It’s not going to be too long before you’ll have to have your face scanned before you can open your email, at the rate the password cracking arms race is going. [More]
microsoft
Xbox Bans Man For Living In "Fort Gay." Except, That's Where He Lives.
By 9.8.10
UPDATE: Microsoft admitted they made a mistake and has updated their training policy.
Ok, now this is getting redonkulous. Xbox has been suspending gamers for some time for mentioning or otherwise referencing their sexual orientation in their gamer profiles, but now they’ve gone ahead and banned a guy because he said he lives in “Fort Gay.” Huh huh, Beavis indeed, but there is a real town called Fort Gay. It’s in West Virginia, and that’s where the guy really lives.
Xbox Suspends Gay Gamer For Calling Himself A "Homosexueller" Who "Likes Cupcakes"
By 9.2.10
Despite Xbox recently changing its policy to allow folks to describe their sexual orientation in their gamer profile, Super Street Fighter IV fan Shmoo found his Xbox Live account suspended for breaking their Code of Conduct. His gamer bio states, “Bio Ich bin ein homosexueller Mann in einer großen schlechten Stadt. Ich mag kleine Kuchen und Cheeseburgers.” Which translates from German to, “I am a gay man in a big bad city. I like cupcakes and cheeseburgers.” This, apparently, was verboten. [More]
10 Companies That Were Once Great But Now Kinda Suck
By 8.19.10
There was a time when many of us got our videos at Blockbuster after shopping for a Sony Discman at Sears, all while talking on our Motorola phone. All of these companies have had their glory days, but now they’re on the U.S. News & World Report’s list of 10 Companies That Have Lost Their Edge. [More]
Go Ahead, Try To Make Sense Of This Xbox Live Pricing Scheme
By 8.12.10
Did you know that “free” is basically the same thing as $10? Neither did Jer, until he went to renew his Xbox Live account. He tells Consumerist that along with his account expiration date, he discovered the most baffling pricing scheme this side of Target. [More]
Xbox Assumes Women Contacting Them Must Be Doing It For Their "Sons"
By 8.9.10
When a woman emailed Xbox support about downgrading her Xbox LIVE Gold account to Silver, they sent her back a form letter that assumed she was contacting them on behalf of her son, even though she doesn’t have a son and never made mention of one at all. Hey Microsoft! Ever hear of GIRL GAMERS? [More]
Sign Up For MSN Internet At Best Buy? You Could Get $75
By 8.5.10
If you signed up for MSN Internet at Best Buy between 1999 and 2004, you could be entitled to up to $75. [More]
New Xbox Thingy Will Cost $150, Better Xbox $200
By 7.20.10
The Kinect, a sensor thingy for Xbox that was not received favorably at E3, will apparently cost $150, or $300 if you buy in a bundle with a newish-betterish-Xbox 360. [More]
Security Patching For XP Service Pack 2 Ends Today
By 7.13.10
If you’re still using Windows XP SP2, you’re about to be on your own. Today Microsoft releases its final security update for Service Pack 2 (the 32-bit version, at least). [More]
Run Android On A Windows Mobile Phone
By 7.9.10
Over at the How-To Geek they’ve figured out how to get the Android OS to run on a Windows Mobile phone, and now they are sharing the information with one and all. [More]
IKEA's Blue Screen Of Death
By 7.8.10
Snapped this picture last night at my local IKEA of a blue screen of death afflicting their product finder kiosk. Since it’s IKEA, they also expect customers to do their own tech support. [More]
Microsoft Rescues You From The Tyranny Of Battery Insertion
By 7.3.10
If you’ve ever spent hours with a new gadget, inserting and removing batteries until you finally get it just right, you may appreciate Microsoft’s latest invention. Instaload is a technology designed for battery compartments that includes both positive and negative contacts at both ends. Yes, we know that sounds like a recipe for a world-ending cataclysm, but somehow Microsoft manages to make to make it work with any pyrotechnics. [More]
Did Microsoft Make Dell Take Back Love Letter To Linux?
By 6.23.10
Dell sells lots of computers that run on Windows. It sells a few that run on Linux. Apparently eager to sell a few more of the latter, Dell boasted on its site that the free operating system is “safer than Microsoft Windows.” Bad idea. The claim has vanished, replaced by the less specific “Ubuntu [Linux] is secure.” [More]
ESPN3 Coming To Some Xbox Live Consoles
By 6.15.10
Have a Gold Xbox Live account? Want to catch the latest in bass fishing, Aussie rules football and high school volleyball? You may just be in luck. ESPN has cut a deal with Microsoft to provide its streaming ESPN3 service — which includes all of these events, as well as the latest in cricket and poker — to many Xbox 360 owners with Gold accounts. Okay, you’re not limited to just those sports. ESPN3 also has the FIFA World Cup, a selection of MLB games — and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. [More]
What Do You Think Of Ads In Video Games?
By 6.14.10
In the recently released Xbox 360 video game Alan Wake, players can’t help but notice that — in addition to playing the game — they’re also being heavily advertised to by Verizon. At one point, they’re even fooled into watching a Verizon ad. [More]
Bing Cashback Ends July 30
By 6.7.10
Microsoft said it’s shutting down the Bing Cashback program July 30th. [More]
Mobile Devices Push Apple To Front Of Tech Stock Pack
By 5.27.10
After decades playing second (and often times third or fourth) fiddle to Microsoft, Apple finally moved to the head of the class yesterday, passing the software behemoth to become the most valuable tech company in the world. [More]
