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Microsoft Redefines "Going Live"
Microsoft, the behemoth of a corporation that so many love to hate yet can’t seem to live without, has seemingly been taking a bit of a beating lately, predominantly at the hands of Google (itself now in the midst of a love/hate relationship with the online public). But while public relations and marketing campaigns combined with product announcements fill the Silicon Valley air, Bill Gates and his armada of developers have been very busy, and not only with the upcoming Windows Vista operating system. Though closely linked with its forthcoming OS (component integration is the name of the game these days in everything from software to cell phones), Microsoft has been developing a broad suite of software applications that will (a) likely change they way we think about the Internet, (b) remind the world that Microsoft is still very much in the game and (c) never come in a box. Gates & Co. have always been focused on the long term vision. The building blocks of all the new and updated technologies that will be seen in Vista and other near-term product updates were, in large part, laid in the .Net strategy which began in earnest in 1999. The main purpose of this strategy is to contribute to the evolution of Web based computing through the development of a robust, cross-platform applications system. This is becoming more of a reality with each passing day, and we don’t have to wait for the long delayed Vista to see it – introducing Windows Live! Windows Live, currently in Beta form (taking a page from Google’s prolific Beta strategy perhaps) is a suite of personal and business Internet services and software designed to coalesce all of the tasks, relationships, information and interests people care about, in a more stylish, feature rich and secure online environment. Strikingly, many of these services will be available free of charge. What follows is a brief outline of some of the many components of the Live initiative: Live.com
Similar in most respects to the personal home page options offered by Google and Yahoo!, Live.com is a portal for access to all your other Web services.
Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Search
In the tradition of the Apple Dashboard and Konfabulator Widgets (now owned by Yahoo!), Microsoft is integrating a number of floating desktop utilities with Vista which can do anything from streaming sports scores to monitoring traffic cams. Windows Live Expo Expo is a place to post all the classified ads of the world, similar to Google Base. Windows Live Spaces An update of the recently launched My Spaces (competing with the likes of Google’s Blogger), Live Spaces will include Windows Live Contacts, Windows Live Favourites and Windows Live Domains services. Windows Live Messenger The next-generation MSN Messenger updated with new connectivity and customization features including VOIP. Office Live Separate from, but compatible with, the Windows Live services, Office Live is a central hub designed to help businesses manage their communications, collaborations, and enterprise operations online. Services such as hosting, analytics, data management, and more are available. Office Live is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office 2003. To find out more about our Internet Marketing Solutions, please call one of our sales representatives at 403-410-3803 or email us to discuss possibilities. |
The all-new Hotmail, built from the ground up to operate nearly identically to Microsoft Outlook. A desktop application is apparently also in development.
This service station offers virus cleaning and a comprehensive PC health checkup tools. A paid subscription desktop version, including integrated Windows Defender (the new Anti-Spyware application) and Windows Firewall, called Windows OneCare Live, is also available.
The new and improved version of the new and improved Microsoft Search includes new features and is connected to the Microsoft Toolbar and Windows Desktop Search. A mobile version is also available. A key element of Windows Live Search is Windows Live Local which will combine vertical, localized search (similar to Google Local) with mapping and satellite service Virtual Earth (think Google Maps).