MSN

MSN Toolbar goes global - well, almost

The new MSN Toolbar which uses Silverlight (works with Silverlight 1.0 and Silverlight 2.0 Beta 2) that was released to the US market about a month ago  is going global. You can now download localized versions of the toolbar for a few selected markets and we guess more will be added over time. In addition to the US release it is now available in the UK, Germany, France and Italy.

Source- Liveside

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MSN customised page gets beta update

However a few days ago the My MSN customised homepage launched a new beta version, available at http://next.my.msn.com.

So what’s new? Well the most striking thing you’ll notice when comparing it to the old site is that it now features the new-style header UI. This includes the drop down menu linking users to all the other MSN sites, as well as offering access to the main Live Search verticals straight from the page.

Other new pieces include an embedded MSN Video player, showing the most popular videos right now, tooltips to improve the first-run experience, and the standard modules such as Hotmail inbox, most popular searches and front page news. The menu system for each module needs a UI update, but other than that it makes a good first impression.

While the main page is already pre-populated, users can create their own custom pages. Just click the Add a Page -  Blank Page option, and then pop a keyword into the search box to find content

Source- LiveSide

MSN Environment Launched

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

Source- Channel 10

MSN Video/Soapbox Vista Sidebar Gadget now available

The official MSN Video/Soapbox Vista Sidebar Gadget is now available for downloading and installing:

http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=b4ea67a2-5cb6-4a15-8ae1-048cccaf8ffc&bt=1

Some of the Highlights of the MSN Video Vista Sidebar Gadget: 

• Display Localized MSN Videos with links to MSN Video Destination Site

• Display Soapbox Videos and play natively Inline

• Localized for over 30 countries and languages

• Top-Level market Navigation

• Numerous Sort-by options

• Display Search terms

• Display Related Videos

• Customize number of thumbs and pages to show

• Auto-scroll Pages at defined intervals

• And much more……

Source- on10.net

MSN Direct now available on your Windows Mobile device

The MSN Direct team just released a Technology Preview of MSN Direct for Windows Mobile devices!

It is a Windows Mobile Standard (Smartphone) application that connects to the MSN Direct information service and delivers the information that you care about – and it updates automatically – and you never have to enter an URL, or wait for a web page to load.

You can get Weather,  Stocks, Top Stories, World news, Sports news, Entertainment news, Business, Travel, Tech, Health, and even News of the Weird.

To get it on your device just go to http://phone.msndirect.com from your PC or your phone

Security flaw hits MSN Messenger

A newly reported vulnerability could put the security of MSN Messenger users at risk.

The flaw lies in MSN Messenger’s video chat component and could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on a user’s system. The vulnerability does not affect the latest version of the application, now known as Windows Live Messenger 8.1.

An attacker could exploit the flaw by injecting specially-crafted code into a video chat invitation.

On accepting the invitation, the user would experience a buffer overflow, which could in turn cause an application crash and allow the attacker to execute malicious code.

Discovery of the vulnerability is credited to a researcher known as ‘Wushi’.

Security firm Secunia rated the vulnerability as ‘highly critical’, the second highest of its five alert levels.

A Microsoft spokesperson said that the company is investigating the flaw. Microsoft and Secunia recommend that users upgrade to Windows Live Messenger 8.1.

Secunia also recommended that users who have not upgraded should avoid unsolicited video chat invites.

A similar flaw was reported two weeks ago in Yahoo Messenger which could allow an attacker to execute malicious code through a specially crafted chat invite.

Source Technoworld

MSN Gears Up for Live Earth

With Live Earth now less than two weeks away, Microsoft’s MSN division is preparing itself for what will be one of the largest streaming events in the history of the Internet.

Companies such as AOL and CBS have done it for Live 8 and the Final Four in the past, however Microsoft’s offering will be on a larger scale. The service uses those two events as a template for its own offering and will build upon them.

The interface is comprised of a main screen for viewing a single feed, surrounded by “thumbnails” of shots from other events. While these won’t be moving thumbnails, Gurry said they will be changed frequently so the viewer has an up-to-date idea of what is going on at other Live Earth venues.

These videos will be pulled from a variety of sources, including National Geographic, Hearst, TreeHugger, Conservation International, and the Alliance for Climate Protection, Al Gore’s group that is responsible for the event itself.

Source: BetaNews

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