Gamespot spilled the beans on Microsoft’s upcoming May Xbox 360 Dashboard update…
Highlights include integrated chat with Live Messenger (why?), a dedicated Marketplace blade, in-game achievement pop-ups, and a low-power download mode (no fans, yay!).
Jeremy was disappointed to discover Comcast dropped banner ads onto his DVR this week:
I noticed I’d lost about 1/8th of my overall screen space to a new “advertisement slot.” Worse yet, I’ve lost 2 (of 6) lines of the visible grid area, meaning I have to spend roughly 1/3 longer than before just to scroll through channels.
Assuming he’s stuck with them, JT provides several interesting suggestions on how Comast (or is it Motorola?) might improve their ad-serving implementation. Until then, he wonders where that Comcast-Motorola-TiVo is… While he’ll get a better interface (one day), the ads won’t be going away:
make the TiVo(R) service and advertising capability widely available to Comcast customers
combine TiVo’s unmatched DVR features and innovative advertising capabilities with the power of Comcast’s advanced digital television services
TiVo and Comcast will make TiVo’s interactive advertising platform available across Comcast’s customer base
Guitar Hero II, Xbox 360
The rumors are true… There is a black Xbox and it does offer HDMI (1.2). And unlike Apple TV, Microsoft kindly includes a HDMI cable. In lieu of of the Premium’s 20GB hard drive, the Xbox 360 “Elite” bundles a 120GB drive. While I see no reason (yet) to upgrade my Xbox (though my current … Read more
Netgear Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) The EVA8000 was released this week for $399. Jeremy Toeman over at LiveDigitally spent about ten hours with it (and shot 20 minutes of video) before flying out of town. I played with the 1080p Digital Entertainer at CES and thought it looked promising. Apple TV Apple TV ($299) is … Read more
I love my Xbox 360 (with video download service) more and more each day. Tomorrow, South Park will be available in HD and for free (two weeks only). While 16:9 HD cartoons won’t change my life, it’s pretty cool to see high def content finding alternate avenues onto our televisions. (Note to Comedy Central: Not … Read more
Now that my primary computer is a MacBook Pro (thanks, Sling) this Cocoa Xbox Live application caught my eye. MacLive logs into your account and displays your friends and their status, plus a list of games you’ve played. Selecting check boxes results in a visual notification when a buddy signs on or when the selected … Read more