Microsoft stated in a support page that a version of Movie Maker, one of its most popular free Windows desktop apps, could be coming to the Windows Store for Windows 10 PCs.

For those of you who are unaware, Windows Movie Maker is a easy-to-use video editing app, with the first version launched in 2000 as part of Microsoft's Windows Essentials software suite. The current version of the app was released in 2012. Microsoft plans to end support for all of its Windows Essentials 2012 apps on January 17, 2017.

While the support post for those apps shows that Microsoft has listed a number of altentatives for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 owners for the rest of the apps in the suite, such as Mail, Photos and OneDrive, it lists something different for Movie Maker:

That's all that Microsoft has revealed so far, at least publicly. There's no word on a release date, nor if Movie Maker will be released as a UWP app or simply converted from its current desktop version via Microsoft's "Project Centennial" tools. We have contacted Microsoft to see if they have any more information on Movie Maker for Windows 10.

Thanks to "undeadninjadm" for the tip!

Oh, and if that wasn't enough, we've kindly been provided with 100 codes to snag a free plugin within the app from the developer. But you'll have to be quick!

Before any giveaways, first, let's see what's new in this latest update to v 1.2.0.5, as supplied by the developer:

• 4K and 2K video editing and encoding (upscaling and downscaling too)
• 100% rewritten Instagram encoder and uploader
• Squared or centered formats for Instagram video uploader
• Squared (1:1) encoding formats
• Audio waveform on all the editing pages, for precise trim/crop/split.
• Upload video to YouTube (IAP)
• Download video from YouTube
• Download mp3 from YouTube (extract the audio part)
• Image duration can now be up to 33ms (1 frame), for perfect time-lapses compositions (by popular demand)
• Media blocks in the timeline have now different colors depending on the type: video, title, transition, image, voice recording, audio track, etc. (for an easier identification).
• New "video info" menu on the editing and sharing pages
• The menu bar was reorganized to better handle all these new features.
• New Lumia Imaging library (removed old Nokia one)

4K video is still only available to a small number of Windows Phones, but for those that can shoot it, Movie Maker has some great tools for you to actually use it. We're already big fans and there's some great stuff in here. It also uses V3 of the YouTube API, so we're already ahead of the game on that one.

Now, the codes. To grab a free plugin you'll need to be one of the first 100 readers to claim using this code inside the app:

• wpcentral746

Have at it! And if you need some download links, you'll find those below.

• Download Movie Maker 8.1 from the Windows Phone Store ($1.49)

Movie Maker 8.1 has just received a major app update for Windows Phone. As you know, Movie Maker 8.1 is one of the few video editing applications available. You'll need to be using Windows Phone 8.1 or above to take advantage of apps like Movie Maker 8.1. Today's update adds new video effects, audio fade and much more. Full changelog and download link can be found if you read on.

We're big fans of Movie Maker. We especially like using the app for video uploads on Instagram You'll find Movie Maker sitting at version 1.1.9.1 in the Windows Phone Store. Don't let the numbers of the version number fool you, this is a massive update.

Here's what's new:

• 8 new video effects: invert, sepia, toon, left shadow, bright, blue contrast, twirl, edge
• Audio Fade in/out/cross => exclusive!! Can't find it on other WP video editors :)
• Fortumo.com payment gateway integration for SMS purchases (Microsoft Certified Partner)
• New slider and range controls, lot more smooth (and multitouch)
• Short cartoon sound library, to add funny sounds to your movie
• New exclusive soundtracks, composed by a professional DJ for Movie Maker only!!
• Improved encoder with custom FPS and BITRATE settings, to really fine tune the final movie compressed size.
• Supports installation on SD card
• By popular demand: video shared to Instragram are now optionally saved
• Custom compression settings for YouTube sharing
• Customizable default location where to save movies
• Slot machine to try to win plugins for free :)

And since you're reading this on Windows Phone Central you get five coins to play the slot machine to try and win free plugins. Here's the special code:

• wpcentral745

Want to redeem the special code for the slot machine? Here's what you do:

• Launch Movie Maker
• Open the app bar menu and select "external plugins"
• Tap on the 'store' icon of the desired plugin
• Tap "Unlock Code" => enter code
• Then tap 'Do you feel lucky'

Today's update to Movie Maker is gigantic, and we can't wait for you all to test it out. Let us know what you think of today's update and let us know if you win the slot machine for free plugins! Grab the app for $0.99 or take the free trial for a spin.

• Download Movie Maker 8.1 for Windows Phone 8.1

Just before the weekend hits, we'd like to ensure you all have the latest updates from the store. While a large proportion of the community is running the Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview, which sports automatic app updates on the store, there are those of you who aren't on the preview and other who simply enjoy manually making sure everything is on the latest version.

Let's see what's new in latest releases your favorite apps.

6tin

Rudy Huyn is a well established Windows Phone developer and his Tinder app is an absolute work of art, scoring high reviews on the store. This latest release (version 1.4.2.1) brings unknown improvements, simply because there's no changelog and we're not entirely sure what's new, but since it's a small incremental release so soon after we last covered the app, we'll assume there are minor fixes involved.

If you notice anything new after updating, do let us know in the comments and share the love.

• Download 6tin for Windows Phone

Camera360

At first glance, Camera360 comes across as a simple photography app for Windows Phone 8 but the more you use Camera360, the more you realize it is a feature rich camera app. Not only does Camera360 offer you a camera alternative but you also have a Picture Diary, a photo editor, a handful of camera modes, manual controls, a double exposure mode and live previews of the photos you'll capture. Today's release (version 2.0.2.0) focuses on not only fixing bugs with the app on Windows Phone 8.1, but also includes:

• New tips for Double Exposure.
• Improvement for Splash Screen

We're massive fans of Camera360 and strongly urge you to download it for Windows Phone.

• Download Camera360 for Windows Phone

Movie Maker 8.1

Movie Maker 8.1 for Windows Phone is an absolute beast of an app we simply cannot recommend enough. It enables you to perform some editing while on the move. Looking at those boring videos on your Windows Phone? Movie Maker 8.1 can help you bring them to life. We last looked at Movie Maker 8.1 just a few days ago when the developer added Instagram video upload support. Today, the app was bumped with a minor release (version 1.1.7.5)

• Fixed back button issues
• Fixed the uploading of long Instagram videos

While it isn't a substantial update, if you're looking for a mobile app to facilitate some light video editing, look no further than Movie Maker 8.1.

• Download Movie Maker 8.1 for Windows Phone

Theme+

This handy little app enables you to really dig deep and personalize your Start Screen experience. Theme+ is an app we highly recommend to anyone rocking Windows Phone 8.1 to bring their Live Tiles to life with unique and heavily customized backgrounds. It all fits in line with the Modern UI language, Microsoft has deployed across its products and platforms too.

Here's what is new in the latest release (version 1.7):

• Designed background color combinations specific to each pattern set.
• Added setting to customize shuffle button behavior.
• Modified shuffle icon for consistency.
• Fixed bug regarding next button.

Let us know how you're enjoying the latest version of Theme+ or if you're using other apps available on the Windows Phone Store and what effects you've managed to achieve.

• Download Theme+

Odds and ends

Here are some other apps that have also been updated recently:

• Caledos Runner (2.9)
• Momento (1.0.0.16)
• Nimbuzz (2.0)
• Words With Friends (1.5.0.2)

Thanks to everyone who tipped us on these updates!

Movie Maker 8.1 for Windows Phone is the ideal app for those who love to use the video recording capabilities of Windows Phone 8.1, specifically with the ability to edit those short films. The app has today been refreshed with a bunch of new features included, including the ability to upload videos to Instagram. Not only has the developer added requested features, but Movie Maker as a whole is becoming more open, collaborating with other platform developers to make the app even better. Let's just say the future looks bright for this app.

Interested in reading about what's new in version 1.1.7.0? Here's the changelog:

• Instagram Upload (IAP) – the first native Windows Phone 8.1 app to upload videos to Instagram (after Instagraph on WP7/8)
• YouTube Upload (thanks to the external app "Upload to YouTube", which we just covered)
• Live Movie Maker for Desktop Final release – one click import and export to and from a pc via W-Fi, auto-pairing on 99% of domestic networks
• New Zoom + Rotation transition (think "old batman TV series" style)
• Downloadable background music library
• Redesigned UI: two-level UI and new tool categories
• "Unlock code" menu to let users easily enter promotional codes (old codes can be re-used to restore the unlock if necessary – but shouldn't be needed)
• "Extra content" page to check out all the IAPs purchased and look through all those available

Also, as lightly touched on in the above changelog, new content will now be offered as in-app purchases with each listing packing a trial period of 24 hours to allow users to test drive functionality. It's a neat update with plenty of work happening behind the scenes to pave way for future updates. We highly recommend this app. What's more, Venetasoft is giving away a limited number of copies for free to Windows Phone Central readers again!

• Simply download the trial (if you haven't already done so)
• Fire up the app and tap the menu to bring up extra options
• Hit "Have a promo code?" and enter "_wpc_code__" (all lower case) into the text box
• Enjoy

Please note that if you're experiencing issues with the code, we've contacted the developer to see what's up. The free trial is available with some limitations (10 seconds video length, no undo/redo or project management, just to name a few) but we're sure many will part with their cash as it's a superb app.

• Download Movie Maker 8.1 ($1.49 with free trail – Windows Phone 8.1 only)

Movie Maker 8.1 is a third-party editing suite for Windows Phone 8.1 hardware running the Preview for Developers. The app usually runs for $1.49 with a free trial and is the first to exploit new API features in Windows Phone 8.1 that allows direct editing of videos on a user's phone. To celebrate Italy beating England in the world cup, the developer has altered the price and is offering Movie Maker 8.1 for free over the next 3 days.

Here are some highlighted features:

• Full HD 1920x1080 video support
• No movie duration limits
• Save and open videos from SD card and OneDrive
• Titles: font type/color/size, background color/picture/video frame
• Effects: SlowX10, Gray, FishEye, Pinch, Warp, Kenburns (pan&zoom)
• Transitions: Fade In/Out/Cross, Slide, Stripe, Twist3D, Fold3D
• Tools: frame grab, trim, crop, split, move, cut, copy, paste, delete, merge, volume levels
• Unlimited undo(s) and redo(s)
• MP4 and MP3 compressor with custom format
• MP3 audio studio: easily create your mp3 compilation
• Project save and restore
• Facebook, Email, Messaging and Office sharing
• Continue your projects from your pc with Movie Maker for Windows Desktop!

This is a superb offer and one we strongly recommend everyone take advantage of before the three days pass by.

• Download Movie Maker 8.1 (requires Windows Phone 8.1)

via: Plaffo; thanks to everyone who tipped us!

For those who love to use the video recording capabilities of Windows Phone 8.1, specifically with the ability to edit those short films, you’ll enjoy the new update to Movie Maker 8.1. The update was a long time in the making, with lots of sweat poured into to, so hopefully you’ll find something that you’ve been requesting.

Let’s take a look at what’s new and if you act now, there may be 100 free redeem codes after the break!

Movie Maker 8.1 (1.1.4.2)

• UNDO:  unlimited undos!!
• Custom MP4 and MP3 encoding format
• Still frame:  extract current frame, apply an effect and set a duration.
• Grey Effect:  images and videos
• Fisheye Effect: images and videos
• Pinch Effect: images and video
• Warp effect: images and video
• Voice Recorder to add voice notes/recording to your movie
• Mute all clips shortcut (by popular demand)
• Change all images duration (by popular demand)

As you can see, Movie Maker 8.1 finally brings a lot of new effects to the table, including fisheye and warp, which could be a lot of fun if used appropriately. The Voice recorder and mute clips also will greatly enhance you armchair editors out there, in addition to having that unlimited ‘undo’ function, which is always necessary when doing serious edits.

If you haven’t bought this app yet, the first 100 of you who enter in ‘wpcentral2’ can nab it for free. Here’s how to do it: Update: Codes are SOLD OUT, sorry!

• Open 1.1.4.2 version of the app
• Open a video to edit
• The pop-up opens up by clicking 10+ times the "Deleted part" red square on the Trim page
• Once you find the pop-up, enter in ‘wpcentral2’ and it should unlock for the first 100 of you

It’s tricky, so good luck on finding it!

For those who already have Movie Maker 8.1 or want a free trial ($1.99 to buy), head here to the Store!

Just before you break into the weekend, or the bank holiday weekend for those who support it, we thought we'd fire up a quick roundup for you app fans. Some developers have released new versions of their Windows Phone apps to the store and we'll be taking a look at what's new. Today, we're covering Sky Sports News, Surfy, Infinite Game Stream, among others.

Sky Sports News 3.0

The official Sky Sports News app for Windows Phone has been bumped to a new version. This latest release brings a number of neat additions to the experience, but more importantly it shows the British corporation is still supporting the platform, even if it's taking forever for the company to release more apps. So, what's new in the update? How does a brand spankin' new design sound? That and added Lockscreen support.

As well as the complete redesign, which looks infinitely better than before, and Lockscreen support (showing upcoming matches and more), the Sky development team have implemented a number of improvements (mainly Windows Phone 8 features) and miscellaneous fixes to ensure everything works as one expects. Let us know if you spot anything else in this substantial release.

• Download Sky Sports News (MB - free)

Surfy 4.0

While Microsoft is boasting how awesome Internet Explorer 11 is in Windows Phone 8.1 (and we agree with them!), there are those who just need something more from their web browsing experience. This is where third-party alternative apps come into play, including Surfy. Just like the Sky Sports News app above, Surfy has been updated with a new design, alongside a new logo and customizable interface.

Users are now able to use the new theme support to personalize the app color scheme, which affects browser tabs, the application bar and accent color used throughout. A handful of options are available, or you can simply opt for Surfy to grab the system color scheme. It's even possible for custom background images to be loaded for the hub. But Surfy doesn't just look even better, the developers have made improvements too.

Say hello to a new Facebook compatible reading mode and some major bug fixing. For French speakers, there's now localization in your region.

• Download Surfy (- free)
• Download Surfy Premium (- $)

Infinite Game Streamer 1.0.0.8

Infinite Game Stream is an unofficial Windows Phone client for Twitch.tv. Twitch itself is a leading video platform and community for gamers. Twitch provides content on gaming strategy, development and industry news, enabling the general public to set up and manage their own live streams. Twitch is also integrated into Xbox One, partnering with Microsoft.

Here's what is new in version 1.0.0.8:

• A global better experience thanks to a list with the last channels viewed by the user
• The user can subscribe/unsubscribe to a channel
• A new version of the video player with more stability, with smileys available in the IM.
• The video quality can be changed without refresh the entire page.
• 3 displays: full screen, full screen with chat in transparency, split mode.
• A new fresh design
• Minor bug fixing

If you enjoy watching the numerous channels available on Twitch, we strongly recommend you check this app out.

• Download Infinite Game Streamer (- free)

Odds and Ends

Not only have we received updates for the above apps, but also some others too. Here is a quick fire list of apps that have been bumped:

• Apict (version 4.7): New filters, new fonts, and new sharing options that include Instagram
• Movie Maker 8.1 (version 1.1.2.9): New Modern UI styled interface, new support to share content with other apps that support .mp4 files such as Facebook, email, OneNote, etc. (OneDrive still problematic) and Movie Maker projects can be saved and re-opened.
• Frozen Free Fall (version 1.4.0.7): New characters and gaming levels
• Melodia (version 1.1.23.0): New alerts (26 of them), new backgrounds, and new 'Recently Added' section

Late last night, a new app named ‘Movie Maker 8.1’ landed on the Windows Phone Store for Windows Phone 8.1 devices running the Preview for Developers. The third-party app runs for a $1.49 with a free trial and is the first to exploit new API features in Windows Phone 8.1 that allows direct editing of videos on a user’s phone. Movie Maker 8.1 is also a universal app, meaning once you buy it you’ll be able to download and use the corresponding Windows 8.1 app too. The Windows 8.1 app is expected to hit the Store soon.

Let’s take a look at Movie Maker 8.1, and we’ll tell you how the first 100 of you can unlock the app for $0 in a special Windows Phone Central offer!

Movie Maker 8.1 is a full-featured video editing app, and even for its initial release, sports a lot of options for users. What’s more, Venetasoft (who made Instagraph, the first Instagram app for Windows Phone), has lots of plans for Movie Maker 8.1, including optimization updates and new transition features. Here’s what Movie Maker 8.1 can do today:

Movie Maker 8.1 (1.1.2.2)

• Allows the user to compose a movie using all kinds of video, images and music files supported by Windows Phone 8.1
• All the clips and tracks can be copied, moved, deleted, and duplicated (same for the audio tracks)
• Volume can be controlled on single clips and tracks
• When an image is added, you can set the duration on the movie and you can apply one of the awesome Nokia filters
• "MP3 extractor" feature: a user can load a YouTube video previously downloaded, extract the soundtrack and use it as the movie background of exported
• All the work is done by the app; no internet connection is required.
• The final movie is saved as mp4 on a folder chosen by the user (SD card too).
• Easily trim, crop and split clips
• Set clip volume level
• Copy, paste and delete clips at any position
• Use simple playback controls to review clips
• Zoom able real-time preview
• Slow motion effect 10X

We’ve been playing with the app for some time now, and it works quite well. For instance, we quickly jumped on the ‘slow motion’ effect, which can be tuned for 1X up to 10X speeds. Needless to say, it’s a lot of fun.

The app does have a few bugs early on, including an error message about a file being “locked” and unable to be saved. However, that error does not really block anything and is more of a nuisance than anything (we’re told it’ll be fixed in the next update).

Windows Phone Central giveaway! (Update: Sold out!)

We’ve teamed up with Venetasoft to give away 100 copies of this app, which will include the Windows 8.1 Universal app too. The trick is simple, but you need to act fast:

1. Download the app
2. Rate the app in the Store
3. On the main page, tap 10x where it says “Movie Maker” near the top (it may take a few tries)
4. A dialog screen will appear
5. Type in ‘wpcentral’

For the first 100 users who do this, you just saved yourself $1.49, and you have a free app, including the forthcoming Windows 8.1 RT version.

Pick up Movie Maker 8.1 here in the Store and let us know below in comments what you think! $1.49 with a free trial. Windows Phone 8.1 only.

Remember, there are a lot more features coming, including transitions and hardware acceleration (when OEMs release Windows Phone 8.1 with new firmware).

Sometimes technology is a collection of circuitry and silicon, sometimes though – it is a magical moment full of feelings and memories. The best experiences are born when technology transcends our knowledge and connects us with what we love. British science fiction writer and futurist, Arthur C. Clarke, once said:

Microsoft has been around for a long time and for those of us who live off of the technology they provide, some of the memories will never seep away.

In 2007, the company released a four minute commercial that has come to be known as “Your Digital Lifestyle”. The ad highlighted the then current hi-tech Microsoft products of the time and how one green shirted hipster used them to party the night away. The commercial is set to a cover of Ash’s Girl from Mars by Canadian group, Magneta Lane.

Buckle up, because we are going on a field trip to six years ago; along the way, we are going to jam with our green shirted friend and revisit some of our past Microsoft technology goodies. Windows Vista will probably be seen along the way, but there will be plenty of other experiences to combat that bad flavor.

Okay, roll the footage!

Windows Live Messenger

Our friend Mark, is at work and on his PC when he receives a Windows Live Messenger chat from his friend Pia (she must be the girl from Mars). Today we know that Microsoft’s messenger software is deprecated, but in 2007 – most of the world still used it. The service was first rolled out as “MSN Messenger” on July 22, 1999 until it was rebranded in 2005. Until its death, Microsoft reported that over 330 million active users a month used the service.

What happened next you ask? Microsoft purchased Skype and merged the two services. Finally in 2012, the service was killed in favor of fully utilizing Skype. This marks our first evolution of a Microsoft service: MSN Messenger -> Windows Live Messenger -> Skype with Windows Live Messenger -> Skype.

Windows Live Spaces

On we go! Pia sends Mark a link to Windows Live Spaces where he can check out party details and RSVP to the event. Windows Live Spaces was Microsoft’s poorly known social network and launched in 2004 as MSN Spaces. The goal of the site was to compete with other networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter (Sorry kids, grandpa didn’t have Google+ yet).

The problem with Microsoft’s social networking platform was that it didn’t offer any differentiating features from its already popular competitor, Facebook. The network was shut down in 2011 and has not been rebranded or reestablished.

Microsoft has launched a new, but unrelated, social networking site called Socl which you can read more about here.

Live Search Maps 3D

Mark decides he wants to go to get his groove on, so he heads to Live Search Maps 3D and spins around a view of the city before dashing off.  Why he spins the city around in circles, we can’t tell you. What we can tell you is what happed to 3D maps – they died. The service was an attempt to achiever near-photorealism of a city with high resolution models and aerial photography. Needless to say, the service was expensive and less than 68 cities were rendered before the program was dropped in 2010. According to Microsoft, they wanted to focus more on their new service – Bing Maps (more on that in a bit).

Windows Live Search

With his dashing lime green sweater now on, he pulls out his HTC phone and uses Live Search to look up traffic. Microsoft has been in the search game for a long time; they launched their first web search product in 1998 and crowned it, MSN Search. The newly launched service consisted of a search engine, index, and web crawler. It isn’t well known that from 1998 to 2005, Microsoft didn’t actually provide its own search engine results; the company partnered with Inktomi, Looksmart, and AltaVista until 2004 when Microsoft decided to go at it on their own.

In 2006, Microsoft rebranded MSN Search to Windows Live Search then changed their mind in 2007 and settled on Live Search. For the first time in history, Microsoft now powered their entire search engine internally. A problem still remained though, the company wanted to separate their search platform from their Windows division and “Live Search” just wasn’t doing the job. On June 3^rd, 2008 – Microsoft launched Bing! Another evolution pattern emerges: MSN Search -> Windows Live Search -> Live Search -> Bing!

Zune

Now that Mark is safely buckled in and ready to put the petal to the metal, he docks his gigantic first generation Zune into a car dock and rocks some tunes. You will have to give me a minute to mourn Zune as it was one of my favorite Microsoft babies… okay, I’m good now.

Zune was launched in November 2006 as a direct competitor to Apple’s line of iPod multimedia devices. Toshiba helped design and develop the first generation Zune units under code name “Argo”. The original Zune was criticized for its bulky size and it’s (uh) interesting color choice of brown. It also didn’t help Microsoft that on December 31^st 2008 at midnight, many first generation Zune 30 GB models froze due to an internal clock driver problem - luckily the devices resumed working 24 hours later.

The second and third generations of Zune were manufactured by Flextronics and gave birth to the squircle (not to be confused with the Pokémon, squirtal) shaped Zune Pad; this ingenious touch-sensitive pad allowed users to flick through content or click in on the edges to navigate the metro style interface.

On September 15, 2009 the last and final fourth generation Zune was released – the Zune HD. Oh, the excitement I remember experiencing when I ran to BestBuy and picked up my beautiful Zune HD with platinum backing. The design of the unit was superb, taking cues from industrial styling. And of course I could not forget the OLED touch screen which, at the time, made the iPhone look dull and washed out. Unfortunately, Apple’s iPod Touch had accumulated a massive store of applications while the Zune HD’s list of apps could be counted on two hands.

On March 15, 2011 Microsoft’s Zune brand was killed as it failed to capture any significant market share. Zune isn’t completely gone though, it has been rebranded. Production of any Zune players may have stopped, but the Zune Marketplace services were rebranded as Xbox Music and Xbox Video. The spirit of Zune continues to live on within Microsoft’s Windows Phone line of devices.

Games for Windows

Back to Mark - unfortunately his car has failed him and like any true hipster, he has a foldable bike in his trunk. He hops on his bike and pulls out Live Search once again to find directions to the closest pizzeria (although, if he lived in the area, you think he would know where a pizza place is located). After arriving at the pizza place, a semi-psychotic man jumping up and down playing a shoot-em-up video game, is behind the counter. Video games on a PC? This must be a Windows machine!

One of the major reasons Microsoft has been able to keep its following, is PC gaming. For the intense gamer, the PC platform provides a more open and moldable playing field. Using online stores like Steam, gamers can access a barrage of content available for download. Faster and more powerful hardware allows for graphics that can blow consoles out of the water. Quite frankly, if you haven’t played Crysis on Ultra settings with three surround-view monitors – you haven’t lived.

Games for PC were not united under a single brand name until 2007 when Microsoft launched “Games for Windows”. The new service and branding allowed Windows Vista games to access the Xbox LIVE service. With Games for Windows, players can cumulate achievements, chat with friends, and more. Some games, like Shadowrun, allowed for cross platform play between a Windows PC and Xbox 360 game console. The service was eventually renamed to “Games for Windows LIVE” with support on Windows 7 machines. Newer, Windows 8 machines, take advantage of their Xbox integration and run games under the title: “Xbox LIVE on Windows”.

Whatever you would like to call the service, it did not fair too well. The marketplace based around “Games for Windows” was eventually scrapped. Microsoft may be the number one PC platform for gaming, but in terms of a marketplace – they are ages late. Most PC gamers will love to tell you all about their devote loyalty to the Steam Marketplace; while they do that – let us, move on.

Xbox 360

The commercial snaps away to a scene of party goers (does that give away how often I am not invited to parties) gaming on an Xbox 360 game console.

Xbox was launched in North America on November 15^th, 2001 to compete against Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube. The idea was first pitched in 1998 by four engineers working on Microsoft’s DirectX team. The engineers built a prototype Windows based console from pats of a dissembled Dell laptop. The idea was pitched to executives and eventually approved.

The marketing team at Microsoft hated the Xbox name and made many suggestions in favor of a name change. In the end, consumer testing had revealed that Xbox was the preferred name for the console and it stuck. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the name Xbox, was derived from the word “DirectX” – the software platform the console was based on.

The unit launched with impressive features such as Xbox LIVE, an online based gaming service with buddy list integration, and a build in HDD, to store save game data without the need of a memory card. For those wondering, the internal specs were as follows: Intel Pentium 3 CPU, 8-10 GB HDD, 64 MB of RAM, and a 233 MHz NVidia GPU.

Microsoft’s first step into the console world was a success with the Xbox selling over 24 million consoles.

The Xbox 360, the console seen in the commercial, was the second game console developed by Microsoft and the successor to the original Xbox. The unit competed against the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii and sold 70 million consoles as of September 2012. The console was a hit and sold out upon release in all regions except Japan.

Stepping up from its predecessor, the Xbox 360 contained a PowerPC tri-core CPU, a 500 MHz ATi GPU, 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM, and 4GB – 250 GB of internal storage.

Later this year Microsoft will be launching the Xbox One, a new game console, with tight TV and Windows 8/RT integration. The unit will feature an eight-core AMD CPU, AMD DirectX graphics, and 8 GB of DDR3 RAM. If you missed the original announcement for the console, you can check out our Reveal Day Overview here.

Windows Mobile

While our “bestie” Mark is out, the girl from Mars sends him a picture text message via her Windows Mobile device - she needs beer and chips!

Windows Phone Central is all about Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system and we could spend a week giving you the lowdown on the evolution of Windows Mobile, so here is the very just of it.

Windows Mobile was launched on April 19^th, 2000 and originally called Pocket PC. In 2003, Microsoft decided to rename Pocket PC to Windows Mobile.

The software was released in four editions including: Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Premium, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Professional, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone. If you think that naming scheme is confusing, just imagine how the average consumer felt.

Eventually, Microsoft narrowed down the operating system to three different iterations including: Windows Mobile Professional, Windows Mobile Standard, and Windows Mobile Classic. Professional was designed to run on smartphones with touchscreens, Standard was designed to run on mobile phones without touchscreens, and Classic was designed to run on PDAs or Pocket PCs (AKA: Anything without a mobile broadband connection).

In 2004, Windows Mobile’s market share was 11.3%; it increased to a maximum high of 42% in 2007 and then decreased down to 3% by 2011 – Blackberry and iPhone were becoming too strong of a force to deal with.

On November 8th 2010, Microsoft launched its successor to Windows Mobile – Windows Phone. Besides the massive changes to the front end of the OS and a complete recoding of the backend, Windows Phone was aimed at an entirely new market audience; the previous phone OS from Redmond was aimed at business users and enterprise, while Windows Phone is aimed at consumers.

Currently, Windows Phone has a growth rate of 133% per year, surpassing Android OS’ 79.5%. As of now, Nokia dominates the Windows Phone hardware market with an 83% share outside of the United States of America.

More Zune

Like any good guy chasing a girl, Mark follows the instructions Pia has sent him, and heads to a local convenience store to pick up the goods. While there, he notices the cashier has a Zune also and decides to squirt her.

No, get your mind out of the gutter you internet reader! Squirting a user was a feature on Zune in which you could easily share your music wirelessly with others. It was important to note that if the user did not have a Zune Pass they would only be able to share a sixty second clip.

After Mark squirts the woman behind the counter (seriously guys, stop thinking like that) he rushes out of the store and heads over to the party he has been so anxious to get to.

Windows Live Essentials

Know what is cooler than viewing pictures of a party? Viewing pictures of a party while you are still at that party. The girls decide to take a barrage of photos and (because nothing else fun is going on) organize and share them with Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Apple’s Macs have come preloaded with iLife, a suite of video and photo editing software, for years. Microsoft needed to badly cut in on the home multimedia action for their Windows platform. In 2006, the company released what they called “Windows Live Essentials” – a package that included: Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Movie Maker, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Writer, SkyDrive (formally Mesh), and Windows Live Family Safety Tools.

The software has proved to work well and it is in its fifth wave (or distribution). The software suite, had been renamed to Windows Essentials in its last release; this ensured that the brand name stayed in line with Microsoft’s corporate setup. Just as Live Search was renamed to Bing, Windows Live Essentials was renamed to Windows Essentials - dropping the “Live” branding.

Windows Vista

Mark finally arrives at the party with a collection of pizzas and starts dancing the night away. And as we all know, the perfect way to end a commercial is with Windows Vista – oh my. We have to talk about Windows Vista now, don’t we? Let’s do this, to spare you pain and to spare myself pain, I will make the Windows Vista discussion brief.

Microsoft’s redesigned operating system Windows Vista was released six years ago on January 30^th, 2007. The list of criticisms for this iteration of the Redmond OS can go so long that there is an entire Wikipedia page (and many angry webpages) devoted to it.

Here is the just of the worst Windows Vista features: To start, the operating system was incompatible with almost all Windows XP drivers because the code base was rewritten; this caused extreme hardware issues with new and old devices alike. It took manufacturers months to provide correct driver compatibility and even then – they didn’t work too well.

Windows Vista was also the introduction of User Account Control, a software mechanisms designed to keep users safe when installing content or running applications as administrator. The problem – the feature was over intrusive and constantly nagged at you to approve EVERYTHING.

Let’s conclude with the fact that Windows Vista was bloated and slow. The new aero interface taxed heavily on your graphics card and the system seemed to have no mercy unless you had the top of the line hardware.

Want to know a secret of mine? Windows Vista was so bad, that I ran out and purchased a MacBook Pro. That is right, I switched to Mac during the Windows Vista years and returned when Windows 7 was released.

The Road Ahead

I’ve had a ton of fun taking a semi-brief look back at Microsoft six years ago. The company has changed much since then and we are being shot forward into a future of crazy bright colors and live tiles. Technology is an industry that is moving faster than ever and it is almost impossible to properly predict. Will Xbox One be a hit or flop? Will consumers grow to love Windows 8 or not? We will have to wait and find out – this road trip is over.

If you are wondering what happened to our friend Mark at the end of the video, check it out for yourself.

Tell us, what is your favorite piece of Microsoft nostalgia? I personally, to this day, remain in love with the Zune line of devices. In fact – just last night I had a dream that I was running Spotify off of my old Zune HD…. Probably a sign that I need a vacation.

Chat soon fellow Microsofties!