You probably knew Microsoft was officially launching Windows 7 today after months of beta testing. But that doesn't mean that CEO Steve Ballmer didn't have a few surprises up his sleeve at launch event.

Some of the coolest new features weren't actually from Microsoft. Partners including CBS, Netflix, and Amazon introduced new applications that work with Windows 7.

CBS content including full-length TV shows will now be available directly from Windows 7 Media Center. At a time when Fox, NBC, and ABC are making streaming content available through the Hulu web site, CBS has been holding out. And now maybe we know why. While Hulu Desktop presents a pretty decent 10-foot interface for watching Hulu content, the usage agreement says you're technically not supposed to plug in a TV to use the application. Windows 7 Media Center, on the other hand, is all about making the experience of watching PC content on a big screen TV easier.

Microsoft also announced that there will be an updated version of the Netflix streaming video app for Windows 7 Media Center as well as integration with the Zune video podcast library and content from MSN and MSNBC.

Meanwhile, Amazon is introducing a new Kindle application for Windows 7. It supports multi-touch gestures and allows you to read Kindle eBooks with color photos and supports pinching to zoom. So if you don't feel like dropping $260 on a physical Kindle, it looks like you can turn your Windows 7 notebook or tablet into an eBook reader capable of handling content from the Kindle store... albeit one with much shorter battery life than the Kindle eBook reader.

Today's announcement shows that Amazon is expanding its Kindle ecosystem well beyond dedicated devices. The company also offers an iPhone version of the Kindle reader. The Kindle for PC application will be available in November.

[via SlashGear]

Firs there was Windows XP Media Center Edition. Then there was Windows Vista with media center features built into the operating system. But while Microsoft has built an excellent 10-foot interface for interacting with TV, video, radio, and and pictures from your couch, the company has never put together a simple interface for accessing your content from further away. Say, from the office or a friend's house.

Developer Doug Berrett stepped up to the plate and developed WebGuide, a popular tool for scheduling recordings remotely and for streaming recorded television programs over the web from your home PC.

Well, it looks like Microsoft noticed Berrett's work, and the company went and hired him. While this is great news for Berrett, it's also good news for you. Because it means that WebGuide is now available as a free download. No more $18 fee to register your software.

Berrett will be working with the Media Center team to push Media Center "into the high-end custom installation market," which means he won't be offering updates to WebGuide anymore. But he did push out one final release yesterday. Updates for Windows Vista and Windows XP MCE 2005 editions include:

• Updated "now playing" screen to not update the progress bar as often in full screen mode
• Fixed login text entry on Xbox 360
• Added auto-redirect to mobile pages for mobile devices

Congratations Doug!

Come September, Zap2it Labs will no longer offer the free TV guide data used by PC-based personal video recording software like MythTV, Media Portal, and GB-PVR.

Well, there's good news and bad news for anyone using those programs. There are at least two groups, CTpvr and Schedules Direct (formerly known as Easy TV Data) planning to pick up where Zap2it leaves off next month. And it looks like they're both pretty close to having their systems in place. That's the good news.

The bad news is that neither group will be able to offer the data for free. Zap2it is owned by Tribune Media Services. That's the same company that will provide information for th new services, but it won't be free. Neither CTpvr and Schedules Direct, and both companies have set prices yet, but both say they'll have to charge customers for the data.

On the one hand, it's not like the data's not worth anything. TiVo charges customers a monthly fee for program guide data. Without that information, your box is a lot less useful. But if you have a PC-based PVR, now you have a a choice to make. Pay for a commercial PVR applications like BeyondTV, SageTV, and Windows Media Center which won't be affected. Or get a free software and pay for the program guide.

Now that internet TV platform Joost is actually signing deals to get content you might actually want to watch from CBS, MTV, Comedy Central and other networks, you might be wondering how to watch Joost on your TV set.

While Joost really does make watching online videos a bit more like watching TV and a bit less like surfing the web, you still pretty much need to use a keyboard to navigate. And that means even if you run a line from the video-out port on your computer or graphics card to your TV, it's no easy feat to watch Joost on the big screen.

Luckily, you can map the keyboard shortcuts to most PC remote controls. And you can even add an icon to your Windows Media Center Program Library that will start and stop Joost. Here are a few tips: