 |
|
| technology > computing |
![[CNN Money]](http://i.cnn.net/cnn/images/main/fn.logo.newsnet.gif){kind=logo}
![[SI.com]](http://i.cnn.net/cnn/images/main/si.logo.gif){kind=logo}
( | |
 |
|
| |
| |
EDITIONS: | |
MULTIMEDIA: | |
E-MAIL: |
Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists. Enter your address: |
DISCUSSION: |
CNN WEB SITES: |
 |
TIME INC. SITES: |
CNN NETWORKS: |
|
SITE INFO: |
WEB SERVICES: |
MS tests games-on-tap in Sweden
|
(IDG) -- Under a business model similar to the red-hot application service provider (ASP) market for corporate users, Microsoft and Telia launched on Tuesday a new service that will allow consumers hooked up to the Swedish carrier's broadband Internet service to rent Microsoft games and applications.
The new service, called Telia Games on Demand, marks the first time Microsoft is offering home users the chance to rent, rather than buy, its software, Microsoft officials said.
Microsoft currently has no definitive plans to introduce online application renting for consumers outside Sweden, said Charlotte Laveson, a spokeswoman at Microsoft Sweden. The trial with Telia will be evaluated after six months, she added.
| MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE |
IDG.net home page
|
| Make your PC work harder with these tips |
| Download free PC software fast |
| TechInformer: The Thinking Internaut's Guide to the Tech Industry |
| IDG.net's products pages |
| Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net |
| E-BusinessWorld |
| IDG.net's Windows software page |
| Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you |
| Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletters |
|
Search IDG.net in 12 languages |
| News Radio |
Fusion audio primers
|
|
Computerworld Minute
|
In addition to games, Microsoft also plans to offer other software, such as encyclopedias and digital imaging applications, over the Telia Games on Demand service, gradually expanding the range of the software offerings, said Pierre Svensson, sales manager at Microsoft Sweden.
When ordered over Telia's broadband network, the Microsoft applications will be pushed to a user's home via streaming media technologies, Microsoft and Telia said.
The Telia Games on Demand service will include a broad range of offerings, ranging from games such as Age of Empires, Flight Simulator and Motorcross Madness to a Swedish-language version of the Encarta encyclopedia and Picture IT, a digital imaging application, Telia said in a statement.
The user experience will be comparable to accessing game software from a PC's CD-ROM drive, Telia said.
Users will be charged on an hourly basis, although Telia initially will offer the service to select customers in Stockholm on a flat-rate basis, Telia said.
By the end of the year, Telia expects to have signed agreements that potentially could extend the reach of its broadband network to as many as 1 million Swedish households, according to the statement. A nationwide backbone network is already in place, Telia said.
RELATED STORIES:
WebDC: How to take your Dreamcast online
January 11, 2000
Game consoles go online: A sampling of what's out there
November 10, 1999
Heirs to Baldur's Gate: 5 new games to watch for
November 2, 1999
Bandai to develop online games for cell phones
September 20, 1999
First look: Neverwinter Nights
August 12, 1999
RELATED IDG.net STORIES:
Telia's broadband unit deploys Web video chat
(IDG.net)
Telia eyes overseas expansion as IPO nears
(IDG.net)
Ericsson, Telia, Volvo form wireless car JV
(IDG.net)
Oracle, Telia form mobile Net services company
(IDG.net)
Microsoft details X-Box games console
(IDG.net)
Can Microsoft get game(rs)?
(The Industry Standard)
Microsoft opens up X-Box
(PC World Online)
RELATED SITES:
Microsoft
Telia
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.