Today’s announcement includes more streaming and live TV on Xbox 360 from over 40 partners, including Comcast, HBO, VEVO adding to UFC and YouTube which has previously been announced.  The new content comes alongside an announced update for the Xbox 360 dashboard that follows their new Metro design UI.  The update will also add Bing search, that will allow you to search (with your voice) any of the content partners including the current apps for Netflix, Hulu, and ESPN.

Alongside of Xbox TV was the Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone. Find content, learn more about what you’re watching, listening to, or playing, and control & play content.

Last week, Microsoft released to market the Windows Phone 7.5 update known as “Mango” to over 98% of devices in market. That’s multiple carriers, multiple OEMs, multiple phones, across the world – in one beautiful, SIMULTANEOUS update to over 98 percent of existing Windows Phone customers.  Mango includes catchup features like visual voicemail and voice-text-voice but also added innovative features like IE 9, Groups, Threads, Outlook conversation view, Live Tiles while adding built in support for LinkedIn and Twitter.  By the way, Windows Phone is already one of the fastest and easiest smartphones out.

Late last week, Microsoft update the already great Zune Pass.  Now, for $9.99/month, you get all you can eat music on your PC, Xbox, and Windows Phone. Soon, you’ll be able to stream full-length music videos as well.  Zune Pass is a great deal.

Microsoft has already started to show us Windows 8, not due out until later 2012.  Reinventing the PC as we know, while at the same time delivering a useful and beautiful change in how we use the PC.

Office 365, another stellar Microsoft product was launched in June 2011.  Delivering email, documents, and IM via the cloud for professionals, small business, and the enterprise.

I’m ALL IN with Microsoft, I have been for sometime and it’s never been better.  You should be too.

“The only question is whether that will ever happen and whether consumers will wake up to the fact that their favorite platforms are hopelessly outdated by comparison… And I think if you actually gave Windows Phone a chance, you’d come along for the ride as well….Windows Phone 7.5 is the most usable and innovative smart phone OS available today, and is highly recommended.” – Paul Thurrot winsupersite.com

“Music Beta is a new service from Google that gives you instant access to your
personal music collection without the hassle of wires or syncing. Add your music
collection and listen on the web or any compatible Android device.” Honestly, its a Mozy backup of your current music library with Google apps for playback on your Goog-devices.

I don’t understand why I want to pump my music collection into the cloud, to then pull it back down everyday.  Storage is cheap, most devices have plenty, but unfortunately bandwidth is getting more expensive.  Even still, why is Joe consumer going to be listening to music on a tablet through 3G/Wi-fi, when they still have an iPod that’s worked for years.

Let’s not gloss over the fact that Google Music has NO WAY to buy/rent/purchase/etc any new music whatsoever.  Want the new Lonely Island album, Google says go back to iTunes and buy it.

Even Zune Pass blurs the lines between having a collection and “owning” (yes, it’s renting) every song ever. Pandora too, type an artist and it’ll play as much music as you can handle, all via the cloud. Five years ago, I loaded some of my music collection on a web server with a simple Flash player; Google Music is nothing new even if Goog-ified.

Next generation entertainment (movies, TV, music) will be less about buying and hoarding huge libraries and more about technology delivering new, top-rated, and interesting content to us automatically, wherever we are, on all mediums.

And guess what, its already happening; I didn’t start watching The Chicago Code because FOX told me to at 9pm on Monday, I did it because Hulu served it up and said “Hey check this out!”.  Granted Hulu doesn’t have the genius AI of Pandora, serving up awesome music based on one artist selection but we are just getting started.

Its new, its Google, but what the hell is the point?  Am I missing something?

Sounds like Engadget isn’t excited either, http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/google-music-beta-walkthrough-what-it-is-and-how-it-works-vide/

Zune is great, even slicker on the Xbox 360.  But why am I stuck to use an exclusive app instead of having complete integration.  Xbox 360 can play your music in the mini dashboard (streaming or stored) whether on the dashboard or in-game.  Why not enable Zune have this same functionality?

#TheMissingFeature  @Xbox Please enable Zune Music on the mini dashboard in #Xbox so I can #Zune while gaming on #XboxLive.

#TheMissingFeature  Microsoft, where is Exchange Mailbox Search for Windows Phone 7?

A lot, in fact.  Windows Phone 7 is an all-new mobile operating system for 2010 from Microsoft. The interface is clean and fast and works great  for business AND personal use. I myself was a long-time Windows Mobile and Android user, but I recently picked up the HD7 from T-Mobile and I am truly surprised at the new Windows Phone. Here are my thoughts:

To start, this phone is fast, it runs fast, the screen is quick, it even reboots in about 30 seconds. Microsoft (finally) took a firm stance on hardware requirements for these phones. Meaning that when you buy a Windows Phone 7, you’re getting a phone that’s built with good quality hardware.

Some of my favorite features of Windows Phone 7 are the subtleties that Microsoft has put in. Things like “unread” message indicator resetting when taking a peek in your mailbox, versus having to mark each message as “read” (this works in email as well as SMS).

Email

Probably the most important feature of your smart phone - email. Email  in Windows Phone 7 is based on Outlook 2010, very clean and easy to use. You can browse your inbox as well as any folders.  You can slide over to view only unread, flagged, or important messages.  You can quickly flag, mark read, or delete multiple messages.  Email just looks great, too.  I find myself just reading email because it’s good to look at, simple.

Documents

Windows Phone 7 has the ability to create, edit, and view Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint slide shows, and OneNote notebooks.

Entertainment

Windows Phone 7 includes Netflix for TV and movies, Xbox Live for games, and Zune for music, AWESOME! These are the features that make this phone perfect for your “personal life” too.  I can take my gaming hobby, music collection, TV and movies; with me right on my business phone.