Wondering what ever happened to Microsoft's original plan for Live Anywhere? For some, it's been taking the company a while to fully finish the integration of the service across many platforms. Xbox Live Executive John Schappert said that the service is till going to push through. Know more after the jump!

For those of you subscribed to the StreamMyGame web-based service offered for PS3 users, you might be happy to know that you can now run games off the free Linux Player offered for it.

This was promised by StreamMyGame a while back when the service first went online and is now currently in full swing for PS3 consoles running on Linux. Check out more details about this online streaming service after the jump!

Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates bid the Consumer Electronics Show a bittersweet farewell as he opened it for the last time in his legendary career. After showing a cool video of what he'll do after stepping down from Microsoft, Gates talked about the next 10 years in the electronics scene, earmarking touch screen, faster, and more accessible connectivity, and HD technology as the future's pillars. Head on to the full article for more details.

After Sony had its big ad campaign for the PlayStation 3, it's about time that Microsoft followed suit as well. The software and gaming mogul is said to be setting aside a hefty US$ 300 million in advertising most of its wares. More details in the full article.

Today the Xbox, tomorrow the world... well, the rest of the Microsoft products. In a recent interview with J Allard, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft - you may remember him from making a bet concerning dreadlocks - he explains that eventually Microsoft's online services will merge - like Zune and Xbox Live - and become one big network packaged in different forms of services (which is already true for most of their services anyway). Read more about it in the full article.

What would you do if your place doesn't have an internet connection? No internet for your PC or even for your Xbox 360. No Xbox Live. Well this guy went to great lengths to get his fix of the world wide web: he used his phone.

He connected his phone to his PC and gave it an Internet connection. That wasn't enough for him though: he then connected his PC to his Xbox 360 and that worked too. Now both systems have a connection through his phone. Go to the full article for more details.

A good old one-two to divert the attention away from the competition would be similar to what Ultimate series creators i-Mate did recently: drop two high-end bombshells. Introducing i-Mate's Ultimate 8502 and 9502, two QWERTY high-end cellphones running on Windows Mobile 6 operating system and sporting a specifications set like other sweet features decked on the competition's bleeding edge mobiles.

The 8502 and 9502 go all out black, though the 9502 (image to your right) sports quad-band GSM, 3.5G connectivity, and tri-band HSUPA powered through Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 operating system. It also comes with a video out port aside from providing crystal clear, crisp images through its sliding VGA LCD display, and LED flash for still captures.

But yes, it also jogs all the way down to the 2.5 millimeter audio jack, which doesn't quite broaden your headset options.

The 8502 in contrast touts a more simplistic design (no slide-down LCD screen), though its feature set is anything but simplistic. Aside from the usual WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth connectivity, you get 256 MB ROM and 128 MB RAM from the get-go, plus the 9502's 400 MHz Qualcomm processor. The camera slices down to a 2.0 megapixels from the 9502's 3.0 megapixel camera.

There are no details yet on price and retail shipping yet, so we can't tell you how much moolah you'll have to burn for i-Mate's new muscle gizmos. But as soon as they come up, we'll let you know. For now, feel free to visit i-Mate's website to take a gander at these beauties. The link redirects you to the Ultimate 9502 section.

If you've ever been told off by your teacher for bringing your handheld gaming device to school, then you probably should try studying in the UK. RedHalo is a new company which offers a "free, ultra-secure, Personal Learning Space" that they can use for schoolwork on handhelds and home games consoles.

The new service was discussed during the recent Handheld Learning Conference in London. It basically allows access from any gaming devices capable of connecting to the 'Net such as Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP, or even smartphones, iPhones, PDAs, and UMPCs.

However, it isn't all fun and games. Neil Critchell, Technical Director for RedHalo, explains that this is an experimental type of learning through a controlled environment, monitored by teachers. Since just about every kid owns a handheld or a mobile device of some sort, accessibility won't be much of a problem when learning through this service.

The free, basic package included in the RedHalo Platform edition offers up to 1GB of Personal Learning Space and can be upgraded to 5GB on the Pro Edition for a small annual fee. It also provides additional security features and bundled software for either Windows Mobile, XP, or Vista-based devices.

Tim Chaney, former boss of Virgin Interactive and Director at RedHalo Ltd., had this to about the new project:

We are pleased to be at the leading edge of the learning while mobile movement and establish a standard that will help learners and educators, as well as publishers and developers who will build upon our platform. Our mission is to make learning personal and universally accessible; this announcement takes us a step closer.

If the iPod can make the transition to the iPhone (and the reverse could be said for its new line), can the Zune make the transition to the mobile industry? Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Mindy Mount says that it's not unreasonable. Not a yes, but definitely not a no. The comment was made during a global technology conference held by Citigroup.

A Zune phone is not unfamiliar. Around the same time last year, Microsoft was all thumbs up for the idea saying that "a Zune phone is definitely part of the future of this brand." Also, an FCC filing earlier this year was filed by Microsoft (and others) that indicates a "Zune derivative" phone. Perhaps they have changed their minds with the arrival of the iPhone?

Rumors have been circling around that Microsoft may buy the company who makes the Blackberry phone line, Research in Motion (RIM). Microsoft denies this though, saying that their strategy is to integrate the Windows Mobile into its products while RIM  (according to Microsoft) focuses only on its handsets.

But to clear up any confusing notion, Mount's complete quote ran like this: "It wouldn't be unreasonable to think at some point there might [be] some integrated thing." It's probably not hinting at anything and might have only been said as a passing comment. However, it does mean the Microsoft is not closed to the idea, and there's still the FCC filing, so it could still be something.

Reports of Sling Media working on making their Slingbox placeshifting device compatible with Apple's new Apple TV have been confirmed according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog. The confirmation was reportedly made by Dave Zatz, an employee at Sling Media.

For those who have yet to encounter it, the Slingbox is a TV streaming device that lets users stream and view video from their AV sources (DVD player, TiVo, etc.) remotely on their Internet-capable PCs. It also has an IR blaster that lets users control their AV source as if they were in their living rooms and using a standard remote control.

The report from The Unofficial Apple Weblog says that the Slingbox Pro will apparently connect to the Apple TV via the component outputs. It will give users access not only to their videos but also to their entire iTunes library. Users can also reduce bandwidth by choosing audio only mode on the SlingPlayer software.