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HTC executive exodus now includes Asia CEO

HTC executives are departing a company that's facing strong challenges in the mobile market.

Our colleagues at CNET Asia this morning reported that HTC Asia CEO Lennard Hoornik has left the handset maker after an absence of two months during which he was "on leave," and there's no word on where he is headed.

That departure continues an unsettling trend for HTC. Chief product officer Kouji Kodera, who led HTC's general product strategy, left last week, according to The Verge. Vice president of global communications Jason Gordon recently exited the company after a seven-year stint. … Read more

Microsoft talks Xbox One naming, privacy and more (Q&A)

REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft's got a new Xbox on the way, and according to the company, it's the foundation for the next 10 to 20 years of home gaming and entertainment.

The console, which has not yet been given a price, release date, or live game demos was shown off here on Tuesday and left just about as many questions as it did answers about where Microsoft is taking one of its most popular products.

CNET sat down with Jeff Henshaw, the group program manager for Xbox Incubation, to try to get some of those answers. That includes … Read more

Xbox One moves Microsoft closer to living room hub

REDMOND, Wash. -- Perhaps the most telling detail of Microsoft's media event to unveil the new Xbox One was the fact that the company didn't even get around to talking about gaming until halfway through the presentation.

It's hard to overstate the significance of that. Microsoft sees the Xbox One, more than any other version of the Xbox, as a device for everyone, not just hardcore gamers. There's no doubt Microsoft was pushing into that direction, even with the original Xbox that debuted in 2001.

But Microsoft's focus during the Xbox One event demonstrates the … Read more

Six challenges for integrated TV on the Xbox One

The Xbox One may primarily be a gaming console, but one of the major focuses of Microsoft's press event was One Guide: the Xbox One's new interface for navigating your live TV content.

By including an HDMI input, the Xbox One can integrate cable TV content right into the Xbox Dashboard, serving up a prettier grid of channels than what your clunky cable box offers. It's not all that different from Google's major living room initiative -- Google TV -- and the Xbox One faces some of the same challenges if it truly wants to be … Read more

What we know about the Xbox One

CNET Update explains the Xbox One:

Microsoft has revealed its new console, the Xbox One, and it aims to be the one system to handle all home entertainment. This episode of Update gives you the quick roundup of Xbox One's features. Not all these features will be good news for gamers -- such as the requirement to pay a fee to play a used game.

Dive deeper into CNET's coverage of the Xbox One with these stories:

- Details on Microsoft's Xbox One

- The games revealed for the Xbox One

- Details about the Kinect sensor improvements … Read more

Used games are here to stay with Xbox One but details hazy

Fears of a death spiral for used games with the Xbox One may be a little premature.

A Microsoft spokesman confirmed to CNET that Microsoft will support used games with its new console, though it declined to provide much information at this time.

"We are designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games," the spokesman said. "We'll have more details to share later."

What we do know is that users have to install games from a disc onto the console's hard drive to access the information. Users can then play … Read more

Will you buy an Xbox One or PlayStation 4?

What's hotter -- the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4?

This year kicked off a new chapter in gaming history as Microsoft and Sony revealed their next-generation consoles, which are destined to rule living rooms (and hands) around the world. Of course, Nintendo also had its fun with the Wii U, but hard-core gamers don't seem to really be jumping on the device.… Read more

Windows' role at the core of Microsoft's Xbox One

Microsoft's Xbox One home-entertainment console has three operating systems at its core, company officials said during the Tuesday unveiling of the device.

Why three? Marc Whitten, Microsoft's chief production officer of its Interactive Entertainment Business, explained during the hour-long reveal event in Redmond, that there'd be an Xbox operating system, the kernel of Windows, and a third operating system designed to handle switching, multitasking and control inside the Xbox One.

Microsoft officials told Wired.com back in April something similar. From the Wired story:

"The Xbox One simultaneously runs three separate operating systems. First comes the … Read more

Here's what we know about Xbox One games

The wait is over. Microsoft's new console is called the Xbox One, and it will be a machine that will wear many hats. But what did we learn about the games?

First off, Microsoft tells CNET that the Xbox One will not be backward compatible with any previous Xbox game. Xbox One games will also need to be fully installed, and if the install disc is used on another console, there will be a small fee for doing so. We don't have a lot of the details beyond that, but fears of anti-used-game tactics have officially been realized. … Read more

2013 is the year of the voice command

"Ok, Glass -- take a picture!"

"Xbox, what's on HBO?"

"Siri, play Angry Birds."

During the reveal of the Xbox One, I was struck by just how many voice commands Microsoft programmed into the device. Kinect brought a rudimentary set of commands to the gaming console, but now everything from opening movies to launching apps can be done via voice. "Xbox, Live TV" may be my new favorite phrase in the living room.

Microsoft's not the only one who's betting big on voice commands. The vast majority of Google Glass'… Read more