Torres Talking: MSN

Searching across multiple desktops

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 02:01:55 GMT

Brandon talks about how to search across multiple PCs here:

...you should try Windows Desktop Search combined with the free FolderShare application. With FolderShare your data remains safely on your PCs, but you can search, browse, and access your data from any internet-connected PC. FolderShare added search integration with WDS last summer. They were acquired by Microsoft a few months ago and the product was made free at that time.

Sounds like a more palatable solution than the one discussed here... which is frightening to me:

"If you use the Search Across Computers feature and don't configure Google Desktop very carefully—and most people won't—Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the Desktop software can index. The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business, and in many cases you wouldn't even be notified in time to challenge it. Other litigants—your spouse, your business partners or rivals, whoever—could also try to cut out the middleman (you) and subpoena Google for your files."

Hey.... I'm just sayin'!

Hotmail & IM

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:09:34 GMT

The web is abuzz with talk of Google's new Gmail feature; Gmail Chat. I'm not too happy about giving one of our competitors airplay on my blog for integration that has been available in Hotmail for years... so instead, I'll take this opportunity to discuss the Hotmail features in a little more depth. Note that I'm talking about the vanilla, standard-issue Hotmail used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide - not the amazing Windows Live Mail currently in limited beta testing.

If you're already using Hotmail, you may know that Hotmail blended instant messaging with email a while back in a bunch of interesting ways. We started with merging your contact list into a unified list; a project I worked on about three years ago when I first joined MSN. Your Hotmail (or Windows Live Mail) contact list and your MSN Messenger (or Windows Live Messenger) contact list are one and the same - the only difference is that some contacts are "Messenger enabled". It's fun to see other service providers start to pick up on this concept, as we've always thought this approach made a lot of sense. A contact is a contact is a contact!

Now that you've got your unified contact list... from within Hotmail, you can also see online presence information (online/offline/away) next to any email you receive or from within the Contacts tab (provided you have access to that contact's presence).

Taking this a step further, whenever you receive an email from someone on your contact list, you can "Instant Reply" via IM instead of sending an email. Very handy feature for those of us smitten with IM. The Instant Reply feature immediately pops open a conversation window, complete with voice, video, games, and of course, text chat. No shortage of things to do with your friends here!

But one of the great (and somewhat unsung) features in Hotmail is its ability to use MSN Web Messenger (http://webmessenger.msn.com) if you don't have the MSN Messenger client running on your PC. This means you don't have to install anything to get this stuff to sing. It just works for you. When you sign-in to Hotmail, you immediately - without having to run anything else - have the ability to send and receive instant messages and check to see if your contacts are online. Of course, things get a lot more interesting if you download MSN/Windows Live Messenger (http://messenger.msn.com) but if you're at a friend's house or at a kiosk in Bali, you don't have to.

Few things are cooler if you ask me ;) Especially considering where Hotmail's going in the near future as part of Windows Live. Just imagine the possibilities!

PS. We really should have a screencast demo of all of this... if someone has the time, motivation, and the ability to whip one up, let me know and I'll link to it. Jeremy Wright did this for MSN Spaces when we first launched and it was awesome.

Gates: We're entering "live era" of software

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 19:01:43 GMT

Stay tuned to how this relates to you on Spaces...

Quote

Gates: We're entering "live era" of software | CNET News.com
Gates said that Windows Live is a set of Internet-based personal services that is primarily supported by advertising, but separate from the operating system itself. Office Live, Gates said, will have both ad-based and subscription versions that augment the popular desktop productivity suite.

MSN Book Search; Open Content Alliance

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 03:52:39 GMT

I was wondering what our story was around book search and the Open Content Alliance. And now I know. I'm very pleased that (like Yahoo) we're approaching this thing the right way.

Quote

Microsoft Announces MSN Book Search; Joins Open Content Alliance
MSN will launch MSN Book Search (MSNBS) sometime in first half of 2006. In the early stages, MSNBS will be found as a separate vertical on the MSN Search page (just like Image, News, etc.) but eventually MSN hopes to include book results in web results pages.

The material that MSNBS will come from the Open Content Alliance (OCA) that Microsoft is formally joining today.

Answering questions

Wed, 28 Sep 2005 01:36:19 GMT

During our Oregon coast recharge, I spent a lot of time thinking about search technologies. Partly because it's a fun thing to do - but also because I was reading John Battelle's book on the beach (see my Oregon photo album!) One of the philosophical differences he raises between Yahoo (and MSN) and Google when it comes to the search problem is that Yahoo is interested in "completing tasks" while Google is interested "organizing the world's information" in a very unbiased and unfiltered way.

Yahoo and MSN Search are very similar in this respect as we (MSN) have frequently said over the course of the last year that we're interested in "answering any question", which is similar in nature to completing a task. It's a very different approach than Google has currently... and if Google intends to continue to be the big dog in search, it's something they are going to have to start doing a better job of.

People aren't interested in being researchers all the time; most of the time they want their question answered or they want enough information to complete a task. My guesstimate would be that well over 90% of searches aren't about research but rather about getting from point A to point B in the most efficient manner. Whether it's booking a trip, getting directions, buying movie tickets, sampling music, or finding a biography on their favorite actor from the 70's... it's usually about complementing your life, not consuming it.

If search engines continue to require their users to do the hard work of scouring through information in an attempt to find answers - or complete tasks - they will never be any more useful than they are today.

This hit home for me just a couple of days ago in the middle of a pivotal baseball game. I haven't been glued to Sportscenter recently, so I didn't know if Derek Jeter's average has gone up from the .310 range or if it had dipped down closer to .300. First thing I did: I asked MSN Search.

The answer was pretty darn impressive (and I'm not always impressed by MSN Search) Check it out: Derek Jeter. My question was answered in .16 seconds. Not only that, I got a recap of the current game, his extended statistics, his position, a photo, and more. With one click I was able to pivot on the New York Yankees which gave me the box score of the current game, their record, and their divisional standing (which is #1 by the way!)

Try it yourself by clicking the links above. Slick.

For comparison sake, I figured I would do the same searches on Google and Yahoo and see what they return. Google gave me the standard list of links they always give me, requiring me to go hunting through ESPN or AskMen.com for my answer. Yahoo was a little better - they gave me a link to Derek Jeter's profile on Yahoo Sports along with some other Jeter related links within the Yahoo network. For the New York Yankees query, Yahoo gave me scores from the last three days. However, neither Yahoo nor Google were as immediately useful as MSN Search this time.

Yahoo also provides "also try" links which are typically pretty helpful - clicking "yankees tickets" gives me a link to buy tickets on Yahoo Tickets. Some would say (maybe even the folks at Google) that this is overkill and playing favorites - positioning Yahoo to drive the lion's share of click-throughs on search queries - but the reality is, it's actually useful. Unless it affects search results relevance (which it doesn't) it shouldn't diminish the purity of the results in any way. It gives users choice but also helps them complete their task.

Of course, there are a number of examples I could give here. Google and MSN both answer the question, "Who is the president of Nigeria?" immediately while Yahoo makes you dig futher. Google and Yahoo do a better job of telling you the "Seattle weather" while MSN expects you to dig through... Yahoo Weather (the first result - no playing favorites here apparently!)

But more and more, I see the philosophical chasm between the MSN and Yahoo networks and the company everybody loves to love, Google. Historically, Google would never consider advantaging one search result over another since they need to remain "unbiased". MSN and Yahoo take a user-first approach - give the user the information they want as fast as possible or give them the means to finish what they started. Of course, both MSN and Yahoo are hardcore about the algorithmic search results being just as pure as Google's - you should never be able to pay your way into them.

But, I wonder how long this will last. Will Google start selling music, tickets, or books? Will they build out a sports portal or partner with ESPN to help people find out Derek Jeter's batting average in .16 seconds? Maybe. Maybe not. But the good thing is, they don't really have to. This is exactly what good competition is for.

Great new MSN videos

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 05:59:09 GMT

I'm back. Hundreds of emails and thousands of RSS items to catch up on.

And... new Channel 9 videos on Hotmail "Kahuna" and our snazzy, new DHTML application framework!

I'm too tired to comment on them, but I think Omar, Scott, and others make the case that incredibly cool stuff is about to hit a browser near you ;) Interested? Check out the videos. (part of me is still amazed we talk so openly about this stuff!)

Omar Shahine and team - New Hotmail "Kahuna"

Scott Isaacs - MSN DHTML Foundation unveiled

TV Filter on Smallville

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 00:22:04 GMT

Raoul over on MSN TV Filter had a long chat with Al Gough, the executive producer of my favorite TV show, Smallville.

This is exactly the kind of content I would like to see as part of the MSN Filter spaces going forward. Overall, the TV Filter has been one of the most entertaining blogs out of my 340 subscriptions. Since I don't get to watch much TV, this blog actually fills me in on all the things I'm missing so I don't sound ridiculous when discussing Desparate Housewives or Lost.

So if you are a fan of Smallville, check out the link below.

(On a completely unrelated topic, I didn't realize that the Blog It link worked with inline images - cool! Thanks, Scott!)

Quote

Al Gough on This Year's 'Smallville'

MSN Developer Center

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:33:45 GMT

The falcon has landed: MSN Developer Center

PDC coming up!

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 00:26:40 GMT

Fall is in the air and the PDC is right around the corner. All sorts of MSN representation at this one - so if you are going to L.A. to learn all about Windows Vista or Office 12, you should also swing by some of the MSN booths and learn about some of our crazy cool stuff.

Scott will be there along with Sanaz and Steve representing Start.com and talking about the frameworks we use to bring you web goodies. You won't want to miss some of the things being discussed here.

Folks from MSN Messenger will be there talking about the Activity API. Leah talks all about this here, but the coolest thing she says is "MSN users will have a wealth of new Games and Activities to chose from." Todd Biggs (Sr. Product Manager) describes the Activity API this way:

The Activity API will enable developers to create an “Activity” (application) that can be shared by users within MSN Messenger, like those under the Activity or Games buttons in the Messenger conversation window. The contest is a great way to kick this all off. Starting next week download the Activity API, build you Activity and submit it to the contest. If it meets all of the competition guidelines, your app will be posted in the App Gallery, where people around the globe can try out the entries and vote for their favorites. Apps will be judged based on creativity, usability, inclusion of MSN services/features and number of popular votes. Contest prizes will range from Alienware Area 51 laptop with armored case as the grand prize to Aurora desktops and Oakley Thump sun glasses with built in MP3 player as 1st and 2nd place prizes. The contest site www.worldsbestapp.com will go live on or before September 12th.

Chandu Thota talks about how Virtual Earth APIs are available for commercial use and are FREE.

MSN Search & Desktop Search will be there and will be announcing some fun stuff as well.

Dare outlines the sessions that relate to MSN -- and MSN on MSDN will be live here soon.

Learn more about the PDC and watch BillG's keynote live:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/events/pdc/

News.com article

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 02:47:32 GMT

What is MSN up to?

You'll have to stay tuned to news from the PDC next week to find out. But it's a) pretty darn cool and b) just the start. No pun intended. Bloggers and journalists continue to talk about Windows and Office... which is great. But I don't think there is a more exciting place to be right now than this place right here.

Quote

Microsoft Web plan takes aim at Google
The software company plans to open access to its MSN and other public Web sites to let developers assemble new applications that build on those sites--a technique used successfully at Google and at other Web companies to promote their properties.

Small MSN Screen Saver update

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 05:15:12 GMT

If you have been using the MSN Screen Saver, you should check out yesterday's release which gives you more control over how the MSN Spaces feeds are used. You can choose to just show blog entries, or you can go all out and include photos from people you care about.

And they finally fixed the annoying "have to hit escape to make the screen saver disappear" thing which was the only thing I didn't like about the screen saver before.

Remember, the MSN Screen Saver let's you add any RSS feed to the rotation. And yes, they are called RSS feeds here ;)

What would be great to see in a follow-up release is some cool 3D visualizations. I am a sucker for a cool looking screen. So while I find the MSN Screen Saver infinitely more useful than Apple's RSS screen saver, Apple's really does have that "wow factor" thing down.

MC, our Group Program Manager, has a Mac in his office with RSS feeds constantly rotating... and not a day goes by where a group of 5 people don't stop and stare at it for a while.

Check out the MSN Screen Saver below.

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MSN Screen Saver
Weather display now includes international cities
Support for proxy servers for LANs with firewalls
Close by clicking a close button or on the background
Ability to disable display of background images

MSN Video updated

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 22:05:12 GMT

MSN Video (www.msnvideo.com) just shipped its third major release today.

If you haven't checked out MSN Video, you are missing out. Lots of different content providers like MSNBC, Fox Sports, Showtime, iFilm, Weather Channel, Maxim, Discovery Networks, Universal Music Group, and more.

In this latest release, the performance is significantly improved and the site is easier to navigate (my only pet peeves before). They have also added search capability to search the entire catalog. Pretty darn cool.

Now think about all the cool opportunities to integrate this service with Spaces... ;)

Via Virtual Earth (and Spaces!)

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 19:50:29 GMT

I don't know why I haven't spent more time exploring Via Virtual Earth, the developer portal for our Virtual Earth service. There are some truly useful and cool uses of the Virtual Earth APIs on this site - and everything is accessible via RSS feeds (blog, articles, gallery) so you can subscribe to feeds to stay on top of changes.

If you are into maps, and a lot of you might be, it is worth spending time exploring Via Virtual Earth... especially the gallery.

Some of the cool hacks:

Ink on maps. Tablet PC users can add an "ink layer" to Virtual Earth.
Photo Map. Photos & locations - cool.
Flash Earth. Virtual Earth meets Google Maps.
Dare's Movie Finder. Locations of movie theaters and showtimes.

There are also some mobile applications (Pocket PC and J2ME) and some developer-oriented applications. But I bet you can guess which one is my favorite:

Location Blog!

Talk about some of the coolest integration into MSN Spaces available. From the Welcome text:

Save a location to your MSN Space + add photos
Show the collection of saved places (with photos) from any MSN space's RSS feed on the VE map
Send an email or MMS with an attached photo and an address prefixed with “where:” to your MSN space, that is then displayed in VE on your loblog (Location blog) page.

I'll admit, I was a little late to the game on this one. Sean (the guy who made this possible) is a true stud for doing it.

Start.com is released

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 18:33:35 GMT

Great news for Start.com users; it's now officially released to the web with a bunch of improvements and features (read/unread status!)

Click the link below for more - here is a snapshot of some of the updates. Didn't these guys just have an update a couple of weeks ago? I think they are just challenging us to a ship-speed race.

Quote

www.start.com released (no more "/3")

feed read/unread support
more/fewer headlines
auto-refresh for feeds
many improvemens on:

look and feel
feed subscriptions
default experience
sidebar behavior

many bug fixes

Mobile Search (beta)

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 23:33:06 GMT

OK... I just had it confirmed for me. MSN is officially "en fuego"!

Things are starting to get scary.

I just finished up a full-screen MSN Messenger "Video Conversation" with Sanaz of the Start.com team; I was showing her all the features in the new Beta while playing a quick game of checkers (hey, it is late Friday afternoon...) which prompted us both to literally laugh outloud at how ridiculously fast MSN is moving these days. It's just one cool release after the other.

And today is no different! You can now use MSN Search from your mobile device, view color maps, and get turn-by-turn driving directions. SMS and "send to phone" functionality was pre-announced as well. Go read more about Mobile Search on the MSN Search blog.

Quote

Get Local Search with Maps and Directions on your phone!
The MSN Search and MSN Mobile teams have recently collaborated and are excited to deliver the MSN Local Search Beta to your mobile device! Currently available in the US, Mobile Search is available on Windows Mobile devices, as well as new phones with WAP 2.0 browsers. To try out the service, launch your phone’s web browser, and go to http://mobile.msn.com/ and select "Beta Services" from the main menu.

In a separate conversation with someone in MSN, I was again told that Torres Talking sometimes reads like an MSN press release repository. Haha... I don't care. If you don't like it, go read something else (like MSNBC!) I dig MSN.

Mail beta - screenshot

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 18:54:13 GMT

Imran posts a screenshot of the Mail beta. Gorgeously simple. Check it out and read more about Kahuna, baby!

I have been using it for weeks and I absolutely love it. I can't wait until it rolls out more broadly. I will write something up about it soon.

Update: Sanaz wrote a little review here. I don't know what's better: the fact that we are shipping game changing software or that we are all using MSN Spaces to talk about it? :)

MSN Weather Add-in for MSN Search Toolbar

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 23:19:31 GMT

Wow, somehow I missed this one earlier. Maybe it's true that MSN isn't taking a break this summer! MSN Search Toolbar now has a little weather widget. It displays the current temperature right there in the browser toolbar, and when you click on it, you get a 3-day forecast.

Slick.

From the product description:

Easy to use: Your three-day forecast and current conditions for your favorite city.
Search: Find and change location directly from the Weather Add-in.
Consistency: Your favorite location is shared between MSN® Weather and the Weather Add-in.

Check it out -> MSN Weather Add-in for MSN Search Toolbar

Side note: I personally know the guy in charge of this team from the Jump.com days - and he has always been a weather junkie! So this comes as no surprise.

Talking about MSN Filter

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 19:47:52 GMT

Lots of talk about MSN Filter out there in the blogosphere today.

Technorati search for "MSN Filter": http://technorati.com/search/%22msn%20filter%22

It's fun to watch a bunch of people get up in arms over something that doesn't affect them in the least bit. The blosphere is incredibly self-correcting, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. If MSN Filter works, it works for the right reasons. And if it doesn't work, oh well! Either way, no one gets hurt.

And if nothing else, the launch of MSN Filter shows that MSN/Microsoft believes in the power of blogs. Therefore, I know the Filter team is reading each and every point and is already planning to act on some of them.

Oh, and where were you guys last week? I thought bloggers were supposed to be fast! :)

Virtual Earth & my Links test

Sat, 06 Aug 2005 00:02:18 GMT

Jeff Sandquist has a 7 day rule for evaluating software that has becoming a pretty popular litmus test in the blogosphere. Basically, if you find yourself still using (and liking) a piece of software seven days after you have installed it, you keep it (or purchase it). Otherwise, it's gone.

I subscribe to the same philosophy for Windows or Mac-based apps; Paint.NET and Snag It recently passed the test while Skype failed (I just don't get it - I already pay for a mobile phone and have three buddy lists!) I do, however, do something a little different for web-based apps.

If I use something semi-regularly (once a week), I add it to my IE/Maxthon Favorites. If I use it more than 5 or 10 times per day, it goes in my Links bar (which sits below my IE/Maxthon address bar). My Links bar right now consists of: my MSN Space, our internal SharePoint site, MSNBC, News.com, and Bloglines. Due to the limited real estate, it takes a LOT to get something onto the Links bar. Well, I am happy to announce the latest addition:

MSN Virtual Earth

I am officially addicted. I told Steve Lombardi (Virtual Earth Program Manager) the other day that there aren't a lot of MSN apps on my short list, but that Virtual Earth made it and he should be very, very proud. I'm sure he was thinking "who the hell are you again?"

Anyway, the other night I was heading to Kirkland to meet Melinda and our friend Ashley and I didn't know where the restuarant was. The directions weren't really jogging my memory (the suburbs are a maze to me) but Virtual Earth saved the day; I zoomed in on the large ship at the docks (below) from space and could immediately tell exactly where the place was. I have also been using it to scout distances to martial arts gyms. But above all, it has made geography fun again!

Now, if only I could do all this while in my car...

Talking about Anonymous Bloggers on MSN

Fri, 05 Aug 2005 22:31:38 GMT

Adam Sheppard, good friend of mine and former member of the MSN Spaces team, talks about the recently released MSN Filter. Are the bloggers real? Are the blogs automated? Does Microsoft have to approve each and every post? Are the bloggers paid? Are they MSN employees?

In short: the answers may surprise you. Then again, if you know us here in MSN and you know how we love what we do (which you should by now!) maybe they won't. Either way, read it. Even if you don't care ;)

Read more -> Anonymous Bloggers on MSN

MSN Filter

Wed, 03 Aug 2005 00:38:00 GMT

"Find the best of the web as it happens." MSN Filter has arrived.

MSN Filter is a collection of community-driven blogs built on the MSN Spaces platform (I love calling it a platform, I have to admit!) Expect 5-10 high quality entries per day on topics near and dear to your heart - you can even submit content, links, photos and multimedia to the bloggers on topics you're passionate about.

These spaces also have MSN Alerts enabled (MSN Messenger, email, or mobile) so you can be the first to know about Paris Hilton's new escapades or those amazing new Fuijfilm 9-megapixel digital cameras.

I can't vouch for the content just yet. Since they were just released, I haven't had much time to peruse them. But I have subscribed to all of these blogs and will read them daily starting today. I expect them to be entertaining and informative knowing the people in charge of the project. We'll see, won't we?

MSN Filter Homepage

Check them out for yourself:

Talking about MSN in 2005

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:31:30 GMT

Looking for insider information on what MSN is working on?

This article (written after a presentation by Yusuf Mehdi at a Financial Analysts Meeting) has a surprising amount of information on Hotmail, Messenger, Search, and the MSN Toolbar. I had no idea any of this was going to be discussed, much less made public. Although nothing about Spaces has been "officially leaked" yet ;)

I won't comment on the article further. Just go read it. 2005 is a big year for MSN.

Read more -> Microsoft cooking up more features for Hotmail

MSN Blog Map

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 03:09:38 GMT

If anyone doubts how quickly MSN can churn stuff out, check this out on Start.com. Leveraging a new rich client framework and the Virtual Earth APIs, Scott Isaacs put together an MSN Blog Map in NO TIME flat. Pretty darn pretty. Now you know where we all sit...

Click below to read Scott's full post.

Quote

MSN Frameworks and the new Start.com MSN Blog Map

To demonstrate how the MSN Frameworks will enable us to innovate quickly - I built and shipped (beta quality :-) a new MSN Blog Map component within start.com. The MSN Blog Map maps bloggers from throughout MSN (expect the list to grow over the next few weeks). You can check it out at http://www.start.com/3. After the page loads, add MSN Blog Map from Staff Favorites in the left column.

This component leverages MSN Virtual Earth to create a new component that integrates with Start.com. Having our client framework enables quick experimentation, implementation, and ship of integrated scenarios. For the MSN Blog Map, I added custom logic on top of the Virtual Earth rendering component and integrated with the existing RSS rendering objects of start.com.

Talking about "This Week in MSN Betas"

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 06:20:18 GMT

Dare posts about some of the new MSN betas this week right before hopping on a plane for Nigeria. Read on to learn about the new MSN Shopping beta.

As I say above (and to quote Dare himself), MSN is the new hotness.

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This Week in MSN Betas: MSN Shopping, MSN Screensaver and Start.com

A couple of MSN betas snuck out into the world this week.
In his post MSN Shopping Officially Launches New Beta Site, Chris Jolley talks about the new http://beta.shopping.msn.com. Some of the new features include

RSS Feeds – it remains to be seen how aggressively consumers take to this, but I think it's super-cool how we are embracing an emerging technology.
Ratings & Reviews - allows consumers to see what other consumers think of a product, providing them with increased confidence in their purchase decisions
Ability to browse our complete selection through an easy-to-understand taxonomy and powerful search
Refine searches with expanded, relevant criteria

By price, rating, popularity, name, best match
Multiple Views - Results can be viewed in three different views

Usability enhancements:

Recently viewed – helpful little personalization feature that helps continuity between sessions
Compare prices across stores, find out who has free shipping, hot deals, etc.
Clean and consistent UI – The UI is clean and simple and designed to NOT get in the user's way

Useful Merchandising – Comprehensive set of merchandising, including the Gift Center, Seasonal Shops & Guides, and more

<read more>

MSN Mobile Beta Program

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 06:10:25 GMT

If you like some of the stuff I post about here, you won't want to miss this. Smuga posts about a new beta program with MSN Mobile for some upcoming applications.

I have seen these apps and highly recommend anyone interested in mobile technologies to apply for the beta program - you will get to see the coolness before everyone else!

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Mike's Lounge: MSN Mobile needs you for a beta
MSN has made major improvements in the way you access information and communicate with others using mobile devices. If you are accepted in to the beta program, you will experience first hand some cool features and improved experience. This is also an opportunity for you to give us feedback about the product and have a key role in developing great products and services for you and other MSN customers.

MSN Virtual Earth released!

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 05:51:57 GMT

I realize I am a little late to the party on this one. I was driving and flying all day. But this is one I have to post, even if I am the last person on the planet to comment on it.

MSN Virtual Earth was released today.

I haven't had time to play with it yet, although I have been playing with the internal beta for quite some time. Here are some links for you to explore - this thing is awesome. And again, integration with MSN Spaces is front and center. See if you can find it.

MSN Virtual Earth - http://virtualearth.msn.com/
Jeremy's review - "I believe this is a kickass app which totally whoops Google Maps in almost every way."
Watch the NEW Channel 9 video!
Developers on Virtual Earth - http://www.viavirtualearth.com
Virtual Earth on MSN Spaces - http://spaces.msn.com/members/virtualEarth

Don't hesitate to check this one out.

http://virtualearth.msn.com

MSN Screensaver

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 05:05:08 GMT

One of the best kept secrets (I think!) in MSN was released today: the MSN Screensaver Beta.

What is it you ask? Well, as usual, here is the feature list straight from my Microsoft inbox.

The screensaver displays personalized content (news, weather, pictures) from the web or your hard-drive. Features include:

Personalized news (via RSS): choose MSN feeds or add your own RSS feeds. Mouse over headlines to see more info, or click to read the full story (if offline, content displays from local cache)
MSN Spaces Integration: display blogs and photos from your friend's Space.
Search Integration: use MSN Search right from your screensaver
Personal Photos: choose a local directory and the screensaver displays the images as background photos. Move back/fwd/pause w/ buttons or using the left & right arrow keys and the P key.
Weather: see current weather and 4-day forecast for your location (US only)
Messenger & Hotmail integration: see count of unread emails and # of current Messenger conversation windows open. Hide Hotmail/Messenger info if your computer is in a public area.

I am especially excited about the MSN Spaces integration (naturally). Having your friends' photos randomly appear on your screen is a fantastic conversation starter and a great way to discover new things. There is nothing more fun than seeing new photos pass by every day!

Check it out here:

http://screensaver.msn.com/

Start.com's OPML support and popular feeds

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 04:47:00 GMT

I am back from Mexico and catching up on a couple hundred emails and a couple hundred blog posts from around the web. This one in particular caught my eye, so I figured I would pass on the news to those Start.com junkies out there who haven't found it yet (even though Sanaz said she would give me an early heads-up on updates, it didn't happen!)

OPML on Start.com. Woo hoo! Now how do we get Torres Talking in that popular feeds list?

Quote

more on start: OPML support and popular feeds

we just shipped OPML support on start - sorry for the delay. we know that a lot of our users wanted this feature since june 3rd, when we first shipped /myw3b.

expand the sidebar, click on add feeds and upload your existing OPML file or export your feeds from start...

also check out popular feeds on the sidebar, these feeds are sorted based on most frequently read feeds by our users, realtime data - pretty cool stuff :)

Our Campus

Sun, 17 Jul 2005 18:25:29 GMT

Gretchen, over on the Jobs Blog, talks about the Redwest campus at Microsoft where all of us MSN'ers work. It's truly a great place to work for those of you who have never visited. Lots of photos - go check them out!

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Technical Careers @ Microsoft : Microsoft's Red West Campus .... What's that all about?

Red West is the smaller campus that sits slightly (about a mile) to the northwest of the main Redmond campus. However, Microsoft’s main campus has expanded so much in the last few years that Red West is now pretty much connected to the rest of main campus. It’s in an area called “Corporate Campus North” and is comprised of five buildings (A, B, C, D, and E), one ski-lodge-esque cafeteria, and a babbling brook and small lake.

"Rock Star: INXS" on MSN

Fri, 08 Jul 2005 03:34:41 GMT

Here comes another reality show, but this time with a twist. It is all over MSN! No more having to go to some "other" site to express your opinion, you can do it all here on MSN.

MSN is giving fans new ways to take part in the reality-show craze by launching http://rockstar.msn.com, the official Web site for Mark Burnett Productions’ “Rock Star: INXS.” The show, which aims to find a new lead singer for the multiplatinum rock band INXS, premieres July 11 on the CBS Television Network in the U.S. The fully interactive Web site will complement the TV show and bring viewers further inside the competition through weekly online voting, exclusive video, contestant Web logs (blogs), music downloads and more. The site marks the first time a Mark Burnett Productions TV reality show has used online voting to influence the outcome on a weekly basis.

Tons of promotion around the MSN network, including MSN Spaces for all the contestants. Mark Burnett even gave MSN Messenger & Spaces a shout-out in the press release - that's always fun to see. You can read more in the press release.

Karen posted some more "inside info" on some of this from her perspective. She has been part of the team working on this integration (which is massive!) Read what she had to say and be on the lookout for the Rock Star spaces!

More: http://rockstar.msn.com/

Forums: http://rockstarforums.msn.com/rockstarINXS

Fantasy Football on MSN

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 03:13:15 GMT

I am not the Football type of guy; Baseball is more my speed. But I am incredibly psyched to see MSN and Fox Sports making moves into fantasy sports! With more than 15 million people in the U.S. joining fantasy leagues (with Football #1) this is a great move for us. And the fact that it is FREE while our competition (Yahoo, ESPN, Sportsline) charge for features is a fantastic example of our customer-first approach these days.

Here are some details on the new service from an email floating around MSN HQ:

It’s free to play. Many other sites charge fees for the best features, like live scoring. MSN’s service is completely free, including live scoring;
Expert analysis from Fox Sports helps you draft the best team, choose your strongest lineup, and make timely transactions;
The trade analysis tool helps you make smart trades by projecting your season-long record before you make the trade;
You can customize your rules and scoring system just the way you like;
You can create a private league and play with your friends, family and colleagues. Or, join an existing public league that’s ready and waiting for new members.

Click the link below to create a league, join a league, or view a demo of this new service:

http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasyfootball

If you’re a fantasy novice, here are a couple of links to help you discover what the fuss is all about:

Fantasy myths and truths: http://msn.foxsports.com/id/3704812

What is fantasy football?: http://msn.foxsports.com/id/3704816

MSN Search meets Virtual Earth

Tue, 21 Jun 2005 04:54:58 GMT

It didn't take long for the MSN Search team to integrate Virtual Earth technology (and the team), did it? Welcome to the new, new MSN Search - this time with a beta of Local Search "enabling consumers to quickly retrieve local results from business, residential or local Web sites, often accompanied by informative maps and aerial images." It isn't the complete Virtual Earth experience - or if it is, I can't find it - but rather a mini-VE built into the search results page.

Which means more is yet to come this year: "MSN Virtual Earth, developed by the MapPoint team, will soon offer consumers a deeply immersive local search experience, including the ability to layer multiple search results onto a single map, weather and traffic data, and even aerial photographs of some locations taken at a 45-degree angle from airplanes. "

Press release

Want to try it out? Check out http://search.msn.com and click on Local (BETA) to do a local search.

Sample search (pizza in 98052):

http://search.msn.com/local/results.aspx?FORM=PHHP&q=pizza%2098052

It sure is fun watching this company crank once we set our mind to something!

MSN Entertainment

Sun, 12 Jun 2005 00:48:21 GMT

One of the best kept secrets in the MSN universe is the suite of MSN Entertainment sites. We all know about MSN Music, but have you ever used MSN Video, MSN Movies, MSN TV, or MSN Radio? If you are anything like me, you may have ended up on one of these sites after clicking on a link in Hotmail, MSN Today, or MSN.com. And after you read your article about Paris Hilton's latest antics, you closed the browser window.

Well, I am here to tell you that you are missing out! These sites are fantastic and are among the best things MSN is doing right now. They are almost single-handedly dragging the rest of MSN into unchartered territory: simple and fun design.

On that note, that is actually what I like most about them: incredibly clean and pleasing user experiences. I don't say this often about MSN sites, but these folks are really raising the bar on appropriate use of color, soft tones, and task-focused design. Each landing page is unique but shares similar design characteristics:

Use of a favicon and a useful page title. If you don't think this is important, you probably don't use IE favorites or "send a link" features much.
Simple CSS-based navigation. No heavy images or the old MSN "shark fin".
No deep, dark, disturbing colors. Very pleasing to the eye. Compare it to the old MSN Entertainment if you can remember it and you know what I mean.
Use of client-side scripting to increase end-user productivity. Flipping through the TV schedule or purchasing & confirming a song happen in the browser with server requests occurring behind the scenes.
Decent placement of advertising. Yes, the site still has ads - there is no getting around that one. But they aren't at all intrusive or annoying. I can deal with a 300x250 advertisement on a page if it doesn't aggravate me - and I have actually clicked on a few of them.

Does this mean I dropped Yahoo Movies completely? Of course not. Old habits die hard, and this one may never die. But I will say one thing: after comparing MSN Movies to Yahoo Movies, I actually like MSN better. Wow, I can't believe I actually said that.

Give it a shot for yourself - MSN Entertainment. Leave some feedback and I will pass it on to the team.

Steve talking about Start.com

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 03:06:21 GMT

Steve Rider, one of the people behind Start.com, talks a little about its history and where it is heading. The one thing I need on that list before I can switch from Bloglines is roaming read/unread status and mobile integration. I know, those are probably v3 features. But a guy can dream... Check out what Steve has to say by clicking on the link below!

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Steve's Web
We've got a lot of features lined up, but here is a short list, so let's go:

OPML import/export
Roaming the page
Drag/drop management of the sidebar and folder creation
Cool search results experience
Better default experience for getting modules onto the page
Roaming bookmarks
Color schemes
More custom modules

New Start.com is here

Sat, 04 Jun 2005 03:15:28 GMT

Busy week... apologies for the lack of posts (other than pics from our trip to Orcas Island.) Draft chapter for the book is due on Monday and we had a bunch of internal deadlines as well. Such is life.

BUT, I do have some exciting news. The new version of Start.com is now publicly available. Well, it is still a "preview" version - but it is fantastic. I am still getting the hang of it; it is almost too fast for me :)

Where do you find it? You can get to Start.com through a little riddle on http://www.start.com/3. It will only take about 20 seconds (and it shows off MSN Search, so I have to promote it. You know I like the Answers service.) Once you are "in", bookmark the URL and you won't have to take the puzzle again.

Some of the new features:

Overlay modules
Default modules on the dashboard
Module drag and drop
Hiding the side panel as well as the dashboard
Weather and stock modules
Search history integration
Search results integration within Start.com

The next generation homepage is almost here. Start playing now.

Talking about MSN: The Inside Story

Wed, 25 May 2005 02:17:07 GMT

Paul Thurrott has another fantastic write-up about MSN's recent turnaround, this time focusing on MSN Messenger, MSN Spaces, MSN Music, and MSN Search. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading his three-part series and encourage anyone wanting to learn more about MSN's history to check it out.

MSN: The Inside Story (Part Three)
"It's a very exciting time," Sohn said. "This is a Bill Gatesian thing to say about MSN, but as fired up as I am about the stuff we've done in just the last year or two, I feel like we've just finished laying the foundation across all of our services so that we can do the next wave of super cool stuff. I feel like the whole MSN division is inhaling, and as soon as that ends .... If people think we're fast now, or people think we're spry and nimble, you just wait. The next year is going to be just awesome. We're going to floor people over the next 12 months. We're ready to rock."

One of the best parts about this write-up for me isn't just that Spaces was discussed, but that my former project (and Paul's and Dare's current one) ABCH was mentioned. It's rare to see an internal system being cited as one of the factors of success to an external audience... but the ABCH team has done such a phenomenal job promoting a more personal MSN over the years, so it is more than deserved. Quite honestly, if it wasn't for some of the ground-breaking work (and evangelism!) coming out of that team year after year, MSN Spaces wouldn't exist at all.

The unified contacts store--or ABCH (address book clearing house), as it is called internally--is a huge infrastructure investment that took MSN a couple of years to complete.

...
To the end user, the unified contacts store is essentially plumbing, but here's an interesting statistic: MSN has over 8 billion contacts in that database. "Without beating our own chests too broadly, because right now, as a social network, it is one of the biggest social networks on the planet. It might be the biggest. We really don't know. But in the next year, year and a half, you're going to see us start thinking about how we can provide experiences that can take advantage of that."

Read Part I, Part II, and Part III

MSN Virtual Earth

Mon, 23 May 2005 19:21:27 GMT

I have seen this thing in action and it is by far the coolest thing I have seen this year. Check out the screenshots after the jump.

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MSN Virtual Earth To Take On Google Earth
Microsoft sends news today that founder Bill Gates has announced a MSN Virtual Earth service is to debut in the summer. The service is promised to provide:

- Satellite images with 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods

- Satellite images with street map overlays

- Ability to add local data layers, such as showing local businesses or restaurants

Update: Scoble has a video of Virtual Earth up on Channel 9. Incredibly, unbelievably cool. Hybrid view kicks ass. Check it out. Thanks to Aayush for the heads-up.

Update #2: And yes, believe it or not, it has integration with MSN Spaces. I don't want to spill the beans just yet (hint: the video shows it about twelve minutes in)

Talking MSN Desktop Search Powertips

Thu, 19 May 2005 04:20:06 GMT

A great post on the cool power user features of the MSN Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search:

Interfaces: MSN Desktop Search Powertips

I posted some of my own shortcuts when the beta first shipped. And there are a ton of them on the DeskbarShortcuts.com. Enjoy!

Simplicity and "It just works!"

Tue, 17 May 2005 23:21:37 GMT

Being a Program Manager at a company like Microsoft, in a division like MSN, is a challenging role. One of the most challenging aspects of the job is managing to include just enough functionality in a product or service without overwhelming the novice user so much that they give up using it. Just about everyday in casual hallway conversations I hear people talking about "keeping it simple" and how "it just works!"

Although people utter these conjoined phrases all the time, to me they are actually very different things and shouldn't be confused with one another. Simplicity is primarily around the first-run user experience and making sure to optimize the high-volume scenarios. A great example of this is Microsoft Photo Story 3. This tool makes creating videos out of photos a complete no-brainer, even for someone who has never touched a digital camera.

Simplicity is something that everyone wants... but not forever. The simplicity of Photo Story is actually limiting once you want to do something a little more advanced, like running a macro or applying a custom transition. For that you need Windows Movie Maker 2 or Adobe Premiere.

I would argue (and I do quite often) that simplicity in the long run is over-rated for most users, especially for users who actually know what they are doing. Keep it simple while they learn what they need to do but then empower them by adjusting the software to adapt to meet their unique needs. Easier said than done, I know. But for people who want to do more with their software, don't tie their hands behind their backs! Make it possible or risk losing them to a more complex - but more functional - product or service.

The MSN Search team did loads of research while developing their search service, and what they found is a testament to this. They discovered that search engine loyalty isn't earned through stellar results for routine queries, but rather through an amazingly unique response to an off the wall query. When I search for "Ford Mustang", I pretty much know what to expect. When I search for "yahoo music engine ordinal DLL error" and actually find what I am looking for, I fall in love with that search box and everything it represents. The same kind of phenomenon happens with other types of software. When I add a song to a playlist in Windows Media Player, I don't jump up and down. But when I create an auto-playlist based on genre, artist, and number of times I have played the tracks, I get excited and go run and tell my friends how great it is... even when I know that 95% of the time I am just going to drag a song into an existing playlist!

Now, "it just works!" is something completely different - and even more important in my opinion. When you plug your digital camera into your Powerbook and your photos are automatically copied into iPhoto, it "just worked". IJW is the reason Windows people are envious of OS X Tiger people; IJW just isn't something Microsoft has done an exceptional job with. But we need to. After decades of personal computing, we shouldn't be dealing with software (or hardware) that doesn't just work how it is supposed to. We need to optimize around scenarios and not around standalone features in order to make sure that the things people want to do "just work" every single time they try. It is a challenge, but we need to be up to the task.

All things considered, I value IJW over straight "simplicity". But simplicity for novice users can't be overlooked either, so long as your product or service is able to grow with your users.

What do you think?

MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search

Mon, 16 May 2005 16:43:11 GMT

Bubba is at it again, this time announcing the final verson of the MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search (wow, still a mouthful!) Lots and lots of fantastic improvements in this version - download it and check it out! And if you still think Apple's Spotlight is the end all, be all of desktop search, I will make sure Bubba hears it! Having used both extensively, I don't think he has much to worry about.

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msnsearch's WebLog
I could go on for a quite a while, but needless to say one of the highlights for the entire team has been the tremendous feedback and community around the product. From easy changes (not so many butterflies in the deskbar) to hard ones (rich previews are tricky!) we were able to make a great product because of the detailed feedback and bug reports we received. I’m really stoked we were able to deliver the outlook folder picker, the updated deskbar UI and the overall quality improvements requested – supa suhweet!

Read my notes from the beta release and then... download it!

Talking about MSN Search Spoof

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 19:51:01 GMT

This MSN Search Spoof thing for April Fool's Day is probably the funniest thing I have seen from MSN in a while - especially after that whole "MSN Found" strangeness. A friend and co-worker of mine sent me a link to my name this morning on MSN Search Spoof:

http://www.mymsnsearch.com/results.aspx?q=Mike+Torres&FORM=8OFtMbUpxnCm

The results were actually sort of scary - especially the sponsored results! They were:

Wrists hurting from constant keyboard use? (Yup! Always... had an MRI last week!)
Keep track of all your gadgets using the new Gadget Tracker! (I just bought two Zen Micros a couple of days ago!)
The Mike Torres Exercise Mat (I just joined a new gym this morning.)

My immediate reaction? Holy $#@! Is MSN Search reading my blog or something? Or secretly talking to my wife? But alas, it wasn't anything like that. This "friend" must have called me a "Gadget Toting Internet Cubicle Geek" before submitting the form. Gee, thanks!

Definitely check it out - and send it around to unsuspecting friends!

http://www.msnsearchspoof.com