Hasta La Gadget!

Yes, we did bring you word on how Microsoft has announced their next step in muscling their way into the digital music market that is currently dominated by Apple’s iTunes and to a certain extent, Amazon’s Cloud Player, by introducing the Xbox Music service which delivers free streaming on Windows 8-powered devices such as computers and tablets. The thing is, folks who are still running on Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 will be unable to obtain access to Xbox Music, as the Xbox Music service was specially designed to cater for Microsoft’s Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Xbox 360 console only.

So what other options do Windows Phone 7 and Windows 7 users have? Well, they will just have to make do with the Zune Music service, where one is able to obtain access to a similar catalogue of songs as Xbox Music. I guess that ain’t too bad, it is just a matter of taking a different route to the same destination, and you can bet your bottom dollar that eventually, the Zune Music service will be phased out for good.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Xbox Music announced by Microsoft, Apple iTunes and Amazon Cloud Player to watch out?, Leaked screenshots reveal Xbox Music Pass pricing,

It looked like a match made in heaven. Max and Caroline from “2 Broke Girls” could take their homemade cupcake business and appear on “Cupcake Wars.” They set in an adorable audition video, and got a callback to the set. But that’s about as far as their good fortunes were going to take them this week.

Once on set, they saw they were facing off against two women from New Orleans, who’d lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Then, the theme of the challenge was soul food, with ingredients right up the alley of that duo from the south.

And then there was Caroline. Poor sweet Caroline, who complete lost her mind. In their short intro package, she couldn’t stop babbling, and even broke into a freestyle rap at one point. Then, once in the kitchen she quickly proved why Max handles all the cooking.

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On the heels of New York City high school guidance counselor Tiffani Webb being fired over racy images that emerged from her modeling past over 17 years ago, HuffPost Live host Abby Huntsman hosted a discussion Monday about whether we should care about what went on in educators’ pasts.

Benedict Garrett, a London-based former secondary school teacher who also stripped and starred in porn, shared the story of when his students found out about his extracurricular activities.

Garrett said he was fired from the job after students saw an ad on an adult channel featuring him.

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Your chance to shout voice commands at Engadget is coming today, as Microsoft is rolling out its Fall Dashboard update to the Xbox 360 today, headlined by the inclusion of Internet Explorer. The update also adds a version of its popular “pinning” functionality, a variety of specialized sports apps (NBA, NHL, and Monday Night Football from ESPN), the ability to recommend and rate content, and some UI tweaks across all of the 360 Dashboard’s categories. Xbox Music is also in there, as is SmartGlass support, though the latter won’t have any functionality until October 26, according to Microsoft’s Major Nelson. The update may not come immediately, as it’s being rolled out gradually across various regions. 3 million folks get in this week, while others may not see it until a week or two from now, says Microsoft. We’ve got a full hands-on right here for you to read in the meantime, of course.

Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft

PSA: Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard update rolling out today originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, Samsung promised it would reveal a “groundbreaking” Windows 8 device, sending out invitations to a press event in which the company would announce Windows devices, including ultrabooks with touchscreens. This evening, the Korean company unveiled the products, including pricing, which are part of its new “Smart PC” category. The groundbreaking device? Meet the Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch Windows 8 ultrabook.

The base Series 5 Ultra Touch model starts at $809.99, and features a Core i3 processor (upgradable to an i5 for an extra $50), while both the i3 and i5 models have 4GB of RAM, a 1366×768 display, and a 500GB hard drive with 24 gigs of ExpressCache (high-speed SSD storage). It weighs in at 3.83 pounds, which is perhaps a tad hefty for an ultrabook. No word on battery life.

Other products included the rebranded Ativ Smart PC 500T ($749.99 with keyboard/$649.99 without keyboard) and 700T ($1,199.99), both of which are Windows 8 tablets. The 500T runs an Atom Z2760 processor, while the 700T runs a Core i5. The 500T features 2GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage space, while the 700T features 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space.

The laptops in the line include the Series 9 Premium Ultrabooks ($1,300 for the 13 inch model, $1,400 for the 15 inch model), the Series 7 15-inch notebook ($1,100), the Series 5 13.3-inch UltraTouch ($810 for the Core i3, $860 for the Core i5), and the Series 3 Notebook, which has a price range of $450 to $900 depending on configuration. Also announced were two All-in-One PCs, the Series 7 ($1,100 for the 23.6 inch model, $1,700 for the 27 inch model), and the 21.5 inch Series 5 at $800. Most of these devices will be available when Windows 8 is released on October 26th.

Samsung reveals Windows 8 ultrabooks and tablet hybrids is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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