In the midst of the launch of the new Windows Live services, which included the update to Games for Windows Live yesterday, the Microsoft Store officially opened for US businesses.

Previously, the company opened at UK, Germany, and Korea, and both hardware and software would be sold by Microsoft. Furthermore, it also offers the option to purchase software, either as physical media or as a download.

The store would instantly provide many versions of Vista (both full versions and upgrades) and Office and its related components.

Software giant Microsoft announced that it is revamping Windows Live Web services into a complete social networking site in proportion to Facebook.

The changes include updated photo sharing, news feeds, an instant messaging, blogging, e-mail, and lots more.

With shares of Yahoo Inc. plunging on Friday, Steve Ballmer, CEO Microsoft Corp. said at a business lunch in Sydney that Microsoft is no longer interested in “revisiting a possible acquisition” of the struggling Yahoo. Still, he did suggest a partnership in the search engine market is possible.

Ballmer’s latest remarks follow Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang’s statement earlier this week that he remained “very open minded” about a full or partial merger with Microsoft.

Software giant Microsoft, joined by rivals Google and Yahoo, has launched a local mapping service for India, which offers users access to detailed listings and street maps for 9 Cities, business listings across 29 cities, and access to highway networks to 20,000 cities and towns.

Microsoft's India Development Centre (MSIDC) in Hyderabad has developed the first version of the service, on the PC and mobile at http://maps.live.co.in and http://m.live.co.in.

It's been almost a year since Yahoo Inc. has been searching for alternatives to Microsoft Corp's buyout offer. But recently Yahoo Inc.'s Chief Executive, Jerry Yang confirmed that he is still in favor of the deal between Yahoo! and Microsoft, as it can help Yahoo!, which currently is facing a lot of pressure.