Advertisers know that the Super Bowl has a massive viewing audience, which is why they’re willing to pay $3.8 million to air a 30-second commercial during the game. The Super Bowl commercials are an event unto themselves, and probably attract a fair number of viewers who could really care less about the football game itself.

With each passing year, social networks play a more prominent role in TV viewing in general–and especially for the Super Bowl. There are a variety of “second screen” tools available to extend and enhance the viewing experience, and viewers constantly post comments and updates about the game on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

Perhaps nothing exemplifies the rise of social media more, though, than the fact that a tweet from Oreo has garnered more attention than any of the multi-million dollar TV commercials–including the spot aired by Oreo. By taking advantage of the moment, Oreo captured the attention of the Super Bowl audience, and generated buzz that has lasted well beyond the game itself.

Check out “How Oreo stole the show at the 2013 Super Bowl” for more analysis.

In Windows Phone 7 Mango, Windows Live Messnger is woven into the fabric of the messaging hub and provides one-stop access to instant messaging, text messaging, social networks, group chat, and more. An Inside Windows Live blog post explains the seamless integration, “For example, if we’re both online in Messenger, it will use Messenger IM so that we can share rich photos and more, but if we’re Facebook friends or just have each other’s phone numbers, it will automatically select the right service for our conversation. Of course, you can always choose (and easily switch to) the service you want to use for any given conversation based on presence, network availability, cost, and personal preferences.”

I used a Windows Phone 7 smartphone for a couple weeks, and found it capable, but I wasn’t blown away. By the end of the two weeks I was anxious to get back to my iPhone 4. But, I have to say that I am looking forward to taking Windows Phone 7 for another spin once Mango hits the street. Microsoft really seems to be innovating and developing Windows Phone 7 into a solid smartphone contender.