Tina Wood

Watch the Olympics Live now at NBCOlympics.com

Tina — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:50:00 GMT

Who needs DVR when you can watch the 2008 Summer Olympics Live at NBCOlympics.com. With over 2200 hours of live Olympic footage and more feature and profile pieces than you know what to do with...it's the place to be this summer. Using Silverlight 2.0 you can watch up to four live events at one time. I recruited Ex-BMX racer Eric Schmidt to give us a walk-thru of this superb user experience.

Deep Zooming with HardRock.com

Tina — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:10:00 GMT

Adam Kinney stops by the Channel 10 Studios and takes us through the HardRock.com memorabilia site. It's built with Silverlight and we've seem glimpses before but now we're bringing you the whole tour. Check out the finger prints of your favorite musicians, the tires on Bono's motorcycle and a letter from Madonna. Cool stuff people.

RoboChamps Sumo Challenge

Tina — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:28:00 GMT

Welcome to Robochamps...where you have an opportunity to wage war in a simulated robotics competition that will cost you nothing. Robots aren't just for rich people anymore. Using Visual Studio, Robotics Developer Studio 2008, and some unique open world environments you get to program your bot to kick some virtual butt. $0 $0 Now it's time for the new challenge...THE SUMO CHALLENGE! $0 $0 $0

LineRider.com....so much fun

Tina — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:31:00 GMT

Boy grabs sled. Boy rides sled. A simple concept yields endless fun and the latest Internet Phenomenon is born! In Line Rider the player draws their own landscape with a simple pencil tool creating as many ramps, hills, and jumps as they can imagine. Then they send a virtual sledder careening down the course until he wipes out. The possibilities in Line Rider are only limited by the player's imagination.

Adam Kinney stops by the Channel 10 Studios to show off his latest addiction.

A candid chat with the Mobile Search Team

Tina — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Okay, let's face it...we are all addicted to our Mobile devices. Whether we're chatting, texting, browsing or searching we can't live without our favorite portable friends. I spent some time chatting with Jay Nanduri and Suresh Velagapudi from the Mobile Search team to talk about the history of Mobile Search and Browsing, the difficulties developing for Mobile Devices and what the future holds. You may be surprised at some of their answers.

High Tech Hiking in South America

Tina — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:27:00 GMT

Brian Keller and Mike Iem are avid hikers and just happen to be Microsoft employees. They are heading out on a three week hike to South America in a few weeks and stopped by the Channel 10 Studios to show off the latest gadgets they're taking with them.

SteriPEN
GeoSetter
SPOT
Live Maps
Solar chargers
Ultra-Mobile PC Canon point-and-shoot hacking

Channel 10 Round-up: Halocast

Tina — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:44:00 GMT

I thought I would give an update with what's happening in the world of Channel 10 . I make my way through the channel 10 site and talk about specific text posts or videos we have done in the past week or two. I give this update while goofing around in Halo. Here are some links to the videos I refer to:

Life with Bill Gates
Learn to Sky Dive with Laura Foy
Search Share: Facebook Application
Zine: A New Facebook Application
Channel 8: Imagine Cup Videos

Schizoid: Available on Xbox Live Arcade

Tina — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:31:00 GMT

With a name like Schizoid how could you not play it. It will cost you 800 Microsoft Points.

Cooperative gameplay is redefined in the fast-paced and unique Schizoid! Control red and blue ships, ramming them into enemies of the same color to destroy them. But be careful, because if you hit the opposite color, you will be destroyed. Quick thinking and quicker reflexes help you seize victory, but sharp teamwork provides the best chance of earning gold medals along the way. Schizoid offers more than 120 levels of challenge, playable in either single-player or co-op mode, plus the brain-melting Uberschizoid hardcore mode, in which one player controls both ships!

Co-op gameplay to the max: No other multiplayer co-op game has such tight cooperative gameplay. The two players (or one player with a computer A.I. partner, or one player controlling both ships in Uberschizoid) must work together closely in order to defeat the hordes on each level.
Uberschizoid mode: For perhaps the most challenging and "brain-melting" challenge yet, try Uberschizoid Mode. Control both red and blue ships, matching them to each enemy color in order to succeed.
Tremendous graphics: The glowing, flashing, megabursting graphics add to the game's inherent chaos.
Xbox LIVE® play: Play co-op over Xbox LIVE and team up with players worldwide to see how far you can advance!

Peggle: From the makers of Bejeweled

Tina — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:13:00 GMT

Focus Multimedia and casual games pioneer, PopCap Games today announced a partnership that sees the long-awaited arrival of PopCap’s critically acclaimed masterpiece, Peggle, at retail.

From the makers of Bejeweled, Peggle combines elements of pinball, pachinko and pool to create a completely different kind of casual game. Players fire a silver ball from the top of the screen, relying on the laws of physics to propel the ball downwards while ricocheting off orange and blue ‘pegs’.

Using a mixture of luck and skill the goal is to clear all the orange pegs before running out of balls. A moving “bucket” at the bottom of the screen offers the chance of free balls, while green pegs give the player one of ten amazing power-ups to help them complete the level.

Since its web launch, Peggle has taken the industry by storm - and both casual and hardcore gamers by surprise. A feast of colour and fun - with rainbows and unicorns and an ‘Ode To Joy’ soundtrack - Peggle has proved an unlikely hardcore hero and is causing ‘Extreme Fever’ wherever - and whenever - it pops up.

Key features of Peggle include:
• Four different modes representing hundreds of levels:
1. Adventure Mode takes players through 55 unique hand-painted levels on a quest to become a Peggle Master
2. Duel Mode allows for head-to-head battles against friends or computer opponents
3. Challenge Mode features increasingly difficult goals across 75 levels
4. Quick Play mode lets players choose their favourite level and power-up combinations, or play a random set of levels and/or power-ups.
• Ten “Peggle Masters” – they teach you how to play but later serve as tricky opponents
• Stunning sound FX and themed music
• “Style Points” reward players for shots that display great skill or just incredible luck!

Peggle is available now for a suggested retail price of £9.99 including VAT, from all good retail outlets of PC software and direct from www.focusmm.co.uk.

Search Share: A new facebook application

Tina — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:40:00 GMT

Search Share lets you find all kinds of videos, images and other information online and then share it very easily with friends. But Search Share goes beyond typical web search - you see visual previews and select just what you want to share. You can also search multiple topics and share all your selected results together.

To share your chosen items, drag and drop them into the Share Panel and either send to your Feed or email selected friends or save it to your profile.

Zine: A new facebook application

Tina — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:43:00 GMT

Zine is your own online magaZINE of articles and videos that you personalize to include the topics you care about. Zine makes it easy to dig deeper into stories that interest you, and to share stories with your Facebook friends. Keep up to date with Zine!

• Zine, powered by MSN, covers a variety of fun topics such as Entertainment, Relationships, Sports, as well as US News and more.

• You can also create specific topics that you want the latest news stories for. Add a topic for your favorite celebrity, your favorite sports team, events, or anything that interest you. Examples are Mariah Carey, Seattle Mariners, Olympics, and US Stock Market.

• If you want to explore a story further, click the search button next to the headline. You’ll get articles, web sites, videos, and images related to your story.

• Easily share any story with your friends or post it to your profile using the Share+ button.

A look back at my life with Bill Gates

Tina — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:32:00 GMT

So my boss, Bill Gates is officially gone. Not like, gone, gone. But he won't be in the office everyday anymore. He has taken on another ambitious and important project and has chosen to spend more time on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill and I always got along great. I think he really enjoyed working with me.

Rock Band 2 coming this September

Tina — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:28:00 GMT

Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company in the world, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts are taking the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games to the next level this September with the release of Rock Band 2. With the original providing millions of players a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 is the next evolution of the franchise that redefined the standard for music games.

Rock Band is the groundbreaking platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before - challenging players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.

Rock Band 2 builds upon its foundation as the first music game to introduce co-operative band gameplay, multiple instruments, a robust online multiplayer experience, an unrivaled offering of downloadable content and raises the bar by delivering an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and features including:

Backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content. All previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 song list. No need to re-purchase or re-download.
The biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.
Major new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before both locally and globally.
More variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs - all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.
And much more.

"As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we've now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans' requests and to build upon that foundation," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level."

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most.

More details regarding features and music for Rock Band 2 will be revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit. Rock Band, the first installment in the franchise, garnered more than 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007.

In addition, Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that The Rock Band online music store recently surpassed 15 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007. With more than 200 tracks available to date via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

New Saints Row 2 Screenshot

Tina — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:29:00 GMT

Okay, let's all admit when the original Saints Row game was released back in 06...it was Hello, GTA Rip-off. Then, most of us played it and we were pleasantly surprised. It was the first open-world sandbox game for the next gen consoles. Well, Saints Row 2 is slated to come to the Xbox 360 later this year and the story lines takes place a few years after the original and of course we're back in Stillwater and we still have some anger issues. And fellas, you can play as a lady in this one. Don't worry, it will be our little secret.

Composer, songwriter, sound designer, producer, musical director, and performer: PatrickPennefather

Tina — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:45:00 GMT

Composer, songwriter, sound designer, producer, musical director, and performer in almost any genre of music imaginable, for over two hundred live and digital media productions in the past 20 years, Patrick Pennefather(BFA,MFA) is a specialist for the Masters of Digital Media Program @ Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver. Also, as composer in residence and adjunct professor of Sound Design in the Theatre, Film and Creative Writing Department at the University of British Columbia, his mission is to teach up and coming digital media producers the value of integrating music and sound in all stages of production.

A multi-award winning composer, his compositions, musicals, songs, sfx, underscores, and jingles have been heard in short and long form productions for clients such as: CBC Radio, Bravo Television, Palmer Jarvis/DDB, RMCC, Cathay Pacific, McDonald's Special Events, UBC, Florida and California State U, Amnesty International, Virtual Stage, Vancouver Playhouse, Touchstone Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, Vancouver Theatre Sports League, and the Vancouver International Comedy Festival.

Patrick and I sit down for a little chat about music and his career.

Limited Galactic Edition announced for Spore

Tina — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:43:00 GMT

We don't get our hands on Spore until September but Maxis and EA today announced the limited Galactic Edition of the highly anticipated game from the creators of The Sims™. This special box will contain the 'Making of Spore' DVD, “How to Build a Better Being” DVD from the National Geographic Channel, (NGC) ‘The Art of Spore’ hardback minibook, a foldout Spore poster, and a premium 100 page Galactic Handbook.

“The Spore Galactic Edition is the ultimate backstage pass for the Spore universe,” said Patrick Buechner, vice president of marketing, Maxis. “The Spore Galactic Edition is an incredible collection of art, video and behind the scenes access to the development team for fans, along with some of the coolest, most collectable packaging in years. ”Spore gives players their own personal universe in a box".

Create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations, sculpt entire worlds and explore a universe filled with creations made by other gamers. Spore gives players a wealth of creative tools to customize nearly every aspect of their universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and even UFOs.

In North America, the MSRP for the Galactic Edition of Spore will be $79.99 while the regular edition is suggested at $49.99. Versions of Spore will ship for the PC, Mac, Nintendo DS™ and mobile phones on September 5, 2008 in Europe and September 7, 2008 in North America and Asia. “How to Build a Better Being” premieres Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 10 PM ET/PT on NGC and explores the science behind the theories of the game.

Fans can visit www.Spore.com to download a free version of the Spore Creature Creator, sign up for the Spore newsletter or check out allnew screenshots and video of the game.

If you get a chance check out Laura's interview with the man behind Spore Will Wright.

NBA Live Chooses 2009 Cover Athlete

Tina — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:24:00 GMT

We know the curse of being the cover boy for Madden but gracing the cover of NBA Live hasn't proven to be such a BAD career move. The cover athlete and spokesman for NBA Live in the UK is Chicago Bulls forward - Luol Deng. Deng, raised in the UK from 1993, has played in the NBA for three years and is a vital part of the Great Britain national team. This is the first time the UK has worked with a local athlete and highlights the continued growth of the NBA in Europe.

Deng is joined by some of the NBA’s biggest international stars on packaging around the world, including Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol (Spain) and Toronto Raptors Andrea Bargnani (Italy).

For the TOP SPOT San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker will be the cover athlete and spokesman for NBA LIVE 09 globally. In his seven NBA seasons, the 26 year old is a two-time NBA All-Star, has three NBA championships and was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. Parker will be the first European born (France) global cover athlete of NBA LIVE. Off the court, Parker is an avid gamer and won an NBA LIVE 08 tournament against fellow NBA stars at the EA SPORTS All-Star Challenge last February in New Orleans.

NBA LIVE 09 is back with new features like Pick and Roll Control, Defensive Lockdown Control, Signature Playcalling and Quickstrike Ankle-Breakers that will make the NBA LIVE experience fun from beginning to end. For those in need of some extra coaching, NBA LIVE 09 takes you to training camp with the NBA Academy that gives you a chance to hone your skills.

Now featuring 24 authentic FIBA teams with realistic team play styles and rosters, NBA LIVE 09 features a FIBA World Championship Mode using FIBA tournament structure, rules and court dimensions. Take your game online with 5 vs.5 team play, where 10 people can play together on 10 different consoles around the world.

NBA Live 09 is coming to the Xbox 360 this October.

Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm available June 25th

Tina — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Sega brings us Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm which is available for download on June 25th for PC and Xbox LIVE Arcade.

The cute, cuddly Happy Tree Friends meet with one horrible, twisted disaster after another and only their friend Lumpy can save them! Armed with a helicopter pack, Lumpy hurls flaming napalm or explosive nitro to blow open areas where his friends may be trapped, or puts them into a deep freeze if they're about to walk into danger, and that's just the beginning. The creators of the popular TV series deliver all the gory yet comedic action the series is best known for in 10 exclusive disaster-filled scenarios, each with three frantic levels and all-new Happy Tree Friends video content. Help save the accident-prone friends from ultimate disaster!

X-Blades Anime Artwork Contest

Tina — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:45:00 GMT

Here's another chance for you artists to win a little extra cash and have your artwork noticed from an Xbox 360 and PC title

"X-Blades", the Anime Action Spectacular, really electrifies fans of Far Eastern artwork! At the beginning of the year, an artwork contest for the multi-platform game was hosted by the game's publishers, TopWare Interactive Inc. The central theme of the contest was the heroine Ayumi - and the feedback was so positive that TopWare just had to launch another contest for you artists out there!

All Ayumi illustrations received by 31st August will be judged by a jury of specialists - and the winner will receive 3,000 US Dollars, the second best picture will receive $2,000 and even the third-placed artist will get 1,000 dollars pocket money! PLUS, 20 game packages valued at 200 dollars each are also up for grabs!

The most creative illustrators among you will also get their share of fame... because the Royal Edition of "X-Blades" is equipped with a high-grade artbook - and your best entries will be added to the top-quality illustrations already in there - at 100 dollars additionally per illustration! .

Check out the official X-Blades website for details.

Guitar Hero III: Coldplay Track Pack - Available Today

Tina — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:23:00 GMT

Xbox Live and Coldplay fans can have access to a trio of Coldplay tunes today. It will cost you 500 MS Points but Chris Martin is worth it. There have been a few other releases this month and you can check them out below.

Coldplay Track Pack (available June 19)

Price: 500 MS Points
Songs: "Violet Hill" (from the band's latest album, Viva la Vida), "Yellow" (from the album Parachutes), and "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" (from the album A Rush of Blood to the Head).

Isle of Wight Track Pack (available June 12)

Price: 500 MS Points
Songs: "Shoot the Runner" by Kasabian (memorable performance from 2007 Festival), "I Predict A Riot" by Kaiser Chiefs (2008 Festival headliner), and "Problems" by The Sex Pistols (2008 Festival headliner).

Motörhead Track Pack (available June 5)

Price: 500 MS Points
Songs: "(We Are) The Road Crew," "Stay Clean," and "Motörhead" all performed by Motörhead.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock downloadable content is instantly playable and available in the Downloaded Songs set list in all game modes (Career, Co-op Career, Quickplay, Multiplayer, Practice, and all Online modes). Be sure to check Xbox LIVE® Marketplace regularly for the latest tracks.

Deer Hunter Tournament on PC and Xbox LIVE

Tina — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:04:00 GMT

The long running hunting game franchise has a new sibling. Deer Hunter Tournament is coming to Xbox Live and the PC this fall.

Deer Hunter^® - the biggest hunting game franchise of all time - takes dead aim at gamers once again as Atari, Inc. launches Deer Hunter Tournament for the Windows-based PC and, for the first time, the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this fall.

The evolution of virtual hunting has finally arrived as Deer Hunter Tournament gives players a chance to experience the most intense virtual hunting experience ever created. Deer Hunter Tournament is designed to create a massive network of Deer Hunter players by offering for the first time ever in hunting games organized, constantly updated online tournaments for both Xbox LIVE^® online entertainment network and through the Windows-based PC format. Deer Hunter Tournament will be available for a suggested retail price of $39.95 for Xbox 360 and $19.95 for PC.

Gamers and hunting fans alike will venture to most of the world's most prestigious hunting locations in pursuit of the most exotic and sought after big-game trophy animals. Virtual hunters can now enter different modes, such as stealth or adrenaline, or employ an array of master hunting strategies, including building stands and blinds, to track and shoot their targets. Deer Hunter Tournament provides numerous levels of gameplay, allowing hunters to embark on scouting missions designed to explore maps and equipment while studying animal habits. Hunters can also take part in hunting tutorials, compete in open hunting sessions and participate in either solo gameplay or the intense multi-player tournaments.

Employing some of the recent advancements in gaming technology, Deer Hunter Tournament features true-to-life animal behavior through advanced animal AI designed to mimic animal sight, hearing, sense of smell and behavioral patterns. Additional features include an arsenal of new weapons with bullet time slow motion replay and thermal scopes. Realistic effects in the game capture awe inspiring wildlife moments like hawks swooping down to snatch fish from lakes - but hunters must also be wary of bears, moose, mountain lions and other dangerous predators who will stalk and attack.

"Deer Hunter Tournament is poised to reinforce its place as the ultimate hunting video game franchise and we anticipate an even broader audience through our expansion of the brand to Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE," said Jim Wilson, CEO, Atari, Inc. "We are confident that this new edition with its first-ever online multiplayer tournament gameplay, enhanced artwork and mechanics, exotic game and locales will provide fans with the ultimate in realistic hunting experiences."

Carbon Grove: Green on-line campaign

Tina — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:19:00 GMT

On Earth Day, Microsoft Window’s Internet Explorer launched Carbon Grove, its first green on-line campaign designed to mobilize internet users to push for aggressive reductions in their carbon footprints. On Monday, June 9, 2008, Microsoft extended the campaign to France and will extend the campaign to Germany and Poland by June 13, 2008.

Carbon Grove is a carbon footprint reduction reminder service that empowers users to improve the natural world by reducing their impact on the environment. In addition, users also improve the internet environment by using IE 7 with Dynamic Security Protection. The campaign allows internet users to plant a virtual tree in a virtual forest. Internet Explorer will in turn sponsor the planting of up to 250,000 real trees in deforested regions around the globe with its partner, American Forests. To participate in the campaign, users register at the site and follow the simple steps to plant their virtual tree. If IE7 is not already installed on the user’s machine, they will be able to download it for free. Alternatively, users can download a beta version of Internet Explorer 8. As part of the campaign, Carbon Grove will send weekly reminders on how your virtual tree has grown and become shelter for virtual animals. The weekly email reminder will feature a link to the user’s tree, as well as green tips on ways to save the environment in simple but meaningful steps. To plant your virtual tree and help our eco-system, visit www.carbongrove.com.