If you turned on your 360 yesterday, you probably were flabbergasted at the new interface that’s been getting some mixed reviews. Whether or not you like the new dashboard interface matters not, the new experience is here to stay.
Don’t forget to fashion your new Mii-like avatar to look like your least favorite dictator. Mine is a spitting image of Cambodia’s Pol Pot. That should scare away any strangers who consider adding me to their friends list.
Ford has unveiled its new take on automobile dashboards with what it’s calling the SmartGauge. The LCD gauge will debut in Fords 2010 line of hybrids, the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid. The gauge uses an all-digital screen with lively animations to prompt drivers on good driving habits by displaying a heavily stylized greenery for good behavior. It’s almost as bad as the teddy bear backseat driver.
The gauges are fully customizable, able to display whatever real time data the driver wishes to see. From what I’ve seen in the videos, it looks to be one of the most impressive dashboards ever put in an automobile. It also appears to be way too distracting for drivers, most of which have a bad enough attention span as it is.
I hope you’ve been preparing for the new Xbox experience because it’s going to change the way you play your 360. No doubt you’ve heard that Microsoft has completely revamped the dashboard, bringing with it a new design and avatars that give core players the casual feel of the Wii. Is this a good thing? It sure is according to Engadget.
Joshua Topolsky of Engadget wrote up a positive preview of the new Xbox experience which will soon be your new dashboard. In the preview, he comments on the likeness between the Xbox 360’s marketplace and iTunes. Additionally, he mentions the Netflix feature which allows you to shuffle through movies in your queue. I’m thrilled about the new Xbox experience, I just hope my 360 doesn’t turn into a Wii. Look for the update to hit your system come November 19th.
Microsoft has announced its New Xbox Experience will launch November 19, bringing a fresh look to the Xbox 360 Dashboard that integrates social features and customizable gamer avatars reminiscent of the Nintendo Wii’s Mii. In order to compete with the upcoming PlayStation Home, Microsoft is adding a slew of avatars, social networking features and more media to the Xbox 360.
If you’re one of the many who suffer from diabetes and your glucose levels are so sporadic that driving any distance could lead to unpredictable results, then this device is for you. Medtronic Diabetes unveiled its new car, a Lincoln equipped with a system that wirelessly associates your glucose monitor with a screen on the dashboard to make driving safer for those suffering from diabetes.
Receiving readings of your sugar ridden blood through both audio and visual cues from the vehicle’s dashboard is just what your doctor ordered. At the moment, the car is merely a concept and there is no word on any commercial release information. Guess you’ll have to keep that insulin pump handy in the mean time.
If you sit around, rummaging through the internet all day, odds are that, like me, you can’t afford a sound system in your car which you can be proud of. Not that I listen to tunes with thumping bass anyway (don’t listen to him, yeah he does), but at least I can support my geeky ego with a self-modified system.
You see what this clever auto geek did here? Instead of some flashy amp system, he’s built-in a PC’s CD-ROM drive into the car’s dashboard, complete with sponge shock protection. So technically, his car has one up on the MacBook Air. — Andrew Dobrow
With the announcement that MSN Messenger will now be integrated into the Xbox 360 dashboard, Microsoft has also announced a QWERTY controller for hassle-free text input for the chat program. The 47-keyed controller plugs into the normal controller via the headphone jack. While it might be a little clunky looking, it sure as hell beats having to lug a full keyboard around.
The Microsoft dashboard update, which will take place on May 7, will allow up to six chat windows to be open in addition to the normal events. The only thing released about this controller yet is the photos so no pricing, availability, or even product name info is available yet. (more…)
