Now there is. It’s called “Microsoft Your Account” and the aim is to create a single place where all of your account information can be stored for the many different Microsoft services you may have: MSN, Xbox, Windows Live, Windows Phone, and Zune.

Image credit: Raphael Rivera - Within Windows

Based on the screenshot and help/support pages, this site will be a single interface for gathering all of your order history and account information for all of these services. The website/service is still in testing, but should be coming soon. It’s about time there was a better way to do this.

Source: Within Windows

Microsoft has been less-than-clear on what their intentions are with the brand, however, they have said that the services are here to stay, which means that we will simply have a new name to go by. Rumors peg the new name to be something along the lines of “Xbox Music” or “Xbox LIVE Music”, but nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft.

These new rumors are based on the screenshots of the Windows Store in the upcoming Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The Zune branding seems to be found nowhere, replaced with more generic terms like “Music” and “Video”. We had also heard rumors about the Zune PC client being scrapped, based on a PocketNow leak of Windows Phone 8 information a few weeks back.

As a long time Zune user, it’s a shame to see Microsoft going away from the branding. Zune was often a joke in the tech world, being labeled as a failure, due in large part to a non-existent marketing campaign. Microsoft seems to be going all-out in their overhaul of their products and services and the consolidation of their Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox brands is hopefully a move to create a more unified, recognizable ecosystem.

Source: TheVerge

The major app players (Microsoft, Apple, Google, Blackberry, HP, RIM) have all agreed to ensure the best practices for educating the user before downloading an app as to what the app does with information. The agreement will also work on the developer end to ensure the best privacy setting for their apps.

• Require any software that uses personal information to provide a privacy policy that can be viewed in the store before any app is downloaded.
• There will also be a requirement to provide links to the relevant documents in an obvious and consistent location.
• Each app store will provide a simple way for users to report developers that violate the rules.
• Each platform is committed to educating developers about their obligations to respect consumer privacy and to disclose what private information they collect, how it is used and how it is shared.

It’s both an unusual and much-needed collaboration for these major software companies, but the result should mean that more users are safe. As with any form of technology, the end-user needs to be proactive in making sure that the hardware and software they use is both safe and secure and protects their data. This agreement is a step in the right direction for the companies involved.

via WMPoweruser

Wordament – This word game has become a hit on the Windows Phone platform and is now receiving Xbox LIVE status. The developers have promised that the title will always remain free to users and they are keeping their word as the title will be ad-supported and will also feature a makeover, adding more color to the app.

Shoot1UP – This shooter is a new title to Windows Phone and looks to be a scrolling shooter with a ton of action onscreen. You can grow your armada and avenge your home planet, which was previously destroyed.

Pinball FX2 - This title is a port from the XBLA and features amazing graphics and gameplay. In the console version, you can download a ton of extra tables and content, so this one might be a good candidate for some DLC on the platform.

Gerbil Physics – Carrying on the physics/puzzle game genre is Gerbil Physics. You’re tasked with destroying structures of adorable gerbils, similar to Implode!. This title is also available on the Xbox console and is expected to include more action on the mobile version with a price tag of $2.99.

geoDefense Swarm – If you haven’t yet played the original and enjoy tower defense games then check out geoDefense before the follow up title geoDefense Swarm comes to Windows Phone. Both games feature intense gameplay and incredible neon graphics.

Carcassonne – I am probably least familiar Carcassonne, the tile, German-style board game coming soon to Windows Phone. If the comments by fans of the game are any indication, then this is a must-have puzzle game for your device. We’ll have to wait for the release to judge for ourselves.

Some folks may like to be surprised each week as a new title is announced, but I prefer knowing what’s coming soon to Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone, especially since I have to write about it. This lineup looks to be pretty solid for the platform and keep in mind that without launch dates, these may come very soon or later in the year, so we’ll keep you guys posted as we find out more information. For screenshots and game descriptions, head on over to the source link.

Source: BestWP7Games

Facebook has heard the feedback and responded rather quickly with a new update geared toward adding the feature back in under Favorites. The new update, labeled v2.4, will now show events such as birthdays and other events you have been invited to with the ability to pin single events to your home screen.

If you do not already have the Facebook app for Windows Phone, you can find it free here in the Web Marketplace.

As Sony has been in the market producing Android smart phones for a while, there are now heavy whispers that the company is planning on revealing its Windows Phone in the near future. The more intriguing possibility is the chance that it could be shown off in the coming weeks at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Certainly Sony has had a hand on the phone market for some time now. Their influence on the phone market dates back to some of its original Ericsson models, many of which were at the forefront during cell phones invading on the home phone market. There have been a number of sources in the tech industry pointing out some of the possible looks and features involved with a Sony Windows Phone.

Phone Arena reported just this week that the possible new announcement could be for a sliding phone from Sony. The device is said to have a side sliding keyboard, as well as a shape that was said to be “ergonomic.” Despite a barrage of leaks and early photos of this “prototype,” much of the discussion remains as simply that. So far, there’s been no official word on a release, as expected.

The mix of Sony and Windows could initially seem like an odd combination, especially as they compete in hardware when it comes to gaming consoles. Further, such a partnership could make for a possible integration of gaming onto the phone.

Such an announcement at MWC would come in the midst of what is expected to be heavy on phone debuts. Nokia is already expected by some to reveal plans for a number of phones, while there’s also been discussion of word from Samsung and LG as well. Sony has already planned out a press gathering for this Sunday which should certainly help to dispel or acknowledge the rumors that are currently floating about a possible Windows Phone.

Guest post contributed by Emma Crawford

Splinter Cell: Conviction

The title is a mobile version of the famous PC and console games that made the title character, Sam Fisher, famous. Your job is basically to sneek around each level completing missions and eliminating enemies, either by stealth or force. Here’s the lengthy Marketplace description:

The benchmark of action stealth games on console is available for the first time on W7 phones.

**Slide to play: “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction looks and plays great, and it’s rare that we see such a sophisticated stealth game on this platform.”

Unleash the ferocious skills of renegade agent Sam Fisher.

Play as Sam Fisher, a highly skilled Special Forces operative and fight a corrupted secret agency to get your daughter back. Follow a trail of intrigue that leads from Iraq to a high-security building in Washington. Run, jump, fight, and shoot using a handgun, shotgun, AK47 and bazooka, or maintain stealth by improvising with nearby objects. You are now a renegade spy agent; you don’t follow any orders except for your own rules of engagement!

ASTONISHING ENVIRONMENTS AND GRAPHICS

• Go through 11 levels set in 8 different locations from Malta to the White House.
• Discover an exclusive level on the banks of the Potomac River.
• Experience fully polished 3D graphics with an amazing depth of view.

ADVANCED STEALTH GAMEPLAY

• The Mark & Execute feature allows you to mark multiple targets then quickly eliminate them all at once.
• The Last Known Position indicates where your enemies think you are, allowing you to outflank and eliminate them.
• Get behind enemies without being noticed and kill them in one hit!
• Projected texts inform you of objectives and guide you through the level.
• Get Sam behind cover to hide and dodge enemy fire.

CONSTANT ACTION THROUGHOUT THE GAME

• Beat your opponents in stunning hand-to-hand combat and interrogate enemies to get crucial information.
• Experience a frantic rail-shooting sequence on a speeding boat.
• Use a wide range of weapons and gadgets to get rid of your enemies. Pistols, sonar goggles and camera grenades are at your disposal!

You can find Splinter Cell: Conviction in the web Marketplace for $4.99 and a free trial here.

It is believed that the 610 will be a low-end, pay-as-you-go type device, which will enable both Nokia and Microsoft to hit very low price points and ship many devices in different markets. News and reports of a global version of the Lumia 900 has been rolling around the rumor mill for a few weeks and given the success of the 800 in Europe, it’s no surprise that Nokia is announcing a high-end version as well.

The title will include a free trial and retail for $4.99. I’ll throw up a link with a post once the title is available in the Marketplace.

There will be 12 different ads, according to the Seattle Times, featuring other smartphone users who have taken on the challenge to see if their phone can beat a Windows Phone in simple, everyday tasks, such as: browser searches, updating a social network, or taking a photo. Video footage from CES competitions, featuring Microsoft’s Ben Rudolph (BenthePCGuy), will be used within the advertisements.

Microsoft’s Frank Shaw notes regarding the campaign, ”We’re going to make sure that we tell our story, with all the assets that we have.” Shaw also speaks about the company’s shy past with regards to advertising, “There have been times in the past when we’ve been quiet even when we’ve had something to say. Today we feel: We have tough competition…. If we have a story to tell, if we have something to say, we should say it. ”

Hopefully, the campaign sees success on the web and makes it over to television where it can be played out in front of a larger, more diverse audience. Microsoft needs desperately to capture a growing demographic of new smartphone buyers who are not as indoctrinated that an iPhone or Android device is their only option.