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Microsoft has historically been less than enthusiastic towards free-to-play Xbox 360 games.  They did allow Japanese developer Toylogic to release Happy Wars (a 15-vs-15 multiplayer action game) last year. But here we are one year later and  hardly any free-to-play games have followed it. And yet things are starting to change...

During Microsoft’s E3 Media Briefing, the publisher revealed that popular PC Massively Multiplayer Online game (MMO) World of Tanks would receive an exclusive console version called World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition. Console gamers could be forgiven for not knowing this, but Wargaming.net’s World of Tanks is actually one of the largest and most popular MMOs in the world. The 360 port just might prove to be a big deal.

This week we sat down with Microsoft and Wargaming to learn the ins and outs of World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition and then shot a video with Associate Producer Olga Zinoveva as she played a multiplayer match on the E3 2013 show floor. Watch it after the break!

Earlier this week we saw the release of our new favorite calendar app, Simple Calendar by developer Wes Peter.

The app, which features in our opinion one of the nicest Live Tiles for appointments, has just received a 2.1 update today, which should improve quite a few things for users.

If you’re on Verizon or just want an interesting Microsoft off-shoot of their Windows Phone series, then the Kin One (a partnership with Sharp) may be for you. Plus you can have it for the low-low price of $25 (free shipping).

The Kin One, was a device released in April 2010 and can be considered part of the Microsoft-in-transition-what-the-hell-are-we-doing phase of the company. Seriously, Windows Phone 7 was just announced and prepping for release that fall when the Kin One (and Two) came along and confused everyone. What does it run? How is it related to Windows Phone? And most importantly, Why?

Fun fact: the Kin One and Two grew out of the secretive 'Project Pink' at Microsoft...

This fall, PepsiCo and Microsoft will be teaming up to launch the biggest gaming promotion in brand history. The multinational food and beverage company plans to launch the promotion through its Mountain Dew and Doritos brands. The plan - give away thousands of Xbox One systems.

Nokia is certainly running full speed ahead, with the Lumia 925 being released in areas in Europe, the Nokia ‘EOS’ on the brink of announcement and the Lumia 928 evidently selling quite well on Verizon. Then there’s their other eight or nine Windows Phone 8 devices…

Speaking of those, if you have one, you’ll want to think about following our Store links to grab the latest iterations of Extras + Info and Play To.

The Nokia wireless charging pad is once again available for an incredible price over on Daily Steals. The Nokia DT-900 enables Lumia owners (with compatible Windows Phones) to take full advantage of wireless charging. With 75 percent off and a price tag of just $25, who wouldn't want to look at this accessory?

Ever since the Nokia EOS aka their expected 41MP Windows Phone started having its own picture leaked all over the internet in the last few weeks, a second, less understood rumor had surfaced in conjunction: there are actually two versions of the device.

Personally, Windows Phone Central has no knowledge of a second version of an EOS-line of the Lumia 9xx series, though much like the Lumia 925 with its aluminum body to counter the polycarbonate 920, we suppose a metal-version of the upcoming EOS (or ‘Elvis’ if on AT&T) is hardly out of the question.

Last year, Windows Phone Central brought you an exclusive interview about a Windows Phone 8 title called Fairway Solitaire from Big Fish Games (and ported by Babaroga). Fairway is actually one of the games that Microsoft used during their Windows Phone 8 reveal event to exemplify how quick and easy porting from iOS to Windows Phone 8 can be. Funny thing is: Fairway Solitaire was slated to be a launch window game for the new mobile OS, but it has actually taken far longer than to port.

As a matter of fact, Big Fish Games has just published Fairway Solitaire for both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 in celebration of E3 2013. The bad news is they published it as an indie title instead of an Xbox game as originally planned. But on the happy side, Fairway plays great and we’ve got an exclusive video in which Big Fish’s Patrick Wylie walks us through the game’s features. Check it out after the break!

The Amazon Mobile app received a minor update today. Unlike the previous update in May, this bump offers little, other than unnamed bug fixes and performance updates. Amazon was one of the first big retailers to put out a Windows Phone app and it remains one of the best out there.

Amazon Mobile will not only let you surf the aisles of Amazon.com, place orders, check on your account, and more.  We've come to find that the Amazon Mobile app is also a great app to have handy while shopping to compare prices.  It even has a bar code scanner to make searching for products a little easier.  If you're looking for something that you can wait for the UPS man to deliver, it might save you a few bucks along the way.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that new updates for their Surface tablet devices were being pushed. The updates being pushed include Wi-Fi connectivity improvements, a new Surface USB to Ethernet adapter driver, a collection of improvements for both the Touch and Type Covers, an updated LifeCam driver, and new device firmware.

Xbox LIVE has been pushing online multiplayer gaming forward since its launch in November 2002. Microsoft’s online service recently hit 46 million members and isn’t stopping any time soon. With the launch of Xbox One later this year, a collection of new features will be added to the service including smarter matching, a new reputation system, and a new style of Xbox achievements.