Can you imagine the office somewhere in Microsoft HQ where a team of Xbox staff members have been hunkered down for months, locked in feverish negotiations with countless cable providers, and premium networks all over the world, trying to make their promise of “live TV on Xbox” a reality? Not too many companies would have been able to deliver on such a big promise, but Microsoft announced today that they’ve succeeded. (It’s worth noting that Microsoft’s list of nearly 40 partners is comprised more of video-on-demand services than live TV, but the live stuff is in there.)

AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon are the big headliners here in the U.S., but dozens of others have signed on for Xbox owners all over the world. Microsoft’s tactics seem to have been to get anyone and everyone they can onboard with their “New Xbox TV Experience,” as it’s being called, because aside from cable providers, their announced partnerships also include cable networks (like BBC, Bravo, and Syfy), premium networks (HBO), and even individual programs (The Today Show). There are also a number of Internet-based video providers on the list, and it’s a virtual “who’s who” that includes the likes of Crackle, Daily Motion, Epix, Hulu+, Netflix, Vevo, and YouTube.

The New Xbox TV Experience is optimized for Kinect users and enhanced with Bing voice search, so that (as you can see in the video above) all you have to do is tell your Xbox what you want to watch — be it a TV show or a movie — and Bing search will bring up every available instance of it for you to choose from.

Of course, most of this content will only be available to Xbox Live Gold members, and some of them, like HBO Go, have separate subscription fees as well. More than 20 countries will get the New Xbox TV Experience come this Christmas with the next Dashboard update. Users will find deep integration with Facebook and Twitter for social sharing, and as always, users can watch simultaneously with friends across the Internet, and use Kinect’s voice and gestures to control the action.

Check out the screenshots below, and then you’ll find the complete list of Xbox’s new partners at the bottom of this page.

• ABC iView – Australia
• AlloCiné – France, Germany, Spain, U.K.
• Antena 3 – Spain
• Astral Media’s Disney XD – Canada
• AT&T – U.S.
• BBC – U.K.
• Blinkbox – U.K.
• Bravo – U.S.
• BSkyB – U.K.
• Canal+ – France, Spain
• Channel 4 – U.K.
• Channel 5 – U.K.
• CinemaNow (Best Buy) – U.S.
• Comcast – U.S.
• Crackle – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
• Dailymotion – Available in 32 markets
• EPIX – U.S.
• ESPN – U.S.
• Facebook – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
• FOXTEL – Australia
• GolTV – Spain
• HBO GO – U.S.
• Hulu – Japan
• Hulu+ - U.S.
• iHeartRadio (Clear Channel) – U.S.
• Last.fm - U.K., U.S.
• LOVEFiLM – Germany, U.K.
• Manga Entertainment – U.S.
• Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment/Real Sports – Canada
• MediaSet – Italy
• MSN with MSNBC.com - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, U.K.
• MUZU.TV – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K.
• Netflix - Canada, U.S.
• Rogers On Demand Online (RODO) – Canada
• RTVE – Spain
• SBS On Demand - Australia
• Syfy – U.S.
• Telefonica – Spain
• Televisa – Mexico
• The Today Show - U.S.
• TELUS – Canada
• TMZ – U.S.
• Twitter - Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
• UFC – Canada, U.S.
• Verizon – U.S.
• VEVO – Canada, U.K., U.S.
• VimpelCom – Russia
• Vodafone Portugal – Portugal
• YouTube – Available in 22 markets
• ZDF – Germany
• Zune - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., U.S.

WIN: Chess, Algebra and Music
It’s a triple threat this week! Jonathan W. Stokes, blogger and man clearly gifted with superior intelligence and entirely too much time on his hands, used algebra to turn famous chess games into piano music, which he then turned into mp3s. It’s not often boardgames, mathematics and tunes get to have a hot threesome, so for that I tip my hat to Mr. Stokes.

FAIL: Microsoft Update
Monday’s Windows Phone 7 update designed, according to the Windows Team Blog, to “improve the software update process itself “, seems to have broken the phone. At least for some users, whose complaints Microsoft’s been fielding on their WindowsPhoneSupport Twitter account. The only recourse Microsoft is offering? Take it to a store. Why? Could it be because the update designed to improve the update process has screwed up the update process? And now unfortunate Windows Phone 7 users wait with great anticipation for the next update which will undeniably be intended to fix the previous update, but will only further &@#$ things up. Because that is The Microsoft Way.

WIN: French Kissing
Ever wanted to control your video game with one of the least graceful and most accident-prone acts of intimacy in the arsenal of human contact? Probably not. But now you can, regardless. Developer Hye Yeon Nam has created a video game controller that’s powered by French kissing. I’d make a joke about no geek ever being able to take the the Kiss Controller for a test drive, but it’s already been done to death. Yawn. Next.

WIN: Amazon Prime
Amazon announced plans to stream videos free to its Amazon Prime users, a paid service that offers shoppers free 2-day shipping on all qualifying products and, now, movies and TV on demand. Of course, Amazon has been offering on demand video for a long time now, so it’s really not much of a revelation. It is, however, a volley at Netflix, since Amazon’s Prime pricing works out to less per month than Netflix charges for its streaming-only subscription plan. The selection may not compare as yet, with Netflix offering the larger of the two, but we’re talking about Amazon, here. How long can it take for them to fire off another shot?

FAIL: 911 Calls
Specifically, 911 calls via Verizon. It’s been revealed that a staggering 10,000 calls to 911 were dropped in the Washington suburbs during the massive blizzard late last month. As you’d expect, the Federal Communications Commission is pretty darn upset. The FCC is asking Verizon investigate the issue out of fear that the problem may be more widespread than just that one area, and could happen on a large scale again. It’s not the first time 911 calls have been fouled during a blizzard (filed under New York City). Will the Snowpocalypse force carriers and responding agencies alike to review how they handle things when that abhorrent white stuff starts to fall?

Ever since the iPhone came out, there’s been talk about it moving over to Verizon. Speculation has been going rampant since day 1, and now there’s a new rumor about it coming back up to the surface, but this time it’s from the Wall Street Journal.

Apple Inc. plans to begin producing this year a new iPhone that could allow U.S. phone carriers other than AT&T Inc. to sell the iconic gadget, said people briefed by the company.

The new iPhone would work on a type of wireless network called CDMA, these people said. CDMA is used by Verizon Wireless, AT&T’s main competitor, as well as Sprint Nextel Corp. and a handful of cellular operators in countries including South Korea and Japan. The vast majority of carriers world-wide, including AT&T, use another technology called GSM.

With Apple developing a phone with CDMA capability, its exclusive U.S. arrangement with AT&T dating to 2007 appears set to end.

I’ve been hunting for this quote for a while now, but I haven’t been able to find it. I was under the impression that Apple and AT&T were stuck together until 2012. If it really is 2010, then come this summer, the iPhone may be Verizon bound.

So what does this mean if it is true?

First off, people will flock to Verizon in droves. I know I’m tired of dealing with AT&T and their crappy service, but they’d have to do some fancy things to lure me over for good. Like drop the price a bit, or offer to cover my ETF from AT&T. On the flip side, AT&T is going to have to really kiss some ass to keep people on their side. Cheaper plans, cheaper upgrades, and better service. If I had a dollar for every dropped call I’ve had with AT&T, I’d have 20 iPhones.

I do wonder though if this just makes Verizon that much more of an evil empire. I was never with them before because their plans were always $40 more for what I needed. Will they really be good to Apple’s fanbase, or will they be as evil as they’ve been in the past?

Of course, there could be another interesting twist here. Apple could open it up to everyone if they wanted to. Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon could all get the iPhone potentially. That levels the playing field and gives Apple a huge base. Would the networks be willing to give up exclusivity to have arguably the best device on the market? To know that they’ve got the same as their competitors and the only difference will be the service?

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to hear about Apple’s newest iPhone this summer.

It’s a desktop phone, really! But it sure does look like something from a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible movie, doesn’t it. I think it’s the screen monitor that made this stand out as it works it as the main console to operate everything in the unit.

It’s designed to make a family manage their connected life. In addition to the regular voice phone features it adds voice mail, contact list management, text messaging, calendar alerts and several monitors like for temperature, the weather and more. It works with any broadband provider, that’s a plus!

It’s a VOIP phone, so it will work wherever an internet wireless spot is around. Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon and Vodafone Group PLC, will sell the phone in its retail stores beginning Feb. 1. It costs $199 after a $50 rebate. Customers must sign a two-year contract with a monthly charge of $35.