411
Amidst the chatter about the iPhone 3G S and iPhone
cultists' users' hate/hate relationship with AT&T, here's another bit of bad news for AT&T subscribers: reader Mark e-mailed to let us know that the cost of
directory assistance calls will go up to $1.99 on July 1. Fortunately, when you need 411 service, you don't have to pay for it.
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hackintosh
MSN has a neat article about the 38 "amazing things" that you didn't know the technology you own could do. The well-meaning writers posted about a neat tech trick, without realizing how it could be misinterpreted.
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funny
Funny or Die has a pretty funny, nsfw parody of the current Microsoft "You find it, you keep it" commercials. Jake's
in the market for a decent laptop that can meet his needs, which include a big screen, the ability to go online, and enough cash left over for some subscriptions to certain adult websites. It's basically what the real commercial would look like in a world without TV censors.
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lawsuits
Microsoft feels it was tricked out of $750,000 in online ad dollars by three Vancouver residents, so it's suing their pants off and trying to set a new precedent for throwing legal heft around in the digital
advertising world.
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discontinued
Since 1991,
Microsoft Money has been there to keep track of your financial triumphs and foibles, making you fess up to your dumb impulse purchases and encouraging you to believe that your mountain of debt really will dissipate if you keep on chipping away.
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social networking
Good news for gamers, bad news for anyone who count the pixel-obsessed among their social media friends: This Fall
Microsoft will bring Facebook and Twitter applications to the
Xbox 360, allowing gamers to more easily stalk acquaintances from their couches and brag about their gaming accomplishments. Gaming blog
Joystiq covered the announcement, which came at Microsoft's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference in Los Angeles Monday:
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here we zune again
Microsoft's Zune is like Rocky in his fight with Ivan Drago. After getting the crap thoroughly beaten out of it in front of the entire civilized world, the Zune just keeps stepping back into the ring for more punishment.
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microsoft
Microsoft is offering a smoking deal for some upcoming
Gears of War 2 add-on content available in July. As in "crack-smoking."
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microsoft
Bad news for gamers who are dreaming of an Xbox 361, PlayStation 4 or Wiii. You won't be playing hovercraft Mario Kart or holographic Halo until well into President Palin's first term.
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warranties
According to
research by the gaming blog Joystiq, a mysterious
new error has been affecting the
XBOX 360. The "E74" error, according to some non-scientific data compiled by the blog, has been increasing since the debut of NXE (New
XBOX Experience). Now Microsoft is acknowledging the error and extending their 3-year Red Ring Of Death warranty to cover it.
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xbox live
Xbox Live has struck again, this time by screwing up the auto-renewal on a customer's account and ruining the prepaid annual membership he activated just three months ago.
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contact info
It's not uncommon to run into a dead end when trying to resolve your Xbox 360 or
Xbox Live issues with the official customer support channels, which is why sometimes you have no recourse other than to try to get the attention of the executives at
Microsoft. Here are some addresses to try, culled from the
Penny Arcade forums.
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extended warranties
By now, most people know about the dreaded Red Ring of Death issue on the
XBOX 360 — and the accompanying 3 year warranty. What many do not know is that that 3 year warranty only covers the "3 red lights" issue. If you get any other error code, you're out of luck.
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