Here’s what we just learned from Microsoft in their round table discussion on Xbox Live and the new Dashboard. First, the impetus for re-designing the dash was that the current content navigation is too difficult. They only planned on a couple hundred/thousand items, but they currently have 20,000+ pieces of content in their marketplace. There needed to be a change, and the change is the streamlined dash. Here’s what else we found.
Xbox 360 Fanboy found this Flash document on Intellisponse’s servers, which is an online research and web-survey platform. It shows off a picture of a bunch of Mii-like characters called Avatars, that (according to the text above it) are supposed to be for the Xbox 360 and are used instead of the gamer picture. It’s unclear whether or not this picture is a survey, but seeing as Intellisponse is a survey and the picture looks a whole lot like a survey, it’s probably a part of a survey.
A recent patent filing by Apple Inc. entitled Enhancing Online Shopping Atmosphere indicates that Steve Jobs’ next BOOM could involve a hat tip to virtual worlds like Second Life. According to the filing, Apple is considering a more interactive visual representation of its online store complete with changing weather and avatars. Let the griefer brainstorming session begin.
This is real time “avatar” software from Japan that takes video of a person and automagically gives them a new hairstyle, makeup, or outfit. It’s really incredible how well it works in real time, and you can imagine this tech being used everywhere from hair salons to clothing stores to online gaming. I want to know what I’d look like with a Mohawk and a Fu Manchu, so let’s get this tech Stateside pronto, OK Japan? [TV in Japan]
Developed by Chinese company InterGrafx, Mobile Secretary was unveiled yesterday at Nokia World. Basically a 3D avatar that handles SMS and incoming calls on your mobile phone, Mobile Secretary comes in various shapes and forms (plump maternal, foxy blonde Svetlana, cool-headed brunette—wonder if there are any male ones?) You can even create your own avatar using a photo, something InterGrafx refers to as a “personalized dream baby.” So what else can it—sorry, she—do?
newVideoPlayer("avatarmachine_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Do you play so many videogames that you feel weird walking around without being able to see yourself from a third-person perspective? If so, you need to uninstall World of Warcraft and reacquaint yourself with the sun and your peers. If that seems like too difficult a prospect to handle, you can always just get an Avatar Machine. This contraption for the antisocial and maladjusted allows you to stroll around the real world seeing yourself from a perspective you’re more used to, all while freaking out everyone around you. It’s all very depressing, but it’s your life. Or lack thereof. [Geekologie]
