14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s operating systems have been redesigned to fit the need for always-connected devices and services, and the same is planned for the company’s Windows Live offering.
The service, announced back in 2005, was meant to provide users with the software and services that would interest them most, and it now needs reshaping to meet such demands.
Over 500 million people around the world are already using the Windows Live services, Microsoft notes. There are 350 million active Hotmail users, 300 million active Messenger users, and over 130 million SkyDrive users.
Moreover, Windows Live Essentials applications are being used by an increasing number of people, and software such as Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker, or Windows Live Mail are among the most popular in their categories.
However, since Windows 8 and Windows Phone propose a new approach to how users can stay connected, Microsoft is also considering means to rally Windows Live services to fit them.
“Windows 8 provides us with an opportunity to reimagine our approach to services and software and to design them to be a seamless part of the Windows experience, accessible in Windows desktop apps, Windows Metro style apps, standard web browsers, and on mobile devices,” Microsoft’s Chris Jones explains.
“Today the expectation is that a modern device comes with services as well as apps for communication and sharing. There is no ‘separate brand’ to think about or a separate service to install – it is all included when you turn on your PC for the first time.”
However, the Redmond-based software giant is also working on means to ensure that users also have control over the services they access, as well as over the information they share on the web.
With a Microsoft account for example, Microsoft products and services are at hand: users can sign in into Windows 8 PCs, or can check billing for services like Xbox LIVE, Zune, and the Windows 8 app store.
Such an account also offers access to services like contact list, calendar, inbox, instant messaging and cloud storage and can be created by providing an email address and additional verification information.
These services are accessible from both the PC and Windows Phone, as well as through apps that have been designed to support them.
“Because these services are a part of your Microsoft account, they are shared across all Microsoft products and services,” Chris Jones continues.
“For example your contact list is shared across Windows Phone, Windows 8, Hotmail, Messenger, and SkyDrive, so when you add a contact in one place, it shows up in the cloud and on all of your other devices and services.”
A Microsoft account would also offer access to SkyDrive, to benefit from cloud storage for documents, photos, the phone’s camera roll, as well as for settings from the PC.
“Windows 8 is designed to be cloud-powered, so it comes with Metro style apps for communication, sharing, scheduling, photos, and videos. Preview versions of these apps come installed with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and include Mail, Calendar, People, Photos, Messaging, and SkyDrive,” Jones states.
“They’re all powered by cloud services, so when you sign in with your Microsoft account, your email, calendar, contacts, messages, and shared photo albums show up right in your apps.”
Basically, Windows Live (ID) accounts will be replaced with Microsoft accounts, and Windows Live services will have simplified names, such as Storage / Docs, Email, Calendar, Contacts, Messaging, or Photos/ Videos. All of them will be integrated in Windows 8 and Windows Phone.