11 ideas which would make Microsoft’s Service Platforms More Attractive

Here is an email I sent to the Xbox Live team with my suggestions for making Xbox and a few other Microsoft Live services better (for the most part, we are talking xbox live). If they give me feedback, and don’t mind me sharing it, I’ll post their replies here as well. Keep in mind, they might be working on some of this stuff already, and I’m sure they are at least working on at least something listed here. (Or I hope)

 

Feedback from anyone who happens to read this is hoped for! Thanks!

---

 

Hello, thanks for the most innovative console service in history. I just have a few thoughts which I think would make Microsoft’s service platform more attractive. I love to be helpful and innovate, but I have to admit that the reason I am suggesting this is somewhat selfish. (I have a 360 and I don’t want the PS3 to do as well as the PS2)

 

1. Let me suggest Xbox.Live.com. Let me set my xbox.live.com page up on my computer, to be consumed and shared by my online friends and me on the 360.

 

2. I don’t like not being able to make my playlists on the 360 pull networked media. I only put game media on my Xbox’s hard drive, and/or any future media which are downloaded from Xbox live.

 

3. I think I might have heard that you all were going to put in some of the new MTV/Media Player work on Xbox live, but if not, make sure you do. .

 

4. Please make my spaces blog available to my friends on Xbox live. I don’t see why not, you all control that server space so security isn’t much more of a concern. As far as development is concerned, if you all haven’t started on RSS/Atom functionality on the Xbox, now would be a good time to get started.

 

5. Make my playlists and favorite media on my Xbox shareable. Please include a short sample with each item (like on msn spaces) as well as a link to buy the songs. (Either MSN or the new MTV thing)

 

6. I would like to take in game screenshots, add captions and tags to it, and upload and share them. This can be via my blog or a Flikr type service; you could throw in a default gadget on xbox.live.com.

 

7. Increase the Maximum length of message recordings on Xbox Live by at least three times. I’ve just started making friends there and I swear I could get a job at an auction.

 

8. Please inform me at the record message screen if my joystick is on mute.

 

9. Live.mail.com should be integrated into Xbox live.

 

10. Please add a shareable calendar to Xbox live. This is a social network right?

 

11. Please have a keyboard ready for the system by the time the PS3 comes out.  It will be more useful after you have items 1-10 hashed out.

I hope this has provided at least a spark to you, and if so, all I ask is that you let me know. I don’t have a 2005 Media Center (2004), and I am waiting for a cable card ready Vista one.

 

Thanks again for a great product; I actually have friends now that I can play online with. (None of my real friends really get into console games enough)

 

 

Microsoft Gadgets: There’s over 200 of them now

http://microsoftgadgets.com/Gallery/ I am gonig to do a review of which ones I like the best soon. There are some killer enhancements to the live platform, and it’s being pushed by a large developer backing. Great stuff in there, take a look.

Screenshots of VW and Google’s Car Navigation System

Fresh off the telematics wire is WV’s venture with Google to bring you a next GEN Navigation system. I hope they sell this thing outside VW as I am not a big fan of their cars, but this nav system looks to be rocking! We’ll have to see how well it works! 

 

 

 

Update: I thought this was from telematicswire, but it looks to be from automotoportal.com. The scoop on it is here.

 

I am working on building a Carputer. That’s a computer for your car. I will be building it in-dash in my Mustang and I can’t wait to get all the parts, config some software and get started. Is there anyone out there currently that has done this? Any advice or tips would be nice, but I am really excited and will start as soon as the weather breaks. I just hope google releases the above product, and that it doesn’t get branded 100 percent to VW.

 

 

 

Amazon launches Simple Storage Service

This is for the small developer who can throw his/her data up on a very cheap responsive storage grid. Michael Arrington at Techcruch profiles the new service offering.

 

Pricing is cheaper than anything else I’ve seen: $0.15 per GB of storage per month, and $0.20 for each GB of data transferred up or downstream. This translates to $15 per month for 100 GB of storage, net of any transfer fees (to move that much data on to S3 would be a one time cost of $20).

 

I’ll have to ask my brother whether it makes sense to move his company’s back end here.

 

Google Mars is the second major project shared by NASA and Google

I’ve been watching this subdomain  for a long time now. This is just great! I love the color coded topography, and infrared, very useful for analyzing the landscape. This is the second of many collaborations between NASA and Google I am hoping. I don’t know if maps of Mars will keep growth strong at Google though.

 

Please tell me Microsoft Origami is going to be a Crestron killer as well.

I really hope this is going to be a new form factor. I’ve been waiting for a reason to upgrade my umm, Giant phone with a real portable device. I really hope this is going to do, 3G, GPS, 802.11, bluetooth, and have a nice MCE upgrade that is a Crestron Killer. Crestron is WAY too expensive. Much better home entertainment announcement than the let down Apple boombox if so. Give me control of my home. It’s the perfect device, it almost looks like a Crestron.