Is Microsoft Prepared To Change The World... Again?

On Sept. 1st, most of the tech world was waiting for a moment that would change everything. Even before Steve Jobs unveiled the newest version of Apple TV, there was rampant speculation that it might include the ability to purchase apps for your TV. It didn't. Why would apps have changed everything? Why didn't Jobs include them? And now that Apple has dropped the ball, who is positioned to pick it up? The logical successor is Google, with their new Google TV peripheral. But why is no one talking about Microsoft?

Arguably, the most exciting possible feature of the new Apple TV was the inclusion of apps. It seemed like the perfect combination. A device that would not only allow you to stream movies and TV shows from iTunes, but would also allow you to buy apps from the app store. Sure, you could install a weather app or a few games, but it really gets interesting when you think about TV and movie apps. Install the Netflix app, and suddenly you have streaming movies. Install Hulu, and you have first run and classic TV shows. But what happens when TV stations start creating apps that will stream entire channels to your TV? The CBS app, NBC app, ABC, FOX, HBO, The Food Network! Viewers would finally have the ability to only purchase the channels they wanted to purchase. And without a cable company as the middle man. Now take this a step further, as Twit.tv's Leo Laporte postulated. What happens when Universal Studios puts out an app? And Warner Bros? Now you have movies distributed directly to your TV without the networks as the middleman. Suddenly, it's a whole new ball game.

With such exciting world-changing possibilities, seemingly within Apple's grasp, why would they choose not to exercise them? Is it possible that Apple can make more money with their existing rental model? Regardless, the world didn't change, and Apple doesn't seem eager to shake things up. So who will? Google will release their set-top box called Google TV in time for the 2010 holiday season. They've announced that it will include apps, but no one knows to what extent. Is there a third player that may be positioned to run with the idea?

Microsoft already has the Xbox 360 installed on roughly 30 million TV sets around the world. They don't have apps or an app store, but they will very soon with the release of the first Windows Phone 7 in October. And they already have a mechanism in place for independent third parties to create and sell games on the Xbox 360. How much would it really take to incorporate apps into this system? Suddenly, the company that's arriving late to the phone party could beat everyone at their own game. In one move, they could achieve a huge head start in the set-top box market, while using that lead to bolster phone sales. Maybe they create an app that lets people on Windows Phone 7 video chat with people on an Xbox. Or maybe if you buy the HBO app on the Xbox, you get it free on the phone. I'll leave the other ideas up to them.

Now I don't think Microsoft can capture the hearts and wallets of the general public overnight. For one thing, Microsoft needs to train people to think of the Xbox as not simply a gaming system, but a home entertainment device. I don't think they can do that with the present device. But it's not too soon to grab those hard-core gamers.

UPDATE: Facebook Loves Texas Mahjong!

Okay, that may be exaggerating things. But a nice woman named Lola, who works for Facebook Online Sales Operations returned our email (rather quickly) and explained that Texas Mahjong was "mistakenly disapproved" and "it has now been re-reviewed and approved. Sorry for any inconvenience."

We were hoping it was just a mistake, and we'd like to thank Facebook for rectifying it so quickly. Frankly, we didn't expect a human to reply at all. It's good to see that Facebook isn't as "faceless" as we thought.

Facebook Bans Texas Mahjong Ad

We just received a disapproval notification from Facebook that our Texas Mahjong Ad doesn't meet their criteria. Apparently, we flunked Section 5 of their advertising guidelines. Of course, Section 5 is rather lengthy and Facebook doesn't mention what's actually wrong with our ad. Maybe you can figure it out. Here's a copy of our ad, and Facebook's Section 5 guidelines.

5. Prohibited Content

1. Ads must not be false, misleading, fraudulent, or deceptive.
2. Ads will not be permitted in cases where a business model or practice is deemed unacceptable or contrary to Facebook's overall advertising philosophy.
3. Ads, or categories of ads, which receive a significant amount of negative user feedback, or are otherwise deemed in violation of community standards will not be permitted.
4. Ads cannot contain, facilitate, promote, or reference the following:
1. Offensive, profane, vulgar, obscene or inappropriate language;
2. Obscene, defamatory, libelous, slanderous and/or unlawful content;
3. Tobacco products;
4. Ammunition, firearms, paintball guns, bb guns, or weapons of any kind;
5. Gambling, including without limitation, any online casino, sports books, bingo, or poker without authorization from Facebook;
6. Scams, illegal activity, or chain letters;
7. Contests and sweepstakes unless given permission by Facebook to do so; if permission is given, you are subject to Facebook's Promotions Guidelines;
8. Get rich quick and other money making opportunities that offer compensation for little or no investment, including "work from home" opportunities positioned as alternatives to part-time or full-time employment or promises of monetary gain with no strings attached;
9. Adult content, including nudity, sexual terms and/or images of people in positions or activities that are excessively suggestive or sexual, or provocative images in violation of community standards;
10. Adult friend finders or dating sites with a sexual emphasis;
11. Adult toys, videos, or other adult products;
12. Uncertified pharmaceutical products;
13. Spy cams or surveillance equipment;
14. Web-based non-accredited colleges that offer degrees;
15. Inflammatory religious content;
16. Politically religious agendas and/or any known associations with hate, criminal and/or terrorist activities;
17. Content that exploits political agendas or uses "hot button" issues for commercial use regardless of whether the advertiser has a political agenda;
18. Hate speech, whether directed at an individual or a group, and whether based upon the race, sex, creed, national origin, religious affiliation, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or language of such individual or group;
19. Content that advocates against any organization, person, or group of people, with the exception of candidates running for public office;
20. Content that depicts a health condition in a derogatory or inflammatory way or misrepresents a health condition in any way.

Beats us. If we had a choice, we'd pick sub section 8... "Get Rich Quick Scheme". Unfortunately, we're not quite there yet. Seriously though, is Facebook banning the ad because we link to an outside site, rather than housing the game within Facebook? The link sent players to Newgrounds.com, which to the best of my knowledge is a respectable gaming site. Is it possible that other Newgrounds ads have been fraudulent?

We're not allowed to appeal, but we are asking for further clarification. We'll update this post with anything we discover.

Texas Mahjong Is In Beta!

After months of pre-production, art design, programming and sound design, Texas Mahjong is finally ready for testing. If all goes well, it's scheduled to be released on July 26th. Special thanks to all the friends and family of Generation i who Alpha tested the game. Your feedback, comments and bug submissions were invaluable.

The Texas Mahjong Beta Testing Program is open to everyone. If you'd like to participate, just drop us an email at info@generationistudios.com, or go to www.generationistudios.com/contact.html and fill out the contact form. Be sure to put "Beta Testing" in the subject line. We'll send you a link to the super-duper top secret beta testing area on our servers, and you can start testing!

We Have A Winner In The "Choose The Generation i Logo" Vote

You probably already noticed it at the top of the blog, and at the beginning of this post, but Generation i has its logo. After weeks of work, and days of back and forth with the voters, we finally made a decision. We'd like to thank everyone who gave their opinions and guidance.

Here's a look at the final choice, along with our alternate horizontal logo. In fact, we like the alternate so much, it's slowly becoming the official logo. Scroll further down to see the logos that didn't quite make it.