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Microsoft's Xbox Video service is now live on the web at XboxVideo.com, the company announced the launch on Wednesday, promising more fun and entertainment with ease, allowing users to watching TV shows and movies on the browser.

This means users can now watch movies and TV shows from the Xbox Video store on browsers using Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in, and the service is available for Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 8.1 tablets and PCs, Macs, and with Windows Phone app still in the works.

The cloud-based service has been made available starting with 21 countries, and allowing users to watch their favorite movies on supported devices. However, support for HD playback is lacking at the moment, but the company promises to bring HD support soon.

TV shows are available in episodes and seasons in the Xbox Video store. Microsoft has already listed several deals on select TV shows and movies for the Black Friday weekend deals, and up to 50% discounts available.

Microsoft launches Xbox Video Service on the Web

Google has made available a Chrome extension, Google Voice Search Hotword, that will enable users on desktop to initiate a search without typing, just by speaking. The browser extension allow users to do voice search on Google.com by the command, "Ok Google", plus the search term.

The tool which is still in beta can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store and it's available both on desktop and laptops.

Chrome's active tab is required to be on Google.com for the feature to work, however, users can also conduct a new voice search directly from the search page, and it's ready when the microphone icon becomes bold.

Google has been readying some amazing voice features since the company's I/O conference in May, and working to improve the search algorithm especially on voice related commands along its semantic search technology.

Google's Automatic Voice Search debut on Chrome

The online pinboard, Pinterest is perhaps exploring the highly profitable location services with the introduction of Place Pins. Place Pins feature will allow users to see the location of businesses with complete mapping capabilities and to get direction from one place to another.

Place Pins will make it easier for users to plan trips and locate places of interest, making Pinterest more useful on the go and also share their pin-filled maps with others.

The tool is expected in the coming update of Pinterest apps for both iOS and Android, and on the web according to the company.

Pinterest has partnered with mapping developers MapBox and Stamen to design and customize the maps for Place Pins, adding  more location data to destinations or other places of interest accessible through the site.

Place Pins: Pinterest's Dabbling with Location Data

LinkedIn announced a milestone in the service's integration to Pulse, the notorious social newsreader app, which it acquired in April. LinkedIn Today, the service's news curation feature, will be making way for Pulse, meaning more relevant news experience with content tailored to users' interests.

LinkedIn Pulse will become the main vehicle for social news experience across mobile and desktop and will ultimately replace LinkedIn Today.

And for the first time, social actions like commenting and liking on Pulse are possible and will sync with your LinkedIn.com experience. When you download the new Pulse app on iOS or Android, you'll be prompted to sign-in using your LinkedIn profile. Once you’ve done this, the channels, influencers and LinkedIn content you already follow in your Pulse experience will be automatically added.

The overall search functionality has been improved with faster auto-complete suggestions, making it easier for you to find “What’s New” across timely world events and what’s trending.

Also, you can create unique lists in the “My Lists” section around professional topics like green technology, real estate or business, and discover new suggested topics via recommendations or easy right-to-left scrolling to see the next article within a channel or publication. You can check out the new Pulse experience on LinkedIn.com by clicking here now.

What Pulse integration with LinkedIn means for Users

Microsoft Nigeria in conjunction with The Future Project (TFP) yesterday at the Civic Centre, Lagos unveiled Aiki Nigeria, an employment enabling  program that seeks to bridge the gap for job seekers, entrepreneurs, artisans and secondary school leavers by availing them networking opportunities for mentoring, and accessibility to various job openings.

The Aiki Nigeria web platform will among other things provide free resources, training and career guidance services to young Nigerians.

The program is designed to serve as a networking hub where young people can connect for development at a continental level. The Future Project is leveraging on its extensive knowledge in engaging the youths over the years to help Microsoft in achieving its aim of equipping thousands of young Nigerians with the right tools, skills and matching employment opportunities.

The Aiki.ng web portal is expected to go live early December, and with key features such as: Online learning on skills and personal development, meeting advisers and mentors from different occupational fields among others.

Aiki.ng - Web-based Career Development Platform

Google on Monday announced a new service, Helpouts, that can avail internet users professional assistant from people in a capacity to help through live video chat. It's aimed to use the convenience and efficiency of the web to enable everyone, irrespective of time or place, to easily connect with someone who can help.

Helpouts makes it easy for getting help for a computer glitch, a leaky pipe, or a homework problem as clicking a button?

It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak a foreign language or graphic works; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing. With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews.

The company, however assured that the number of people giving help on Helpouts and the type of help available will grow over time. And that it will take time to get used to interactions via real time video. If you're interested in giving help on Helpouts yourself, simply hit the link.

Helpouts - Get and Give Help over Live Video

Microsoft on Saturday warned users still stuck on Windows XP that the operating system will be prone to malware attacks more than ever before starting April 8, 2014. The warning came on the heels of the company's bi-annual security intelligence report.

Tim Rains, director at Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing Group, in a blog post iterated on the risks posed by the aged operating system, stating that users should expect an increase in malware attacks when support for the OS is dropped next year.

Windows XP will become more prone to attacks, continued Tim, and that after support ends, attackers will have upper hand over security tools on the operating system.

The company perhaps for the first time has been open about the risks customer may face after dropping support for an OS, which is unusual to its norm of simply ignoring an old operating system without accompanying danger tag. While there could be other reasons for the purported increase in infections, lack of updated security software been among, main reason remains the fact that XP SP2 has not been patched.

Windows XP Users warned on Malware Increase

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