Helmers Blog

Today was the day that the First Wave would receive the Fall 2009 Xbox LIVE Update Preview. When I turned my Xbox on earlier today (or better said : yesterday) I received the update. Ohw…another fact about the Xbox 360 : There will be no Blu-Ray drive for the Xbox 360! The Blu-Ray accessories Steve Ballmer talked about earlier were Blu-Ray accessories for the PC!

To refresh your memory : This is what’s the Xbox Live Fall Update bringing us….

1. Zune video brings movies and TV shows with instant on HD in full 1080p to your Xbox 360 console. You’ll find a huge selection, all with the amazing clarity and the convenience of cable.  Xbox LIVE members can now enjoy a true movie theater experience from the comfort of home.
2. Facebook: Now you can compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists, update your status to share  hat movie, game or entertainment you’re enjoying, find friends and view their news feeds, status and photos on the big screen – all seamlessly integrated and custom-built for Xbox 360. Requires adult Xbox LIVE Gold account.
3. Last.fm (US & UK Only): Turn your Xbox 360 into your living room juke box with a library of more than 3.5 millions songs. Stream personalized radio stations through Xbox LIVE by skipping, “banning” or “loving” songs to tailor the radio station to your tastes – we’ve even built in “Gamer Stations” with music selected specifically for the gaming community. Requires adult Xbox LIVE Gold account.. [More Info] Twitter Stay in the know by discovering, posting, and replying to Tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who’s Tweeting about your favorite game. Requires adult Xbox LIVE Gold account.
4. Inside Xbox News & More (US Only): A new section of the “Inside Xbox” channel, “News and More” transforms Xbox LIVE into a full-fledged media portal. With a regularly-updated stream of content from msnbc.com , The New Yorker and Dilbert, “News and More” brings the latest in current events, arts and entertainment right to your fingertips.  Requires Xbox LIVE Gold account.

So…enough about the theory! Check out my video below to see all the stuff in live action (because I live in the Netherlands I can’t show you the Last.FM and Inside Xbox News & More)

 XBOX Live Update Preview Video

During the Windows 7 deployment in Zevenhuizen Microsoft recorded some nice video’s which they published on their action website. Too bad you’re not able to skip the video, so I decided to upload the video to Youtube! If you take a good look you can even see me in the video (I’m the one at the hairdresser with the brown polo-shirt and in the deployment room which you can see later in the video).

The Windows 7 Launch has started. Check out video’s from all the launch events all over the world. Do you have a launch video and uploaded it to youtube? Just leave the link in the commentbox and I’ll post your video here!

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For all the non-Dutch readers who didn’t receive the Microsoft NL Newsletter : You can watch Steve Ballmer’s Keynote which he held at TechNet Live last week in The Hague at Microsoft.com. Just click the image below to watch the keynote with slides!

Do you want to read more about his keynote (and check out the pictures), just click here.

For all my international visitors : This video is in Dutch and doesn’t have subtitles! I’m very sorry, but this video isn’t hosted by me so please don’t ask for subtitles.

In this one hour keynote Tony & Daniel will do a non-stop demo about the techniques described in my earlier blog post about the Geek Night. Because the video will start automatically you have to press the Read More link below to ‘open the post’ and watch the video!

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