Tweaking The Xbox One Game Plan

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With the new generation of gaming upon us, the race for console dominance has just begun—again. Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 are all geared up to duke it out in what should be a very interesting battle of the boxes.

There is no question that Sony has garnered the hearts and minds of gamers thus far in the console war, capitalizing on each and every blunder Microsoft made early on. And while the gap between the two still feels apparent, all is not lost. There are a few things Microsoft could do to ensure control of their destiny.

Remove Entertainment Apps From Under The Xbox Live Umbrella. One of the top complaints against Xbox is that entertainment apps are under a paid umbrella, in effect making Xbox users pay twice for most entertainment services. This is by far the most egregious of things about the Xbox as a console. Developers have to pay a lot of money to get their apps approved on the console, and then Microsoft is making users pay to use them. Microsoft, stop it.

Include Xbox Music in Xbox Live. What if Microsoft increased the value of Xbox Live by offering a full-fledged Xbox Music Pass with your live account. It would not only bolster Xbox Music as a platform, but also give faithful gold members added value to their yearly subscription purchase. Now that every mobile platform has an Xbox Music app, the season is ripe to lure others into the Xbox Music ecosystem. At the very least, gold members should be given an allotted amount of hours for streaming on the console per month, much like users of Windows 8 get.

Fully Integrate Xbox One and Windows 8 Games. While we wait for the indie-scene to fully come to fruition on Xbox One, Microsoft could really have a true Trojan horse if it implemented Windows 8 Games. I have to admit that thus far the Windows 8 game offerings haven’t been as strong as their Windows Phone 8 counterparts, but they are there—and growing fast.

Find A Way To Close The Price Gap. When asked about the motivating factor for purchasing a PlayStation 4 over an Xbox One, the number one excuse is almost certainly the fact that the PlayStation 4 is one-hundred dollars cheaper. And even the most avid Xbox fan has to agree. So in the long run, Microsoft has to find a way to bridge the price gap. And although there is a clear argument that you are getting a greater value with the greater price, it doesn’t refute the fact that almost everyone will consider the price gap when choosing a console—especially mothers. And as much as I hate to say it, un-bundling the Kinect may be the only option. Or re-introduce their subsidy pricing program.

Looking back at the amount of change the Xbox 360 made over its lifespan, brings a promising outlook on how much the Xbox One and even the PlayStation 4 could evolve over the course of their lifetimes. Of course the most obvious answer that I left out from above was to have great games. Since the hardware is set in stone, software will make the difference, weather is be in the form of games, apps, or services. This will certainly be a great generation, and I for one can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.

Originally posted on iamclarence.com on Sunday, November 17th, 2013.

So, I Watched Flight — Denzel, Planes, and Addiction

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02

I really, really liked this movie. Flight is not so much the movie said title implies, but one that takes you through the winding road of the ramifications of uncontrolled addiction. And Flight does so in top form.

Flight stars the Oscar-award winning actor Denzel Washington, along with Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, Jon Goodman and Kelly Reilly in supporting roles. We see Denzel portraying Whip Whitaker, an alcohol/drug-addicted pilot who has to deal with the fallout of being caught flying under the influence.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been an open and shut case, but Whip’s intoxication only comes to light after he miraculously saves nearly all of his passengers and crew, in the wake of a disaster deemed “an act of God”. All but six survived the disaster, but in the wake of such undeniably grim odds, Whip’s wit, experience, and intuition, enabled him to pull of an almost impossible maneuver. Only after this disaster does the ensuing medical analysis reveal Whip’s aforementioned alcoholic state.

While initially one would think this is movie is about the miracle that was the safe landing of a plane in peril, in reality, it’s all about addition. And the narrative of Whips struggle to overcome what we find is a devastating illness that has not only destroyed his career, but also his family.

In the wake of the plane crash, Whip is initially deemed a hero, the media is all aflutter about the miracle that was. Whip managed to accomplish the impossible. But soon after ensuing investigations, he finds himself in hot water with the Federal Flight Administration about possible criminal charges due to his intoxication while flying.

10

This movie is the story of the ramifications thereof. And while to journey to get to the heart of Whip’s problems is great, still the story leaves something to be desired. Greatest of which is that it doesn’t just come out and say why Denzel’s character has become so addicted. The movies alludes that it may have had something to do with his father’s passing, which may have been escalated even more when his wife couldn’t deal with his drinking episodes, which ultimately results in a disconnected relationship with his family, and a son that hates him. I only wish they would have explored this avenue a bit more, giving just a bit more explanation. And maybe this was purposely left as an exercise for the viewer to decide. Even so, it felt a bit lacking. That being said, he does come out and say at some point in the movie that, “I drink because I want to and that is what I like and nobody will stop me.”, but even this seems only to scratch the surface at best.

As far as performances go, Danzel delivers on a believable character that felt very real and raw. This movie only underlines the fact that Denzel plays a great anti-hero, a role I have grown to love seeing him portray. The supporting cast ties to shape him up, doing their best to get him through this ordeal that may not only end his career, but may land him in jail.

Bruce Greenwood plays the role of Whip’s mentor and long-time friend Charlie, a role not too dis-similar from his role in the Star Trek reboot. He is in Whip’s corner, even though Whip doesn’t necessarily want him to be. Charlie is also a union representative. He and Don Cheadle’s character work together to not only save Whip, but clear the airline of all negligence. Rounding out Whip’s corner is John Goodman, who plays his fellow addict friend, and Kelly Reilly, who is a recovering addict turned loved interest.

After the events of the crash, the movie is all about Danzel battling his addiction, while trying not to get thrown in prison.

All-in-all, anyone who loves Denzel would love this movie. He delivers another stellar performance. The pacing of my movie manages to keep you on your feet, even after the major action event of the plane crashing, which takes place early on. The ending is sure to keep you guessing as we are never entirely sure if Whip will change his overly addictive ways to make it though an ordeal that will determine the path of the remainder of his life. If you like Danzel, airplanes, and addition-movies, this may be for you.

Bing It On: Taking The Bing Search Challenge

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Many Google patrons have attempted to brave the waters of the Bing search engine, and many said adventures have ended in peril. For the avid Google user, even the notion of switching to what many see as the inferior search engine is met with much angst. But to really try Bing—I mean giving a truly honest try—may not end as badly as one might think. Tempting fate without the right amount of providence may be a foolish endeavor for some, but I guess you can call me the fool.

Hands down the most popular opinion around the inter-webs is that Google has the best search engine. By best, meaning that in more cases than not, you will find the information you want very easily, with little to no additional effort. Most of the time your sought after answer is presented on the first page of results. This makes for a happy camper, hence the popularity. And with additional services of high to moderate popularity like Google Mail, Google Analytic’s, Google Ad-Sense, and Google Plus, the ability for Google to bolster their beloved search engine by leveraging these additional services has only strengthened over time.

But what about Bing? First off, I’d like to say that the results just aren’t as good. At least for the type of content I search for in particular. Obviously your results may vary, depending on the type of queries that peak your interest. That being said, I do feel the search results are good enough. Most people won’t be searching on the various nuances of programming languages as I do. Most people will just need basic results for basic things. And in that aspect, Bing is okay. Not great, but good enough.

And I guess it’s worth pointing out that Microsoft has attempted to foster its own Google Plus-like integration by providing integration with Facebook. And it kinda works, but is not all together as seamless as what their counter-part provides. Reason being, Facebook is another service that requires another log-in. Which gets me to my next point. Because Google can levee Gmail, Plus, and most notably Ad-Sense, further enhancing their ability to give highly personalized results is only a matter of pooling the resources. Which is why—more often than not—Google search just feels like it knows what your looking for, because, well, it does.

Do these services provide a huge advantage for Google? Yes. But the story isn’t over yet. Microsoft posses many advantages as well. Though they are vastly different from the service-oriented nature of the advantages Google uses to make their service great, Microsoft’s leg-up consists mostly from the intrinsic value of being everywhere. Microsoft still dominates the desktop market, and will do so for the foreseeable future. And while tablets and mobile devices have started to chip away at their over-all personal computer dominance, it may be a while before—or if—the tide turns.

So, to further elaborate on the last point. Microsoft Windows comes with Internet Explorer installed, and Internet Explorer’s search is set to Bing by default. Microsoft still holds an enormous percentage of the PC market share, and the PC market share versus tablet/mobile market share still holds in their favor.

I guess one could think of Microsoft’s biggest task as keeping the users it already has by default. And again, with Google dominance, this is no small order. Which has led Microsoft to do its best to sully the Google name by launching its “Scroogled” advertisement campaign, which aims to inform users of Google parsing of email to present ads in Gmail. Screwed by Google, get it? And while this campaign is not really going to make anyone who if faithful to Google hop back on the Microsoft bandwagon, it may just in fact keep a good number of users on Bing. The ad-campaign is obviously geared toward promoting fear, no question.

All in all, only you can decide which search engine is right for you. If you’re into the whole Google ecosystem, it’s probably worth-while for you to stick with Google to receive more focused/tailored results. The same can be said of Bing, but to a much lesser extent. Again, Google search is superior to Bing in almost every way, but having faithfully used Bing for almost everything over that last few months, it’s good enough. And maybe that’s all it hopes to be.

Extended Functionality: Hear The Word

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For users on the Windows Phone 8 platform, Study The Word now has extended functionality by providing an optional in-app purchase for Hear The Word.

Like our Verse Of The Day in-app purchase item, the name says it all. The new Hear The Word feature provides the user with the ability to kick-back, relax, and meditate on the word as it is reads to you. For a more interactive approach, feel free to follow along with the verses, via a hands-free experience of reading along with your device.

Hear The Word, along with Verse Of The Day, adds additional useful functionality to your favorite free Bible application on Windows Phone.

Stay Tuned, More To Come

Tweaking The Xbox One Game Plan

by ·0 Comments

With the new generation of gaming upon us, the race for console dominance has just begun—again. Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 are all geared up to duke it out in what should be a very interesting battle of the boxes.

There is no question that Sony has garnered the hearts and minds of gamers thus far in the console war, capitalizing on each and every blunder Microsoft made early on. And while the gap between the two still feels apparent, all is not lost. There are a few things Microsoft could do to ensure control of their destiny.

Remove Entertainment Apps From Under The Xbox Live Umbrella. One of the top complaints against Xbox is that entertainment apps are under a paid umbrella, in effect making Xbox users pay twice for most entertainment services. This is by far the most egregious of things about the Xbox as a console. Developers have to pay a lot of money to get their apps approved on the console, and then Microsoft is making users pay to use them. Microsoft, stop it.

Include Xbox Music in Xbox Live. Okay, I know Microsoft has already announced free streaming from the console with an Xbox Live subscription, but what it they increased the value of Xbox Live by also offering a full-fledged Xbox Music Pass with your live account. It would not only bolster Xbox Music, but give Windows Phone users extra value on their devices.

Fully Integrate Xbox One and Windows 8 Games. While we wait for the indie-scene to fully come to fruition on Xbox One, Microsoft could really have a true Trojan horse if it implemented Windows 8 Games. I have to admit that thus far the Windows 8 game offerings haven’t been as strong as their phone counterparts, but they are there—and growing fast.

Find A Way To Close The Price Gap. When asked about the motivating factor for purchasing a PlayStation 4 over an Xbox One, the number one excuse is almost certainly the fact that the PlayStation 4 is one-hundred dollars cheaper. And even the most avid Xbox fan has to agree. So in the long run, Microsoft has to find a way to bridge the price gap. And although there is clear argument that you are getting a greater value with the greater price, it doesn’t refute the fact that almost everyone will consider the price gap when choosing a console—especially mothers. And as much as I hate to say it, un-bundling the Kinect may be the only option. Or re-introduce their subsidy pricing program.

In conclusion, looking back at the amount of change the Xbox 360 made over its lifespan, brings a promising outlook on how much the Xbox One and even the PlayStation 4 could evolve over the course of their lifetimes. Of course the most obvious answer that I left out from above was to have great games. Since the hardware is set in stone, software will make the difference, weather is be in the form of games, apps, or services. This will certainly be a great generation, and I for one can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.