MSN to get a new look
Microsoft announced its plans to redesign its popular MSN portal and include many social elements. The new look is much cleaner than the existing site, with a plain white background and also a rotating headlines feature in the middle of the page. With this redesign, MSN will also get a new, more modern looking logo. Microsoft hasn't yet said when the design will go live, but expect it to be soon.
MSN UK jumps over Hulu with “MSN Video Player”
ArsTechnica reports on MSN UK's upcoming Video Player service "with over 300 hours of content both old and new from BBC Worldwide and All3Media". Similar to the US-based Hulu (also set to launch a UK version in about a month), the new service will feature full-length videos, but only after the broadcasters have stopped making the same content available from their sites.
Microsoft to launch another music service
Microsoft has informed a reporter for the Telegraph that it'll be starting up a music streaming service which will be "similar" to Spotify. If Microsoft's new project will truly be similar, it would theoretically allow users to listen for free unlimited internet radio with commercial breaks, or pay a nominal fee for no ads whatsoever. While the upcoming streaming service is to be promoted through MSN's portal, the offering may be extended to the Xbox Live service or to help in promoting Zune's marketplace.