Microsoft Revamps MSN

On Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. announced its latest online service: MSN Premium. The new service, for use with broadband Internet connections, will be available to the general public on Jan. 8 and offer a wide range of online features including spam filters, anti-virus capability, a firewall, parental controls, photo management, exclusive multimedia content and multiple e-mail accounts. (Get an inside look at the new service in our hands-on preview.)

MSN Premium is akin to America Onlines new AOL 9.0 Optimized service. Microsoft offers a number of applications intended for use with a broadband Internet connection and tied together by a unified graphical interface. Some of the apps are designed specifically for the large bandwidth available via broadband—most notably MSN Video, which provides streaming video from television partners such as the cable news network MSNBC and the sports programming network ESPN.

In addition to tools, the main GUI integrates applications, many of which are based on brand-name titles. Versions of McAfee VirusScan and McAfee Personal Firewall Plus guard your system against unauthorized intruders, a Microsoft Money app manages your finances, the multimedia encyclopedia is Microsoft Encarta Premium, and a Microsoft PictureIt! release manages photos.

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