Take a look:

Microsoft’s Stephen Kim discusses all of these here.

Microsoft also announced the availability of the Ad Pano format for all advertisers and publishers who use the Microsoft Advertising SDK for Windows 8.

“The Ad Pano is a premium Ads in Apps solution for Windows 8 that was born from the original development sessions we conducted with agency and brand partners last year,” a spokesperson for the company says in an email. “The Ad Pano gives advertisers unlimited storytelling potential to customize their ad experience to deliver an interactive, immersive, panoramic ad experience comparable to a magazine fold-out.”

Jenn Creegan, General Manager for Display Advertising Experiences at Microsoft Advertising, discusses this more here.

As discussed in that same post, Microsoft also commissioned a study by Nielsen, which found that 60% of people exposed to ads on Windows 8 perceived the brands as innovative, cutting edge and trustworthy. Brands that advertise in Windows 8 are more than twice as likely to be seen as innovative compared to the “Nielsen norms,” Microsoft claims.

Now, Fallon may have a big heart for games, but he’s smart enough to know that not all games are good. In fact, some games are just terrible. To help you avoid the pitfalls of terrible games, here’s Fallon’s Do Not Game List.

I like to think of myself as being pretty lenient when it comes to bad games, but I have to agree with most of Fallon’s choices. I only disagree with the inclusion of E.T. because it wasn’t the developers fault that it was bad.

After indulging in bad games, Fallon will be playing what are arguably good games for the rest of the week. Last night, he checked out the Xbox One with Phil Spencer and he’ll be playing Knack on the PS4 tonight. On Wednesday, he’ll have Watch Dogs and Thursday will feature Call of Duty: Ghosts. Finally, Friday will be a Wii U demo day.

[h/t: Kotaku]

Today, the company announced that the feature is now out of preview mode, and is now a full-fledged feature of Skype for Windows desktop, Skype for Windows 8, Skype for Mac, Skype for iPhone, Skype for iPad, Skype for Android and Skype for BlackBerry. In other words, all Skype users now have access to video messaging, and it’s free.

“Just like the millions of users around the world who have already previewed video messaging, you too can now record and share a personal video message, even when your friends and loved ones are not available,” Skype’s Yasmin Khan says in a blog post. “The best part is that they’ll be able to view your video message as soon as they sign into Skype. Skype Video Messaging is easy and convenient, and only the contact you’ve chosen to receive your message can view it.”

To use the feature, just tap or click the “video message” button, hit “record,” and capture your message. Messages can be up to three minutes, and you can preview before sending.

“Voice search is supposed to be seamless and efficient, but sometimes your phone misses important words and takes too long to return results, that aren’t always what you’re looking for,” a Bing spokesperson tells WebProNews. “Today, Bing is rolling out updates to it voice search on Windows Phone 8 that allows it to return results twice as fast as before and improves accuracy (word error rate) by 15 percent.”

“”These improvements are a result of the work the Bing and Microsoft Research teams have been doing to advance Deep Neural Networks (DNN), technology that is inspired by the functioning of neurons in the brain,” the spokesperson adds.

In a blog post, the Bing Speech team writes, “By coupling MSR’s major research breakthroughs in the use of DNNs with the large datasets provided by Bing’s massive index, the DNNs were able to learn more quickly and help Bing voice capabilities get noticeably closer to the way humans recognize speech. We also made a few improvements under the hood that allowed Bing to more easily identify speech patterns and cut through ambient and background noise – cutting down response time by half and improving the word error rate by 15 percent, even in noisy situations.”

Bing says these improvements are just the beginning of tis work on improving speech and voice capabilities across MIcrosoft devices and services.

A new report published over the weekend says that the NSA and its spying programs helped stop numerous terrorist plots in the U.S. and 20 other countries. The agency won’t say which countries those plots may have originated from, and have only released details regarding one plot in which it claims collecting phone records helped to stop an attack.

The plot referenced in the report was a planned attack to blow up the New York City subway in 2009. The agency says that its collection of phone records helped to arrest co-conspirator Najibullah Zazi. The AP and Sens. Mark Udall and Ron Wyden have expressed skepticism by saying the attack in question was prevented by other more traditional spy programs. Wyden argues that the government is going to need a better example if it wants to convince him that the NSA’s spy programs are actually necessary.

As part of the report, the NSA revealed that it only checked less than 300 phone numbers against its database. The revelation suggests that the NSA isn’t indiscriminately gathering phone records just for the hell of it. The agency didn’t address how much information is gathered and/or used from PRISM – the data collection tool that allegedly pulls information from the likes of Google, Facebook and more.

To perhaps attempt to put minds at ease, the NSA also said that it destroys gathered data every five years. It’s unknown if that’s part of the law or just out of necessity as the agency may not have the room to store more than five years worth of data. It may store data for longer once it completes a massive new data center in Utah that’s allegedly being used to store data on Americans and non-Americans alike.

While we wait for more answers from the NSA, the tech industry has been busy pushing for more transparency. Facebook recently got its wish when it published a report over the weekend saying that it received 9,000 to 10,000 data requests over the past six months. Google and Microsoft have also published similar reports detailing how much information they hand over to the government.

[h/t: AP]

The Hill reports that Reps. Michael Capuano and Walter Jones have just introduced the We Are Watching You Act to the House. Despite its foreboding name, the proposed law aims to regulate the potential proliferation of cameras in TV set-top boxes and DVRs.

The proposed law specifically targets a number of patents for DVR cameras that have sprung up in recent years. For example, Verizon applied for a patent in late December that would allow it to equip DVRs with a camera and a mic. The camera would watch TV viewers to deliver more personalized ads to them. One example mentioned in the filing is a scenario in which the camera detected a couple cuddling and then delivering an ad for contraceptives on the television.

Both Rep. Jones and Rep. Capuano feel that such technology is a massive invasion of privacy, especially in light of how much data the NSA collects on Americans:

“Allowing this type of technology to be installed in the homes of American citizens without their consent would be an egregious invasion of privacy,” said Congressman Jones. “When the government has an unfortunate history of secretly collecting private citizens’ information from technology providers, we must ensure that safeguards are in place to protect Americans’ rights.”

“This may sound preposterous, but it is neither a joke nor an exaggeration. These DVRs would essentially observe consumers as they watch television as a way to super-target ads. It is an incredible invasion of privacy,” stated Congressman Capuano. “Given what we have recently learned about the access that the government has to the phone numbers we call, the emails we send and the websites we visit, it is important for consumers to decide for themselves whether they want this technology. Think about what you do in the privacy of your own home and then think about how you would feel sharing that information with your cable company, their advertisers and your government.”

Jones and Capuano recognize that DVRs with cameras are going to happen sooner or later. They will not try to ban the technology, but their bill would make it so that your cable provider would have to ask permission before being able to watch you. If you do give permission, your cable company would still have to alert you when the camera is recording via an on screen warning.

It should be noted that your TV won’t be watching you anytime soon. Microsoft’s Kinect in the Xbox One, however, will be watching you, but it’s a little unclear if this law would apply to that. Besides, all Microsoft wants to do is give you achievements for watching TV.

Which of the latest announcements do you believe will have the biggest impact on webmasters? On your SEO strategy? Let us know what you think.

On Monday, Apple had its big Worldwide Developer’s Conference keynote, where it unveiled the latest versions of its Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. Within these unveilings were a few pieces of noteworthy search news. For one, its adding more search options to Safari, which is significant given that it has made moves in recent memory to distance itself further from Google. The big piece of news here, however, was the addition of Bing (Google’s biggest search competitor) to Siri as the web search provider. We discussed the implications of this in more depth here, but suffice it to say, this could lead to a lot more people accessing your content from Bing if you’re ranking there. In other words, you now have more of a reason to optimize for Bing.

Also on Monday, Google released a video discussing mistakes webmasters are commonly making when using the Disavow Links tool.

The most common mistake is that people are uploading the wrong kinds of files.

Yelp, a frequent critic of Google’s (which generates its own share of criticism) is making moves to become a better local search tool. See its newly revamped “Nearby” mobile feature. Local businesses now have even more incentive to be found in Yelp. Speaking of Yelp, Greg Sterling at Screenwerk shares an anecdote in which a plumber claimed that 95% of his leads come from the service. This caught the attention of CEO Jeremy Stoppelman:

Clearly some are finding Yelp well worth it, despite those decrying the service.

Google made a major announcement in that it is readying ranking changes for mobile content. Basically, if you’re not providing smartphone users with the relevant content you’re providing them on the desktop, you’re going to be in trouble.

“Some websites use separate URLs to serve desktop and smartphone users,” explain Google’s Yoshikiyo Kato and Pierre Far. “A faulty redirect is when a desktop page redirects smartphone users to an irrelevant page on the smartphone-optimized website. A typical example is when all pages on the desktop site redirect smartphone users to the homepage of the smartphone-optimized site.”

“This kind of redirect disrupts a user’s workflow and may lead them to stop using the site and go elsewhere,” they add. “Even if the user doesn’t abandon the site, irrelevant redirects add more work for them to handle, which is particularly troublesome when they’re on slow mobile networks. These faulty redirects frustrate users whether they’re looking for a webpage, video, or something else, and our ranking changes will affect many types of searches.”

More on all of this here.

In addition to that, Google’s Matt Cutts hinted at SMX Advanced that mobile site speed could soon become a ranking factor. Google made site speed a signal several years ago, and it looks like they’ll be taking that a step further with mobile in mind.

Cutts revealed quite a few things at SMX Advanced, actually. Here’s the whole discussion he had with interviewer Danny Sullivan:

One thing he mentioned at the conference was that Google started rolling out a new ranking update to clean up more spammy queries. It’s been unofficially referred to as the “payday loans” update. Google had previously warned about forthcoming efforts in this area, and these efforts are now taking effect.

In other algorithm update news, Cutts also indicated that Google hasn’t rolled out a Panda data refresh for a month and a half. Panda is apparently being run about once a month, and rolling out slowly over the course of roughly ten days.

He mentioned a new structured data tool Google is beta testing, which allows webmasters to report structured data errors. Giving webmasters as much control over structured data is going to be increasingly important, as Google is turning to this kind of data more and more for its search results. Optimizing structured data could be considered a vital part of your SEO strategy these days, for better or worse. At least Google providing more and more tools in this area.

Finally, Cutts announced that Google is now including example links in its messages to webmasters regarding manual penalties. Those who have to deal with these penalties find the addition very welcome. Cutts put out a video discussing this:

Facebook, as I’m sure you’ve heard, has launched hashtags, which pretty much turn the giant social network into a real-time search engine, for all intents and purposes. That has some pretty big marketing implications. The hashtags, by the way, can be searched via Facebook’s Graph Search. On a separate note, Facebook is killing its sponsored search results.

So those are some of the biggest stories in a very busy week for search. The mere fact that all of this stuff just happened over the past week really illustrates how rapidly the search game is evolving, and this doesn’t even take into account that Google makes changes to its algorithm every day.

Out of all that was announced this week, which item are you most concerned about? Which are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.

Microsoft announced today that Office Mobile has made the jump from Windows Phone to the iPhone. The catch is that you must be an Office 365 subscriber to use the app. There is no a la carte option like Apple’s own iWork apps for iPhone.

So why isn’t there an a la carte option? Well, Microsoft probably thinks you’re going to love the Office 365 experience. Being a subscriber nets you a “consistent Office experience” across all of your devices, easy access to all of your documents regardless of device, and it has sharing of documents built right in. In short, Office Mobile is a Google Drive that requires a subscription.

All joking aside – Office Mobile making the move to the iPhone is an important move for Microsoft. As it transitions into a products and services company, it can no longer keep its services on one platform. It would be nice if Microsoft offered an a la carte option, but maybe that’s for a later day.

If you want to get your Office Mobile on, you can download the app here. Once again, you will need an Office 365 subscription. It’s not that expensive for a student, but cheapskates who have already graduated (like me) may want to check out free alternatives.

Microsoft announced today that a Windows Store experience will be coming to 500 Best Buy locations across the U.S. and more than 100 Best Buy and Future Shops in Canada. In short, the Best Buy Windows Store will be “the premier destination for consumers to see, try, compare and purchase of range of products and accessories, including Windows tablets and PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft Office, Xbox and more.”

Microsoft even made a video for the announcement to show just how excited they are about this new partnership:

Now, the Windows Store at Best Buy doesn’t mean that Microsoft is abandoning its own retail efforts. Microsoft’s Chris Capossela says that Microsoft Stores remain important to the company, but the Windows Store experience at Best Buy is all about hooking consumers up with the best Windows devices at the number one PC retailer in the country.

By far, however, the most interesting thing about these new Windows Stores is just how big they are. Capossela says that the Windows Stores will take up to 2,200 square feet in stores so it will almost feel like you’re in an entirely different store. Best Buy is also hiring an additional 1,200 employees around the country to focus exclusively on selling Windows products.

Microsoft’s partnership with Best Buy doesn’t end at the Windows Store either. Capossela says that “we will have a great Windows tablet inside the Best Buy tablet department, Windows Phones in their Phone Department, and lots of space for Xbox in their gaming and Home Theater Departments.” The online version of the Windows Store will also receive a major upgrade to mirror the resources being put into the retail experience.

Of course, all of this begs the question – will it work? Windows PCs and tablets aren’t exactly in vogue at the moment. I hardly think that increasing their presence at an increasingly irrelevant retail outlet is going to do them any favors either.

At this point, Microsoft needs to double down on its Windows 8.1 strategy. It’s pointless to sell Windows 8 devices to consumers wanting a more traditional Windows computing experience right now. WIth the release of Windows 8.1 later this year, Microsoft will be able to advertise the return of the Start Button and other requested features. In short, the Best Buy Windows Store strategy would be best for a soft relaunch of Windows 8.

Regardless, the Windows Store at Best Buy will be coming to a retail store near you starting this July. The rollout will finish at some point in September. If you want a preview of the new Windows Store experience, check out the Best Buy Web site.

One Microsoft exec, however, did give an interview to GameTrailers shortly before the company’s big E3 presentation. Don Mattrick, president of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, revealed that Microsoft was, in fact, not considering gamers with internet connections when designing the Xbox One.

“Look, we designed something that’s great,” said Mattrick. “It is, at its core, a games box. And, we’ve innovated for what we think are the appropriate scenarios moving forward.”

Implying, of course, that Microsoft believes offline gaming is an inappropriate scenario for the future. Mattrick continued:

“I think people are gonna love it, and then they’re gonna understand what we’re trying to create and how it links games and entertainment, the functionality of the box, some of the advantages that you get of having a box that is designed to use an online state. So that, to me, is a future-proof choice and I think people could have arguably gone the other way if we didn’t do it, and fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity – it’s called Xbox 360.”

This seems to be Microsoft’s message to those who don’t have a reliable internet access. Stick with the 360. Nevermind the fact that Sony’s new console will work perfectly fine as an offline games device, and for $100 less.

Mattrick did go on to cite the scenario that has taken center-stage in the debate about the Xbox One’s DRM: military members stationed in places that lack internet. Mattrick stated that if he was stationed on a submarine he would be “disappointed.”

That hasn’t deterred Microsoft, however, and the company shows no signs of backing down on its policies. Mattrick emphasized that Microsoft believes the future of gaming is in always-connected experiences, and used smartphones as an example of a technology that has made a huge connectivity leap in recent years. (Again, nevermind the fact that Angry Birds will still work on a phone that hasn’t been connected to the internet in the past 24 hours.)

Microsoft may be right in predicting that in 10 years services such as Google Fiber will have rolled out across the U.S., bringing a reliable, affordable high-speed connection to all parts of the country. For now, though, millions of Americans will not be able to use the Xbox One as a gaming machine when it launches in November.