On Friday some Windows users (Vista Home Premium and Ultimate) awoke to find that their "Media Center" program had downloaded an upgrade: the beta version of Microsoft Internet TV. The program is a menu of TV shows, live concerts, and movie trailers (no movies yet) that stream near-DVD quality content onto your computer, or with an extender, onto your TV. The content is free (ad supported), with just one commercial appearing before the program begins.

Right now the menu is pretty limited: For us the only selling point is the episodes of Arrested Development that are available (though non-Vista users can also watch them here). But in the future, this easy and legal way to stream content will no doubt become more advanced. It's almost enough to make me wish I were a Windows user. But given the myriad complaints about Vista out there, I'm not selling my MacBook yet. — S.E. Kramer

Via Microsoft