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Irish Users Benefit From Windows Live. by SoftwareGuru Monday 22nd December 2008 As an avid reader of IT news, I've been following the debate over Microsoft's branding issues closely as I see it as part of the evolutionary process of how we use the internet. To illustrate my point, cast your eye over the next sentence and try not to get a headache. Microsoft offers MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and Office Communicator; it offers Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Mail; and it offers Live Search Mobile, Live Search for Windows Mobile, Windows Live for Mobile, and Windows Live for Windows Mobile. For each category, the individual program plays to a different customer. Fine in theory but in reality it's so confusing that people opt for a rival program or service that's simpler to understand what it does at a glance. Arguably this has cost Microsoft dearly in terms of Search, Social Networking and now possibly Email as well. To win back your favour, Microsoft know they have to offer you something better than you are currently using and this is where things get really interesting.	Windows Live Explained
	From Leader To Underdog To...? Fact 1: the internet is now an important part of our daily business lives. Fact 2: our busy schedules mean we need better organisation and time management tools, especially when using online services. Fact 3: no-one has yet to fully conquer the desktop. Competition is great for innovation and also your wallet. Google Desktop has won many admirers and I personally have started to use NetVibes as my online desktop so as to manage a vast multitude of online information. Sure, Vista has it's desktop widgets but the tailored one-stop-life-hub that we're now crying out for has yet to materialise...or has it? Enter Windows Live.
Your Online Desktop I would compare the online desktop battle as similar to the Media Player war that was fought a few years ago. RealPlayer was the early leader, tried to force its own file type on users and subsequently lost user trust. Microsoft Media Player tried the same approach with its WMVs and WMAs but eventually saw the light, accepted that it should play all file types and held on to some users in the face of the iTunes phenomenon (personally I use Anapod for my iPod as iTunes' incompatibility with Windows folders is a joke). In the end, the user and customer will always choose the product which offers them the most usability and flexibility. So when we now consider online desktops, it's possible that arriving late on the scene could be a blessing in disguise for both us and Microsoft. Windows Live has the potential to do for the online desktop what iTunes did for the media player. The signs are promising with new Windows Live features being added regularly including: - SkyDrive: Free 25GB online storage feature, - Free Desktop Programs, - Microsoft Office Live, - Hotmail: New user-friendly and much faster - MSN: Integrated social networking - Mesh: connect all your digital devices - plus the prospect of the next Microsoft OS in 2010 opening up a truly interactive online desktop. Bottom line is this, if you want your online desktop to be amazing tell Microsoft what you would like to see, using the Windows Live Feedback Form. The future can be whatever we imagine.

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