New Cool Hotmail domains for India

Microsoft Launched a new service called Cool Hotmail which allows users extensive personalization of their e-mail addresses

"Whether you call Bombay your home, or Bangalore, get cool e-mail IDs as proof of residence! Hrithik, SRK, Dravid, Sachin, Ash, Surya. Who is your favorite star? Exclusive e-mail IDs created for the top icons! Are you hot? Or would you rather call yourself cool? Find an e-mail ID that describes your personality right here! Sport, food, drink and lots of fun! IDs for all occasions. How many of these funky e-mail IDs have you got? You’re in a class of your own, individuality is your key. It’s all about being you, in your own space. It’s about your e-mail ID", Microsoft revealed.

It will allow users to choose custom E-Mail addresses based on their home towns,their favorite stars and even on what they like to eat.So hurry up and get some domains for yourselves before the good ones are already taken!!!!!!!

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Microsoft Releases Updated Live Search Engine

As reported by us earlier Microsoft is releasing the new Windows Live Search 2.They have released the new search engine which is currently being rolled out so U can expect updation in a few hours.Just take a look at the few glimpses that we were able to get of the new windows live search interface.

Microsoft Corp. is releasing an update to Live Search (http://www.live.com) centered on improvements to core search technology and deeper advancements in the vertical search areas of entertainment, shopping, local and health. Collectively, these improvements mark a quality milestone based on the company’s focus on delivering a better search experience for consumers and advertisers.

The new version of Live Search delivers improved results organized onto a single page so that customers can spend less time clicking through search results and other related Web sites and readily find what they are looking for instead.

Recent significant updates include improvements to the core technology powering search, improvements in user experience and presentation of results, and deep investments in specialized content in key vertical search areas, including shopping, multimedia, health, entertainment, mapping and local search.

Collectively, these improvements mark a milestone in the company’s efforts toward delivering a highly differentiated search offering for both consumers and advertisers.

Updated Search Features

•Live Search Video, powered by a new in-house video search technology, allows users to search for and browse online video content, and watch high-quality videos from the Web. With a new smart motion preview feature, consumers can now preview video within the search results by rolling over the thumbnail of the video.

•Live Search Local allows consumers to search local business listings, helping them make more informed decisions with rich business details and reviews, all within Live Search.

•Live Search Image has increased the image index and changed its user interface. With this increase, consumers are now able to search across millions of images and receive precise results with smart scroll, thumbnail image-sizing customization, filmstrip view and the ability to see the full image without leaving the results page.

•Live Search Products helps consumers easily find and discover products, reviews, guides, prices and other relevant information — all within the Live Search interface, giving them confidence in their buying decisions. User reviews at a glance, powered by our new Opinion Index technology, summarizes the sentiment of the Web about a product, which can save consumers both the time and hassle of combing through multiple Web sites for this information.

•Live Search Health helps consumers refine health searches quickly using related medical concepts to get relevant health information from a broad spectrum of perspectives, and helps them navigate complex topics with inline article results from experts like the Mayo Clinic — all on a single page.

•Live Search Entertainment helps consumers stay informed of the latest entertainment news with inline celebrity answers accompanied by images, video, facts and buzz. In addition, Live Search’s new xRank feature allows consumers to find out how their favorite celebrities rank in regard to total Web searches via a daily updated ranking.

•Live Search Instant Answers provides answers to questions at the top of the algorithmic results, so consumers spend less time searching for the information they need. Several new and updated Instant Answer features include Live Search traffic, weather, maps, entertainment, news, product, stocks and health.

•Live Search Maps updates in the coming months will include a new user interface, better ways to map local business listings, and quicker, more accurate directions with better printing features.

Additional Search Features

•Live Search Scopes allow people to see search results from Web pages, local maps and directions, images, videos, and more without the need to re-enter the same query each time or to leave the page.

•Live Search Toolbar provides access to the Live Search platform from any Web page.

•Live Search Academic allows consumers to search through academic information and journals, including computer science, engineering and physics journals.

•Live Search Books is advancing the way people search online by digitizing and indexing information from printed material from around the world, representing another step forward in Microsoft’s efforts to precisely answer people’s questions with trusted content from the best possible sources.

•Live Search QnA brings a community of real people into the search experience that can help answer a consumer’s toughest questions. Live Search QnA enables consumers to ask and answer questions to further the social networking experience at Live.com.

•Live Search Macros is a powerful tool that allows consumers to create their own custom search engines or use customizations created by others who share their interests to make their searches more relevant.

Just take a look at the new search engine here http://www.live.com/ and also the Microsoft press release about Windows Live Search here

Google alerts get videofied

Daily 1000’s of new videos appear on the net.It is really difficult to create track of them specially of the ones you want.It would be really cheerful to get the videos of your choice directly in your mail box.Now this is also possible.The famous and extremely useful Google Alerts have got a new feature to create alerts of videos.This feature is really useful for those who want videos on a particular subject.

Video Alerts enables you to specify any topics or queries of interest so we can deliver interesting and relevant videos on a daily, weekly, or as-it-happens basis (your choice) to you via email.You can subscribe to Google Alerts by visiting http://google.com/alerts . You will get videos not only from google but also from youtube,metacafe and many other sources from the web.

Enjoy!

Sony unvails the new VAIO NR Laptop series

Sony Electronics today unveiled a line of fashionable, entry- level PCs — the VAIO® NR series starting at about $750 — which is the lowest-priced notebook the company has ever introduced.

The new series is available in three colors: Wenge — a rich brown with copper accents; silk — a bright white with a matte finish; and granite — a silver hue with natural tones.

The notebooks feature a textured chassis with a comfortable, fabric-like feel that is pleasing to the eye and cool to the touch. Their slim, modern design incorporates rounded corners and beveled edges, making them easier to insert and remove from carrying cases when on-the-go.

The NR models feature a 15.4-inch (measured diagonally) widescreen display with XBRITE-ECO™ LCD technology, which delivers razor-sharp details and crisp, bold colors.

The PCs also incorporate an Intel® Core™2 Duo processor (on select models) for fast processing speeds, longer battery life and enhanced wireless computing. The units come pre-installed with Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium.

“These new notebooks offer our trademark, head-turning designs along with cutting-edge technologies at an affordable price,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of VAIO product marketing at Sony Electronics.

The PC’s built-in 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN enables wireless connectivity to home networks or hotspots at airports, hotels or cafes for quick access to the Internet and e-mail.

source- Sony news

Updates for Yahoo Messenger for the Web

The Web Messenger by Yahoo received some major updates.This new release includes:– Sending of SMS!-Now you can send text messages (SMS) to your friends’ mobile phones for free, right from Yahoo! Messenger for the Web. When your friend replies, it comes back to you in Messenger. You’ll notice the contact list is now divided into two areas: regular IM contacts and Mobile Contacts.SMS is only available when messaging to mobile phones in the U.S., India and Canada. Note that it’s free for you to SMS from Messenger but your friends will incur any applicable data charges from their carrier to receive your messages.

Brand new, local language versions for Thailand and Indonesia.

9 new languages for the Indian version (Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada). After signing in at http://in.webmessenger.yahoo.com, start an IM with a friend and choose the Indian language you want to chat in from a drop-down menu.

If you haven’t already given Yahoo! Messenger for the Web a try,then do it immediately. There’s no download required, making it really handy when you’re at work, on the road or away from your own computer.

Halo 3 finally available in the market

The much awaited game Halo 3 is now available at the different stores in US and is also available on net.

More than 10,000 retailers are planning events and opening their doors at midnight to celebrate this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise. In New York, Seattle, Miami and Los Angeles, Microsoft and retail partners are hosting marquee launch events that will feature contests and appearances by local celebrities and celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the “Halo” franchise.

A list of retail outlets opening at 12:01 a.m. can be found at http://www.xbox.com/unitetofight.

Made exclusively for Xbox 360, “Halo 3” is made available in three versions: Standard Edition at $59.99 (U.S. ERP*), Limited Edition for $69.99 (U.S. ERP*), and the ultimate collector’s item, the Legendary Edition at $129.99 (U.S. ERP*). The Legendary Edition will be released in limited quantities and arrive in a highly collectible Spartan helmet case, along with two bonus discs full of exclusive content. The Limited Edition will ship in a sleek metal collector’s case and include the first bonus disc found in the Legendary Edition, as well as a special “Halo” fiction and art book. And for those who crave nothing more than the highly anticipated third chapter to one of the greatest gaming trilogies of all time, the Standard Edition will consist of the “Halo 3” game.

All the games freaks who can’t wait for it just go here and order one for yourselves -http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/buyNow/h/halo3/

Office 2008 for Mac Details Revealed

The Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) at Microsoft Corp. today announced at the Apple Expo in Paris its product lineup for the upcoming Microsoft^® Office 2008 for Mac release. The flagship product, Office 2008 for Mac, is the core suite that includes Microsoft Office Word 2008, Microsoft Office Excel^® 2008, Microsoft Office PowerPoint^® 2008 and Microsoft Office Entourage^® 2008 for exceptional productivity on the Mac. A new combination for Mac users is Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition, which features the Office 2008 applications together with the Microsoft Expression^® Media digital asset management system. Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition is geared toward professional users who need Microsoft Exchange Server support and Automator tools and are looking for one product to meet their productivity and digital asset management needs. Completing the product lineup is Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, a specially priced version for users with basic productivity needs.

A Suite to Meet Every Need

The Mac BU will offer two versions in addition to Office 2008 for Mac that meet distinct user needs:

•Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition features the complete Office 2008 for Mac productivity suite specially packaged with a full version of Microsoft Expression Media for Mac to empower the media-savvy Mac user with smart digital asset management tools. Expression Media is a powerful and customizable image management software application for importing, annotating, organizing, archiving, searching and distributing users’ ever-growing collections of digital files.

•Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition provides the basics of Office 2008 for Mac for home and school users. This version includes three user licenses for use by consumers and students but does not include connectivity to Microsoft Exchange Server or support for automated workflows.

Pricing, Availability and Technology Guarantee

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac will be available in the United States beginning Jan. 15, 2008, with global general availability in the first quarter of 2008. There also are specially priced upgrade versions for legally licensed users of previous versions.

•Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, $399.95 (U.S.)* for the full retail version; $239.95 (U.S.)* for the upgrade version

•Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, $149.95 (U.S.)* for the full retail version

•Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition, $499.95 (U.S.)* for the full retail version; $299.95 (U.S.)* for the upgrade version*

Today also marks the start of the technology guarantee program that allows customers in select regions who purchase qualifying Office 2004 for Mac product(s) to upgrade to a version of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac for only the cost of shipping, handling and applicable taxes. More information about the program specifics in various regions is available at local Office for Mac Web sites.

Also just take a look at the new Office Mac website- http://www.macoffice2008.com/

Source- Microsoft Press release

Windows Vista SP1 released to testers via connect

Today Microsoft release the Beta version of windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to a private group of Beta testers via connect.microsoft.com

Microsoft also released five reliability packages via connect.microsoft.com for testing by selected members of the community.  These packages consist of numerous improvements to Windows Vista based on user feedback, and while they will also ultimately be part of SP1, Microsoft would be working to make them available before the final version of SP1 is released so that the Windows Vista experience is the best they can make it.  But for now, they’re still undergoing testing and will come your way once they’re ready for prime time.So hope to see these five reliability packages soon incorporated in Windows Vista SP1.

Unfortunately, the Vista SP1 is not public yet, but I suspect they will do a preview soon.