Windows Live Gets a Facelift

Introducing... the new Windows Live... the official Windows Live home page has gotten a face lift, and you can access the final result either in the screenshot included on the left or via Home.Live.com. The old and barren web page of Live.com is no more. While in the past Live.com was little distinguishable from Google's default page in terms of graphics design and concept, now Microsoft has taken Windows Live in a whole different league. Well, in all fairness, you have been able to read about the cosmetization of the Windows Live home page since a couple of days ago. But at this time you can also visit the page and get an idea of what changes Microsoft has implemented.

One important aspect of the redesign is that fact that the Redmond company is now betting on its own resources. Rather than permitting the user to personalize the stripped down and basic Windows Live page, Microsoft has transformed the page to centralize the access to a variety of products and services reunited under the Windows Live brand umbrella. And you have to keep in mind that Windows Live is designed to act as an extension of the Windows operating system. And with the new home page, Windows Live offers a peek into the evolution of the Windows Live online platform as Microsoft's own operating system in the cloud.

As it is, the Windows Live default home page no longer emphasizes exclusively Live Search, but also Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Spaces, Windows Live OneCare. Users can now easily navigate to their email inbox, to the Windows Live Messenger page, to the Windows Live Gallery and even to MSN. In this manner, Microsoft indicates that it has finally understood that the overall success of the Windows Live brand does not rely solely on Live Search but is a sum of the suite of services and products it is offering. And to top it all off, Microsoft has also given a new meaning to the term "live". Users will notice that the Windows Live color scheme will change in accordance with the time of day.