Evolution of the Set-Top Box
Word is spreading. Michael Humphrey of Forbes recently wrote, “As a premium gaming device, it is much more than that: it’s a vision of the future. It’s a box that could potentially deliver everything in entertainment you want — and just what you want — through one portal.”
It gets better. With the Microsoft Kinect hardware, users can interact and control their video experience like never before, via gesture, facial recognition, and voice. There are already 10 million Kinect users worldwide. And let's not forget the global footprint and user base, the massively popular games, the coolness factor of the XBOX 360, and the possible deep integration of the newly acquired Skype. In the near-term, I see the XBOX 360 as a real game changer. In fact, if the Windows Phone can truly become a third force challenger in the mobile world (which is a huge if), and all Xbox Live content is available over the Windows Phone, we may be looking at the future already.
