MSN Direct was an
FM radio
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...
-based digital service which allowed '
SPOT' portable devices to receive information from
MSN services. Devices that supported MSN Direct included wristwatches, desktop clocks, in-car
GPS satellite navigation units, and even small appliances such as coffee makers. Information available through paid "channels" included weather, horoscopes, stocks, news, sports results and calendar notifications. The service also allowed users to receive short messages from
Windows Live Messenger.
Some
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. is an American multinational technology company based in Olathe, Kansas. The company designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes GPS-enabled products and other navigation, communication, sensor-based, and information ...
GPS units, such as the ''nüvi 680'', allowed traffic notifications, weather forecasts, movie schedules and local gas prices to be received through MSN Direct.
As a radio-based service, MSN Direct did not have universal coverage, but was available in populated parts of the United States and Canada. It was not launched in other areas.
Microsoft's latest expansion of MSN Direct was to the Windows Mobile platform. MSN Direct for Windows Mobile took advantage of both cellular and
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
connections, and allowed Microsoft devices to better compete with the information services available on other mobile phone platforms.
There were three versions of the MSN Direct software for Garmin ''nüvi'' GPS receivers:
* Version 1, which was available for the Garmin ''nüvi 205 (or higher) series'', allowed users to receive local gas prices, movie times, weather forecasts, and current conditions.
* Version 2, which was available for series 700 and 800 of ''nüvi'' receivers, offered enhanced movie listings, local events, news, stock prices, and the ability to send Microsoft's Live Search Maps data to a ''nüvi''.
* Version 3 offered general airport delays for incoming and outgoing flights (but not individual flight delays) and a
Doppler weather radar
A weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly pu ...
map when viewing weather.
The service was shut down on January 1, 2012, as originally announced in October 2009.
MSN Direct Discontinued , MSN Direct web site
Garmin later offered NuLink! services on select Nuvi receivers.
See also
* DirectBand
* Datacast
* Pager
A pager, also known as a beeper or bleeper, is a Wireless communication, wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays Alphanumericals, alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response p ...
References
External links
MSN Direct
Internet protocols
Products and services discontinued in 2012
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