Every once in a while, it's good to hear that big companies are going out of their way to help the community. Just like what Microsoft did recently when it partnered itself with Companions in Courage to provide game kiosks at hospitals. More on this at the full article!

The partnership between BT Group and Microsoft has been rumored many times before ever since big MS announced IPTV for the Xbox 360. Given the services and functions of the two, one can't really help but see the connection.

Those rumors come to a close today as Microsoft finally confirmed the partnership during CES 2008. More details after the jump!

Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates bid the Consumer Electronics Show a bittersweet farewell as he opened it for the last time in his legendary career. After showing a cool video of what he'll do after stepping down from Microsoft, Gates talked about the next 10 years in the electronics scene, earmarking touch screen, faster, and more accessible connectivity, and HD technology as the future's pillars. Head on to the full article for more details.

Among the revelations at CES 2008, Microsoft announced partnerships with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Disney-ABC Television Group to diversify the content offering offering on Xbox Live. In other words, blockbuster movies and your favorite TV shows will soon be available for download from the Video Store.

More details await at the full article.

It's official: Microsoft will bring out the big guns in CES 2008 as Bill Gates and Robbie Bach take center stage with keynote addresses. This should provide a nice blast-off for an event which never fails to deliver glimpses of the latest in the gadgets scene. Are we expecting big announcements? You bet. Read the full article for more information on Microsoft's CES 2008 presence.

An interview was held with Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, just before Xbox Live's fifth anniversary. In the interview he says that "we don't have competition" on talking about the PlayStation Network, explaining that Sony has "done some things online, but nothing that can be called a service."

Bach also talks about current and future plans for Xbox Live, including parental control features and hints at more media content. More in the full article.

Trying to find a good way to keep track of your kid's play time? Microsoft has sent out an official announcement for their upcoming Family Timer feature for the Xbox 360.

The tool will enable parents to set their 360 to automatically shut down after a pre-programmed amount of time, ensuring that their little tykes get plenty of proper sleep for their next play session. More details for this downloadable offering from Microsoft can be found in the full article.

After announcing a price cut for the Xbox 360 package in Japan, Microsoft has now finally issued an official statement regarding the long-rumored Xbox 360 Arcade package, recently confirmed by Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division Head Robbie Bach.

The Xbox 360 Arcade Pack becomes available today in retail stores for US$ 279.99. And just like what earlier reports claimed, the new package comes with five casual video game title demos namely Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket, and Feeding Frenzy.

Aside from the Xbox 360 video games, the Xbox 360 Arcade package also comes with one wireless controller, HDMI connection output, and 256 MB of memory. Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business Corporate VP for Global Marketing Jeff Bell had this to say:

As families gather together this holiday, it's the perfect time to launch a new low-priced, high-value Xbox 360 that plays games, TV shows and music for everyone to enjoy in addition to offering an incredible all-in-one package for families to get right into the fun.

The Xbox 360 Arcade system features the industry-leading Family Settings, which allow parents to control what their kids are watching and playing and we know how important that control is to families around the world.

In addition to this, Microsoft has also announced that it just expanded its catalog of downloadable TV shows over at Xbox Live Marketplace with the inclusion of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck from Warner Bros. as well as Blue's Clues, The Backyardigans,  and iCarly from Nickelodeons.

Robbie Bach, the head of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, has confirmed the widely-rumored Xbox 360 Arcade pack. The new pack, which comes bundled with a variety of casual games, will be available for US$ 279.

With the Xbox 360 Arcade, Microsoft looks to capture the casual gaming demographic that has so far been enamored with the Nintendo Wii home video game console. Here's what Bach told the Financial Times:

Arcade becomes [for us] the ability to bring in a new set of audiences. They’re probably a little bit more casually focused, they’re looking for a new family experience or they’re more price focused.

Bach's is the first official confirmation of the Xbox 360 Arcade pack. The pack is rumored to launch on October 23 but no official launch date has been announced yet. Keep checking back here on QJ.NET for more updates.

Amidst the helter-skelter of Microsoft rushing to fix the Xbox 360's chronic design problems (even allocating US$ 1 billion for the cause), the company has hinted that the more expensive console, the Xbox 360 Elite, is designed not to fall prey to the Red Ring of Death.

Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices division, acknowledged that the problem lies in the design itself, not a manufacturing problem or manufacturing partner problem. Microsoft found a way of going around the design problem, and has better-designed units out in the market right now.

SPOnG supposes that the better-designed units Microsoft is referring to are the Xbox 360 Elite, which had a different design, such as the HDMI. While it's no surprise that the Elite is built differently compared to the standard units, SPOnG emphasized one strange point: The Xbox 360 Elite, released earlier this year, was deliberately designed to avoid the Red Ring of Death pitfall.

We'll leave the thinking to you, folks. Bach was also a bit vocal with cost reduction, saying, "We are, and have been since the beginning, right on track with where we expected to be with cost reduction."