Windows & Interoperability - eWeek

Windows & Interoperability: Windows Live Wave 3: Microsoft Hangs 10

By Joe Wilcox on 2008-11-13


Microsoft officially launches on Nov. 13 new and revamped Windows Live services that will start rolling out over the coming weeks and, internationally, into 2009.

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Windows Live Wave 3 introduced a radically redesigned home page, which is Facebook-like in how it provides information about friends in the user's network or groups. A navigation banner is consistent across most services. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

Windows Live Hotmail has a fresh new look. Microsoft has greatly improved features for e-mailing photos; Microsoft research found that e-mail and instant messaging are how most people share pictures. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

The new Profile page provides a consolidated view of personal and friends' activities. It's communications central. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

New feature Web Activities pulls information from feeds into Windows Live home and profile pages. While Microsoft plans on Windows Live being a companion to Facebook and MySpace, feeds aren't yet available for these services. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

Microsoft has enhanced Windows Live Calendar and also Windows Live Contacts (not shown). Calendar is also available from a link on the home page banner bar. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

Windows Live Events lets people publicize goings-on to people in their network or groups. The feature taps into other Live services, such as maps. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

Windows Live Groups, another new feature, makes available core features, such as calendars and file storage, to groups of 20 or fewer people. Group participants can share and collaborate. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

Windows Live SkyDrive offers more storage (25GB, up from 5GB) and better integration across other Microsoft cloud consumer services. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

The Photos feature is a catch-up service for Microsoft. The company now treats photo sharing with the respect it deserves as a social networking activity. New features include the ability to associate tags with people in photos. (Image: Courtesy of Microsoft.)

Windows Live Spaces carries over some vestiges of Windows-centricity. The service doesn't yet share the same look and feel as its sibling products or as tight integration among them. (Image: Joe Wilcox, Microsoft-Watch.com)

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