REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 26, 2004 — Adding to its growing lineup of online services, MSN today launched a beta version of the new MSN® Toolbar in the United States at http://toolbar.msn.com/ . With the new MSN Toolbar people will have access to the most popular MSN services, including more convenient access to MSN Hotmail® , MSN Messenger, My MSN and MSNBC.com, as well as the best of the Web via MSN Search. In addition, the MSN Toolbar offers features including a customizable Pop-Up Blocker and the new Highlight Viewer tool, a feature that makes it easier for customers to find what they are searching for on the Web.
“The MSN Toolbar enables people to easily access their favorite services regardless of their online location,”
said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft corporate vice president for MSN Personal Services.
“By offering innovative services like the Highlight Viewer tool and seamless access to world-leading communication services like MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger, were helping people be more efficient online.”
MSN Toolbar Provides Easy Access to the Industry-Leading MSN Offerings
Also unique to MSN Toolbar is easy access to the most popular MSN services. The customizable MSN Toolbar buttons offer one-click access to the following:
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MSN Hotmail , the Webs most popular free e-mail service, with 145 million customers worldwide.
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MSN Messenger , the most popular instant messaging service in the world, with 110 million customers worldwide.
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My MSN , a customizable MSN Home Page that consumers can tailor to feature the online activities that matter the most to them, with more than 150 content module choices, in addition to high-quality video.
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MSN Search , a convenient search engine that makes it easier for customers to find the information they are looking for when they need it.
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MSNBC.com , MSN Toolbar also offers customers the option of adding a News Button that provides quick access to up-to-the minute news content from MSNBC.com.
In addition to offering consumers one-click access to the above MSN services, the MSN Toolbar offers a drop-down menu providing quick access to online information sources for movies from MSN Entertainment, finances from MSN Money, online bargains from MSN Shopping, and encyclopedia and dictionary resources from Microsoft® Encarta® , along with directories from MSN Yellow Pages and MSN White Pages.
New Features Designed Specifically for the MSN Toolbar
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Pop-Up Blocker empowers customers to take more control of their online experience by preventing pop-ups. The Pop-Up Blocker is customizable in the following ways: It can either be turned on or off, it allows customers to specify particular Web sites they would like to receive pop-ups from, and it provides an optional tally of the number of pop-ups blocked and an optional sound indicator.
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Highlight Viewer makes searching the Web easier. When a customer enters a word or phrase into the search box within the MSN Toolbar, the Highlight tool will highlight the word or phrase throughout the resulting Web pages. Customers can then preview the search results in a small, unobtrusive pane called the Highlight Viewer.
MSN will automatically update the features as enhancements and new versions of the MSN Toolbar become available. No additional download is necessary.
About MSN
MSN attracts more than 350 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 38 markets and 18 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering
Web services to consumers and ad sales to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make the most of their time online. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ . MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software
any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, MSN, Hotmail and Encarta are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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