Topic: The Windows/microsoft thread of not knowing how to count.

[Ceric]

...
The only people who actually do have something to worry about are the criminals and those who just are too paranoid to accept they never had privacy to begin with.

That's a very generational statement.  Not that its bad but anyone older then me you be hard press to hear them say that.

Anyways, just had a stern conversation with Microsoft Store Support about the meaning of Overnight delivery is.  They still haven't shipped my Microsoft Band.  It obviously won't be here today.  I paid for it to be here today.  I could have gotten 2 day shipping for free.  Now I have to call them back when I do get a tracking number so that I can get my $16 back.

[Stogi]

I'll be honest I read enough of your posts and enough of that post to get the gist of what your saying.

For me this is a watch.  Plain and simple.  I haven't had a watch in years simply because I couldn't justify having a time only device.  Time just isn't that important to me.  I be looking at the neat time pieces that do tons of stuff.  That gets me here.  I love statistics on myself and teasing out patterns.  If I could have my full genetic code and have every statistic about me in a real time and historic feed I would.  This stuff interests me.  This is as close as I'll currently get.

I think in the distant future when we finally perfect screen projection and get use to the lack of touch feedback that something akin to the Microsoft Band will be the norm since we won't need to tablet and phone model we have today.  Sci-Fi has been predicting that is where we won't to go for almost the life of the genre.  Yes in the future the Desktop PC as we know it will not be what it is.

If you just want a timepiece, then more power to you. I still carry around a pocket watch. The vast population aren't like us though. They could careless about timepieces, especially the younger generation. But I see your point, if you're going to wear a watch, might as well wear something with some functionality.

As for having your phone on your wrist and projecting it on a surface, that will never happen for two reasons: one, privacy, two, unsatisfactory conditions. I could see a phone being on your wrist, but even then you'd still want it to detach from your wrist so you could hold it to your ear (unless you're okay with wearing an earpiece).

If we are talking about the far distant future, something like "Her" would be my guess. A.I. would allow you to rarely look at a screen until you need one. And guess what? It's in your pocket, not on your wrist.

I wear watches, I am obsessed with time pieces so these things have an appeal to me on that merit alone. But I also enjoy making old tech useful and this does that too. I don't see a counter-culture where people rebel against technology if that were going to happen it would have by now, the world depends on these things now, even people who need then for self comfort their device has become a part of their identity there is no taking that away now, not without a blood revolution which is not too far fetched but far less desirable than just not caring what statistics they are sharing on you, if your not breaking the law and not doing anything your embarrassed by why do you care if they track you or not? Is it a privacy issue? Are you embarrassed someone might see you go into a comic book shop or something? Are you a secret cross-dresser and are scared this might out you? What is the concern I don't get it so what if they can track you and what you buy thats always been a part of marketing and consumerism and people have accepted that decades ago, the internet just makes is more obvious and if Facebook and Google can get away with all the so-called spying they do, nothing is going to shake up this culture. We collectively shrugged off the you-know-what deal that should have brought this whole thing to it's knees and instead we just went about our business like oh well that sucks but what can you do about it. Without a bloody revolution the masses are not going to give up their comfortable lives no matter what.

The only people who actually do have something to worry about are the criminals and those who just are too paranoid to accept they never had privacy to begin with.

If you read a little farther, you would see that I concede the need to carry your phone. It's the second part of my premise.


That said, privacy is a real concern and people do not need to be a part of illegal activities to be concerned. And the only reason we put up with it now is because we like the functionality (or don't like terrorists, but that's another discussion). But if the ratio between how beneficial a new technology is vs my lack of privacy ever grows too small, we would have serious issues. It would certainly become creepy.


And I'll summarize what I said since you didn't read it (which is fine, it was the longest post I've written in a while). What are manufacturer's like Apple and Google asking you to do? Their asking you to put a phone in your pocket, a screen on your wrist, and a camera on your face. If you don't think that sounds like subjugation of the masses, you may be right...for now.


If you want to carry a phone and use your watch to check your messages and reply with a smiley face, or speak into your device like inspector gadget (and I mean that in a loving way), then more power to you. But I see the majority of people still needing to whip out their phone to send a reply. And in that sense, I would deem it a pretty useless device, especially when you have to have your phone to connect. It's a shortcut to your phone that tracks your heart. A pager that you wear on your wrist. But if you're cool with that, then don't let me stop you. Every man has a right to decide his own destiny.


The product that I foresee catching on with the masses is a phone companion. And the difference between it and a watch is that it can stand alone. It can make calls, text, shoot videos, take pictures, and pull up and grab information. It's essentially a phone, but tinier. And you would use it whenever you'd like to sacrifice a large screen for durability and size.


If you have an Apple TV remote, I implore you to pick it up and try using it as a phone. Doesn't it feel like the perfect size to talk on the phone with? Don't you kinda wish your phone was that size. That's all I'm getting at. There's no way a phone will be smaller than an iphone 6 anymore, unless it's collapsible. So as a main phone, you couldn't get away with manufacturing an Apple TV remote-sized phone to compete against the Samsungs of the world. You'd die. But as a companion to that phone, you could potentially tap into a market that hadn't existed.

[Ceric]

Stogi,

Not projecting on a Surface.  Projecting as a screen in the air.  They did it on Agents of Shield if memory serves.  At that point Jewelry style arrangements make sense as the projection source.

[Stogi]

In the air still lacks privacy though. Could you imagine people in a crowded train talking on the phone?

I could see something like contacts for your eye that allow you to see who you're talking to in private, but popping out in the air...especially for a show that is about military confidentiality is ridiculous.

[Ceric]

Its the same as what you currently do.

[Stogi]

What do we normally do?

[Ceric]

Looking at a screen in public.

[Stogi]

I haven't seen Agents of shield, but I assume you would be able to see the person in the pop up from any angle?

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

I actually did read your entire post, so I resent the idea that I didn't, I just shared my thoughts on the matter, especially those that differed from what you said, the gist was, people have already accepted the loss of privacy but that wasn't even my concern really. I just don't think the market for these is as limited as you made it out and was presenting a picture of a different type of consumer than the one you described to illustrate that point. If it was just Apple making these things I would say yeah its an unknown market but everyone is rushing to get into this and even Nintendo has announced their own weird roundabout way of half assing their way into a small portion of this new craze.

All I was saying is I am excited for the new watches because I wear watches and have been saddened that they had been on the decline so I was excited for a new watch that the young people could get excited for to keep watches cool, which was mostly all I was saying everything else was just babbling.

In my honest opinion I think this is more than a fad, my reasoning is simple perhaps flawed but its all I have to go on at the moment as this is basically uncharted territory. My reasoning this is more than a fad is it transcendes the young people who drive the adoption of new technologies and the super tech savvy. While I am a techie at heart, I spend my money very selectively these days and I am super excited for this new technology and so has been everyone I have talked to, therefore my reasoning is if other people my age who are less interested in technology are at least talking about it and not in a negative fashion that indicates to me there is something going on more than just the latest fad the young people are all buzzing about. Again flawed reasoning but this is uncharted territory and so its hard to make an argument either way how it will go. Also I typically try to be optimistic about new technologies that I am actively excited for because it gives me hope others will too, although the masses do not always go the way I want.

[NWR_insanolord]

I don't think wearables are ever going to be even anywhere near as ubiquitous as smartphones, but I think they're more than a fad.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

...
The only people who actually do have something to worry about are the criminals and those who just are too paranoid to accept they never had privacy to begin with.

That's a very generational statement.  Not that its bad but anyone older then me you be hard press to hear them say that.

I am curious how old are you then? I am 32 and I feel that way mostly out of fatigue trying to keep my **** private from Google I lost all hope when you know who broke his you know what a year or so ago. Of course With all the credit cards getting hacked I think people might start waking up but I doubt it, sounds like they will just turn to this new Apple Wallet type stuff which I imaging will integrate into these smart watches too eventually right?

[Ceric]

...
The only people who actually do have something to worry about are the criminals and those who just are too paranoid to accept they never had privacy to begin with.

That's a very generational statement.  Not that its bad but anyone older then me you be hard press to hear them say that.

I am curious how old are you then? I am 32 and I feel that way mostly out of fatigue trying to keep my **** private from Google I lost all hope when you know who broke his you know what a year or so ago. Of course With all the credit cards getting hacked I think people might start waking up but I doubt it, sounds like they will just turn to this new Apple Wallet type stuff which I imaging will integrate into these smart watches too eventually right?

We're the same age.

[Ceric]

So the saga continues.  Overnight so far is meaning 2 business days later now.  Not only is my Microsoft Band not coming in today.  It has yet to be picked up by UPS.  Honestly at this rate I be better off trying to have my wife pick me up one this weekend when she is in Knoxville.

[shingi_70]

So the January 21st event should be interesting, it seems that Windows 10 is really shaking up what Windows looks like and is what Windows 8 should have been.




The newest screenshots of the new Spartan Browser show the new UI even more.


The new Broswer sounds pretty nice and Internet Explorer has already been good since around IE nine. Spartan will have

-A new user interface
-Extenstions similar to chrome
-share and reading modes
-Cortana Integration
-Anoonation features that sync to One note.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

I really need a new laptop and a new desktop. I will probably end up getting one in a month or so and the other down the road but I am hoping Windows 10 launches this year so I can upgrade shortly after or decide if I should just hold off.

[BranDonk Kong]

Download VMWare and install the preview version on it.

[shingi_70]

So thoughts on the Windows 10 event.

The new look of Windows 10 on the desktop.

-Cortana is coming to Windows on Desktop and Xbox One

-New Universal apps that work on all the Windows 10 platforms. Today they showed off a few of them like Onedrive, Office, Maps, and Xbox music.

-Music upload to onedrive like google music is due in the next two weeks.

-Spartan Browser is the Internet Explorer replacement for Windows 10. It has reading list, extensions, annotation, and cortana features.


Windows Phone is now just windows 10 and looks pretty good.


-Battletoads all but confirmed for the Xbox One.

--Xbox App for Windows 10

-Game DVR 30 second record that and 30 minutes DVR features work for all games on PC regardless of xbox live functions.

-Fable Legends is coming to windows 10 with cross platform support for the Xbox One.

-Streaming Xbox one games to your PC.

-Surcae Hub a 84 inch surface monitor aimed at enterprise and university.

-Holo-lens the AR headset.
 

-The next big events are

Mobile World Congress in early march. Its where were going to get Windows Phone flagship announced.
GDC where we get more on gaming and direct X
Build 2015 - the next Major windows ecosystem event and ls microsoft's WWDC google io event.
E3 - the big one for gaing.

[Ceric]

Holo-lens is actually pretty neat and I think the direction that AR really should go.  Not being tethered to something is Huge.

[BlackNMild2k1]

No mention that Win10 is a free upgrade to all legit win 7, 8, and 8.1 users who upgrade in the first year of release?

[Ceric]

No mention that Win10 is a free upgrade to all legit win 7, 8, and 8.1 users who upgrade in the first year of release?

The wording on that was terrible.  A lot of people thought they meant that Windows 10 was free for the first year and then you have to pay for a subscription...


Also the Music from Onedrive will be pretty cool because I have all the Assets we used for NFR for the ones that I edited up there.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

so if I upgrade to Windows 10 when it releases its free is that what you are saying?

[Ceric]

so if I upgrade to Windows 10 when it releases its free is that what you are saying?

Yes

[shingi_70]

Microsoft announced two mid range phones at MWC this week. The Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640 XL.


The 640 will be coming to ATT, Tmobile, and Metro PCS and will cost between $100-$199.

Operating system Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim
HERE location services Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+Free HERE Transit available in the Store
Display 5” HD (1280×720, 16:9) IPS LCD, 294 PPI, Glance screen Corning Gorilla Glass 3
 Sunlight readability enhancements
Battery 2500 mAh battery
Processor 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
Main camera 8 MP AF, LED Flash, Lumia Camera 5
Front facing camera 1 MP FF
Memory 8GB + 30GB free OneDrive, micro SD up to 128GB
Dimensions 141.3 x 72.2 x 8.85 mm
 144 g

and than the Lumia 640 XL which will be coming to ATT in America.

Operating system Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim
HERE location services Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+Free HERE Transit available in the Store
Display 5.7” HD (1280×720, 16:9) IPS, 259 PPI, ClearBlack, Glance Screen, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
 Sunlight readability enhancements
Battery 3000 mAh battery
Processor 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
Main camera 13 MP AF, ZEISS optics, Lumia Camera
Front facing camera 5 MP wide angle FF
Memory 8GB + 30GB free OneDrive, micro SD up to 128GB
Dimensions 157.9 x 81.5 x 9 mm
 171g

I'll probably grab the 640 to replace my aging Nexus 4 and to hold me over until the W10 flagship phones launch.

Microsoft also showed off more of the Universal apps platform at the conference and expanded upon it with a blog post.
http://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2015/03/02/a-first-look-at-the-windows-10-universal-app-platform/





The next Windows 10 preview update will be adding Spartan browser so i'll be looking forward to playing with that.

Some stuff from the Xbox front.


Last eek Microsoft announced that Fable Legends for ONE/PC ould be a free to play game and use a method similar to Killer Instinct and League of Legends. The character selection rotates out a free selection and you can outright buy those that you want.

How much will Fable Legends cost?

Fable Legends will be free-to-play on Windows 10 PCs and free-to-play with Gold on Xbox One. This means you’ll be able to download the game on either system and play through it beginning-to-end without having to spend any money.*

Why have you decided to make Fable Legends Free to Play?

We want to open the exciting world of Fable to more players, and we see free-to-play as a great way of doing that.

Are all of the quests and storylines also free?

Absolutely! The story can be played beginning-to-end for free.

Are the Heroes free?

There will always be a set of Heroes available to play for free. The Heroes on free rotation will be available for everyone to play for a set period of time.

How will Hero rotation work?

A set of Heroes will be available to play for free for a limited time, after which a new set of Heroes will take their place. This gives you the chance to play every Hero in the game for free over time, and any progress made on a Hero will be kept until they come back into rotation.

If you want permanent access to Heroes outside of free rotation, you’ll be able to earn them through gameplay, or purchase them for real money.

Do players who pay have an advantage over those who don’t?

No. You’ll be able to earn everything that affects gameplay.

How does customisation work?

You will be able to customise any Hero! From outfits through to hair colour and different faces, you’ll have an abundance of choices open to you.

Customisations will be unlocked either with earned in-game silver, or by purchasing them. Some cosmetic items – that change your look but don’t affect gameplay – may only be purchasable.

What will I be able to buy as a Villain?

Each Quest in Fable Legends has a number of Creatures that are native to it. If you want to use Creatures that are non-native to that Quest you will be able to unlock them through gameplay, or by purchasing them.

You will also be able to earn or buy different types of Traps and Gates to find new and exciting ways to take down the Heroes.

Will I need Xbox Live Gold membership to play Fable Legends on Xbox One?

Yes. Being a multiplayer game, Fable Legends will require Xbox Live Gold to play.

Will I need to pay for Gold membership to play on Windows 10 PC?

No, Windows 10 PC will not require Xbox Live Gold.

Will purchases I make on Xbox One carry over to the Windows 10 PC version?

Yes! Progress and items will be synced across Windows 10 PC and Xbox One. You can play on Windows 10 PC, and when you log in on Xbox One with the same account, pick up where you left off.

Will there be a boxed collector’s edition of the game?

We know that a lot of people love to collect physical copies and special editions, we are looking into this and will keep you updated.

How will free to play impact the development of the game? Will you focus more on shop items?

We want Fable Legends to be a brilliant game, and we have taken extra steps to ensure that the free-to-play model does not define the game. Our focus is on delivering high quality content for you to enjoy.

Following the launch of Fable Legends we will continue to deliver regular updates including new Heroes and Quests for you to play.

*Xbox Live Gold membership sold separately. Game offers in-app purchases.

Last week Microsoft also announced Forza Horizon 2 presents Fast and Furious. Its a standalone open world expansion similar to what's been done with Infamous second son. It features cars from the fast and furious anc challenges and races related to the series. It comes out on March 27 and is free until Apirl 10th. After that period is up it will cost $10 for anyone who didn't get it while it was free.




and finally to Kick off GDC Microsoft announced a ton of indie games coming to the Xbox One through the ID@Xbox Program. They seem to be catching up with Nintendo and Microsoft as far as relations go. The games include


Knight Squad - Chainawesome games
Gunball - Necrosoft Games
Arirtana - Duaik
Harpy's Feather - Duaik
Inside My Radio - Seaven Studios
Anarcute - AnarTeam
Screencheat - Surprise Attack
Tower of Guns - Grip Digital
Tumblestone - The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild
Smite - Hi-rez
Soul Axiom - Wales Interactive
Bedlam - Redbedlam
Beyond Eyes - Team17
Clusterpuck 99 - PHL Collective
Cuphead - Studio MDHR
Earthlock: Festival of Magic - Snowcastle Games
The Flame in the Flood - The Molasses Flood
Fortfied - Clapfoot Games
Game 4 - The Behemoth
Goat Simulator - Double Eleven
LA Cops - Team17
Magic Duels: origins - Wizards of the Coast
Pixel Galaxy - Serenity Forge
RBI Baseball 15 - MLB.com
Shadow Blade: Rebirth - Dead Mage
Shovel Knight - Yacht Club Games
Submerged - Uppercut Games
Super Dungeon Bros. - React! Games
SWORDY - Frogshark
The Sun and the Moon - Digerati Distribution and Marketing
ZHEROES - Rimlight Studios
Wasteland 2 - Inxile Entertainment
Blues and Bullets - A crowd of monsters