The year 2011 was one year that we will all never forget. Even though they were all in the beginning of the year, the floods in Queensland and Brazil, the earthquakes in Christchurch and the tsunami in the north of Japan are still present in all of our minds. We also saw the death of a tech luminary, Steve Jobs; and the powerful News Corporation losing its influence over politicians in the UK after the phone hacking scandal took a drastic turn from celebrities to victims of crime.

This year, we’ve decided to recap the top 11 tech stories of the year – from security problems to business failures, and even the growing popularity of Windows Phone 7.

You can explore the choices below.

• The Revolutions Heard Around The Globe
• The Catastrophic Disaster of the PSN
• Steve Jobs: 1955 – 2011
• The Phone Hacking that killed the News
• A Global War – Apple v Samsung
• A 50 Day Hacking Campaign, for the lulz
• The Rise of Windows Phone 7
• An annus horribilis for RIM and Netflix
• Palm is dead, WebOS lives on
• Social: Google enters, LinkedIn goes IPO and Timeline
• Gone Viral: Friday – an instant success amongst the haters
• Credits

Image Credits: Al Jazeera English (Left) and David Shankbone (Right). All are licensed under Creative Commons.

Well isn’t that nice. Right on schedule Microsoft has launched Zune Music for Australia. While this may sound like just another music store, a major key to the Zune puzzle is Zune Music Pass, which allows unlimited music downloads for $10 a month.

There is a 1 month subscription for $11.99, 12 month subscription for $119.99 and a 14 day free trial available which all give unlimited access to the millions of songs in the Zune Music catalog. Music from the Zune Music Pass can be played on your PC, web browser, Windows Phone 7 device and soon Xbox 360. Also, if you somehow live in Australia and have a Zune HD you should also be able to use it. It’s a Microsoft-only affair for now but if they want to compete in the streaming music game they might want to offer iOS and Android access as well as a Mac version of Zune.

Also available from Zune Music are songs, music videos and albums which, unlike songs from Zune Pass, are yours to keep forever. These come in a number of price ranges, but in my experience songs are overpriced and albums can be quite cheap compared to iTunes, Bandit.fm and Bigpond Music. You also have to use Microsoft Points, which is a little annoying, but it’s still nice to be able to buy music as well as subscribe for it.

Zune is one of Australia’s few music subscription services that the US has had for years and Zune Pass will soon be followed by competitors Australia launch, Rdio and Spotify, in the coming months. And as I said when Zune Pass was announced for Australia, this is a major way that Microsoft can now compete with the Apple ecosystem as up until now users could only get music from their computers which they had already downloaded or ripped. Now there is the convenience of downloading songs on the go and this could be a competitive feature if Microsoft advertises it.

One confirmed character is Landon Ricketts as seen above, the old gunslinger, who mentors lead protagonist John Marston for a small portion of the main storyline. Although it has been almost one and a half years since the original release of Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar fanboys and RDR multiplayer players can surely look forward to this DLC coming this september. Also be sure to keep up to date with rockstar multiplayer events at the rockstar social club website for multiplayer bonuses in Red Dead Redemption.

So be sure to download the Myths and Mavericks DLC Bonus pack this September at the PSN store or Xbox Live Marketplace.

Picture courtesy of http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire

Source: Fileplanet

Microsoft’s E3 conference brought big news for indie developer Mojang, the creators of Minecraft. The game will be coming to Xbox 360 this Summer (probably December – February). And all that Microsoft announced was Kinect support and possible exclusivity.

We’re light on facts because Microsoft didn’t drop any!

With 343 Industrial being the new owners of the highly acclaim Halo series, does 343 Industrial, with the help of Certain Affinity live up the exceptions set by Bungie? Does this map pack sets a good path for 343 Industrial and their future?

Our gaming editors, Adrian Cajili and Gabriel Huynh, gives you what’s new, and their verdict are just after the jump.

As this is a the first dual-review, Adrian with be in blue and Gabriel will be in red. The scores is an average of what the editors have provided. Their scores can be found in the Conclusion section of the post.

Condemned

Orbital Station Gamma, an abandoned space station that served for the UNSC that oversees the Fall of Reach. Once a communication station between planet Earth and Reach, now one of the last remaining UNSC buliding. This map allow 6 to 12 players and support Capture the Flag, Stockpile, and Slayer game types.

Adrian: Being modeled after Lockout/Blackout from Halo 2 and 3, the elements of the map make Condemned a very spacious fighting zone that contains a number of rooms which can easily confuse players that are new to the map. Despite the large amount of camping spots, this map is great for Slayer, Stockpile and Headhunter, and games which include player running around like crazy. The low-gravity central area, the detail of the map as well as the view from a space station (looking down on the glassed planet Reach) are magnificent, and show how Certain Affinity have taken their time to create a detailed map which fits into the Reach era.

Gabriel: The roundish nature of the map makes it good for close quarter combat. With a anti-gravity region in the centre of the map and the multiple connecting rooms, this map can get anyone lost in a matter of minutes. However each of the rooms contains signs and are colour-coordinated to help the player to get a sense of location. With the scenery of the Fall of Reach, the graphics are just breath taking and just lovely to watch.

Highlands

A UNSC training ground located on the a preserve located on Reach. Before the invasion by the Covenant, this training group trained upcoming Spartans. Now it is just a battlefield with the glassing of the planet in the background. This map supports Big Team Battles, Slayer, and Team Objective gametypes.

Adrian: Highlands is a great map for Slayer games like Big Team Battle and Multi-team, as well as team objective gametypes such as Capture the Flag and Assault. There are a large amount of weapons and vehicles on the map and are spread evenly across the wide open spaces and team bases. Also having a blue and red base on either side, it slightly resembles previous Halo maps like Valhalla and Battle Creek, and contains many cover and bases which can be useful for tactical team objective games. This map is very big and it takes a while to find enemies, and can be very frustrating when the opposing team obtain all the power weapons before your team gets the chance to. Being my favourite map in the Defiant Map Pack, this surely brings back memories from Halo 2 and 3, and give Halo players a different environment to play in with covenant ships glassing the area around you, the detail in the map is extremely well done.

Gabriel: Just the size of the map is amazing. The detail in graphics are just amazing. With the inclusion of a crash Pelican, reminiscing of the crashed Pelican on Valhalla in Halo 3. With the range of vehicles in this map it is easy to get to Point A to Point B, especially in Capture the Flag gametypes. With many structures to fight in, such as caves, building structures; players can easily be reminded of other beloved Halo maps from older generations.

Unearthed

With the fortification of Reach, the UNSC began to use the discovered Titanium from the a site of a meteor crater. This discovered Titanium is used for many UNSC equipment manufacturer. As the Covenant began their invasion of Reach, the Covenant quickly gained control of this mine. This Firefight map allows three to four player teaming up together to fight against the Covenant forces.

Adrian: This map differs from the other Firefight maps as it is set in an abandoned UNSC mining facility. The map is fairly small and includes a Rocket Hog which just brings a whole lot of carnage whilst fighting the Covenant (Muahaha!) but also has to be used wisely against dodging, grenade-throwing, Covenant enemies. The map contains a little circuit for the Warthog to drive around, and buildings which can be used to an advantage to attack enemies below. Despite the frustrating lag whilst playing online, the map contains warm colours and a large background (titanium spikes and mining plateaus) which are greatly effective, and show how the designers know how to maintain the feel of Halo Reach throughout their maps.

Gabriel: As this map is different from the usual maps released in DLC map packs, I applauded 343 Industrial and Certain Affinity for originality and thinking outside the box. Now for my review. This Firefight map takes a different approach to any Firefight map with the inclusion of many vehicles. The earthy colours and the high metal structures give the player a feel of a mine. With the background showing the titanium being exposed I thought it was a nice touch.

Conclusion

Adrian: The designs of the map pack are highly detailed and extraordinary. The maps not only show how Reach was glassed but gives the audience an insight on the look and feel of Reach getting destroyed (which is in fact pretty sad). The elements of the map have been taken from previous Halo maps and have been used to create such little memories of playing Halo 2 and 3, I applaud the creators for their magnificent work. Not only does it show off their creative, map designing skills, but also shows how Certain Affinity and 343 Industries have done a great job in making maps as good as Bungie. A 8.8/10 for me.

Gabriel: Despite Bungie not making this map pack, 343 Industrial and Certain Affinity have done a superb in designing and adding content in the Halo Universe. With including a Firefight map 343 Industrial shows that they are not living in the shadows of Bungie. I give it a 9.1.

The Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack is currently available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points. The game Halo: Reach is require for playing the DLC.

New areas, new creatures and new achievements; what more can’t a person want in a DLC. Fable III Traitor’s Keep DLC explores the life after the main story of the game with beautiful cutscenes and descent voice acting. With the bugs and glitches in Fable III affecting the gameplay since the being, does this DLC make up for them?

Our opinion is just after the jump.

New Features

The new DLC includes three new areas, four storyline quests, and new achievements totalling 250 gamerscores. The three new areas, Ravenscar Keep, Clockwork Island, and The Godwin Estate. The Ravenscar Keep is a large secret island located off the coast of Albion where the worst prisoners of Albion are held. Clockwork Island is the home of a great inventor that lead Albion into a industrial revolution. For those who played the previous Fable III DLC Understone Pack DLC the player will be reminded of the city of Understone. Lastly The Godwin Estate is a wealthy estate that belonged to an aristocrat and now home of exotic creatures.

The plot of the DLC is to recapture a criminal and associates that is plotting a revolution against you, the ruler of Albion. Ironic, isn’t it?

Playtime

The main importance of a DLC is the playtime to cost ratio. The main story of the DLC will that take at least 2.5 hours. Aside from the main story the DLC includes additional collectibles, from audio books to missing robot parts. The collectibles will add an additional 1.5 to 2.0 hours of the gameplay. With the cost of the DLC being 560 Microsoft Points, it is not a bad buy.

Conclusion

The Traitor’s Keep DLC is a great addition to the game with including a storyline after the initial plot. With additional playtime and collectibles the DLC gives the player an excuse to play Fable III again. As well as the additional storyline the game includes a Clockwork Dog Potion which allows the player to change their dog’s breed into a robotic version. The DLC is available on Xbox Live Game Marketplace for 560 Microsoft and requires the Fable III game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgiBwqhBp68&feature=player_embedded

On the 18th of July, 2010, I created a new Xbox Live/Windows Live account. Now, on every website I’ve signed up for, I’ve made my username cjschris, including Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook. But for some reason, I made my Xbox Live account CJSchris.

Now, if you don’t already know, when setting up an Xbox account, you must set up a “GamerTag”. This will be shown across the whole of Windows Live Network on Zune, Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live and possibly other services.

Now, as I said, this is a small issue, or so I thought.

Recently I’ve been playing my Xbox more, as my PS3 is being repaired after 3 years of duty, and decided I would stop the frustration and pay the 800 Microsoft Points it costs to change your GamerTag. But I didn’t want to change my gamertag to something entirely different. I just wanted to change it from CJSchris to cjschris.

Now, I put the 1000 Microsoft Points into my account (you can’t specifically say how many points you want, and they force you to get 500, 1000, 2000 etc.), and then tried to buy the GamerTag change.

Immediately, I put in cjschris as my new gamertag and breathed a sigh of relief. Problem solved.

Until I got a message saying “This gamertag is already in use”. Now, this is where the blame shifts mostly from me to Microsoft. My gamertag is already in use by ME so I can’t change its capitalisation?

But I hadn’t given up. I mean, when hasn’t an automated service stuffed up?

Frustrated, I tried to think up what I could do.

Firstly, I tweeted at @XboxSupport, Microsoft’s official Twitter account for Xbox Support. Now, they didn’t really want to help at all, and their first suggestion was for me to change it once for 800 points, and then buy another 800 points and change it back, which they said would “probably” fix it, but they couldn’t guarantee that my GamerTag would be forever taken.

Not happy with this total non-confirmation, I decided to email them, hoping I would get a more permanent response, other than a 160 character tweet.

Now, it might sound like I’m a bit cheap. “It’s only 1600 points. What is that? $16”.

1600 points costs $26.40, and seeing as you have to round up points to buy them, it would have cost $33.00 for 2000 points. And all that to change the capitalisation of 3 letters?

But the fun didn’t stop there, children. I got many responses from Xbox Support’s email. Most of them saying that there was nothing Support could do and I also got inconsistent answers to my question of “will my gamertag be vacated if I change it?”. Their Twitter account said Yes, but their email account sent me a different, confusing answer. I even said they could take the 800 points out of my account, but they wouldn’t budge.

So, because I try to sound important, I asked whether they could elevate the issue to somebody who could fix it.

The next day, I got a response telling me that I needed to confirm my details via phone. Finally. I had won.

So I called Xbox Live Phone support and got told by the lovely lady after 20 minutes that, even though my Xbox GamerTag is MINE, it is unavailable and she could do nothing.

So in the end, after numerous tweets, emails and phone calls, Xbox Support couldn’t change 3 characters of my GamerTag for $13.20, instead forcing me to pay $26.40.

The fault is not completely with Xbox LIVE. Lots of it is with me. But I still find it very frustrating.

Oh, and by the way I ended up paying the dough. Sadface.

Chris Southcott is an editor for TECHGEEK.com.au, and one of the people on TECHGEEK Weekly.

Nokia and Microsoft have announced that it will be partnering up with each other, seeing Nokia finally ditching its Symbian platform as its primary OS for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 – a huge move for both companies as both try to compete with Google and Apple.

The news will also see Nokia assist Microsoft to drive the growth of Windows Phone 7, bringing to the partnership “its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.”

Nokia is known for having a lot of good hardware on its phones, and with Windows Phone 7, it could be a huge boost for the mobile OS, which recently was launched in November.

Also in this partnership will see Bing powering search across Nokia devices and services, along with the company running the advertising services for those devices; Nokia Maps to be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services; and Nokia’s app store will be integrated with the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.

The deal was long expected as Stephen Elop, the President and CEO of Nokia, was a former Microsoft executive.

Symbian is expected to still be used as an OS for its non-smartphones and phones targeted in developing markets. While it is a good OS for those phones, in the smartphone world, it was known for being clunky or too unfriendly for consumer usage. The change in OS will allow Nokia to predominantly focus on the hardware section of its mobile phones, while also giving Microsoft a big name to promote Windows Phone 7.

The letter from both Steve Ballmer and Stephen Elop is below:

Today in London, our two companies announced plans for a broad strategic partnership that combines the respective strengths of our companies and builds a new global mobile ecosystem. The partnership increases our scale, which will result in significant benefits for consumers, developers, mobile operators and businesses around the world. We both are incredibly excited about the journey we are on together.While the specific details of the deal are being worked out, here’s a quick summary of what we are working towards:

• Nokia will adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.

• Nokia will help drive and define the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.

• Nokia and Microsoft will closely collaborate on development, joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.

• Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.

• Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience.

• Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements will make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.

• Microsoft development tools will be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.

• Microsoft will continue to invest in the development of Windows Phone and cloud services so customers can do more with their phone, across their work and personal lives.

• Nokia’s content and application store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

We each bring incredible assets to the table. Nokia’s history of innovation in the hardware space, global hardware scale, strong history of intellectual property creation and navigation assets are second to none. Microsoft is a leader in software and services; the company’s incredible expertise in platform creation forms the opportunity for its billions of customers and millions of partners to get more out of their devices.

Together, we have some of the world’s most admired brands, including Windows, Office, Bing, Xbox Live, NAVTEQ and Nokia. We also have a shared understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a mobile ecosystem, which includes the entire experience from the device to the software to the applications, services and the marketplace.

Today, the battle is moving from one of mobile devices to one of mobile ecosystems, and our strengths here are complementary. Ecosystems thrive when they reach scale, when they are fueled by energy and innovation and when they provide benefits and value to each person or company who participates. This is what we are creating; this is our vision; this is the work we are driving from this day forward.

There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them.

There will be challenges. We will overcome them.

Success requires speed. We will be swift.

Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.

The remake will be developed by Just Add Water, who are currently working on the upcoming remake of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath for PlayStation 3.

“Abe HD is going into production,” Lanning told Electronic Gaming Monthly. “It’s basically Abe’s Oddysee being redone in a 3D physics engine as a 2D side-scrolling platformer.”

No more information, such as a release date, is available.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is expected to be released on the PlayStation Network on April 30 but will probably miss Xbox Live Arcade due to Microsoft’s 2GB limit.

In the preview video of the map pack, it shows the names of the upcoming four multiplayer maps, Kowloon, Discovery, Berlin Wall, and Stadium; and the upcoming zombie map, Ascension.  However the video only shows the four multiplayer maps.

Kowloon: The map is based on the single player level that is set in Kowloon.  The uniqueness of this map is that it includes zip lines which allows the player to travel from Point A to Point B a lot faster.  However the downside to using the zip lines is that the player will not be able to use any weapons.

Discovery: An Antarctic station that was left by the Germans in WWII.  The map is divided into two parts with a chasm with a narrow icy bridge between them. The map includes a interesting feature, the collapsible nature of the icy bridge.

Berlin Wall: The map takes inspiration from the historical place of Checkpoint Charlie.  The player will take arms on either East or West Berlin.  The map has a No-Man’s Land in the centre with allows the player to cross to either side faster, but the downside to it is the auto turrets surrounding the path.

Stadium: This map allows the player to feel the adrenaline of close quarter combat with many hiding spots due the design of the map.

If you want to see the video about the preview of the First Strike, it is just the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEB0H90lt_M&feature=player_embedded#!

The western setting has never really transferred nicely into a game that you would want to play, with most cowboy person games being forgettable. But I think that this is all about to change with the release of the best damn western game I’ve seen ever.

Red Dead Redemption is an open-world game by the creators of Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar Games. And it definitely shows with the amazing amount of depth and realism to the world of the game. So lets get stuck into the details.

Presentation

You play as John Marston, a solo cowboy with a dark past. But his past life isn’t about to stop biting him back anytime soon. It’s the year 1911 and John has to capture his previous gang members or else his family kicks the bucket. The story is gripping and the cutscenes are top notch, filled with brilliant, world-class performances that help you step into John’s shoes. And if you need a break you can pause cutscenes which is awesome. And this is needed as the game is truly hard to put down as soon as you’ve started playing.

The main protagonist, John, is a like-able character but makes bad decisions followed by more bad decisions. But he really has no choice. It’s either them or his family. The game feels a bit unpolished compared to IV but that is only a minor negative presentation wise.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Red Dead Redemption is addictive to say the least, with plenty of variation. You can ride your horse, catch animals, walk around, play with the smorgasbord of mini-games or just watch the magnificent view. There is so much to do in the game. And if you think it’s just Grand Theft Auto IV with a paint job, think again. RDR retains the cover system, where any rock, trailer or horse (not recommended for obvious reasons) is a shield from gunfire. There is also the Dead-Eye targeting system, which lets John slow down time to get a more accurate shot, which is great in the heated gunfights. There are levels of Dead-Eye which do different things and are upgradeable by progressing through the game. There is also a karma system in RDR, where doing good things will increase your fame and honour level, while doing bad things will decrease it. And if you decide to shoot somebody for fun you will get a wanted level. But unlike in GTA, you get a bounty which, if unpaid, will attract bounty hunters to get you, dead or alive. You can use your hard earned dough to pay off the bounty if you need peace of mind but I thought it was fun when at the end of a mission, while riding to your save point, you randomly get shot at.

Now for the horses. The horses are ridden by tapping the X Button (PS3), but your speed is limited by the amount of stamina your horse has. Push a horse too far and it will buck you off. It’s a little tricky at the start, but you get used to it eventually. Also your horse will begin to trust you more and you will eventually get more stamina. Horses are mainly differentiated by colour and the amount of energy they have, with little else for you to choose from. Horses are fun to ride, but can sometimes feel a bit unpolished. For example, if you ride into a town and run into a building your horse literally just bounces off. I mean, sure, there aren’t that many things you can do to make a horse look perfect, but it sort of took me out of the game. As you ride along the open plains, the horses become apparently different to cars, with neat additions like holding (X) to go the same speed as someone next to you, sticking to the path by default and when you go near a cliff-edge the horse usually tries to stop. It doesn’t always succeed though, with the horse, and sometimes you, falling to your deaths. And if you survive the fall, but your horse doesn’t, you can skin him for money.

But skinning horses isn’t the only thing in target. Any animals you see in the world can be shot, killed and skinned for cold, hard cash. There are a range of animals, as the Bearly Legal trophy/achievement suggests (cleaver!).

Mission activities range from mission to mission, with each mission usually bringing something new to the table. And when you’re riding to a location you’ll also walk past and, at your own choice, participate in a number of mini-missions. For example, somebody’s camp site is being robbed and you have to kill the robber. Or when you’re in a town you’ll occasionally see a woman being attacked by a thug, and you’ll have to help her. It’s these mini nuggets of gameplay that will keep you on edge in even the most boring parts of the game, which there are almost none of.

There are the weapons too, from machine-guns to shotguns and even, my personal favourite, the lasso where you can lasso a person and drag them behind your moving horse. Or you can follow the rules and use it in capturing wild horses.

When you need a rest from the game (usually after a night of little sleep) you can literally set up camp anywhere in the game. Also Autosave is on by default so you don’t really have to worry about losing your save.

And if you do somehow become a little tired by the missions, remember that at the end of many of the missions you are rewarded with new goodies, like guns to buy, horses, costumes and other cool things. Overall the gameplay is fun, except for a minor glitch here or there (don’t worry, they aren’t game breaking). Also, the Rockstar Social Club, Rockstars online hub filled with cool stuff to do, is tightly integrated into the game, more-so than GTA IV was, and gives you bonus content and tasks to do.

As well as the offline game there is also online game modes, including Free Roam, Shootout, Capture The Bag and more which are basically the offline game but with your friends, including the entire game map.

I encountered little to no lag but if your friends aren’t online we couldn’t really discover how to get into another group’s game. Overall Multiplayer is fun.

Visuals

Read Dead Redemption is a beautiful game with a massive draw distance and detailed models, it’s hard to find fault with the graphics. There is a fair few noticable glitches with the visuals though, even in cutscenes, and they can sometimes be pretty annoying, but definately do not detract from the overall experience of a wide, open world. And when you ride to the edge of a cliff and look below at the towns below, you can truly feel how much work has gone into this game to make it this amazing to be in.

Sound

The music and sound effects, while not groundbreaking, are good, but the voice-acting is where it stands out, with top notch, movie style voice acting that make the characters feel real. Also on the way to a mission, the other characters talk to you. And if you fail the mission the next time your going to the mission the characters say other things, which is something I wish more games would do. But if there was one thing I could change it would probably be the music. I know, it sounds dumb but I missed the ability from GTA to listen to some form of music other than just the regular movie style scores. And if they didn’t want that, couldn’t they have included in custom soundtrack support? There is nothing worse than riding a horse for 5 mins non-stop without any music except for the occasional guitar strum. I mean, sure it’s in the Western setting but I listened to my iPod when I wasn’t watching the cutscenes or listening to the conversations in game.

Replay Value

To say that you’ll be playing for months to come is an understatement. Rockstar has already supported this baby with plenty of free and paid DLC, Social Club features and the game on its own being massive. Like a 20-25 hour story mode, followed by a lot of side-missions, big or small and then top that off with the sandbox that is the open world that you can, at any moment, just go for a ride with your noble steed and kill some bears.

The game is so big that I’ll probably have to leave some of the elements out of the review because it would take me all day to show them to you and I don’t want to spoil any of this amazing game.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and gaming platforms for Windows Phone 7 was the main focus of Microsoft’s latest announcements, rather than Windows PCs, as its announced new games for the mobile OS and some improvements to the UI for some Xbox 360 experiences – but also a new feature for Kinect.

Avatar Kinect will now allow your avatar to mimic your motions – including your mouth movements and expressions – via the Kinect camera. So that means if you nod your head, your avatar will mimic that to the rest of your party. The video package also highlights that you can even communicate with each other and record your own talk show with your friends, viewable to all on Xbox Live.

Avatar Kinect will be a free upgrade to those who are Xbox Live Gold members.

The Xbox Live and Kinect integration will get even better for the United States when Hulu Plus will come to the Xbox Live and will have Kinect integration. Also, Netflix customers will be able to navigate and watch movies and shows with no controller – just simply motion and voice controls.

Windows Phone 7 is also getting some new games, including Fable Gold Hunt, essentially an additional game that will see you collect gold. The good thing, and most attractive reason to get the game, is that the gold you collect from the game will be added to the gold totals on your Fable 3 account. Other games joining Windows Phone 7 include Fruit Ninja, Pac-Man and Zombies!! – the latter obviously a zombie game.

Windows Phone 7 will also be getting an update, that will improve the performance of the operating system – including the games, and will include copy and paste.

You can read the commentary for the Microsoft keynote at our website.

In other Call of Duty: Black Ops news, Microsoft is holding a multiplayer event on the 28th to 30th of January 2011. In this event, all Xbox LIVE Silver members will be allowed to attend this multiplayer event without the need of getting a Xbox LIVE Gold membership.

Other than that, Microsoft have included many beloved Arcade Games in their New Year’s savings.  To name a few of the discounted games Super Meat Boy is now 800 Microsoft Points and Banjo Tootie – 600 Microsoft Points.  These and other Arcade Games will be on sale till the 31th of December.

If you are low on Microsoft Points, Microsoft still have a gift for you gamers.  The gift is 2011 Xbox Live Avatar Glasses. The glasses are free and will cost you nothing.

While the Windows Phone 7 announcement doesn’t happen until 9:30am San Francisco time – just under a few hours – LG has accidentally leaked its Windows Phone 7 phone it will be releasing soon before taking it down – but a Google cache and the images are still uploaded on the server.

Keeping it under its Optimus line of phones, the LG Optimus 7 (guess where that comes from) features a 3.8-inch WVGA screen with 16GB of onboard storage, a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash, Bluetooth 2.1 support, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an accelerometer, allowing you to switch the phone’s orientation.

Of course, the phone’s main feature is Windows Phone 7 – Microsoft’s revival of its Windows Mobile line. It has redesigned the entire OS from the ground up, and has integrated Xbox Live and its Zune platforms onto the device – both established Microsoft brands in the gaming and music industry (something Apple is already in with its iOS devices) alongside a cleaner interface.

Microsoft has also made it strict, meaning that devices have to meet hardware specifications and are not able to change the interface – something that Microsoft had allowed in previous versions of Windows Mobile. So, when HTC makes its announcement, its not going to bring out a customised version of the interface.

The blog post that was accidentally leaked mentions no release date or international availability. Gallery is below, after the jump.

If you have an Xbox 360 and get excited by software updates listen up! Major Nelson has just announced on his blog that the Xbox Live dashboard update, which is launching with the Kinect later this year, is now accepting early registrations for testing.

Major Nelson says that the update brings “ESPN on Xbox LIVE, Zune music, Netflix search, the new Xbox LIVE dashboard, and new updates to Zune video and Family Settings on your Xbox 360.”

And while many of these things, for example Zune music, probably won’t be functional in Australia, you can still sign up and be wowed by the new looks. In fact I was just accepted, so hurry as it’s very easy to get in!

Remember these tips though, as posted by Major Nelson:

• We’re looking for multiple thousands of participants, so your chances of making it in are good.
• This is not for Kinect. You will not be receiving a Kinect sensor if you are chosen to participate.
• This opportunity is open to all Xbox LIVE Members in regions where Xbox LIVE is available.
• To avoid any problems, read the survey carefully and double check all the information your provide.
• While both Xbox LIVE Gold and Silver members can sign up, Priority will be given to Gold members in the selection process.

When you’re sure you want in just click here, sign in with the Windows Live account linked to your Xbox Live Gamertag and complete a survey. You will be instantly notified if you have been accepted so good luck and hurry!

“The integration between Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE is an exciting expansion in our entertainment offerings,” Craig Eisler, Corporate VP of Interactive Entertainment Business Group, said.

“Zune enables users to access the entertainment they want, wherever they want it — and now, more people than ever will be able to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that the Zune service offers.”

The expansion of the Zune platform comes before the supposed October launch of Windows Phone 7, which integrates the Zune platform as a way to purchase media, similar to Apple’s iPhone/iPod touch and the iTunes Store.

For Australia, Xbox LIVE holders will now be able to purchase videos from the Zune store and able to sync it to their Windows Phone 7 devices or watch it on their Windows PC, and will be able to rent movies. These conditions also apply to UK, France, Germany, Canada and New Zealand.

Austria, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Mexico will only be getting the movie rentals.

The music component will spread across the Atlantic to the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain; while the Zune Pass – the monthly subscription service for the Zune that allows unlimited downloads (though they have DRM) and streaming, will extend to all these markets with the exception of Germany.

No music options have been given to Australia, but most likely because of the rise of DRM-free music on all of the available ways of purchasing music – like Bandit.FM, iTunes and BigPond Music – Microsoft may find it tough to place Zune here, as – like mentioned – it is laced with DRM.

Full press release is below:

REDMOND, Wash. — Sep. 20, 2010 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the further international expansion of Zune, its digital entertainment service. This fall, Zune will expand its music and video footprint and bring the free Zune software, Zune Marketplace online store, Zune Pass music subscription service and enhanced features on Zune.net to new markets, providing a comprehensive entertainment experience on Windows-based PCs, on the go with Windows Phone 7 and in your living room through Xbox LIVE.

“The integration between Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE is an exciting expansion in our entertainment offerings,” said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business Group at Microsoft. “Zune enables users to access the entertainment they want, wherever they want it — and now, more people than ever will be able to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that the Zune service offers.”

Zune software has been upgraded with new features and functionality and will serve as the Windows Phone 7 synchronization client. The new software (version 4.7) will be available to download for free in more than 20 countries, including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain, to easily manage your personal collection of movies, music, podcasts and pictures. Zune software continues to set the standard for entertainment software, providing best-in-class experiences to organize, discover and enjoy digital media with a variety of exclusive features. For example, the Quickplay menu enables immediate access to recently played content and personal favorites, and Smart DJ automatically creates playlists from your personal music collection and takes the extra step of mixing in suggested music from the Zune Marketplace. The updated Zune software will also enable instant streaming of high-definition movies, allowing you to watch some Zune Marketplace movies in HD, with no download time, directly on a Windows PC.

Zune Marketplace online store is accessible from within the Zune software and offers the ability to purchase millions of individual songs or albums from its catalog, all in MP3 format. Here, consumers can also subscribe to Zune Pass, which provides unlimited downloads and music streaming capabilities from the Zune music library, including content from major music labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group, as well as thousands of independent labels. Zune Marketplace also has a large library of videos from major studios such as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution for purchase or rental. Video purchases will be accessible through Xbox LIVE and Windows-based PCs, and can also be added to a Windows Phone 7. Simply buy your favorite video from Zune Marketplace and watch it on the screen of your choice.

Zune.net is the perfect resource for consumers as it allows them to download the software and set up a Zune account with a new or existing Windows Live ID. Zune.net will also provide Web access to Zune Marketplace so you can purchase music or use a Zune Pass to stream music directly through an Internet browser, as well as purchase video content.

Zune Expansion to New Markets

As Zune expands internationally, its music and video service will be tailored for each market. Genre experts will custom program Zune Marketplace and feature the top songs, videos, movies and unique promotions for each country.

The fall 2010 international expansion of the Zune music and video service includes the following:

• Zune Marketplace will extend services to several markets in Europe and beyond.
• Zune Pass (U.K., France, Italy and Spain). The monthly music subscription service will be available for 9.99 euros /8.99 pounds per month for unlimited download and streaming access to the Zune music catalog and will be accessible on Windows-based PCs, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE. The offer in the U.S. will remain at $14.99 per month for unlimited downloads and streaming access, with the ability to keep 10 MP3s per month.
• Music purchase (U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Germany). Expansion to these markets will enable consumers to purchase MP3s and listen on their Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 or any other device that supports MP3 format. Users will also be able to purchase music videos to enjoy on Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 and Zune on Xbox LIVE.
• Video purchase (U.K., France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Consumers will now be able to purchase movies to download and watch anywhere — on the big screen in the living room with Xbox LIVE or their Windows-based PC as well as sync it to their Windows Phone 7 to enjoy on the go.
• Movie rental (U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). In addition to Zune video on Xbox LIVE, consumers in these countries will now be able to rent movies for viewing on their Windows-based PC or choose to sync the rental to their Windows Phone 7.

The global expansion of the service is the latest step in a series of milestones for Zune, including powering Bing music search results, the added ability to purchase music and video on Zune.net, and the forthcoming integration with Xbox LIVE and Kinect for Xbox 360. By continuing to integrate Zune across the most important screens to consumers, Zune provides an all-in-one music and video service for users to discover, enjoy and experience their entertainment wherever they want.

Australian gamers rejoice! Microsoft, mainly thanks to their recent partnership with Foxtel in bringing the service to Xbox Live, has announced that it will be broadcasting its two E3 events live to Australian viewers on FOX8 – the worldwide premiere of Project Natal and its own press conference. The press conference is live, meaning that you better wake up way early on Tuesday June 15 as its press conference starts at 3:30am Sydney Time, and commercial free. It will replay on the same channel 12 hours later at 3:30pm.

The Project Natal event, however, will be a delayed telecast and will air on Saturday, June 26 at 7:30PM Sydney Time. This event features an exclusive performance from Cirque du Soleil and will be hosted by Kelly Rowland.

While 2009 might not be a year to remember when consumer demand was very low – before increasing at the latter end of the year – Symbian still dominates the smartphone market, according to Gartner. However, it might need to do some more to increase its market share after it dipped from 52.4 percent in 2008 to 46.9 percent in 2009, despite an increase of units sold.

The increase could be because of the increase from Research in Motion (16.6% in 2008, 19.9% in 2009), Apple’s iPhone OS (8.2% in 2008, 14.4% in 2009) and the Android OS (0.5% in 2008, 3.9% in 2009). However, Windows Mobile continues to see a decline after having a market share of 8.7 percent in 2009, lower than its 11.8 percent share in 2008.

For mobile phones, Nokia still continues its dominance – despite a lower share of 36.4 percent, down from 38.6 percent in 2008; while Samsung and LG make some big gains – 19.5 percent and 10.1 percent respectively. Motorola and Sony Ericsson saw some losses – with Motorola shedding almost half of its 2008 market share of 8.4 percent to close at 4.8 percent in the year 2009. Sony Ericsson recorded a 4.5 percent share, down from 7.6 percent in 2008.

2010 is a big year, however, for the mobile phone industry. Samsung is expected to bring its Bada OS for its phones, and that could bring some positive increases if the public like it, while Windows Phone 7 Series replaces the Windows Mobile line, so Microsoft could benefit from its reworked OS and new features like Xbox LIVE and Zune integration. Symbian is also launching Symbian^3 and Symbian^4 OS during the year. However, we won’t see the final results until next year.

Microsoft has added new additions to the Xbox Live service, including a new Games Room – giving players a chance to play the old arcade games from Atari and Konami on both Windows PCs and Xbox 360 – but only the Xbox 360 will allow you to challenge your friends. Over 1000 games will be released throughout the next three years, though 30 games will be initially launched. Expect this in Spring.

Microsoft has today announced that it will be bringing out one of the worst kept secrets in the world, the Zune HD, this fall, where it will bring in some Xbox LIVE integration with its Video Marketplace, and will come in new markets, according to its press release.

The name will bring in HD for the player, with a HD-compatible output to play HD video via a HDMI cable to a television, and will be compatible with HD Radio. It will also have an internet browser, is wi-fi enabled and will have a music store.

Physical features include a new design, so say bye to the squircle, and it will have a 16:9 widescreen (480 x 272 pixel) OLED touch screen – so yes, it is supposed to compete with the iPod touch.

Full press release below.

Microsoft announces the expansion of the Zune entertainment service to new platform and markets; confirms new Zune HD portable media player

Premium Zune digital entertainment service to be available internationally on Xbox LIVE

REDMOND, Wash. — May 26, 2009 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the evolution of Zune, the company’s end-to-end music and entertainment service, to a new platform and new markets. Zune will extend its video service to Xbox LIVE internationally this fall. This marks an important development in the Zune strategy and brings the Zune brand to more than 17 million international Xbox LIVE subscribers. In addition, Microsoft confirmed the next generation of the Zune portable media player, Zune HD. Available in the U.S. this fall, Zune HD is the first portable media player that combines a built-in HD Radio receiver, high-definition (HD) video output capabilities, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser.

“The Zune music player is an integral part of the overall Zune experience, and we’re proud to be growing and extending our offering beyond the device,” said Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV, Video and Music Business Group. “Delivering on Microsoft’s connected entertainment vision, this news marks a turning point for Zune as it brings cross-platform experiences and premium video content to living rooms around the world.”

Zune Service Expands to New Platform

Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.

Introducing Zune HD

Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.

• Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
• The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
• The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
• Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
• Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.

More information on Zune and related images is available at http://www.zune.net/press and http://www.zune.net/ZuneHD .