Microsoft launches new-look MSN for mobile phones

The MSN Mobile Team at Microsoft launched a redesigned MSN portal optimized for mobile phones on Sunday, stepping up its offering at a time when more powerful devices increase the demand for richer content on handsets. However mobile Internet use still represents only a fraction of computer-based Web usage, but that could change with companies like Microsoft who see increasingly powerful mobile phones and faster networks opening the door for new services and content.

“We firmly believe there is an inflection point here,” said Phil Holden, Microsoft’s director of mobile Web services. “There’s a new battle, a new frontline developing on the mobile phone.”

Microsoft’s new MSN Mobile portal available at http://mobile.msn.com offers news, sports information, entertainment features and access to services like e-mail, search, maps and instant messaging all on one page. And what’s great is that when a user accesses the portal, the MSN platform detects the handset and optimizes the site for that device, adjusting things like font sizes for different screens.

source- liveside

Soapbox Is Now Open For Full Video Viewing

We have just opened Soapbox on MSN Video for full video viewing.You no longer need to be signed into the service to view Soapbox videos!However just as before, you still need to sign in to upload, comment, tag or rate videos.The Embedded Player is also available for full viewing and embedding.While it might not be visible, we have spent the last month working hard on improving our backend, to make encoding and performance as scalable as possible.

We are also now conducting proactive filtering of all uploaded content, using technology from Audible Magic.Audible Magic bases their filtering on the video's audio track and their database is being updated constantly.By using this technology, we see this as an important step to ensure the viability and success of Soapbox over the long run. We are committed to provide a great experience for people to find and share their personal videos on Soapbox on MSN Video.

Source- Soapbox official blog

Microsoft Promotion: make MSN Your Homepage & Win a Zune

Make MSN your homepage and you’ll get the
information and entertainment you crave every day:

• All-in-one place—to save time and stay in touch
• Discovery at your fingertips—so you can easily learn and enjoy more
• The source you count on—to stay informed, entertained and up-to-date

This could also win you a zune.So what do you have to do to be eligable for Microsoft's MP3 player? Set your Internet Explorer homepage to be www.msn.com, as easy as that. Be quick though, this promotion is only open until 11:59 p.m. (Pacifict Time) on February 28, 2007. Unfortunately this is for US residents only not for indians.

MSN to launch new mobile beta homepage - MSN to go

With Steve Berkowitz firing on all cylinders to keep the MSN brand rolling, the start of 2007 should see MSN taking back some of the spotlight from Windows Live.

First up is MSN to go, the new MSN Mobile service. Similar to its Windows Live counterpart, MSN to go offers users a homepage for their mobile device, with both Windows Live Mail and Search integration. Where it differs though is that unlike the mobile Live.com, MSN to go does not have all the customisation options such as gadgets and feeds, instead focusing on providing MSN content such as news, sports and movie times.

The new MSN mobile homepage follows the recent launch of the Soapbox mobile page, reinforcing the belief that mobile is one of the areas where Microsoft's online efforts are equal to, if not better than, its rivals. The only concern is that users may become overwhelmed with the number of mobile services now available to them, especially when it comes to mobile messaging.

Check it out and let us know what you think. MSN or Windows Live mobile?

MSN to go: http://beta.mobile.msn.com/ on your mobile device (PC link)
Windows Live mobile: http://mobile.live.com/ on your mobile device (PC Link / Homepage)