Galactus
Devourer of Worlds
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Tuesday 11-Jul-2006 10:15 AM iPod, PSP and DS beware as J Allard's secret project revealed!
After months of rumour and speculation over the existence of a Microsoft handheld, The Seattle Times has revealed that ex-Xbox head honcho J Allard has been beavering away on a new handheld device which will not only take on Apple's iPod head-to-head in the music stakes, but also aim to overtake the PSP as a digital media player and communications device for a complete list of Xbox-branded products.
This dirt has been dug up by Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times in an intriguing article which claims that the Argo will also "Compete with game players from Sony and Nintendo [the PSP and DS which] have long had wi-fi and work as media players, Internet terminals and communication devices."
Advertisement:It's not really clear whether the Argo will be positioned as a games playing device, although it is said to showcase Allard's pet XNA development software and will contain, "a complete line of Xbox-branded digital-media products, including a device that plays media, a software media player and an online media service."
That last note is particularly intriguing, with a new Microsoft audio and video service MS Urge in the works to compete with Apple's iTunes. The Argo, Dudley claims with a fair degree of certainty, will also be wi-fi compatible, hooking up with your PC and Xbox 360, which makes absolute sense in our new wireless world.
As for any sign of official confirmation, our friends over at Next-Gen.biz managed to elicit the standard issue "We don't have anything to announce at this time", from Microsoft on the subject.
While Dudley expects the Argo to debut before the end of the year, it seems we might not have too long to wait before an announcement on is forthcoming, with Dudley concluding, "The timing of the hype cycle is perfect, however. Microsoft's annual meeting with financial analysts is July 27, and it's looking bleak. Wall Street is furious Microsoft won't be selling new versions of Windows and Office in the fall as promised." A big fat announcement on the Argo might just deflect a bit of the flak and give us even more to chatter about.
After months of rumour and speculation over the existence of a Microsoft handheld, The Seattle Times has revealed that ex-Xbox head honcho J Allard has been beavering away on a new handheld device which will not only take on Apple's iPod head-to-head in the music stakes, but also aim to overtake the PSP as a digital media player and communications device for a complete list of Xbox-branded products.
This dirt has been dug up by Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times in an intriguing article which claims that the Argo will also "Compete with game players from Sony and Nintendo [the PSP and DS which] have long had wi-fi and work as media players, Internet terminals and communication devices."
Advertisement:It's not really clear whether the Argo will be positioned as a games playing device, although it is said to showcase Allard's pet XNA development software and will contain, "a complete line of Xbox-branded digital-media products, including a device that plays media, a software media player and an online media service."
That last note is particularly intriguing, with a new Microsoft audio and video service MS Urge in the works to compete with Apple's iTunes. The Argo, Dudley claims with a fair degree of certainty, will also be wi-fi compatible, hooking up with your PC and Xbox 360, which makes absolute sense in our new wireless world.
As for any sign of official confirmation, our friends over at Next-Gen.biz managed to elicit the standard issue "We don't have anything to announce at this time", from Microsoft on the subject.
While Dudley expects the Argo to debut before the end of the year, it seems we might not have too long to wait before an announcement on is forthcoming, with Dudley concluding, "The timing of the hype cycle is perfect, however. Microsoft's annual meeting with financial analysts is July 27, and it's looking bleak. Wall Street is furious Microsoft won't be selling new versions of Windows and Office in the fall as promised." A big fat announcement on the Argo might just deflect a bit of the flak and give us even more to chatter about.
