MSN
Latest
LG strolls into Town with C300 featurephone, offers portrait QWERTY for text addicts
Still on the lookout for an affordable QWERTY dumbphone? You might be in luck, as LG's just released this eye-catching Town C300 to cater to your texting and IM addiction on the cheap. Just like its predecessor, this new handset includes Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger, and push email integration, along with FM radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 2 megapixel camera from the hardware camp. The damage? Just a mere £69 ($108) from Orange, but don't tell your friends -- keep the extra booze money to yourself. %Gallery-102995%
The Guild season 4, episode 9
Video: Season 4 - Episode 9 - Pirate Paddy Pirates' Day is coming next weekend, which makes "Pirate Paddy," the latest episode of The Guild, the award-winning web series by Felicia Day, just a wee bit more appropriate. This week the story moves on to Codex's commercial for Cheesybeard's, which has been abruptly taken over by Bladezz and his mad editing skills. When everything blows up in her face, Codex is struck with a sudden realization -- but will she manage to pull herself out of the mess she made? Meanwhile, Tink and Clara are mired in their own problems -- mainly an error in ordering products for their new business, which has quickly overtaken Clara's home. You can check out episode 9 above, and find any episodes you've missed and get caught up on The Guild's official series channel. Looking for more on The Guild? We've previously interviewed Felicia Day at BlizzCon 2009, and Michele Boyd gave us an interview for 15 Minutes of Fame. And of course, the cast of The Guild was also kind enough to stop by our BlizzCon reader meetup last year and say hello to everyone.
The Guild season 4, episode 8
Video: Season 4 - Episode 8 - Busted The Guild, the award-winning web series by Felicia Day, is still merrily chugging along with season 4. This season features all kinds of new problems for Codex and her cohorts in the Knights of Good. Season 4 has taken the focus a little further away (but not too far) from the game and moved it to Codex, who is still dealing with the disastrous fallout from the events at the end of season 3. In the latest episode, "Busted," things are rapidly coming to a head as Codex tries to juggle her real-life, failing, fake relationship with her failing computer and her new job, as well as the return of Zaboo's mother -- which is creating all kinds of chaos. The gaming element is still present, of course, as the Knights of Good struggle to come up with the funds for a new guild hall, and the rakish guild leader of the Axis of Anarchy, Fawkes (played by Wil Wheaton), is stirring up all kinds of trouble in the name of mischief. Or is it in the name of something else? You can check out episode 8 above, and you can find any episodes you've missed and get caught up on The Guild's official series channel. Looking for more on The Guild? We've previously interviewed Felicia Day at BlizzCon 2009, and Michele Boyd gave us an interview for 15 Minutes of Fame. And of course, the cast of The Guild was also kind enough to stop by our BlizzCon reader meetup and say hello to everyone.
Visualized: world's most trafficked websites and their favicons
We knew Google Search was an iconic service (we had to), but seeing it dwarf the rest of the web like this is pretty humbling. This here map of the internets uses Alexa data from earlier this year to assign the favicon dimensions of each of the top 288,945 sites around the world. Oh, and if you don't have an icon sidled up next to your URL, tough luck, you're not on here. See how many you can spot before your eyes start bleeding, then hit up the source to look up your favorite sites. As to your absolute favoritest site of them all, you can spot us somewhere in the space between vBulletin and Wikipedia.
Windows Live Messenger for iPhone previewed
Neowin.net has posted screen shots of the upcoming Windows Live Messenger for iPhone. According to Neowin's sources, Windows Live Messenger for iPhone will officially be previewed by Microsoft later today, but will not ship its public beta until June, with a limited private beta expected in May. Features gleaned from the screen shots include photo sharing, chat and a social stream for users. Of course, MSN Messenger has been supported on the iPhone since the unveiling of the app store via thrid party apps. Some of the popular ones include Nimbuzz (free), IM+ ($9.99), and Trillian ($4.99). Stay tuned for the official announcement later today and click on over to Neowin to see all the screen shots.
The Guild season 3, episode 10: It's on!
Alright, I hate this episode. I do. If you're a fan of The Guild, you're better off skipping this episode... and watching it next week along with episode 11. That's because this season is coming to a close and the Knights of Good and the Axis of Anarchy are headed for a collision course and this episode will only leave you wanting more. Curse you, Felicia Day! Curse your clever scriptwriting and intriguing character development! Curse your Wil Wheaton cameos and the rest of his dastardly crew! I should've held off on watching this because now, well, I have to wait another week. And I hate waiting. You, on the other hand, are now being hypnotized with WoW.com subliminal messages (it's a new technology our tech guys have been working on) that will make you click on the Read More link below and watch the antepenultimate episode of Season 3. I know I made that word up (EDIT: turns out I didn't make that word up... it actually exists. Subconscious grasp of the English language FTW. - thanks, Splodesondeath!). What else am I supposed to call the episode before the penultimate one? So check out the latest episode and see the season build up to a crescendo where the Knights of Good take on their greatest challenge yet. Like The Guild? We do, too! We chatted with all of the folks at BlizzCon, including Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, and Jeff Lewis and Michele Boyd. We also saw their panel, and the guys were nice enough to stop by our meetup as well. Stay tuned here every Tuesday for a brand new episode of season 3!
Microsoft's MSN Direct service to shut down in 2012
Well, it's quite the day for any GPS-related announcement, but Microsoft has nonetheless made a fairly big one of its own, with it dropping word via a simple service announcement that it's killing off its MSN Direct live information service for navigation units (among other devices -- even the odd coffeemaker). Those relying on the FM-based service won't be left in the lurch just yet, however, as the shutdown won't occur until January 1st, 2012. Anyone looking to move on with their lives before that can also cancel their service at any point prior to the shutdown date and receive a pro-rated refund for the unused portion of their service, and you can of course rest assured that all MSN Direct-equipped GPS devices will continue to function as basic nav units after the shutdown. Hit up the link below for the complete FAQ. [Via Ars Technica, thanks Eric]
The Guild releases episode 5 of season 3, retail DVD in stores now
Episode 5 of The Guild's third season is out now, and it's a good one -- with Tink out of the picture, the guildies are seeking a new member, and the applications they've got are.. a little unnerving (I do believe they are the folks who submitted video for that contest a while back, and there's even a pigtailed Kim aka @randysmolly from AIE and the new Ladies of Leet podcast in there with a cameo). In the end, it comes down to two familiar faces, and Codex puts herself in another situation with her newfound guild leadership skills. The new ep is available right now on MSN, and should be on Xbox Live as well. We've also put an embedded version right after the break if you'd rather see it there.In other Guild news, they've also announced a brand new retail DVD that's apparently in stores today -- it's the same DVDs from the first two seasons that you could buy from them before, though it's dressed up in a brand new box, with space for both discs. They're also having a contest -- if you post a picture of yourself actually buying the DVD today (9/29) to their Facebook page or to Twitter with a #myguilddvd hashtag, they'll send you another copy, this time autographed. And even if you don't have the time or money to pick it up today, you can also add it in to your Netflix queue, which will spread the word over there. Good stuff. Stay tuned every Tuesday for another new Guild episode -- this latest season is getting hot and heavy (and painful for Zaboo, apparently) very quickly here! Like The Guild? We do, too! We chatted with all of the folks at BlizzCon, including Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, and Jeff Lewis and Michele Boyd. We also saw their panel, and the guys were nice enough to stop by our meetup as well. Stay tuned here every Tuesday for a brand new episode of season 3!
Microsoft to launch music streaming service "imminently," could tie-in with Xbox / Zune
While even bigwigs can fudge release numbers from time to time, the word "imminently" just carries a certain aura. Speaking with The Telegraph, executive producer of MSN Peter Bale confessed that Microsoft was "looking at launching a music streaming service imminently." As in, maybe before the dawn of August. Bale added that it would be "a similar principle to Spotify," but the outfit is still examining exactly how the business model would work. It's expected that the service would let users stream tunes for free so long as they listen to ads every half hour or so, but for those with too little time and too many jams, there could be a paid option that strips the plugs. What's unclear now, however, is exactly how this initiative will tie-in with the company's Xbox 360 and Zune. There's no doubt that Microsoft is aiming to make the former an all-encompassing multimedia box, but we're sure it'd rather not convolute things with Zune Pass all the same.[Via Joystiq]
The Guild gets down in episode 11 of season 2
It's throw down time around The Guild this week, in the second to last episode of the second season. Codex gets it on in a back room at the party, and Bladezz gets screwed (though not quite in the way that he'd hoped). Zaboo finally gets a chance to show how much of a man he's become, with a little support from the rest of the guys. And things are set right up for the season finale next week. The show's available on MSN and Xbox Live right now, so go check it out.In other guild news, there's now an official podcast for the show, run by two of the folks behind the scenes on the video shoots. And the official site has also posted a list of all the Guildies on Twitter, so you can stalk follow anyone you like. Oh, and as long as you're on Twitter, don't forget to follow stalk us, too.Season finale next week -- should be good.EDIT: Podcast link working now.
Adium users disconnected from MSN
Late yesterday evening, users of the latest build (1.3.2) of the Adium multiservice chat client found themselves unexpectedly at a loss -- connections to Microsoft's MSN IM service stopped being accepted as of about 8 pm Pacific Time, according to a post on the Adium blog. The cause appears to be some kind of change on the server side that is blocking Libpurple (the underlying Adium communications library) clients using version 15 of the MSN protocol, so Adium isn't the only app affected.Users are advised to either roll back to Adium 1.3.1, which uses an older library that's still working, or use the official Messenger 7 client instead. The Adium team says they'll update the post when they have more details. Update 4pm ET: Reports are that Adium's MSN connectivity is working again. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.[via SmokingApples]
Microsoft preparing for new layoffs?
A new report from Fudzilla claims that Microsoft is getting ready to lay off 15,000 employees, or about 17% of its worldwide staff. The axe will apparently fall on January 15th, exactly one week before its second quarter earnings report, and they expect MSN division to be hit hardest, while the successful Xbox crew will probably make it out relatively unscathed. Meanwhile, an anonymous blogger who goes by the name Mini-Microsoft and claims to be an employee well-versed in the goings-on inside the company has been fielding questions from other purported Microsoft workers on recent cutback concerns. This past Monday he posted a handful of anonymous comments saying that the rumored layoffs aren't happening -- at least not in January -- although a re-organization might be in the cards. Both reports should be taken with a grain of salt, but one thing's for certain -- Windows 7 is gonna rule.[Via Joystiq]Read - Fudzilla reportRead - Mini-Microsoft
Felicia Day's "The Guild" signs exclusive deal with Microsoft
This is interesting -- we at WoW Insider are big fans of Felicia Day's "The Guild" webseries, which will now be shown exclusively via Microsoft apparently. They've announced that the second season of the popular series will premiere exclusively on Xbox Marketplace, MSN, and the Zune marketplace, and will apparently be released for free (with Sprint as an ad sponsor).Very interesting. Formerly, The Guild posted their episodes on YouTube, which not only let browsers there find them easily, but let sites like this one embed and spread the word about the series. But while MSN has a video site, it's not immediately clear that they'll allow embedding -- it may not be so easy to spread around/watch episodes if The Guild is no longer uploading to YouTube and other video sharers. The Guild will have an embedded MSN player on their currently-being-redesigned site (complete with ads), but we're not sure whether we'll be able to embed it any more or not.We will, however, find out the whole story on the new season (which will apparently include a holiday special) this week when we talk to Felicia Day herself on a special episode of our podcast, the WoW Insider Show. Look for that by next weekend, and keep an eye on the site on Tuesday -- even if we can't embed the new episode, we'll be sure to let you know where you can see it.
The Guild strikes a deal with Microsoft, becomes a timed Xbox Live exclusive
The second season of the explosively popular online video series The Guild, which is a fictional story about the lives of a group of World of Warcraft players (and which was created by and stars Felicia Day, later of Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog fame), will be distributed by Microsoft. Each episode will appear first on Xbox Live, and will only be available through the show's website four weeks later.The entirety of Season One is now available on Xbox Live, according to Felicia Day's personal blog. The first episode of Season Two will start airing via the service tomorrow, November 25th. The show will remain free to viewers through all venues, and ad supported -- including product placement by Sprint. Microsoft will have its hands in the ad revenue, but will give Day free creative reign. Also, the second season will be shot in HD to accommodate the Xbox 360.Looks like the scrappy underdog TV series about MMO players has hit the big time, and we're cheering Day on. Next stop: movie deal, right? Fortunately, Microsoft's contract promises that Day will be free to shop around outside of the company for movie and TV deals.[Via Kotaku]
MobileChat now available in the App Store
Today Twenty08 released a new instant messaging client for the iPhone/iPod touch. MobileChat (iTunes Link) allows you to connect to multiple IM services, including: AIM/ICQ/.Mac/MobileMe Windows Live/MSN Yahoo GTalk Jabber In many ways, this application for the iPhone looks like a cross between Adium and AIM for iPhone. This application is feature rich, allowing you to take and send images or IM a phone number from any of your 10 supported IM accounts, Most notably, MobileChat allows you to use Apple's forthcoming "Push Notification" system for notifications when the application is closed. This feature is built into this release, but will not be active until Apple "flips the switch." You can download MobileChat today from the App Store for $2.99 (USD).[via MacRumors]
Microsoft backtracks, will keep MSN Music DRM servers online until 2011
Microsoft caused a tiny ruckus back in April when it announced that it was shutting down MSN Music's DRM servers, leaving all five customers with music stranded on already-authorized computers, but it looks like the company has had a change of heart: it's now informing MSN Music customers that they have until 2011 to authorize new machines. Of course, after that you'll still be stuck with DRM-laden tracks that won't play on new devices, but it you haven't learned to buy DRM-free content by 20-freaking-11, there's no learning anything, you know?
Microsoft to start charging for Windows Live Mobile Messenger?
File this under evil chain mail letters come true friends, but if you believe the rising buzz we're seeing at MoDaCo -- and we totally do -- Microsoft may well be set to start charging for Windows Live Mobile Messenger. Apparently users are seeing a message about a 30 day trial with an option to purchase a 30-day pass at the conclusion of the trial. While we understand that this service must cost Microsoft something, we don't think Microsoft understands just how upset this is going to make users of its platform -- even if it is covered under the service's terms and conditions. We're so stoked to watch the fallout, oh, and if you have a Windows Mobile device and want to try setting the date forward on your device, let us know what happens.[Via the::unwired]
USB missile launcher adopts webcam for geeky wars over MSN
We thought Brando had finally reached the pinnacle of jokey USB armaments with its recent wireless missile launcher -- the third such product in this evolving line -- but apparently there is demand out there for a remotely-operated version capable of waging war over the internet. Filling this strange market gap will be the USB MSN Missile Launcher, which tacks a webcam onto the standard version and allows your buddies on the Microsoft network to randomly shoot at you throughout the day. Again, we're not sure who buys a weapon whose main purpose is to attack its owner, so the $49 device may not be the huge hit its predecessors were when it 'launches' on the 18th.
Microsoft on Messenger for the Mac: it ain't dead!
Our good friends in Redmond dropped us a note concerning Messenger for the Mac's future (based on this post). The Mac BU wants all Mac users to rest assured that Messenger for the Mac 6.0 will be included with Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac. Not only is Messenger for the Mac 6.0 alive and well, the Mac BU's crack team of coders are hard at work on Messenger for Mac 7.0 which will have long awaited audio/video capabilities (and which is soon to be released into the hands of some lucky enterprise beta participants, mostly to test out the Office Communication Server 2007 integration).This is welcome news to me because I use Messenger for the Mac everyday at my day job. I couldn't do my work without it (and who wants to run a VM for an IM client? Not this guy).
What your console of choice says about you
MSN's personals page has a piece about what a man's console says about him. That's not being sexist, that's what the article is about. Perhaps console preference says something different about women? Here's what the "expert" opinions of a psychologist, a DeVry student, the CEO of GGL and the editor-in-chief of GameTrailers came up with: PlayStation: The consensus is that this guy is an early adopter who demands the best from his game experience "and probably his women." This is the guy who is hard to keep up with because he's either working or out on the town. He uses video games to relax. Wii: This guy is fun. He also knows that this is the best date machine as many games appeal to both sexes. He's also fiscally responsible because the system is the cheapest least expensive. Xbox 360: He's probably a serious gamer and women should ask to see his gamertag to see how much time he's logged. These guys like "violent, visceral games, as well as the social aspect of connecting with friends online. They may be living out an active and social life through games, because they are a bit on the shy side." According to one comment, these men are passionate about gaming and transfer that to the bedroom. The author of the piece notes, "These expert opinions won't apply to all men who own these consoles, so don't consider them absolutes." Theoretically, it should help women get "some solid clues" about the gamer they're dating. We bet it gets really confusing once female gamers and owners of multiple systems get involved.
