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Live Mesh Service update
With Live Mesh you can synchronize data across multiplae devices (currently just Windows computers, but theoretically it will extend to mobile and other devices in the future) as well as to a web desktop that exists in the cloud. It can sync data across devices used by a single users, as well as create shared spaces for multiple users.
Live Mesh is a Windows Live service so you can expect it to work with other Live suite services, including the Live ID sign-on, formerly Passport, Live Mail and Microsoft Connect. It's not just SkyDrive.
New Features:
- Sync Live Mesh folders peer-to-peer only, excluding your Live Desktop
- File conflicts management on the Live Desktop.
- Added news events for New Live Mesh folder and Delete Live Mesh folder.
Fixes:
- Improved performance when syncing files peer-to-peer.
- Better coalescing for news events.
- News performance and scale improvements.
Version Numbers:
- Live Mesh software: 0.9.3103.2
- Live Desktop: 0.9.3103.3
View: Live Mesh
View: Live Mesh Blog
Live Mesh Updated
Tired of having to keep UAC enabled just to use Live Mesh and it being only available in the US?
Well, the Live Mesh team has released an update that fixes this and more:
"The Live Mesh team has been working hard to fix bugs reported by our Tech Preview users and to address top requested features (such as removing the requirement that UAC be enabled in Windows Vista). Below is a list of the most prominent fixes implemented in the latest Live Mesh release. Thank you for all your great feedback!"
- Live Mesh is now available in all English-speaking countries (not just the U.S.)
- Index for Desktop Search now works with Live Mesh folders
- Removed the User Account Control (UAC) requirement when installing and using Live Mesh with Windows Vista SP1
- Fixed bug where an underscore in a Hotmail account name returned an "Invalid Hotmail Address" error
- Fixed bug with Silverlight 2 Beta 2 failing to load in Silverlight Media View
- Fixed bug where the notifier tooltip incorrectly indicated that Live Mesh Remote Desktop was unavailable for a computer running in non-admin mode
- Fixed bug where the Live Mesh folder icon was not displayed in the e-mail inviting someone to share a folder
- Fixed one of the bugs that caused Live Mesh to fail to start
- Fixed problem with Live Mesh returning errors when waking from sleep/hibernate
View: Live Mesh Tech Preview
View: Live Mesh Blog
Source: LiveSide
Windows Live Writer CTP Released
On the Windows Live Writer Blog today, they announced the availability of the Windows Live Writer CTP (Community technology preview). With this new build comes a lot of new features, which I will discuss in this blog post. So why is this a CTP and not just a normal beta? Well the main reason is that it features a new set of plugin APIs (version 1.1) and the whole Technical Preview is more intended for developers rather than consumers. Nonetheless, there are still some nice new additions for consumers.
Changes:
- Everything from Windows Live Writer 2008 plus:
- New and improved category control (you can now search through your categories)
- Image cropping (from the Advanced tab when you have an image selected)
- Word Count
- Tabbed view switching
- Alignment commands in toolbar work on images (not just text)
- Typographic replacement (characters like ©, TM, en-dash, em-dash), also works with “…”
- Automatic linking to terms in your link glossary
- User-interface updates in the menus and command bars (notice the blog has moved to the top right, rather than next to the other buttons on the toolbar.
- Video Upload to Soapbox
- Improved Image Publishing
- Lightbox support (doesn’t work if you don’t have Lightbox installed on your blog)
- Additional Border Effects
- Image tilting
- GIF Support
- Technical Preview Installer UI
- Product Instrumentation Support
- Check For Updates / Update Notification
Download: Windows Live Writer CTP
View: Windows Live Writer Blog
Source: LiveSide
Windows Live SkyDrive Updated
The Windows Live SkyDrive team has announced that there are new updates to SkyDrive Here's a quick rundown of what's included:
- More places.
Windows Live SkyDriveis now live in 24 additional locations, bringing our grand total to 62 countries and regions! We welcome new users in Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela!
- Comments. You can leave comments on any file in SkyDrive and see all of the recent comments people have left for you.
- Captions. A picture's worth a thousand words, but sometimes you need a few more. Now you can add captions and descriptions to your files and photos:
Click control. When you click on any file, you can speed through all the files in the folder:
- Larger photo previews - we've made the photo previews even bigger.
Other features added are Details view and Photo Thumbnails view, plus more bug fixes.
View: Windows Live SkyDrive
View: SkyDrive Blog
Next Generation of Soapbox and MSN Video Betas Launched!
The Next Generation of Soapbox and MSN Video Betas Launched. Both MSN Video and Soapbox on MSN Video Beta launched a next generation version. The old MSN Video will keep existing next to the new MSN Video Beta.
Some of the Upgraded Features:
- Scalable Page. Change the size of your browser and the thumbnails and page will scale dynamically.
- New Player with integrated Playlists and Progressive Download Indicators.
- Playlist Functionality. Each time you watch a video it is automatically added to the playlist. The Playlists can also be shared.
-Improved Fullscreen Experience.
- Video Gallery Sorts. Sort by Hour, Day etc.
- Updated Embedded Player with clean design and Playlist features
Other Soapbox highlights:
- Single Page browsing and viewing.
- Upload Unlimited Video Lengths.
- Simultaneously Upload and process
- Multiple Videos.
- Persistent Upload and Process indicator.
- Embed Player with Multiple Videos.
- Soapbox Gadgets and Vista Sidebar Gadgets
- High Quality Video Encoding.
- Watch videos simultaneously with Friends using Messenger Activity Window.
Soapbox is still in closed beta and is not accepting new members, but if you are already a Soapbox user you can enjoy these new viewing and uploading features. No sign in is required to view embedded videos on blogs.
All of the same improvements found on Soapbox can be found on MSN Video Beta: Improved Navigation, Single Page Browsing, Upgraded cross-platform Video Player.
All of these launches come on the heals of the redesign of MSN Entertainment last week. MSN TV, MSN Movies and MSN Music, were all relaunched.
All this has been a result of user feedback and comments.
View: MSN Video Beta
Source: Liveside
Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Public Beta
OneCare, the anti-virus/tune-up/back-up all in one program, has just opened up a public beta of version 2.5
Anyone can go to Microsoft Connect and sign up to try out the new beta, you don't need to be signed in to get to the page.
Microsoft Windows Live OneCare is a comprehensive and integrated PC health service that helps protect and maintain your computer with antivirus firewall PC maintenance and file backup and restore functionality This new service is in beta testing.
View: Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Public Beta Signup
Windows Live FolderShare Beta Refresh
Less then two weeks after releasing the new Windows Live FolderShare Beta the team has dropped a refreshed build (14.0.1329.0317) on to the web that fixes a bunch of problems users had been experiencing with the bits. According to their team blog this release should fix all known sign in and library management problems. It also improves the responsiveness of the tray application.
The Windows Live FolderShare beta, unlike the Windows Live Suite applications, has not yet been integrated with Microsoft Update and has no other auto update feature so you have to manually go to the Windows Live FolderShare website, download the new build and install it
Download: Windows Live FolderShare Beta
View: Windows Live FolderShare Team Blog
Source: LiveSide
Windows Live teams up with social networks for contact portability
Robert Scoble couldn't do it, but Windows Live can.
Microsoft's Web-app division announced Tuesday that it has partnered with five social networks--LinkedIn, Tagged, Hi5, Bebo, and yes, Facebook--on a new project to facilitate address book portability. The partner social networks have agreed to use the Windows Live Contacts API so that members can import Windows Live contacts to their respective sites, as part of the new data-portability strategy that Microsoft outlined at its Mix conference earlier this month.
In return, Microsoft has launched Invite2Messenger, a new service for users of those social networks so that they can invite the members of their friends lists to join Windows Live Messenger.
This replaces "scraping," a widely used process of diving into one account on a social network or e-mail client's database to export contacts to another. It's technically unauthorized, and occasionally social networks make a stink about it--as Facebook did when blogger Scoble tested out a script that exported his friends list to contact management service Plaxo and had his account temporarily banned--and Windows Live representatives have said that an authorized API makes the process more secure.
It's already accessible on Facebook and Bebo, which is in the process of being acquired by AOL, and will be worked into the other three sites within the next few months.
View: Invite2Messenger
Source: Webware