Entries for Larry Larsen

CES 2009: Microsoft Tag - You're It!

Larry — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:10:00 GMT

Microsoft Tag is a new system to help give you a way to direct people to a URL using the camera on their mobile phone. You can think of it as TinyURL for optics, or Cue Cat on-the-go minus the hokey cat reader (hey, I know lots of people who loved that thing). It's actually a great system to visually direct people to a URL, free text, a vcard, or a dialer. You can sign up for free at Microsoft.com/tag, and download the app for your phone at gettag.mobi. Tag is available for a number of phones including Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Android, and the iPhone.

Tag can link to multiple types of content from web, SMS, e-mail, calendars, maps, or coupons and can be as small as 5/8". There is a great backend as well so you can see analytics on when and where people are reading your tags.

CES 2009: Watch Kodu in Action

Larry — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:43:00 GMT

Matthew MacLaurin, Principal Program Manager for Kodu (the game formerly known as Boku), sits down to show us a preview of playing the game. And what better way to show off a programming tool for kids than to have a kid in the driver's seat. Sparrow is one of the young testers who helped with Kodu and she shows us some of her favorite characters and playgrounds.

CES 2009 Matthew MacLaurin on Kodu

Larry — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:06:00 GMT

Matthew MacLaurin is the man behind Kodu (formerly Boku), a Xbox game designed to help children learn the basics of programming launching on Xbox Live this spring. Kodu is both surprisingly simple and incredibly complex, allowing a child to make a simple game, or an adult to rapidly prototype a far more complex game.

Matthew sat down with me to talk about Kodu, where it started, and how to create a programming language that can easily be coded using an Xbox controller.

CES 2009: The Future of Computing

Larry — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:06:00 GMT

Today Steve Ballmer talked about the ways tomorrow’s technology will be able to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. Ballmer put the spotlight on a future oriented demonstration illustrating how students might interact with the entire world’s knowledge on any field of study. The education scenario demonstration showed how the combination of technologies like touch, gesture and speech will make computing more natural and intuitive. Janet Galore from Microsoft Strategic Prototyping gives us an indepth look at tomorrow's computing.

CES 2009: Windows Mobile

Larry — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:06:00 GMT

Today in the keynote, Steve Ballmer talked about Life Without Walls. A big part of that is mobility, Greg Sullivan stops by to show us the latest devices, user interfaces, apps, and a peak into the future of IE Mobile.

CES 2009: Windows 7

Larry — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:52:00 GMT

Charlotte Jones walks us through some of the new features we're looking forward to in Windows 7. Check out some of the features like the Jump List, the new task bar with previews, and other UI improvements.

How to Build (or win) a Tiny Windows Home Server

Larry — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:43:00 GMT

Donavon from Home Server Hacks has put together instructions on how to build a tiny little Windows Home Server using an ARTiGO Pico-ITX kit. It's an interesting read and an especially good pick if your main concern is low power consumption - the Pico uses a staggering 13-watts of power at idle. While the board isn't the most plug and play compatible hardware out there for Home Server, this will show you how to make it work.

And if you're not so handy, Donavon is giving this one away to a lucky commentor. You have until Sunday January 11th to enter.

[Note: Just to be clear, leaving a comment here will get you nothing but my admiration. To actually enter this contest, head over to Donavon's blog and leave a comment there.]

Show Us Your Tech: Dan Penn Edition

Larry — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:36:00 GMT

Dan Penn is serious about his Christmas lights, each year he sets up thousands of lights synchronized to music broadcast over FM at his house. This year it is bigger than ever with over 16,000 lights and a Silverlight site to track the statistics. We caught up with Dan (a little late due to a winter blizzard) and got the backstory about how he pulls it off each year.

Got a cool light setup of your own? Tell us about it in the comments.

HP WHS MediaSmart Hardware Update

Larry — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:08:00 GMT

Engadget HP couldn't wait for CES to announce their $50 coupon via engadget).

The ex487 is similar to the previous HP MediaSmart (see more about the Media Smart in a previous Channel 10 video) but is more Mac-friendly (Time Machine compatible) and can stream media contained on the Home Server through the Internet. The new servers include Intel Celeron 2Ghz 64-bit with 2GB DRAM standard and smart power management for those who don't want to leave their Home Server on all day or night.

Pre-orders start January 5th 2009, shipping in February.

Qik Update for 20 New Phones

Larry — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:53:00 GMT

Windows Mobile's Loke Uei Tan points out that Qik has an update for 27 new phones, including 18 HTC-based phones like the HTC Touch HD.

If you haven't used Qik, it's a way to stream live video to the web from a portable device. Other new features in this update are the ability to use flash memory to extend how long you can record in disconnected mode and better touch screen handling.

SlingPlayer Mobile Updated For WinMo

Larry — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:32:00 GMT

Gizmodo mentions the Windows Mobile SlingPlayer has been updated. This update covers compatibility for a number of newer handsets including the HTC Touch Diamond, and Touch Pro. This new version includes support for higher resolutions including 640x480, 800x480, 400x240, and 320x320.

In case you haven't seen one before, a Slingbox will let you use your DVR (or whatever other device you want to connect it to) over the Internet via your Smartphone or PC. Hands down one of my favorite gadgets. You can watch your home DVR at work (not that I ever do that), from your hotel on the road, watch live TV on your phone, or even watch a DVD with a Netbook. The last time Woot had Slingbox's (usually at a steep discount) I picked one up to use on an outside camera.

Windows Home Server Enthusiast Group

Larry — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:13:00 GMT

One of the new features of Windows Live wave 3 launched earlier this month is groups. Donavon West from HomeServerHacks.com has created a new Windows Home Server Owners/Enthusiasts group, already up to 380+ members and growing daily.

It's an invite-only affair, but mention Channel 10 and they'll drop the velvet rope for you.

Track Santa on Virtual Earth

Larry — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:29:00 GMT

The Virtual Earth group has partnered with the North Pole to let kids track Santa and watch the prep. Peep Santa, Rudolph and the rest of his magic reindeer gearing up for the long haul and then head over to Listas to make your list while you still can.

And remember kids, you can use your Xbox 360 controller with Virtual Earth for fluid navigation and reindeer chasing.

For more on Live's Santa tracker and how it was made, check out Chris Pendleton's Virtual Earth blog.

First Look: Seadragon Mobile

Larry — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:59:00 GMT

Ben Vanik invited me over to Live Labs to see a hobby project he took on in his spare time running Seadragon on a mobile phone. Seadragon is the juice behind Photosynth and DeepZoom (If you need a refresher course on Seadragon, head on over to TED.)

You can browse several collections- the Library of Congress maps from the TED demo, a two-billion by two-billion pixel map of the world -but you can also load custom content via a RSS feed. If you want to take the easy way out just upload your massive images to Photosynth or PhotoZoom. Seadragon Mobile isn't a Photosynth viewer, per se. It shows all the photos in a synth in flat tiled form, allowing you to zoom in and out effortlessly. So in this instance you use Photosynth like a container.

Now for the part that may make your head asplode; this release is coming out for the iPhone first.

/duck

Microsoft Releases New Retro "Software"

Larry — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:41:00 GMT

The world's biggest software company is expanding into a new line of soft-ware. Microsoft's ambassador of kwan, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, drove this new collection of retro Microsoft shirts in conjunction with rapper Common.

Shirts include DOS (just waiting for the first newb to think it means DoS), the retro look logo shirt at left, and the infamous Bill Gates mugshot. No doubt Bill is wishing he'd gotten arrested a little more often as it's the marketing gift that keeps on giving. All in all there are four classic designs and four Common designs, all available starting December 15.

Check out the collection here, if only to see what a DOS media player would look like.

Top 10 Fresh Machine Installs

Larry — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:37:00 GMT

I've got a newly formatted laptop in front of me and as I go through the rote process of installing 'the usual suspect' applications that I always do, I'm wondering what applications you install first on your PC after a format. Here are mine in order of install (starting after the Windows Updates), leave us a comment and let us know what your first 10 installs are.

1. Windows Home Server Connector
2. Office Suite
3. Adobe Suite
4. Live Mesh
5. Windows Live Suite
6. WinRar
7. Video Inspector
8. Sling Player
9. The Brain
10. DIVX | VLC

Get Your Zombie On with COD:W@W

Larry — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:00:00 GMT

I had the opportunity to play Call of Duty: World at War (PC version) from beginning to end. After the credits started rolling, I went upstairs to get a cold one and heard odd noises coming from my PC. When I got back to my PC, I had * zombies biting at my head. Apparently there is a bonus game at the end of the game you can play with attacking zombies.

It's the typical nightmare: You're in a room with several doors boarded over and an increasing steady stream of slow moving zombies coming for you. You have to shoot, melee, and run to stay alive. As you build points for 'killing' the already-dead, you can buy more powerful weapons that appear on the walls, and you can kick a little coin toward putting pulled-off boards back over the doors and windows to help slow the zombie horde.

More info over at Geeks of Doom, including the news that this level can be played co-op with three friends. Also check out Laura's look at the launch party.

Get a Taste of Internet Explorer Mobile 6

Larry — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:17:00 GMT

Yesterday at Tech-Ed EMEA, Microsoft announced the emulator for Internet Explorer Mobile 6, which will be the next browser for Windows Mobile phones. You can download the emulator here and give it a try with your favorite sites. Featured include full rendering, AJAX, Flash Lite, and Flash support, integration with search, touch and gesturing, and a new navigation model. Check out the Windows Mobile Team Blog for more details.

First Look: Live Mesh Client for Mac

Larry — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:28:00 GMT

Noah Edelstein stopped by and gave us a first look at the Mac client for Live Mesh, so now if you've got some electro-diversity in your home ecosphere, you can drag & drop, share & push all your files to your other machines just like the I'm a PC folks.

If you're already a Live Mesh user, this will be a familiar look for you, although some of the UI has been tweaked to conform with Mac norms. If you're dying to get your Mesh on your Mac, head over to mesh.com and sign-up, so that you'll be ready to be a part of this limited release once it goes live later today.

Ori Amiga's MeshMobile - Very Cool!

Larry — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:27:00 GMT

I followed Charles Torre recently to meet with Ori Amiga from the Mesh team and see his "Mesh Mobile". Ori and some other folks tricked out his car with a custom display and PC, controlled with touch, voice, and a Griffin Powermate. It is incredibly cool.

Because his car is 'on the Mesh', Ori can sync his music automatically, and even send an invite to his mechanic to view his telemetry and diagnostics in real time. With the built in navigation he can even share his location with people through Mesh.

First Look: SecondLight

Larry — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:04:00 GMT

It's hard to top Microsoft Surface, but the brains at Microsoft Research (with help from MS Hardware) certainly did with SecondLight. SecondLight is a variation on the Microsoft Surface computer, the twist is that it can actually project a second image through the first image, which can land on a sheet of paper, a plastic sheet, or anything else semi-transparent that you want to use as a make shift secondary (or third, fourth, fifth) display. Those displays can also have their own multitouch capabilities in the air.

So what does this mean? It means a doctor can use a sheet of paper to dynamically 'cut through' a 3D MRI, or you could even scoop up windows on a surface computer and then interact with them on this lightweight display without altering the original Surface image. We just showed SecondLight at the MSR keynote but last night I got a few minutes with Steve Hodges, Alex Butler, and Shahram Izadi from the SecondLight team and they walked us through how it works. I apologize for how horrible I sound, I lost my voice the day before. Also, we couldn't turn the lights on so it's a little dark. :)

First Look: Windows 7 Screenshots

Larry — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:27:00 GMT

You might have noticed that the version of Windows 7 given out at PDC is a pre-beta developer preview. You might also notice that this copy looks a lot like Vista. No doubt you're wondering what the post-pre-beta Windows 7 will look like, so we've secured and uploaded some Windows 7 screenshots for you to check out. See them here.

Take a Look at Some New Microsoft Gaming Hardware

Larry — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:12:00 GMT

Channel 8's Max Zuckerman has a two part special (one | two) with Mega-Microsoftie Stefan Weitz. In part one you can see the SideWinder X6 keyboard, part two will give you a peek at the SideWinder X5 and the original SideWinder mouse. Be sure to check out the end of the second video, you might be landing your hands on one of those keyboards before the rest of us.

Smart Driving 10 Years Out

Larry — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:34:00 GMT

Autoblog has a post about a new Audi dash system called Travolution that establishes communication between your car and traffic lights. The system will tell you what speed you need to maintain so you don't have to stop at the light, and no braking means better gas mileage and reduced emissions. Currently the pilot program is only running in Ingostadt, Germany.

The system requires a module retrofit on the traffic light to communicate with the dash system, so don't look for this in the short term, but as more cars arrive with in-dash computers (like Microsoft Sync) the possibility is only a software update away. What would be even better is a two-way communication system so that a traffic light can understand which side of the light is backed up the most and help alleviate some of that congestion and intelligently synchronizing with other traffic lights.

Skyfire Mobile Browser Open to Public

Larry — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:03:00 GMT