Sort of strange, isn’t it?

According to Microsoft Senior Program Manager Trevin Chow:

On the new online Microsoft Store, we’ve added a bunch of new products, including Windows 7 PCs as well as select 3rd party software and accessories.  And let’s not forget a ton of gaming products that have been added including a bunch of the top selling Xbox 360 titles.

We initially launched the online store last November, and since then we have had nearly a years worth data coming in from usability studies, web analytics and direct customer feedback.  Based on all of this data, coupled with the newly expanded product catalog, one of the biggest goals we had in this release was to simplify site navigation for our customers.  With the new site, you’ll notice a re-designed categorization, navigation and filtering system aimed to make it easier and faster to navigate as well as help you find products you want more quickly. 

Oh and about those Launch Parties? Funny or Die has a great video on hosting your own Windows 7, um, Torrenting Party.

__

Cheers!
Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

Developers, this is your weekend.

WinMoDevCamp is aligning with the Silicon Valley CodeCamp this weekend to help developers learn, share, and collaborate on future mobile and desktop applications.

Organized by Microsoft evangelist Giovanni Gallucci with some help from the Windows Mobile dev team, The WinMoDevCamp San Francisco will be held on Friday, October 2nd at the Microsoft Offices in Mountain View from 10 am to 5 pm with a slew of presenters leading sessions including Susan Kevorkian of IDC’s Mobile & Wireless team, Microsoft MVPs, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and more. It’s free to attend: RSVP here.

With Windows Mobile 6.5 aka Windows Phone launching October 6, this devcamp will help developers learn about the new OS, market direction and trends, as well as highlight opportunities to fuel innovative apps around the new WinMo.

The event continues throughout the weekend with Microsoft resources also attending the Silicon Valley Code Camp taking place at Foothill College.

There, developers have the opportunity to:

- Create new applications for the Windows Mobile Platform

- Meet and work side-by-side with team members from the Microsoft Mobile Developer Experience team

- Migrate existing mobile applications from the iPhone, Blackberry and Palm Pre to the Windows Mobile Platform

- Create applications to support Windows Enterprise Applications

- Test and optimize applications for Windows Mobile 6.5

RSVP for Windows Mobile Devcamp hosted this Friday

RSVP for CodeCamp hosted this weekend

Connect with me on:
Twitter, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Plaxo, Plurk, Identi.ca, or Facebook

—
Now available! (click below to purchase the new book or poster):

Everyone has an App Store now. It’s important though – as I was shopping for a new phone last week, that was one of my questions. “Can I buy new apps for the phone?”

Windows Mobile Marketplace is an app store for your Windows Mobile device. Microsoft is now running a contest for the best app submissions, and the prizes are pretty sweet.

• Prizes: 4 Microsoft Surface tables (Developer Edition), online marketing & promotion of your app and challenge trophies for the mantle.

• Applications will be judged on:
  • Most downloads of a free app
  • Most valuable app (downloads x price)
  • Most useful (as judged by Microsoft panel)
  • Most playful (as judged by Microsoft panel)
• Contest runs from launch to Dec 31, 2009.

You can learn more about the contest and submit those apps. Submissions are accepted from all 29 supported countries. If I could code my way out of a hat, I’d enter. I love those Microsoft Surface tables!

__

Cheers!

Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at Michelle at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

By Sarah Townsend

Only furthering the argument that the only thing PCs are good for is looking at porn, Microsoft just released a new commercial for Internet Explorer 8, emphasizing the feature that allows you to hide your browser history. It’s not for the weak-stomached.

A little breakfast-time browsing, I see. That’s sick. I have to give it to Microsoft though, this video is extremely share-worthy, only increasing it’s chances of going viral and boosting downloads (if that’s even possible anymore). It has already been Twittered about thousands of times!

____

Sarah Townsend
E-mail: theoneinpink[at]gmail[dot]com
Twitter: theoneinpink
Blogs: TechDarling, The Vibe