Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    MSN Gets a Mobile Makeover

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    October 1, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      tablets

      MSN.com will soon start looking (and acting) different for its millions of users.

      Microsoft is currently in the process of switching over to a new design for the Website, the software giant’s contribution to the Web portal craze that gripped the industry in the 1990s. Acknowledging the explosive growth of mobile device usage, the company said the new MSN provides a better experience on smartphones and tablets.

      “Over the next 72 hours, we will roll out the new MSN to the more than 425 million people in over 50 countries around the world that come to the site each month,” said Brian MacDonald, corporate vice president of Information and Content Experiences for Microsoft, in a Sept. 29 announcement. The upgrade follows a three-week preview period that drew nearly 10 million visitors, 80,000 of which provided feedback.

      MSN now features an adaptive design that scales appropriately across smartphones, tablets and PCs. Also new is a “Services Stripe” that provides quick access to other Microsoft services, including Outlook.com, OneDrive and Skype, along with Twitter and Facebook.

      Under the hood, the company enlisted its massive Azure cloud infrastructure, said MacDonald. “The new MSN is completely built from the ground up on Azure to provide massive, cost-effective scale (with more than 30,000 Azure cores for serving and 100 Terabytes of storage), reliability, and ongoing agility for a cloud-first, mobile-first world.”

      MacDonald’s remarks also suggest that little more than the MSN logo has been carried over to the new site. “Every single line of code was re-written,” ensuring a consistent experience across MSN’s various categories, he said.

      In addition, the new MSN emphasizes personalization and premium content. Users can customize their MSN News page by assigning topics to follow or picking from a batch of selected topics that are currently dominating headlines at top-tier Web publishers.

      “With the new MSN, we focused on bringing the best-in-class content from the leaders in both content and data from around the world,” said MacDonald. Content sources include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Condé Nast.

      The new MSN also means the end of the Bing mobile app catalog for Windows, at least from a branding perspective.

      Microsoft is swapping out Bing for MSN with an update to its Weather, News, Sports, Travel, Health & Fitness, and Food & Drink apps. Bing Finance is being renamed MSN Money. “These apps will now be branded to reflect their alignment to the MSN premium experience for content as well as personal productivity features,” said Microsoft spokesperson Brandon LeBlanc in a Sept. 29 blog post.

      The move, while seemingly a blow to the Microsoft’s efforts to popularize its search technology, does line up with its goal of building a Bing-powered ecosystem of smart, context-aware services. “Bing will continue to provide search and intelligent experiences such as powering Cortana,” assured LeBlanc.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×