Xbox 720 expected to hit stores in 2013 according to gaming developers

With the rumours still going round that Microsoft will debut its new console at the E3 Expo this year, a new report seem to suggest the console will be available in stores in 2013. This is because of contract between games developers between Bungie and Activision that hints at the release date for the next generation console.

In this contract involving the two companies, it has revealed that an upcoming game called “Destiny” will be release for the current generation console the Xbox 360 and the yet to be announced Xbox 720. These reports about the Xbox 720 has only added to the buzz that has been around for many years.

Google Chrome is now the world’s top browser

Google Chrome has become the number one browser in the world after overtaking Internet Explorer according to figures from Statcounter. Since being launched in 2008, it has been steadily rising in its popularity and it had only recently overtaken Firefox in terms of how many people use it and were now close to catching its rival Internet Explorer.

The figures show that people are switching to using Google Chrome having previously been using IE and Firefox and that the gap between these browsers is increasing all the time. It was in the first two weeks of May that Chrome had surpassed the other browsers coming in at 32.5% percent closely followed by IE at 32.1% percent.

Windows 8 to give parents greater control over children’s internet usage

The upcoming operating system from Microsoft will feature a new set of tools that will enable parents to keep an eye on what their children are viewing on the internet. The Windows 8 Family Safety suite will forward weekly reports to parents about the websites that have been visited by their kids and allow them to block any specific sites and apps. It will also allow the parents to set the amount of time that their children access the internet, lock search engines into SafeSearch and track any purchases made from the Windows Store.

Parents will able to do this from an administrator account and in which the children will not have access to this information and other tools. Through the administrator account parents can setup individual accounts for each of their children enabling them to keep watching what each one is doing.

Microsoft to limit Windows 8 tablet users to one browser only

Microsoft could possibly limit users to using only one internet browser on tablet devices running its upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Mozilla, who created the FireFox browser, has said in a blog post that the company will restrict tablets that are running ARM processors to using only the Internet Explorer browser.

Mozilla assert that Microsoft will be able to enforce this restriction through the security and power specifications of the ARM chips and only Microsoft can manage this by themselves. Tablet devices running Windows 8 will give its users the option of using Windows Classic or the Metro interface and the restriction of one browser only will apply to the Classic version.

Lenovo targeting smartphone and tablet market

Computing manufacturer Lenovo is set to move further towards the smartphone and tablet after the company had invested £495 million into a new manufacturing plant in China. The new plant will provide a further 10,000 jobs for the company with it expected to produce tablet devices.

Regarding the move towards the tablet and smartphone market, Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo Group Chairman and CEO said, "As an industry leader, we are aggressively moving forward into the PC Plus era, and with our Mobile Internet Digital Home group actively engaged, we are accelerating development in smart phones, tablets, and other mobile Internet terminal markets."

Xbox 720 has enter production according to IGN

Rumours continue to swirl about the Xbox 720 and now the gaming site IGN has claimed the new console has enter production. IGN have said to have obtained this information from an Austin, Texas-based company called Flextronics. The company already manufacture the current generation console (Xbox 360) and it is believed they have now begun production on the Xbox 360 successor, the Xbox 720.

IGN said, "Prior to reaching the manufacturing stage, Flextronics created a new testing group separate from the rest of the company. This team was solely dedicated to comprehensive marketing, software, and hardware tests of the next Xbox. With that activity concluded, Flextronics started building the hardware -- but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see the Durango soon."

Windows 8 will have no DVD playback

The new operating system from Microsoft, Windows 8 will not have the ability to playback DVDs unless users purchase the Media Center or use third-party software. It was on the official Building Windows 8 blog that there would be no DVD player as they said this was because they had been a “sharp decline” in the number of people who use their computer to watch DVDs.

Windows 8 will focus on the codecs instead including H.264, VC-1, MP4, AAC, WMA, MP3, PCM and Dolby Digital Plus. If you are one of those users who plays a lot DVDs via their computer, then you can either buy the Media Center through an add-on pack or alternatively you download third party software like VLC.

Microsoft will release a second preview of Windows 8 in June.

Win a Coolermaster CM Storm Gaming Bundle

We have a new competition over on the Box.co.uk Facebook page where you have the chance to win a Coolermaster CM Storm Gaming Bundle, which includes a Sentinel Zero G Mouse and Sirus Headset.

The Sentinel Zero G Mouse is the most customisable mouse ever as you can adjust the weight of it by adding and removing the five 4.5 gram weights. The twin laser engine makes sure you have stability and exact tracking performance. With the onboard 128Kb memory you will be able to store 5 gaming profiles and your mouse settings. The Storm Tactics macro support allows the Sentinel’s intelligent firmware to record, replay and schedule keyboard and mouse actions.

Call of Duty Black Ops 2 officially revealed

Activision has announced the first details for the latest game in the Call of Duty franchise. The game goes under the moniker of Black Ops 2 and will be set in the year 2025. It will see players compete against computer operated drones and humans as the game’s focus will see the US army’s weapon systems being taken under the control of the enemy.

The key feature of the game will be its branching storyline as players will have to make tactical and moral decisions that will lead to different outcomes in the games.

The game will see futuristic weapons, 3D hologram maps and computerised displays. Weapons such as hand grenades will now cover a much greater distance due to hand-cannons. The gaming levels in Black Ops will see you playing through the character of David Mason, who is the son of Alex - the lead operative from the original Black Ops game.

Win a Cyborg MMO 7 Gaming Mouse

Calling all you gamers out there - over on the Box.co.uk Facebook page, we are running a competition where you can win a Cyborg MMO 7 Gaming Mouse worth £80. This gaming mouse will have you tearing up the competition as it features the latest technology from the world's most adjustable gaming mouse. This MMO 7 mouse has superior controls and ergonomics creating the perfect weapon for MMO gamers.

The mouse has 78 different user commands and 13 programmable buttons with MMO mode switch and two-position MMO shift button. It has ‘twin eye’ laser sensors that can read each axis one by one and can track up to an incredible 6 meters per second with pinpoint accuracy.

To be within a chance to win the Cyborg MMO 7 Gaming Mouse, all you need to do is like and share the Box.co.uk Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/BoxLimited.  Once we reach 4500 likes, we will announce the winner of the competition.