Hardware
Microsoft’s New SideWinder X8 Mouse unleashed
Microsoft Corp. today unleashed the SideWinder X8 Mouse, offering wireless freedom with wired performance with a 2.4GHz wireless connection that is built for lag-free play. The latest SideWinder mouse features an innovative play-and-charge system to ensure a nonstop gaming experience — up to 30 hours of active gaming on a single charge — with no need to stop the game to change batteries. The SideWinder X8 Mouse is a top performer thanks to Microsoft’s new, proprietary BlueTrack Technology that gives this mouse the best frame rate, speed and acceleration on the market and a tracking range from 250 to 4,000 dots per inch (dpi).
“When conducting our research, we found room for improving on the wireless experience for gamers, especially as it related to perceived delay or lag time of response. The SideWinder X8 Mouse will put those wireless gaming mouse fears to rest,” said Bill Jukes, product marketing manager for Microsoft Hardware. “We designed this mouse to perform to the highest gaming standards — with near-zero latency, uninterrupted gameplay and the world’s most advanced tracking with BlueTrack Technology.”
Top Features
• Reliable wireless connection built for lag-free play
• BlueTrack Technology for the best speed, acceleration and frame rates available
• Magnetic connection cable for continuous play while recharging
• Twelve buttons - seven of them programmable
• Custom profiles for specific games or programs
• Vertical side buttons for ultimate control
• Dpi switching on the fly
• Profiles for specific games or programs
• Comfortable design
• Replaceable mouse feet
The SideWinder X8 Mouse will be widely available in February 2009 for an estimated retail price of $99.95 (U.S.).2 The mouse is available now for pre-sale on Amazon.com and will ship in February when it is released.
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft Unveils World’s Most Advanced Tracking Technology
Microsoft Corp. today unveiled the world’s most advanced tracking technology, Microsoft BlueTrack Technology, which allows consumers to take their mice anywhere and work with confidence on more surfaces than before. Microsoft’s new proprietary tracking technology combines the width and power of optical technology with the precision of laser tracking to allow consumers to mouse on virtually any surface1 — from a granite kitchen countertop to the living room carpet.
BlueTrack Technology will debut in two new top-of-the-line mice, Microsoft Explorer Mouse and Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse, available this fall at BestBuy.com and in Best Buy stores.
Microsoft’s BlueTrack Technology works on more surfaces than both optical and laser mice. The large, blue beam and specular optics architecture, in conjunction with a Microsoft-designed image sensor and proprietary pixel geometry, generates a high-contrast picture of the mousing surface that allows exceptional tracking accuracy. The BlueTrack Technology light beam emanating from the bottom of the mouse is more than four times as large as the average laser beam used in today’s mice, enabling reliable mouse tracking even on difficult surfaces such as carpet.
This advanced technology creates a superior, more precise picture of the surface, allowing consumers to use their mouse virtually anywhere. To see a video on the making of BlueTrack Technology and meet the inventors, consumers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/bluetrack.
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft Arc Mouse: Where Fashion and Technology Collide
Microsoft Corp. today raised the style stakes with the unveiling of a revolutionary crescent-moon-shaped mouse designed to be just as fashionable as it is functional — the Arc Mouse. With its unique foldable design, Arc reduces by almost half for portability when it is snapped shut, but provides complete comfort when opened to its full size.
Microsoft today also introduced the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000, a notebook mouse with stunning color offerings at an affordable price, based on the design of the No. 1 best-selling notebook mouse in the U.S.1
Fashion Meets PC — What to Wear
The Arc Mouse allows consumers to flaunt their personal style with its sleek, thin crescent shape and two color options — black and red. It is truly an accessory, adding to the fashion PC trend that is taking the technology industry by storm. In a June 2007 report, “The Age of Style in Consumer PCs,” Forrester Research Inc. predicted that between now and 2012 will be the “age of style” with consumer choice and personalization becoming an important factor in a purchase decision. With a high demand for style, consumers value look and feel more than any other product features.2
“Style isn’t just about the clothes you put on your back,” said Clinton Kelly, fashion expert and host of TLC’s hit show “What Not to Wear.” “You have the option to express your personal sense of style in practically every aspect of your life, from home décor to your tech accessories. The Arc Mouse definitely tells the world you’re ahead of the curve, so to speak, and that you want to be surrounded by beautiful things all the time.”
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft’s Latest LifeCams Bring Life to Video Calls With Versatile New Designs
Today, Microsoft Corp. unveils two new webcams — LifeCam Show and LifeCam VX-5500 — featuring stunning new designs that not only look great but also provide versatility for use on a laptop or desktop monitor, or sitting next to your PC. No matter where these LifeCams are used, they will make a statement. LifeCam Show is ultra sleek — one of the thinnest webcams on the market— while the LifeCam VX-5500 takes a more sassy approach with switchable faceplates in three colors and an innovative, collapsible design. These LifeCams deliver high-end audio and video performance, groundbreaking new video effects, and Video Messages — a new service for sending and receiving video messages from friends and family.
LifeCam Show: Good Things Come in Small Packages
LifeCam Show features a sleek, mirrored finish and ultrathin design. It looks great with any PC, attaching with ease to a desktop or laptop computer, or even sitting on top of your desk. The LifeCam Show ships with a complete attachment system to make setting up and using the webcam a snap in a variety of different scenarios. Versatile attachment options include the following:
•Laptop clip. LifeCam Show magnetically attaches to a clip snapped right onto a laptop.
•Desktop stand. LifeCam Show magnetically attaches to an 11-inch-tall desktop stand, which users can position anywhere around the desk for the perfect viewing angle.
•Two attachment discs. Attachment discs allow users to attach the adhesive disc to the back of their laptop, giving them the ability to close their laptop easily with the webcam still attached for greater portability.
Offering top audio and video performance, LifeCam Show is not just about good looks and versatility:
•A 2.0MP sensor and 8.0MP stills offer true-to-life communication for sharing important life moments.
•Top-of-the-line audio technology, including a built-in, noise-cancelling microphone with echo-cancellation software, provides improved sound clarity.
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft Offers More Ways to Connect With the Launch of Video Messages
Today, Microsoft Corp. unveils Video Messages, a groundbreaking service that combines the flexibility of e-mail and voice mail with the personal expression of a video call; it is the video version of voice mail. Video Messages allows consumers to record and send personalized videos that their friends and family can access anytime, anywhere they are online* the perfect solution when they are not available for a live video chat.
Microsoft is offering this new service through a LifeCam video messages gadget and a Web site so everyone can get in on the fun. Video Messages is the perfect way to send a personalized “happy birthday” message to a friend or have the kids leave a quick “hello” message to grandma across the country when she is not home.
“Video Messages offers a groundbreaking way to communicate,” said Bennie Soto, product marketing manager at Microsoft. “It provides a free, easy and fun way to stay connected and share the special moments in your life without thinking twice about time zones or busy schedules; you’ll never have to plan a specific time for video calling again.”
Go, Go LifeCam Gadget
The best way to experience Video Messages is with a LifeCam video messages gadget, available for people running Windows Vista and using a supported Microsoft LifeCam. By downloading the new gadget, LifeCam users can create, send and receive video messages from their desktop. They can even select six of their top friends who will always be visible in the video messages gadget just like storing top friends’ numbers on speed dial for easy access. This added convenience is a great benefit for LifeCam customers because the Video Messages controls are always available; they can just click on a friend’s image, record a video and hit send. A demo of the LifeCam video messages gadget in action is available at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/digitalcommunication/videomessage.mspx.
Video Messages Web Site
Consumers also can easily use Video Messages through a Web site, which will work for any Windows Live customers. From the Web site, consumers can record a personal video message and enter the e-mail address of a friend or family member, who will receive a notification of the video via e-mail. Recipients who are also Windows Live customers can even respond with a video of their own.
“We are thrilled to have Video Messages expand the LifeCam products’ unique connection to Windows Live,” said Dharmesh Mehta, group product manager for Windows Live. “With more than 460 million Windows Live customers around the globe and the increased popularity in video communications, we are excited to be a part of this great solution for keeping people in touch.”
Availability
The Video Messages service is available now at http://. The LifeCam video messages gadget is available now for free download at http:// and is supported by the following LifeCam products:
•LifeCam Show
•LifeCam VX-7000
•LifeCam VX-6000
•LifeCam VX-5500
•LifeCam VX-5000
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft BlueTrack
New technology that lets you use a mouse on any surface is nearly here, there’s a sneak peak trailer on the Microsoft hardware site. It’s landing on the 9th, and it’s very nice 
Source- Technet Blog
Microsoft’s New SideWinder X6 Keyboard released
Today at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft Hardware debuted the SideWinder X6 Keyboard — the most versatile gaming keyboard on the market with the first-ever switchable key pad that can be attached to the left or right side of the keyboard for ultimate flexibility. To round out the SideWinder line, the Hardware team is also announcing the SideWinder X5 Mouse, a fast, powerful gaming mouse designed to give mainstream gamers a competitive edge.
The switchable key pad makes the SideWinder X6 Keyboard ideal for gaming as well as productivity, as the key pad functions as a standard num pad in normal keyboard mode, but becomes a programmable macro pad in game mode. Complementing the unique versatility of the keyboard are features specifically designed for gaming, including the capacity to store up to 90 macros per game and backlighting that helps users get immersed in the game.
“We know that consumers don’t want to pull out and set up a second keyboard for a gaming session, so we created a device that was perfect for both gaming and regular computer use,” said Kevin Flick, user researcher for Microsoft Hardware. “With the switchable key pad, gamers will have a fantastic, customizable experience whether they’re playing their favorite game or creating Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentations.”
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft Launches Licensed Contract Manufacturers Marketplace for Hardware Technology
At COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2008, Microsoft Corp. is announcing the expansion of its intellectual property (IP) licensing program for Microsoft Hardware technologies with the launch of the Licensed Contract Manufacturers Marketplace and the expansion of its IP licensing portfolio with three new technologies — Instant Viewer; Magnetic Recharging Cable; and Video Conferencing Digital Pan, Tilt, Zoom and Face Tracking — to further demonstrate its commitment to shared industry success.
Manufacturers Marketplace
The Manufacturers Marketplace is an online destination for global retail brands looking for licensed suppliers of Microsoft Hardware technologies. This feature newly added to the Microsoft Hardware IP licensing site serves to provide OEMs and global retail brands with access to leading innovations made popular by Microsoft-branded hardware products. This one-stop shop for technologies and licensed suppliers enables third-party brands to easily add popular features to their own products, while providing a hedge against market price erosion. Licensed manufacturers can promote both their company and licensed products on the site, providing OEMs and retail brands with a choice of licensed suppliers. With 30 companies under its license, the program continues to grow with broad adoption by the peripherals industry. The new marketplace can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/licensing/licensees.mspx.
Source- Microsoft Press Release
