With a swish of the ceremonial curtain, Microsoft has launched its updated MSN Mobile service offering, boasting a “redesigned, reinvented” portal.
Designed for ‘net connected mobile users, the MSN Mobile service offers “one stop” access to news, email, local movie listings, maps, directions, yadda yadda, as well as Windows Live services like Hotmail, Live Messenger, Live Spaces and Live Search.
Microsoft claim that the service’s “easy navigation and access” will let mobile customers grab what they need quickly, with one click shuffling them off to their Hotmail inbox or other Windows Live services.
MSN Mobile also offers optimised rendering of web pages, courtesy of “sophisticated engineering and extensive testing” to ensure that the MSN platform detects the user’s device and delivers a freshly optimised web page for their delectation.
The service is designed to work on all Wireless Application Protocols (WAP) 1.2+ compatible devices, with Microsoft offering a list of compatible devices available for your viewing pleasure at http://mobile.msn.com.
If you can find your phone on the itty-bity drop down menu (and you’re on a US network), you can enter your number to get your phone set up for using MSN Mobile.
Seeing as our Palm Treo 650 was described as ‘NOT LISTED,’ we browsed to the site anyway and it displayed just fine, although like all stripped down mobile sites, there’s not a lot to get excited about with the interface.
Accessing sites optimised via MSN Mobile gave us the expected, text-tastic stripped down versions, although it seemed keen to slice home pages into several individual pages.
Naturally, Microsoft has cut a swathe of deals with various content partners to promote the service and leverage some lolly, with the press release containing the usual backslapping guff from some enthusiastic bloke at Fox Sports gushing about how great everyone was at MSN.
The souped-up MSN Mobile service is currently only available in the United States, with the rest of the world following throughout 2007.
In the meantime we’ll continue to use our favourite Netvibes portal for accessing news on the move along with the excellent mobileleap service.