Microsoft

How many email addresses do you have? I have about five. My main email account for family and friends, one for newsletters and junk, an oldie I keep around for long-time friends, and a few others I use for professional reasons. Having all these email accounts is good for keeping spam out of my main inbox but can prove to be tricky when I forget the log-in info.

This dilemma is now a thing of the past for Hotmail users, since Microsoft launched alias accounts, which allow you to compartmentalize your digital life without needing to remember multiple sign-ins; you can access them all from your main Hotmail account. Find out more, including how many aliases you can have at once after the jump.

Over the holiday weekend, Hotmail users worldwide have been reporting disappearing emails from their inboxes. Microsoft claims it's not a widespread issue, but acknowledged that there is a problem and is working with impacted users to resolve it. The company expects to recover the missing messages completely.

According to affected users, inboxes and folders have been completely emptied; some even thought their accounts might have been hacked. It's the perfect time for a quick reminder: back up important emails regularly! But if you do suspect you've been hacked somewhere along the way, I've got some quick tips on how to handle it, and what to do next after the jump.

Well, it looks like the rumored Samsung tablet with slide-out keyboard is real. According to The New York Times, Microsoft is set to reveal several tablet devices at this year's CES in Las Vegas, including a Samsung keyboard model. In addition to Samsung, Dell and "a number of other manufacturing partners" are said to be producing the devices, which will run a version of Windows 7 or maybe even an all-new Windows 8, according to one source.

The device, which will be about the same size as the iPad but not as thin, will also have a layered interface that displays when the keyboard is hidden, perhaps encouraging it to be used more like a tablet and less like a computer or netbook. “The company believes there is a huge market for business people who want to enjoy a slate for reading newspapers and magazines and then work on Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint while doing work,” said a source familiar with the project.

It's safe to say that the Kinect is the must-have gift this holiday, but it looks like there might be some disappointed faces come Christmas. Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft's Xbox business unit, told audience members at the Web 2.0 Summit that if they want a Kinect in time for Christmas, they need to buy one within the week. Don speculates that at the rate Kinects are currently flying off shelves, there won't be any left by the time Christmas rolls around.

Microsoft moved one million Kinects in under two weeks and is projecting to sell five million by year's end. A quick look around the web shows that it's currently sold out online at GameStop, Amazon, Target, and BestBuy. Is this the equivalent of the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of the '80s or more recently, the great Wii shortage of 2007?

So, after all the years of dealing with the famous Get a Mac ads, you'd have to expect Microsoft to fire back at some point right? In its latest spot, Microsoft points out the Mac's lack of Blu-ray functionality in a cute stop motion and cartoony sort of way.

Sure, it's also a blatant promo for Avatar as well, but I think the ad is pretty creative. Check it out above and tell me what you think!

While testing out the Microsoft Kinect system this past week, there was one thing that kept running through my mind: Leonardo DiCaprio's breakdown scene in The Aviator (stick with me here). Unlike Howard Hughes, I don't have a crippling case of OCD, but I do think that the Kinect system is "the way of the future." Think about it — just a few short years ago, the Wii broke serious ground in the motion control arena, followed by the glowing remote of the PlayStation Move, but taking leaps and bounds ahead of that is the Kinect, which uses no controllers at all. Sure, some serious gamers will say that controller-less games are a fallacy and may be no more than a baby's toy. OK, fine. But here's something — maybe there's room for both.

The Xbox 360 has always kinda been known as "the gamers' console". There are plenty of games for hardcore gamers to choose from, and access to Xbox Live to play online with your friends makes it social, but really, the Kinect allows the Xbox to be the best of both worlds, fluffy and edgy, at the same time. It's obvious that Microsoft is targeting the "nongamer" for this system, as it's been featured on shows like Oprah and Ellen, and I believe that it will open up a huge market for Microsoft to tap into.

Find out more about the Kinect, along with the rest of my review after the break.

I finally caught one of the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 ads on TV last night, and although I've seen it before, I realized just how confusing it may be. The commercial is a full minute long and features people going about their daily activities completely distracted by their phones. There's a commuter on a bike, a female jogger, a dude standing at a urinal, and more. The real issue for me is when the commercial shows a distracted mother not minding her toddler.

If you watch the video straight through, you get the message: Microsoft designed a phone that won't distract you. But if you don't catch the very end of the commercial — or if you watch it with the sound off — it's completely confusing and sends a total mixed message. What do you think? Check out the full video after the break.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is a popular gaming system, but fans can use for much more than games given its streaming capabilities and Internet connectivity. Xbox Live, Microsoft's Xbox content service, now has 25 million subscribers worldwide, which is officially more than top cable company Comcast. This is bad news for the cable service, which has been seeing a recent decrease in subscriptions, down to 23 million subscribers nationwide.

Find out why Comcast should continue to worry after the jump.

Being woken up in a comfy bed by your dutiful butler, Jasper, doesn't seem like that bad of a deal for a young princess. I mean, you live in a castle, your brother is the king, and you have a hot boyfriend waiting for you in the garden. Seems awesome, right? As you begin your adventure in Fable III, which is available today on your Xbox 360 and PC, you realize that, in fact, not all is well in Albion. Picking up around 60 years from where Fable II left off, you quickly discover that it's up to you to change the future of the kingdom by sparking a revolution, and take your place on the throne. However, battling your way to the throne is just a means to an end. If you get there, you'll have to make some serious decisions on the future of your kingdom and take the side of good, which will help the people of Albion or veer evil in the footsteps of your tyrannical brother. The decision is yours.

I've been waiting a long time to experience Fable III, a continuation of the wildly popular Fable II release of 2008, and it didn't disappoint. Bringing together a sort of "choose your own adventure"-style game play, beautiful landscapes, and a whole new menu feature make this title a worthy successor to one of my favorite games of the past few years.

Find out more about Fable III, and read the rest of my review after the break.