Microsoft became the first major instant messaging service to connect directly to Facebook Chat.

An update released by Microsoft to its Window Live Essentials 2011 beta on Tuesday makes it faster, more efficient and more social.

Now, users will be able to sent instant message to their Facebook friends who are logged into the social-network service.

This addition is part of an update to the test versions of the next generation of Windows Live programs. This feature will be available to users of United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and Brazil.

You can download the Windows Live Essentials beta here.

Facebook tops the list of “World’s Most Innovative Companies 2010.”

Compiled annually by Fast Company, a US magazine which focuses on innovation, digital media and technology and list the 50 most innovative companies from around the world.

The top 10 out of the 50 are as follows:

1. Facebook
2. Amazon
3. Apple
4. Google
5. Huawei
6. First Solar
7. PG&E
8. Novartis
9. Walmart
10. HP

Last year’s topper Team Obama, the e-campaigning team behind the successful presidential race, did not even feature in the entire list. Google went down two spot to no. 4, while Apple climbed up a place to feature third and Amazon climbed 7 places to finish second. Twitter also made its debut at no. 50 while Microsoft despite launching it’s latest operating system – Windows 7 – barely made it at no. 48.

Facebook was ranked at no. 15 last year.

“Now available in 70 languages and every country, the 400-million-user strong King of Social Media has managed a balance between insane growth and staying true to its core identity. Zuckerberg’s relentless embrace of his founding hacker philosophy encourages Facebook engineers to “break things in order to make them better” and allows them to change products and introduce new services as often as some users change profile pics,” writes Mark Borden.

Go here for a full list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies 2010.

Microsoft, probably the biggest and the leading multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports computer software, is reported to be indulging on talks with CrowdStar. The social game company, CrowdStar, is behind the hit Facebook games, Happy Aquarium and Know-it-all Trivia. Microsoft is said to be planning its big entry into the world of social games.

A week after Microsoft announced that it will bring Zynga games to its online properties, such as MSN and Windows Messenger, Bloomberg Business Week has reported that Microsoft has already expressed its intent to purchase CrowdStar for $200 million. Microsoft is already engaging in talks with the social game company. It is said that a deal may be made in a few weeks. $200 million is a staggering number but is roughly half the amount that the publishing giant, Electronic Arts, paid for Playfish.

CrowdStar may not be as popular as Zynga or Playfish. (Zynga is responsible for making Facebook fanatics go gaga over games such as Farmville and Mafia Wars while Playfish created a craze with their games such as Pet Society and Country Story.) It can still be considered as a great investment since it ranks fourth among the biggest developers on the social networking site. Its hit game Happy Aquarium is actually ranked as the sixth most popular game. In addition, CrowdStar has only been in this business for two years but this fall, it was able to gain $1 million per month profit.

Representatives from both companies remain mum about the reported talks. Meanwhile, Microsoft has expressed that they would not comment on rumors or speculations.

The staggering usage growth of Facebook continues unabated as the company achieves yet another milestone – 100 million U.S. unique visitor in November. Accoridng to comScore, this is the first time the social networking site has exceeded that monthly mark.

Just recently, Aol celebrated its re-emergence as an independently-traded company. It was the fourth largest Website in the U.S. until last month. Comscore data for November, 2009 shows that Facebook went past Aol with 102.9 million unique visitors in the U.S., against Aol’s 99.7 million. The other leaders are Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google with 130, 160 and 168 million U.S. visitors respectively.

On a global basis, Facebook already passed Aol back in Febuary 2009 to become the fouth largest site worldwide. With the current pace of Facebook, it might not take long to catch up Microsoft, Yahoo, or Google.

How long do you guys think Facebook will take to become the largest Website in U.S.?

[Source: Washington Post]