TekGoblin

The first thing you, (and everyone) will notice is just how incredibly sexy the Zune HD is. The sleek casing and big, glossy touchscreen are one of a kind features of the Zune HD. The body is brushed metal with plastic edging. The screen is a 3.3 inch OLED display. Beneath the screen, is a sliver of a home button. The rear of this device has a slight curve on the sides. The bottom of the device includes the Zune adapter port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Opposite of that, at the top of the device, is a hidden power button. On the left hand side there is the media button. With this button you can bring up the media navigation menu. Here you get options for back/forward and volume adjustment.

Read the full review inside…

Looks like AT&T is really going to try to be the carrier to beat for Window Phone 7 devices. The in-the-wild picture reveals Piano black and glossy touch screen device that is destined for ATT Wireless. By our gestimation, since we are seeing leaks now and based on Microsoft’s need to not be forgotten in the smartphone arena by consumers, we are thinking and hoping for a 2010 Q4 release prior to Christmas!

In addition to the Samsung Cetus, looks like LG has something in store for Windows Phone 7 in the form of a touch screen device along with a slide-out four-row qwerty keyboard. Yet another Phone 7 device headed to AT&T. The LG C900 has not been given an official nickname like the Samsung has with the Cetus, but we are sure that more information is bound to come out. AT&T is shaping up to be a home for a wide variety of Windows Phone 7 devices. Novemberish seems like a likely release.

Microsoft’s Hardware division has teased us on twitter today with an image of a new product, but not enough of it for us to identify it. This was their first tweet:

Here’s a hint for you: “Don’t be so touchy…flat is where it’s at.” We’ll share another glimpse of our upcoming product with you tomorrow.

Followed by their next tweet a few minutes ago:

Here’s your second clue to our next product release: http://twitpic.com/2baujg . Any guesses as to what it might be?

From Microsoft’s picture and words they used it could be a touch pad to compete with Apple’s new Magic Pad or something completely new. Who knows? Stay tuned for more info.

Microsoft loves to make special edition Xbox 360′s for featured games, but its the first time they have done it with the new Xbox Slim. They have released a new Halo: Reach 250 GB Xbox 360 Slim. The new Xbox as shown above is very slick with an all silver design and even a Halo themed controller. The new console bundle is priced at a mere $399.00 with 2 limited edition controllers and a copy of Halo Reach. This bundle will be available for purchase September 14th.

Now who wouldn’t want a controller for their Xbox that could switch between wired and wireless mode whenever you want. Microsoft has filed a patent for a Wireless and wired Xbox controller that can switch between both modes seamlessly without interrupting gameplay. An excerpt from the patent:

A game controller operates in both a wired mode and a wireless mode, and is able to switch between these two modes without permanent disruption to an ongoing game. During a transition from one mode to another, a host gaming system detects when the controller is physically disconnected (for wired mode to wireless mode) or connected (for wireless mode to wired mode). Upon detection, the host gaming system stores the game data and user information and establishes a new communication link with the controller. The host gaming system subsequently reassociates the game data and user information with the game controller as it begins operating in the new mode. This allows the player to continue game play without interruption.

With all of the issues with the iPhone 4 and antennagate, Apple has lost its lead on Microsoft in the Stock Market. Apple had a lead on Microsoft for a couple of months leading up to the iPhone 4 release, but with all the negative news they have fallen again behind Microsoft. Here are some screenshots below of the current market caps of both companies courtesy of Google Finance. MSFT 220.05B, AAPL 219.41B Its not much of a lead, but they are back in front. Apple may rebound with the recent announcement of the iPad being available in 9 more countries this friday.

Some images of a new Xbox Dashboard have leaked on to the internet. The new dashboard seems to include a new look and less flash than the current dashboard. Here are some images below:

Walmart has listed their price for Xbox Kinect as well as some bundle offers on their website. Walmart is offering the individual unit for 149.54 which is exactly what the Microsoft store was pricing it at. It is only available for pre-order online for the time being.

They are also offering a Kinect bundle for $199 with a bonus $30 Walmart online gift card. The bundle includes several different choices if you preorder online. You can choose from the following games; Harry Potter: Deadly Shadows, Kinect Dance Central, Kinect Joy Ride, Kinectimals, Kinect Sports or Kinect Adventures.

So the included items will be the game of your choice, Kinect, and a $30 eGift card from Walmart. For $199 with a game and a gift card that isnt bad, but most gamers arent going to pay $199 or even $149 for Kinect. If Microsoft wants Kinect to sell competitively they will need to set a lower initial price point.

Check inside for pictures.

A couple weeks ago we found details on Xbox Kinect’s pricing and we went through what was included with a purchase of Kinect. One of the items that is included with Kinect was a WiFi Extension Cable. Well, nobody actually knew what this was, so we contacted Microsoft and asked them ourselves. Here is what they said:

The Wi-Fi extension cable included with the Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 is for connecting to an external Wi-Fi adapter. This allows the use of a dual-band connection. The Kinect sensor and Xbox 360 S have their own built-in Wi-Fi, but the extension cable will be necessary for configuring a dual-band connection.

From what I get from this, the extension cable is for configuring a ad-hoc connection between the Xbox 360 S and the Kinect? I asked for further clarification from Microsoft, let me know what you think.

Here it is our first Episode of TekGoblin, The Show. In this show we discuss some of the news from E3 this year as well as Microsoft Kinect, Playstation Move, and Nintendo DS3.

Podcast (tekgoblin-show): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:00 — 409.0MB)

As you may have heard the Microsoft Kin was discontinued by Microsoft shortly after its launch. The Kin was only around from May 13th, through June 30th 2010. The phone didn’t last long due to decreased sales and poor management by Microsoft. Engadget reports that the changes in management on Kin ultimately doomed the project.

Well, the Kin has been immortalized by Shmuel Tennenhaus at KinRip.com. The site is a memorial for the Microsoft Kin and has already had over 9,000 visitors pay their respects.

The site was builg using ForeverMissed, which is an online tool that lets users create memorial pages for their departed loved ones for free. So check out the site and pay your respects to Kin.