Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Bebo Adopts Windows Live Messenger

By

Bebo Adopts Windows Live MessengerSocial network Bebo has announced that it will team up with Microsoft to use Windows Live instant messaging on its site.  Bebo is especially popular in the UK, and the new service will let its users – which number around 36 million globally – to both import and export contacts between their Bebo pageand their Windows Live list.   Additionally, there are plans to introduce a feature whereby users would be able to message each other directly from their page, simply by adding an “IMMe” icon.   Bebo has discovered that about 90% of its users also use Windows Live Messenger, so the partnership seems obvious.   “Our core strength is not building applications.We’re more of an open platform and much more likely to partner than build it ourselves,” said Joanna Shields, president of Bebo’s international business.   Microsoft has around 300 millionWindows Live users, but this is the first time the company has partnered on a communications service with a social networking site.

Editors’ Recommendations

Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…
Apple might be releasing a HomePod mini 2 in early 2025
homepod mini side top

The HomePod mini first launched in 2020 to mediocre praise. While Apple fans celebrated the bite-sized speaker, other critics pointed out that it lacked the intelligence of its competitors. The main selling point of the HomePod mini is its sound quality; now that so many other smart speakers have rid themselves of the tinny audio that first plagued their launch, Apple will need to step it up if it introduces the rumored HomePod mini 2 next year.

Unfortunately, it seems the planned upgrades aren't that noteworthy, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new smart home speaker is said to come equipped with Apple's in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. This would allow the HomePod mini 2 to connect more easily and with greater bandwidth than the current model of HomePod.

Read more
This solar-powered security camera is $90 off at Walmart today
The Anran 2K Security Camera.

You can’t put a premium on peace of mind, and fortunately, most home security devices are cheaper and easier to install than ever before. This is also a part of the consumer tech marketplace that sees constant ingenuity, resulting in products like the one we’re about to throw the spotlight on:

Right now, when you purchase the Anran 2K Security Camera at Walmart, you’ll only pay $80. At full price, this model sells for $170.

Read more
Lymow shows off robotic lawn mower with mulching blades, tracked treads at CES
The Lymow One cutting through grass.

Lymow is hoping to shake up the robotic lawn mower industry later this year with the Lymow One -- an upcoming mower equipped with mulching blades and unique tracked treads. The team’s goal is to “fully replace traditional mowers,” making your lawn maintenance routine easier than ever before. The Lymow One was on full display at CES 2025, and it boasts an impressive list of stats that make it a smart home gadget to watch ahead of its launch in April.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Lymow One is its mowing deck, which houses professional-grade mulching blades. These are common on ride-on and traditional lawnmowers and should provide a better cut than the metal sheet swing blades found on many other robotic lawn mowers. The two blades are powered by a brushless motor capable of a peak output of 1,200 watts (spinning them at 6,000 RPM and cutting at a width of 16 inches). In other words, it should have no problem cutting through even the most overgrown of backyards.

Read more