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01.30.06
Microsoft's Windows Live Power Play
 By
Neville Hobson
Participating in the first UK preview of Windows Live in London last Thursday
evening was a worthwhile experience.
 This
event was the first public (ie, to a private group) UK presentation of and discussion
about the collection of new internet-based services from Microsoft that are currently
in beta testing.
I've not yet directly experienced any of the constituent parts of Windows Live (I'm on the beta sign-up waiting lists) other than pop in now and again to the website portal and play a bit with the Ajax-based customization features where you can add and subtract content that will appear in your personalized page.
Here's a screenshot so you can get an idea:
As I mentioned in conversation at the event, I've not been that impressed with it. Ok, it is a beta, but it's not been anything that has really held my attention or interest other than to note that it's in development and will likely be a big consumer offering once it moves into the more polished and getting-to-final development stages. Still pay attention to what's happening with it, in other words.
What I learned last Thursday is that this view is pretty narrow and barely scratches the surface of what Windows Live is actually all about.
So what is Windows Live? Briefly, it comprises these layered services:
You can read the Microsoft press release from last November for the formal description of Windows Live, and there's a pretty good review by Paul Thurrott that goes into some detail about it all and links to an interesting analysis of the evolution of MSN into Windows Live.
So last Thursday's event in London was worthwhile in providing everyone there (some 30 people plus MSN and the PR agency) with a better focus on the overall offering and where it's at in its development cycle.
That's not the half of it, though.
Listening to the presentation by Phil Holden, the director of Windows Live at Microsoft in Redmond, and chatting with him afterwards, it became pretty clear to me that Microsoft intends to be a very big player in the area of consumer-focused personalized content and information management (to coin a cumbersome and probably not wholly accurate descriptive phrase).
This is a hot area, one where there is already a number of serious players such as Google and Yahoo!, not to mention myriad start-ups and others offering internet-based life-management tools and services in one form or another.
So a lot went on at the Windows Live event, lots of information to absorb. This
wasn't the kind of event where NDAs
were asked for. Nevertheless, you use your common sense on what you might discuss
in a blog, for instance. With that in mind, here are some of my thoughts and impressions
about much of what Phil said in his presentation:
Read
the Full Article
About the Author:
Neville Hobson is the author of the popular NevOn
blog which focuses on business communication and technology. |
