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December 05, 2011

New Xbox Interface Includes TV Shows

By Miguel Leiva-Gomez, TMCnet Contributor

Microsoft (News - Alert) brings you the latest in natural user interface technology with Xbox’s new interface, which interacts with Kinect and your television to bring you new functionality. Xbox will now interact with Kinect to interpret your hand movements and help you navigate its interface. With this advantage, your own body movements and voice can be used to totally navigate through entire libraries of movies and TV shows, as well as use the Bing search engine.



The Kinect device sells as an attachable peripheral to the Xbox and is used for interpretation of bodily movements. The new interface on Xbox uses the Kinect’s services to hone in on your movements and body language to make your Xbox totally navigable when you wave your hands or speak instructions out loud.

The update to the new Xbox interface will be available to all Xbox users over the Internet this Tuesday.

A Microsoft employee, during his presentation of the interface, has shown how saying, “Xbox Bing Iron Man” would be correctly interpreted as a search for “Iron Man” through the Bing search engine. The Xbox responded by bringing up all TV shows, games and movies related to “Iron Man.” This proves that you not only use the Xbox as a gaming console, but also as a general entertainment center.

Microsoft is starting to partner up with different paid television channels like those on Verizon FiOS (News - Alert). If you would like to see broadcasters like ABC and CNN, you still have to tune into the channel rather than watch it on Xbox. The service will be available to gold members of the “Xbox Live” service, which allows you privileged access to Xbox’s Internet repository.

In other news, telecom major Verizon (News - Alert) recently announced that the live Verizon FiOS TV will be available for Xbox 360 Entertainment System consumers. Verizon and Microsoft have entered into an alliance to integrate Xbox 360 in Verizon FiOS TV. Xbox LIVE Gold members who subscribe to both FiOS TV and Internet service can view select live channels through their Xbox consoles. 




Miguel Leiva-Gomez is a professional writer with experience in computer sciences, technology, and gadgets. He has written for multiple technology and travel outlets and owns his own tech blog called The Tech Guy, where he writes educational, informative, and sometimes comedic articles for an audience that is less versed in technology.

Edited by Jennifer Russell
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