
For about a week I have been part of a group of XBOX Live members able to preview some of the features for the fall update. Here are the some of the new features and my opinions on them.
Facebook: I think this feature is great. Being able to check the FB News Feed, view photos, leave comments, and update your status from the comfort of your couch after watching a movie or playing a game is extremely convenient. Many features are missing such as apps, pages, chat, and notifications. Of those the only one I would want to see added would be notifications. Typing sucks with the XBOX controller and on screen keyboard, but a USB equipped keyboard would solve this issue. Overall pretty cool.
LastFM: I have been on LastFM’s competitor site Pandora for years and it has opened my eyes to tons of great music. LastFM’s interface is very similar and easy to use. The XBOX dashboard for the suggested channels is great and controls are right on screen when you need them. I love being able to turn this on while getting taking care of daily house duties. I am a fan of streming music sites and this just adds to my love for them. No doubt this will broaden the spectrum of music I listen to even further. My username on LASTfm is nicknick5219 if you’re interested in taking a look at what I’ve been listening to. Once again, overall very cool.
Twitter: I have only accessed this a few times and to be honest I am not a Twitter power user anyways. It seems very good though. You can view your entire list of Tweets from the people you follow, view trending topics, and update your own twitter status. You do not get access to your followers list, your direct messages , or any @ messages. Overall though should do the trick for a quick check of all your daily tweets.
ZUNE HD: I have not viewed any videos through this service but here are a few of the features. The new ZUNE video marketplace offers videos in 1080p HD. My television is only capable of 720p anyways so I don’t benefit from this. I will say there are some fairly new releases available at the touch of a button, but at a pretty steep price of $4.00 standard def. and $6.00 high def. for the rental. Not bad if you don’t want to leave your house to get a movie though.
I will keep you updated on anything else I notice as the days of use continue.
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