Another month is in the books, and that means another thirty-some days of browser share data to crunch and analyze. One of the problems with doing that, however is that different stat trackers report conflicting numbers. 
For those of you wondering what Xbox Live titles Microsoft will have ready for Windows 8 when it ships to the general public on October 26, 2012, you can stop guessing. The Redmond software giant today unveiled the first wave of titles that will ship for the platform, a total of 40 games, 29 of which are from Microsoft Studios. If you're expecting heavy-hitting titles like Halo, you're going to be disappointed, but if you're more into Angry Birds these days, you'll like what the company has on tap.
With the holiday shopping season not far off in the distance, you might be tempted to put off purchasing an Xbox 360 console (assuming you're in the market for one to begin with) in hopes of taking advantage of a price cut. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Microsoft is planning to lower the cost of its console, at least not for the rest of 2012, though there's a good chance it will launch another holiday bundle this year.
Here's what we know so far about Windows 8 pricing. If you want to upgrade from XP, Vista, or Windows 7 to Windows Pro, it will cost $40 up through January 31, 2013, after which time the price will go up. We also know that if you buy (or already purchased) a qualifying Windows 7 PC between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, a Windows 8 Pro upgrade will run $15. Other than those two promotions, Microsoft hasn't released any official pricing info. What gives?
After 25 years sporting the same logo, Microsoft today decided "now is the perfect time for a change." That's hard to argue with Windows 8 right around the corner, representing one of several major product launches in store for the Redmond outfit. Windows Phone 8, new Xbox services, and another version of Office are also on tap for Microsoft, and for end users, you'll notice a "common look and feel across these products," Microsoft says.
Nearly two years after it made its debut, Kinect finally received its first price cut on Wednesday. What’s more, Microsoft has knocked off as much as $40 from the motion-sensing peripheral’s original price tag of $149.99, which was considered a bit too steep back when the peripheral first hit the market. But as we all know, the Kinect became an instant hit, selling over 10 million units in just 60 days. That being said, it was probably becoming increasingly difficult for the Redmond-based outfit to justify the original price tag, given the seemingly irredeemable lack of quality titles.
Serving as more proof that Microsoft isn't ready to put its Xbox 360 console out to pasture in favor of its unannounced but oft rumored Durango (Xbox 720) refresh, the Redmond software giant has put the call out for volunteers to test the next version of Xbox Live on the 360. This is the second time in two months that Microsoft has gone in search of beta testers, and though space is limited, the company said it's accepting "far more beta testers this time around."
So you bought a new Windows 7 PC on or after June 2, 2012 and you're anxious to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro already, is that right? Well, you might be in the minority on the latter part (see 
Microsoft recently overhauled its SkyDrive cloud service with a brand new look and fancy feature updates, but one policy that remains is that users are not allowed to upload full or partially nude photos or drawings, a restriction that applies to both public and private folders. It's unclear how actively Microsoft scans private folders for what it deems to be inappropriate content, but as far as the fine print is concerned, SkyDrive's upload policy is one of the most restrictive around.
If the choice is to go big or go home, Microsoft is opting for the former with its Surface tablet strategy. Much to the chagrin of Acer and other hardware partners who wish Microsoft would bow out of the tablet race completely, the Redmond software giant is reportedly gearing up to the splash the mobile market with more than 3 million Surface devices to be sold through its own retail store locations and other outlets.
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