Channel 9 - Entries tagged with MSN

UK Users Get MSN Video in Media Center

Sarah Perez — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:41:00 GMT

UK users can now watch MSN Video directly within Windows Media Center on their PCs. The MSN Video Player is a UK-only service which is available on the UK version of the MSN web portal. Here, visitors can watch clips, thousands of hours of full-length TV shows, movie trailers, music videos and even movies. It’s like Hulu for for the UK, basically.

Now the video player content is available in Media Center under the “TV” section, reports Tech.uk.msn.com. It appears there isn’t anything you need to do in order for this option to work – just browse to the appropriate section and download the update that appears when you select the new option.

MSNBC Launches New Photoblog

Sarah Perez — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:28:00 GMT

MSNBC has just launched a new and improved photoblog (the one called “Photo Blog,” actually). The site is run by Robert Hood, who has been on MSNBC’s multimedia team since 1996 in addition to freelancing for The New York Times and the LA Times. His team is responsible for all the photography and video on MSNBC.com.

The blog itself features thought-provoking, interesting, beautiful or otherwise eye-catching photos from around the world. Each photo is accompanied by a short description and a link to a related news story elsewhere on MSNBC or a photo slideshow.

Posts are also tagged so you can browse more of that same genre. Registered users can leave comments. And at the bottom of the page, a social networking bar lets you share the blog via Facebook, Twitter and email.

More design tweaks and features are coming “in the near future” promises a quick post about the new site.

In the meantime, you can follow the site via RSS or email or simply go here: photoblog.msnbc.msn.com

MSN has a New Mobile Site

Sarah Perez — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:14:00 GMT

MSN recently updated its main website, available at MSN.com, to the the new design that has been in beta for many months. As we previously mentioned here, the new MSN focuses not only on delivering a cleaner look-and-feel, but also includes more social sharing features, local content and attention-grabbing images and videos, among other things.

Along with the new changes to the desktop site, the mobile site has now gone live as well. From the new mobile site, you can easily access news, sports, entertainment, video, money, weather, astrology and dating content. Plus, there’s one-click access to Bing, Windows Live Hotmail and Live Messenger.

Even better, the site offers new personalization features. For example, it remembers your favorite content and features those items in tabs that appear at the top of the page. And it lets you personalize weather, stock quotes and astrology pages, too.

You can check out the new MSN mobile page for yourself at http://mobile.msn.com.

MSN UK to Stream Full-Length Movies

Sarah Perez — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:01:00 GMT

OK, I’m officially jealous. The UK version of the MSN web portal will soon start streaming full-length movies thanks to a new deal with Paramount Pictures. The movies will be made available for viewing in the MSN Video Player which debuted last summer and exited beta last month. In addition to movies, Video Player users also have access to a wide range of clips, plus the 1000+ hours of TV shows, trailers and music videos already available.

Also good news for Video Player users: the movies will be free. No word yet on which movies it will show or what day this new feature will launch. However, we do know that they’ll initially be available in the UK, with a rollout to Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands to follow.

(via TechRadar)

Glossy New Glo Launches on MSN

Sarah Perez — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:45:00 GMT

MSN just added a new web destination site called Glo, available at glo.msn.com. The site, aimed at women, has the glossy look and feel of your typical women’s magazine and its featured sections reflect that focus as well. Across the top are the categories beauty, style, living, and relationships and within each of these sub-sections are related articles, images, and slideshows. Some of the content will be original while other content will be aggregated from Glo parnter, Hachette, the publisher of Elle, Woman’s Day and Elle Decor magazines.

The new site was made by the same L.A.-based company that designed the MSN celebrity site Wonderwall, a portal whose success led to Glo’s creation.

I noticed that Glo’s design and layout makes it look as if it was designed for the new crop of touchscreen computers now launching. Scott Moore, regional partner executive producer for MSN, confirmed this with Seattle Times, it seems: “Touchscreens are becoming much more common on all sorts of devices,” he said.

MSN Redesign with GM Bob Visse

Larry Larsen — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:56:00 GMT

Bob Visse is the GM of Product Management and was one of the people behind the new MSN redesign. Some of the new features include the integration of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Live. MSN is moving toward offering more localized content, including headlines and links that appeal to your specific demographic, combined with a tighter integration with Bing that offers readers links to things like local restaurant reviews and ratings. With many new partners such as Hulu and National Geographic, MSN is also offering more video content. Page load time was also whittled down, giving readers a snappier experience.

FarmVille Comes to MSN

Sarah Perez — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:08:00 GMT

One of the top games to ever appear on Facebook, FarmVille, is launching outside of the social network. Through a new partnership with Microsoft, Zynga (the creators of FarmVille) will bring their popular game to MSN Games, a destination site for casual gamers. This will be the first time the game launches outside of social networking sites in general, save for its own site at FarmVille.com.

Gamers who play the new MSN Games edition of FarmVille will be able to authenticate using Facebook Connect technology, which allows you to forgo creating a username and password. Instead, gamers will use their Facebook ID to login and play.

Since last June, FarmVille has grown to over 76 million users on Facebook alone and with its launch on MSN, the game is on track to bring in millions more. MSN Games currently has tens of millions of players on its site every month.

As to why someone would login on MSN Games instead of Facebook to play? Perhaps they’re just casual gamers unaware of the thousands of gaming apps on Facebook? Nah, it’s probably because Facebook is blocked at their workplace.

Get Grammy Info via Bing

Sarah Perez — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:28:00 GMT

Did you miss the recent Grammy awards? Yeah, me too. Our TV was monopolized by the other big event going on that night – the American football spectacular known as the Pro Bowl. But both you and I can get caught up with what we missed thanks to new features in Bing.

Via Bing Video, you can get caught up on the highlights from the 52nd annual Grammy Awards in HD. Be sure to check the related videos below, too, for more from the big show. And for instant answers on burning questions (like who won Album of the Year – gasp! Taylor Swift!), a quick Bing search gives you the short and sweet answer. If you’re interested in more Grammy news, links from the Instant Answer take you over to MSN’s coverage of the event where you can catch more photos, highlights, and gossip.

Shopping for a Car? Try Bing's Instant Answers

Sarah Perez — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Another recent update to the Bing search engine involves the addition of auto-related instant answers. If you’re searching for a particular make and model of a vehicle, the search now returns a quick summary of the top info available on the car which displays at the top of the search results. This info includes things like the MSRP, fuel economy, and user rating. Links to the MSN autos site are also provided for things like specs, safety, reliability, and reviews. If you know you’re ready buy – or at least ready to go visit your dream car in real life – a link to local dealers and services is found below the instant answer along with links to listings on the MSN auto site.

I used this feature to check out the Volvo C30, the car we’re thinking of getting next year (and no, not because Edward drives one). This Volvo practically drives itself! But the 19 miles per gallon (city) displayed in the instant answer has me reconsidering. Maybe I such search for hybrids instead. Suggestions?

MSN to Launch New Lifestyle Site from Wonderwall Creator

Sarah Perez — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:06:00 GMT

In spring of 2009, Microsoft’s online property MSN launched a new celebrity-focused website called Wonderwall which features celebrity news, gossip, photos, and videos. Now that site’s creator, BermanBraun Interactive, is collaborating with Microsoft again along with Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. to recreate the magic on a new “lifestyle” site.

Wonderwall has done really well so far – attracting 9.5 million unique users and 225 million page views a month in the U.S. since its launch. However, the new site won’t just be a clone of Wonderwall’s design. In an interview with All Things Digital, Lloyd Braun revealed the new site will be “very ambitious and there is no similarity…it will be a different type of experience.”

Content for the site will come from Hachette Filipacchi Media, publisher of Elle, Woman’s Day and Elle Decor. Not surprisingly, the site will focus on style, beauty, relationships and home décor in a clear effort to target the female demographic.

No word on the exact launch date yet, only that the site will debut sometime in the first half of 2010.

New Cleaner, Prettier MSN Homepage Revealed

Sarah Perez — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:43:00 GMT

The new, revamped MSN homepage is now live. Updated on Tuesday, November 3rd, this hugely popular internet portal sees 100 hundred million visitors per month who comes to read news, watch videos, and get other local information like events and weather. Yet despite its popularity, the portal has not seen a major overhaul of its design since 2004.

If you’re not a regular visitor to the site, you’ll still be able to tell at a glance that it’s undergone a number of big changes. Nothing has been left untouched – even the butterfly logo has been revamped!The new site opts for a much cleaner look. Gone is the blue background surrounding the white space, replaced by a completely white background instead.

At the top of the site, there’s a Bing search box, followed by topical links underneath taking you to news, entertainment, sports, money, lifestyle, or “more” subsections. On the main page, the lead stories are promoted by large, attention-grabbing images while other news items appear below as links.

Also different is that the site no longer forces you to sign in and custom your settings in order to get local information. Although customization is still an option, Microsoft found that most users weren’t bothering. So now, the site uses geolocation technology to determine your location by IP address. This allows it to deliver local weather and news to the homepage and to the “local edition” sub-site that’s filled exclusively with area news (see link at top right).

However, if you want to see your Hotmail email or Windows Live updates in the homepage modules that sit towards the bottom of the page, you will need to sign in and authenticate yourself using your Windows Live ID.

One of the more interesting updates is the inclusion of Facebook news feeds and Twitter updates, both of which are located as tabs within the Windows Live module. Using Facebook Connect and Twitter OAuth, you can sign into these sites without having to enter your username and password. These new features allow you to keep up-to-date on your social networks right from the homepage. You can also update your status from the homepage, too.

The new homepage is being rolled out over the coming months, but U.S. users can see a preview of it now at preview.msn.com. By the end of the year, 10% of U.S. users will have been switched over. After the U.S. rollout is complete, international markets will follow.

Above: Old MSN, Below: New MSN

New MSN Video/Soapbox Sidebar Gadget

Sarah Perez — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:05:00 GMT

There’s a new MSN Video sidebar gadget now available for download from the Windows Live Gallery. This gadget displays video from the both the MSN Video and Soapbox catalogs across 30+ countries and languages. After installing it, I was surprised by the number of options available. For example, in the settings you can configure to show videos by country, for a specific Soapbox user, or by a search term. You can change the look and feel, adjusting items like number of thumbnails, pages, scroll speed, and more. On the main interface for the gadget itself, you can sort and filter videos by category, “what’s hot,” highest rated, and a lot more. There’s even a search box within the gadget itself so you can look for a specific video.

This particular gadget is designed for Windows Vista computers, but it works on Windows 7, too. However, I wasn’t able to get the inline video player working when on 7, it instead played videos in my web browser.

MSN City Guides Get a Makeover

Sarah Perez — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:31:00 GMT

MSN is launching an all-new version of their City Guides service , a service designed to help people learn about different places to visit, explore the various attractions and events taking place there, and even plan their trip. Now City Guides have received a makeover and a fresh new design featuring customized themes for each city. The updated guides have been integrated with Live Search and Live Search Maps, video, and even social networking services like Windows Live and Facebook.

The Maps integration makes it easy for you to find places or events and you can easily switch between road, aerial, and Live Search’s own, unique Bird’s Eye views.

Live Search integration brings local search results to the guides, letting you finding more activities, restaurants, and other hotspots. An integrated Activity Finder, though, will help you find the best from that city including restaurants, movies, shopping, family fun, sports and recreation, and more.

Using your Windows Live ID, you can sign in to plan your upcoming trips, save map collections and photos, and share your recommendations with other friends on the Windows Live service. Alternately, you can read reviews from Yelp, Citysearch, and Judy’s Book or write your own which can then be shared on Facebook.

If you’re knowledgeable about a particular city, you can contribute to the guide and establish yourself as an expert. The more you offer, the higher you rank – the scale goes from City Newbie to City Champ.

You can visit the new City Guides here: http://cityguides.msn.com.

MSN Mobile Adds More Videos

Sarah Perez — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:08:00 GMT

The MSN Mobile site has recently been updated to include a lot more content, most notably additional videos from MSN Videos. The new videos section of the MSN Mobile site is now offering both high and low quality streaming videos in addition to a download option which you can use to save the videos onto your device. The videos can then be streamed anytime, even offline, with Windows Media Player. Within the videos section, you’ll find videos in several different categories including News, Sports, Music, Movies, TV, Comedy, Viral, Latino, and Lifestyle, as well as a “What’s Hot” section at the top. From your mobile device, go to home.mobile.msn.com to see the new content.

MSN UK Launches Mobile Music Service

Sarah Perez — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:07:00 GMT

MSN UK has just launched a new music service that lets visitors download tracks from the web to their mobile phones. Mobile users need only point their phone’s browser to www.msn.co.uk and select the music service from the options. Tracks are available for download in three different formats: full track, music video, or RealTone (ringtones) and can be paid for either on the customer’s monthly bill from the network operator or pre-paid in sums of 1.50, £2 or £3 respectively.

The music catalog isn’t too bad either as major labels like Sony, EMI, and Warner are on board. There are currently 1 million tracks, 25,000 Realtones, and 10,000 music videos available.

Although MSN Mobile is already the largest commercial non-operator mobile portal, this move is sure to make the site even more popular among UK users.

Only one question: when can the rest of us have this service?

(Via TechRadar UK)

Encarta Comes To MSN Mobile

Sarah Perez — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:53:00 GMT

MSN Mobile, available from on any phone at mobile.msn.com, delivers news, email, sports, search, weather, entertainment links like movie listings and horoscopes, and even videos right to your mobile phone. Now you can add one more option to that extensive list: Encarta. The Encarta option is now available from the “All” menu, which is where you’ll find all of the items not listed directly on the main MSN Mobile homepage. From within the new Encarta feature you can check out a quote of the day, read three editorially-selected articles each day, take a quiz, and try to guess the Mystery Picture of the day. However, the most important feature in the mobilized version of Encarta is the article search feature. How many times have you had to whip out your phone and look something up in order settle an argument? I don’t know about you, but this is almost a near-daily occurrence in my house. With Encarta, searching for the answers to those questions is easy - just enter the term in the search box and go. You can rest assured that the answers you find are accurate, too, since it's coming from the Encarta Encyclopedia. (This is especially good for settling bets where money was involved, too. Not that I would do that, of course).

If you don’t have a smartphone, you can check out the Encarta app here. Otherwise, you can go to the MSN Mobile homepage and have MSN sent to your phone via text message.

MSN UK Launches WALL•E Portal

Sarah Perez — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:58:00 GMT

For fans of the Disney blockbuster, WALL•E, you have to go check out MSN UK’s new WALL•E portal. This site has a lot of downloads and other goodies for Windows Live, including Messenger Packs, Display Pictures, and Backgrounds for Windows Live Messenger as well as desktop wallpapers for your PC. You can also download an animated signature which you can use either in your email or as your forum signature. To get access to these free downloads, just visit the portal here: wall-e.msn.co.uk.

MSN Toolbar, Now with Silverlight Goodness

Larry Larsen — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:03:00 GMT

The new MSN Toolbar is out, and it now has a new crunchy Silverlight center. Features include starting a search from anywhere, adding RSS feeds to your Live.com page with a single click, and one-click access to maps for all the addresses on the page you're viewing.

For more on the MSN toolbar, check out Max's Channel 8 demo of the toolbar with Stefan Weitz.

And of course you can download the toolbar here.

Messenger TV está no ar

Galileu Vieira — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:06:00 GMT

Messenger TV é a união do Windows Live Messenger com o MSN Videos. Ele permite que você assista a qualquer vídeo do MSN Videos com um amigo dentro da janela de conversa do Messenger. Veja como é fácil.

Dentro da janela de conversa clique no botão de atividades e depois no Messenger TV

Depois você escolhe uma categoria de vídeo para assistir com seu amigo

E pronto! Os dois assistem ao vídeo ao mesmo tempo. E da mesma interface você pode passar o controle de seleção de vídeo para seu amigo, você pode blogar sobre o vídeo ou enviar o link por email.

MSN Environment Launched

Sarah Perez — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:59:00 GMT

For eco-warriors and environmentalists, there's a new channel on MSN that will be of interest: MSN Environment. On this site, you can read news and blogs, watch videos, get eco-friendly tips, plus get access to tools like a carbon calculator and a water usage meter. The site is only on MSN UK (for the U.S., we have MSN Green instead), but there are certainly features on the site that will appeal to everyone interested in these issues.

If you want to follow various sections of MSN Environment, there are several RSS feeds to choose from, including:

Environment Blog: Matthew Yeomans is the co-founder of Custom Communication an online media consultancy that provides environmental reporting. He reports for MSN on The Climate Report blog.
Environment Features: All the feature stories from MSN Environment Editor including analysis.
Environment Photos: All the photo stories from MSN Environment Editor including analysis.
Environment News: Updated throughout the day with breaking and feature news stories
Environment Videos: Stand alone features from VideoJug
Green Living : Reports on Green Living

(via vnunet)

Find Cheaper Gas on MSN

Sarah Perez — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:38:00 GMT

The price of gasoline just seems to be going up and up and up, but there are online tools to help you find the lowest prices in your area. One of these tools is available right from MSN Auto. On the gas prices page, MSN Auto displays the prices for gas in your zip code by using data that is updated daily via the Oil Pricing Information Service (OPIS). More than 90,000 stations across the country are covered so you can find the best prices. (via Click)

Watch Madonna's Concert Live on MSN

Sarah Perez — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:47:00 GMT

On April 30th, Madonna will be performing at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. But you don't have to buy a ticket or be in New York to see this show - it will be available for you to watch via a live stream on MSN at http://music.msn.com/Madonna. You can visit the site now and sign up for reminders about the concert so you will be sure not to miss it. Reminders can be added to your calendar (MSN Calendar, Outlook, Apple iCal, Google Calendar, or Yahoo! Calendar) or you can sign up for Windows Live Alerts, which will remind you via Windows Live Messenger, email, or mobile phone. You can also browse through and watch previous concerts on MSN which have featured artists like the Hives, Sheryl Crow, Amy Winehouse, and more.

MSN's A-List

Sarah Perez — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:50:00 GMT

There's a new MSN page available at http://a-list.msn.com where you can find the most popular searches and headlines on MSN. The page features one hot topic per day and related searches at the top and below, are other popular searches and headlines, including the top web searches, the top people searches, the top videos, the top MSN.com headlines, the top movies and DVD rentals, the top five in Sports, the top Deals, the top health stories, the top tech stories, and more. What a nice way to get access to all the top news from one convenient page! Pretty cool! (found via SEO and Tech Daily)

Original Programming Coming to MSN

Sarah Perez — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:15:00 GMT

MSN is about to unveil original programming for the MSN.com platform. The programming will include original series like "In Need of Repair," a home-improvement show/comedy featuring hosts who might not know as much about home repair as they think. Another, "the Men's Room," features fashion tips for men who aren't into mags like GQ and Details. "Seven Secrets About..." will take a light look at pop-culture celebs and "50 Greats" spoofs VH1-like list shows. On a more serious note is "What on Earth is Going On?", a series focused on raising social awareness.

Additionally, the Xbox 360 is poised to become the online hub for its web-connected users, who will also receive their own original content like "Scary Funny", a horror/comedy and "Culture Smash," a pop culture/entertainment news magazine.

New MSN Toolbar Beta Released

Sarah Perez — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:45:00 GMT

The new MSN Toolbar Beta, powered by Silverlight, is now available for download from beta.toolbar.msn.com. The toolbar, with its Vista-like UI offers drop-down previews of MSN content in areas like News, Entertainment, Sports, Money, Autos, Shopping, Lifestyle, Health, and more. You can preview the content in these areas without having to leave the web page you're currently on thanks to drop-down windows showing the info in a preview pane. You can also get breaking news alerts and comparative search results from the toolbar - a feature that auto-populates the search box with your search query when you perform a search on another engine. This is very much like what Mahalo is doing with their sidebar tool, but without the sidebar taking up space on your screen.