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Microsoft’s Spot Discontinued
dailywireless.org — ... in 134 cities, reports Radio World. Bill Gates showed off the first consumer SPOT watches at the January, 2004 CES in Las Vegas. At the same time, Gates announced the launch of Microsoft’s MSN Direct broadcasting service to transmit content to the watches. After Jan. 1, 2012, devices, such as Weather Stations and Smart Watches, will no longer receive the MSN Direct information and offer limited alternative functionality. According to Microsoft: “Leveraging unused FM radio ...

MSN Direct service to shut down Jan. 1, 2012
LiveSide - Windows Live news and interviews — ... support, up until that date. Pro-rated refunds for unused portions of existing One-Time Payment and other subscription plans will be automatically credited after January 1, 2012. Customers may cancel service at any point prior to that date and receive a pro-rated refund for any unused portion of their subscription. Microsoft customer support is available to answer any questions about existing subscriptions or refund eligibility at 1-866-658-7032. More information and a FAQ are posted on the site. MSN Direct, which launched in 2004, ...

MSN Direct to shut down on Jan 1, 2012
D' Technology Weblog — ... until that date. Pro-rated refunds for unused portions of existing One-Time Payment and other subscription plans will be automatically credited after January 1, 2012. Customers may cancel service at any point prior to that date and receive a pro-rated refund for any unused portion of their subscription. Microsoft customer support is available to answer any questions about existing subscriptions or refund eligibility at 1-866-658-7032. More info: FAQ ...

2012 Apocalypse Confirmed by Microsoft for MSN Direct Service
jkOnTheRun — ... You have to hand it those clever Mayans. How the heck did they correctly predict the ending of the calendar for every SPOT watch in the world in 2012? It’s true — if you don’t believe me, just check the official Microsoft MSN Direct announcements page. It clearly states that the MSN Direct service will cease on January 1, 2012. How can you dispute the impeccable accuracy of the Mayan calendar now? And not only did the Mayans get the end of the SPOT watch calendar right, they even knew that we’d use the Internet to ...

2012 Apocalypse Confirmed by Microsoft for MSN Direct Service [jkOnTheRun]
GigaOM Network — ... You have to hand it those clever Mayans. How the heck did they correctly predict the ending of the calendar for every SPOT watch in the world in 2012? It’s true — if you don’t believe me, just check the official Microsoft MSN Direct announcements page. It clearly states that the MSN Direct service will cease on January 1, 2012. How can you dispute the impeccable accuracy of the Mayan calendar now? And not only did the Mayans get the end of the SPOT watch calendar right, they even knew that ...

MSN Direct to shut down in 2012
Yahoo! Tech Advisors — ... , according to the company, on January 1, 2012 . MSN Direct is best known for live traffic data it sends to GPS units, but it also includes weather reports and maps, stock quites, movie showtimes, flight information, and news snippets, all delivered over the FM radio band. But Microsoft says that surfeit of glittering information just wasn't enough to justify its continued existence, and that the same information delivered via other means (primarily cell phones) has cut into the demand for MSN Direct. So, what if you've paid for an MSN Direct subscription beyond 2011? A ...

R.I.P. MSN Direct: 2004-2012
The Microsoft Blog — MSN Direct, the real-time data-transmission service from Microsoft, will be discontinued on Jan. 1, 2012, the company announced Tuesday. Using FM radio signals, MSN Direct sends traffic information, weather updates, gas prices, movie times and more to devices such as Garmin GPS gadgets. [image] Though it will not change MSN Direct services, Microsoft will continue to support it until the kill date, the company said in an FAQ . But why kill MSN Direct? The delivery of location-based services in the U.S. and Canada has evolved since Microsoft began offering MSN Direct in early ...

Microsoft Pulling The Plug On MSN Direct In 2012 [GPS]
Gizmodo — ... Fortunately, that is plenty of time for subscribers to the GPS information service to jump ship. You don't even have to wait for your subscription to terminate—just shut down your service anytime before the end date and receive a refund for the unused portion of your service. Check out the MSN Direct page for the full details. [MSN Direct via ...

Microsoft's MSN Direct service to shut down in 2012
Engadget — Well, it's quite the day for any GPS-related announcement, but Microsoft has nonetheless made a fairly big one of its own, with it dropping word via a simple service announcement that it's killing off its MSN Direct live information service for navigation units (among other devices -- even the odd coffeemaker). Those relying on the FM-based service won't be left in the lurch just yet, however, as the shutdown won't occur until January 1st, 2012. Anyone looking to move on with their lives before that can also cancel their service at any point prior to ...

Microsoft Announces MSN Direct’s Future Termination
Digital Trends — msndirect-feeds Microsoft has decided to kill-off its MSN Direct subscription service that sends MSN data to various devices. Microsoft has taken a hit out on its MSN Direct service, marking its planned death date on January 1, 2012. The company posted an MSN Direct Service Announcement via the Los Angeles Times and promised that until the kill-date, it does not plan to change anything about the service. MSN Direct’s services deliver data over FM radio signals— including weather, horoscopes, stocks, news, sports results, and calendar ...

AT&T Hotspots To The Rescue
Inc.com — ... Oh, sorry, you have some real questions about this? Chances are you will find answers in the following FAQ at the MSN Direct site. ...