At the time of me writing this, there are 5,753 360s for sale on eBay alone and I’m sure the number is only going to grow since Microsoft’s announcement of 600k+ system bans for modding and violations of terms of service. Adjusted numbers according to Daily Tech and CNN/CNET, put the ban at about a million.

The reason for this influx of systems to Craig’s List and eBay is consoles are being banned from Xbox Live but not GamerTags – not yet anyway. So, if your current console gets banned from Xbox Live, you can buy a new console and get back to Xbox Live fun. What this means for you as the deal hunter-gatherer is that some of those consoles on eBay and Craig’s List are probably banned consoles.

Imagine the hilarity that would ensue if you unknowingly bought a banned console off of eBay with every intention of playing on Xbox Live and then you discovered that your console was banned. Fun times.

So, the moral of the story is two-fold: don’t buy a used Xbox 360 from someone you don’t trust if you want on Xbox Live for fear it might be banned and don’t download pirated games on your Xbox 360. Not only is that illegal, but you’ll end up banned and stuck with a console that can’t got on Xbox Live.

Image|Microsoft

Post from: EveryJoe

Buy Your Xbox 360s Somewhere Else

The November ‘10 release date lines up with information that’s been making the rounds since the device was first announced, but this is the first time a price has been mentioned.

This information comes from a spy report published by gaming trade mag MCV. The report goes on to say that Microsoft is readying 5 million units to meet the demand when Natal goes on sale November 2010, and that at least 14 game titles are in the works for launch. Publishers committed to Natal-based games include Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, Disney, EA, Ubisoft, and more. And that doesn’t include Microsoft’s own first-party publishers, like Rare, Lionhead, and Epic.

The real news here is that jaw-dropping price tag. When I was at E3 earlier this year, where Natal was first unveiled, the most common speculation was that Natal would be priced at at least $200, if not more. Because Microsoft has made no secret of the fact that it sees Natal as a way of lengthening the life span of the 360, and avoiding a whole new console launch. Now normally I might be inclined to be cynical of MS for trying to “wring more money out of a current-gen console” while its competitors move forward… But in the current economy, a bargain-priced device that transforms your existing console experience into something revolutionary sounds like a pretty darn good idea.

MCV claims that Microsoft wants to make Natal an ultra-affordable “impulse buy” add-on for your 360, and right now, gamers everywhere are on their knees praying that this is true. One of MCV’s sources says the price might even go as low as $50.

Such a move would not be without precedent on Microsoft’s part. Both the first Xbox and the 360 have famously been sold for higher-than-manufacturing-cost prices, out of the gate, because of an intentional strategy from MS to recoup its hardware investment through game sales. And it’s a strategy that’s worked for them.

Whether or not any of this is true remains to be seen, so don’t count it as “fact” yet. In the meantime, Sony’s motion-tracking “want” controller for the PS3 will be launched in Spring 2010 — at least 6 months before Natal. And rumors persist that Nintendo is already at work on a next-gen Wii with heftier processing power.

The console war is far from over.

Image: Microsoft Corporation.

Post from: EveryJoe

Leak details Project Natal launch plans

The digital collaboration space is growing and the enterprise keeps on implementing and improving their collaboration capability across the whole organization. Google knows this as such they have released Google Wave technology to be able to complete in a vertical market. I have signed up for their user invitation weeks back but still wasn’t able to get an invite since I was too late on doing so.

Even if Google Wave is not yet open for everyone, the technology is progressing rapidly and Google has announced during the London meeting that the Google Wave would be opening an app store similar to what Apple has done.  This move shows the long term commitment of the search giant on this technology which they seem to roll-out to the consumer market first before pushing it to the enterprise. I think the move of Google Wave to the consumer market is aimed to help the technology grow and mature before they go full speed ahead on competing with enterprise collaboration tools like Microsoft SharePoint.

Google Wave is an interesting technology because aside from the usual collaborative functions it has, Google promises a real-time collaboration that gets updated as the user makes a keystroke instead of the usual submission of items, going through a workflow and approval process until the time the other user from the other end sees your thoughts.

The search giant also plans to create an extension gallery for Google Wave which includes hooks that invoke actions like opening new wave or launching shortcuts, merging waves, deployment on networks, etc.

As of the latest updates, third party developers have already developed applications in teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and multiplayer games.

I think the Google wave has a lot of potential and in time it would be a cheap alternative application for implementing productive digital collaboration across organizations.

Have you been given an invite for Google wave? What are your initial thoughts?

Image from Google Wave.

Post from: EveryJoe

Google Wave App Store and its potential

Another additional product on the Amazon web services is the Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) which Amazon feels would help streamline processes of settings up, scaling and operating relational data over the internet.

Amazon vice president of web services, Adam Selipsky, have noted that they have been working on the relational database for the last two years since many of their Amazon web service customers have given feedback that they require relational database in the cloud. These customers were already using Amazon’s SimpleDB which provides basic, simple and reliable database in the cloud.

Amazon’s relational database offering would include a full features MySQL database which automatically handles common database administration tasks namely: setup, provisioning, patch management, and backup duties. Amazon’s selling point on this is the cheap cost of subscribing to this service as they do not charge customer with upfront fees but are billed based on their actual usage.

I think having a relational database on the cloud is a big boost and selling point for the company. I have been working on SharePoint which is an internet based platform and for the last 8-10 years architects and developers have had challenges on building relational stuff on SharePoint as this doesn’t come out of the box. Amazon’s push to make this a major offering seems to have lots of potential and could get more customers into their services.

I would be watching the progress of Amazon web services closely. How about you? Have you had any experience on their cloud computing services? How did it go?

The Amazon relational database service can be found here – Amazon RDS.

Image from Amazon.

Post from: EveryJoe

Amazon on Relational Databases

Anyways, it seems that even with the release of Windows 7, the platform update Microsoft has done means the old operating system is not going away anytime soon.

The recent update from Microsoft include updates for runtime libraries which handles new technology, it also has improvements to Windows ribbon, animation manager library, windows graphics, imaging, the XPS library, Windows automation API and the updates for the Windows portable devices as well.

You can get your Windows Vista update from the Microsoft support site titled “Description of the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 and the Platform Update for Windows Vista“.

If you do not have plans of moving to another operating system, Windows 7 perhaps, and are stuck with Windows Vista I would suggest to go to the site and download your platform updates.

Are you sticking with Windows Vista and for how long?

Image from Microsoft Support.

Post from: EveryJoe

Get Your Platform Updates for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008

Desktop applications on the other hand were purchased through licenses and advertisements downloaded from the net through desktop applications were deemed security issues that security firms like Symantec blocked through their anti-spyware or anti-adware programs.

Steve Jobs is on the other side of the bed as he wants advertising to fill our operating system with ads and has filed a patent that embeds advertisement right on your desktop. Are we getting the operating system for free?

The patent attorneys were focused making sure every aspect and detail of the patent are well explained. One of the sections of the patent says the operating system can halt the operating of the system to make sure the user gets to focus on the advertisement. Again, are we getting paid when that happens? The patent goes even further by making sure they have not identified the personal computer only for the advertisement but it encompass every device that has an operating system which includes tablet PC, portable devices, pocket PCs, celfones, etc.

Microsoft is the largest software company in the world and its operating system is running on 1 billion of the 1.2 billion computers in the world. I wonder what the software giant is thinking about that patent. Should have they thought about that sooner? Or have they thought about it and felt it was plain stupid.

Microsoft is making lots of money through its licenses and I don’t think they would ever change that business model. Apple has been a revolutionary company and they may be able to pull this through especially when they offer to give out rebates or money back to the sale of the operating system whenever their OS has made money through advertising directly to the desktop.

Image from my Windows 7 computer.

Post from: EveryJoe

Advertising Embedded on the Operating System

BitLocker is especially useful when you lost your computer as you have peace of mind that all your confidential data won’t be read by others.

To be able to use the BitLocker technology in Windows 7 Ultimate edition, below are the steps:

1. Click on the “Start” button of Windows 7

2. Click on the “Control Panel”

3. On the “Control Panel” screen, type “System and Security”

4. On the “System and Security” screen, type “BitLocker Drive Encryption”

5. On the BitLocker Drive Encryption screen, you should be able to see all your disk drives (see image below):

6. On the right side of each drive, you can see “Turn on BitLocker” technology

7. Choose and supple all the necessary fields to completing the BitLocker implementation on your chosen hard drive

I have turned this on yet since I want to research more whether this is going to impact the performance of my laptop. My laptop is already almost 3 years old and I would be using this for two more years. Since I am not bringing my laptop anywhere, I wouldn’t hurry up turning the BitLocker technology on.

If you bring your laptop outside your room, and your laptop isn’t as old as mine, I would strongly suggest that you use BitLocker technology, this should give you peace of mind.

Image from my Windows 7 computer.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bitlocker in Windows 7 Ultimate Edition

Consumers who purchase their copy of Windows 7 would also be able to get free software. The list of free software include those that have very low prices or those that are completely free. The list of free softwares are as follows: 

• Nero 9 Reloaded, Free
• Norton Antivirus 2010, Free
• Global Protection 2010, Free
• System Mechanic, Free
• Trend Micro Internet Security Pro, Free
• NTI Shadow 4, Free
• McAfee Internet Security 2010, Free
• NTI Media Maker 8 Suite, Free
• Fireman 3.0, Free
• Bitdefender 2010, Free
• AVG Antivirus & Antispyware, Free
• PC Tune-Up 2.0, Free
• Spysweeper 2010, Free
• Stuffit Deluxe 2009, Free
• Corel Family Pack 2009, Free

Most of these software are security or utility software that you can use right away on your Windows 7 operating system.

Image from MaximumPC.

Post from: EveryJoe

Free Software from Fry’s Electronics at its Windows 7 Midnight Release

Dell is one of the largest computer vendors in the world and everyone was speculating that they should release their own Smartphone. The hardware giant has kept silent all these time dismissing reports of an upcoming smartphone.

Just recently, Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computers has officially announced that they are releasing a smartphone sometime in 2010. Details have not yet been released whether it would be based on the Android operating system of Windows mobile. But given their relationship with Microsoft, I would expect a windows mobile based Dell smartphone.

CEO Michael Dell pointed out the importance of the smart phone in their company’s future as he says that “mobility” is the theme. He notes that mobility would have a big impact on their PC business and says consumers buy desktop for power and price but laptops are what people really want. He also took a stab at netbooks saying that the market share would level out at around 12 – 15 percent as users find it difficult to work on small keyboards and screens.

I think if users would still have problems with netbooks, they would rather have a mobile smartphone instead which they can carry everywhere. Anyways, Michael did not confirm if AT&T would be carrying their device but said that China Mobile will carry the launch device and would be the market’s entry point.

Dell is known for low priced high quality computers, and I hope they carry that philosophy over on their smartphones.

Image from Dell.

Post from: EveryJoe

Everyone Needs a Smartphone, Including Dell

The series is made up of around 10 sections starting with the description of what they are building, followed by the cost which runs to about $ 860 USD, then after getting all the parts it shows the detailed description of how you setup each hardware to your Antec casing. It then proceeds to setting up the operating system and all the applications you need to complete your Windows Home Server.

This is a good read and furthermore, setting up your own Windows Home Server is a good investment as your data from files, photos, documents, videos, presentations are all priceless and you don’t want to get caught up when your disk fails.

Go ahead and read this article here — “How to Build a Kick-Ass Windows Home Server”.

Image from Windows 7.

Post from: EveryJoe

Make Your Own Windows Home Server