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The Complete Windows Experience – Windows 7 + Windows Live

I love Windows Live by itself with all the new Windows Live web services and the application suite. But the Windows 7 + Windows Live connection is looking even more exciting. Here at PDC we’re talking about how Windows 7 + Windows Live will “complete the Windows Experience” together. Because this *is* the Windows Experience Blog – I feel it is important to highlight and emphasize this a bit. Matter a fact, Steven Sinofsky highlighted this during his keynote today as part of Microsoft’s commitment to software + services.

Microsoft has learned that many end-user experiences need to be updated more frequently. Instead of waiting for the next Windows release, we began delivering updated versions of the Windows Live applications to improve those end-user experiences.

While this was a great way to improve the Windows experience for users, many of these updates in Windows Live Wave 2 seemed duplicative of applications already in Windows.

To address this, Microsoft will now only ship these applications (which include Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Writer and now Windows Live Movie Maker) as part of the Windows Live Essentials Suite.


Windows Live Messenger


Windows Live Mail


Windows Live Photo Gallery


Windows Live Movie Maker

 
Windows Live Family Safety Filter

The Windows Live Essentials suite has been in public beta since September and available for you to try at download.live.com. You can read my post here on the new Windows Live experiences seen in these betas.

I look forward to talking more about the Windows 7 + Windows Live experience and how it completes the Windows Experience here in the future.

Comment 

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Comments

  1. StophVista
    Posted on: October 28, 2008 at 11:28PM  

    In your other post I commented on the lack of icons next to tasks and the lack of a bolder task bar across the top as with the current RTM versions. Will this UI stay as is or change to be a bit more graphically rich?

  2. buckfix
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 12:10AM  
  3. Gabriel
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 1:50AM  

    Wow, Live Messenger looks great!

  4. Tony Siu
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 3:23AM  

    - Now that Windows Live Family Safety Filter is part of Windows Live suite, does it meant the Parental Control that existed in Vista is not going to be included in Win7? If not, please explain why.

    - With Windows Photo Gallery not included in Win7, does it meant when the end-user opens a image (jpg, gif, whatever) on a fresh install of Win7, does it meant the user will be awfully greeted with an dialogue box asking to download Windows Live applications or there is a basic image viewer included in OOBE?

    - Will the Newsgroup function still available in Windows Live Mail? And will there be usable and pretty Stationary set (and not recycled from the Outlook Express era) be available in Windows Live Mail?

    Thanks,

    Tony

  5. Brandon LeBlanc
    Microsoft
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 4:15AM  

    Tony, users will be able to still view basic images in Windows 7 without Windows Live Photo Gallery installed. In Windows Live Mail you are still good to go with Newsgroups - and its actually an improvement over Outlook Express and has been. And creating or using stationary sets is still available also in Windows Live Mail. Windows Live Mail also sports a new Photo Email feature I think you might like. I will have to get back to you on the parental controls - I will have to boot into Windows 7 in a bit to check it out.

    StophVista, I am pretty sure the icon-less UI is pretty final but I'm not sure what might change as of yet. I'll post here though when I am able to do screenshots of what is considered the final UI for the Windows Live Essentials Suite.

  6. Claus Valca
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 9:49AM  

    Brandon,

    You stated "To address this, Microsoft will now only ship these applications...as part of the Windows Live Essentials Suite.

    One of the pushes that I picked up on with Windows 7 is to make it less, ummm, bundled (?) with the different Microsoft supporting applications that previous versions have shipped with.

    Am I correct in assuming that although users of Windows Live applications get these via a "Suite" installer (as they can now), that the user can choose to install only the items in the Live Essentials Suite that they want/need, and leave the others uninstalled during the process?

    For instance, I absolutely love and believe that Windows Live Writer is the best blogging application ever, but really have no need or desire for all the other ones (at least for now).  Will I continue to be able to install just WLW and take a pass on the others?

    I think that flexibility would be a good thing.

    Or maybe I misunderstood your statement?

    --Cheers!

  7. Nick
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 12:04PM  

    I wish you guys would put the timeline back into Movie Maker...

  8. J.R. Raith
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 2:15PM  

    Brandon,

    I'm totally excited by this -- I can now choose not to install Windows Movie Maker unless I want it, for instance. Whoever thought of doing 7 like this should get a raise, haha.

    My one question, though: Will a mobile device (such as my WinMo 6.1 smartphone) be able to synchronize to these Live services, or will I *STILL* have to buy a copy of Outlook for my home PC? (i.e., I'd love to use Windows Calendar, but the phone says no...)

    Great work guys... keep it up!

  9. Dean McCrory
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 7:02PM  

    It is great to have these apps unbundled from the OS.  The other apps in Vista were somewhat 'crippled' anyway.  For example, no hotmail capability in Windows Mail, even though the feature had been present in Outlook Express from the Windows XP days.

    Now... do the same for Windows Media Player.  Having just re-installed Vista from scratch because Windows Media Player Network Sharing suddenly decided to quit working, it would have been nice to be able to 'uninstall' it, then turn around and 're-install' it without having to start from scratch.  Yes, before re-installing, I did search the KB.  What did it say?  "If possible, uninstall WMP11 then re-install."  It would have been funny if I didn't have to spend a couple of days getting the machine restored by installing the OS and all the apps I use.

  10. Bob
    Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 7:16PM  

    You say "Microsoft has learned that many end-user experiences need to be updated more frequently. Instead of waiting for the next Windows release, we began delivering updated versions of the Windows Live applications to improve those end-user experiences" - the first part I fully agree with.  My problem is the second part.  If the mail program that comes with the OS *is* windows live mail then this makes sense that updates are produced during the life of the OS.  However, if as now is the case, the OS comes with a mail program, which can have a second one installed alongside it then there will be confusion.  For years there has been confusion on Windows Messenger vs. MSN Messenger vs. Windows Live Messenger.

    What I'm looking for it a little more integration across the products; Contacts integrate with mail, but not with calendar rendering it almost useless.  Should I add windows live photo gallery, as I already have windows photo gallery - confusion.

    Bob

    Bob

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  1. Posted by: Windows 7 ?????? Windows Live Essentials | LiveSino - LiveSide ????????? on October 28, 2008 at 10:38PM

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  2. Posted by: Windows 7 heading for the gate, Vista exiting stage left - WinExtra on October 29, 2008 at 12:55AM

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  3. Posted by: Windows 7 + Windows Live connection: The Complete Windows Experience on October 29, 2008 at 4:51AM

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  4. Posted by: Sam Gentile If (DeveloperTask==Communication && OS==Windows) on October 29, 2008 at 9:40AM

    Another rollup post from trusted folks... Update 10/29 A whole boatload more links!! Keynote/Windows

  5. Posted by: ' + title + ' - ' + basename(imgurl) + '(' + w + 'x' + h +') on October 29, 2008 at 11:53AM

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  6. Posted by: LiveSide - News blog on October 30, 2008 at 10:06AM

    Remember Windows Live Essentials , the service that went through its early beta stages back in 2006 and never made it out of beta, that’s meant to “offer integrated and bundled e-mail, instant messaging, photo-sharing, blog publishing, security

  7. Posted by: Windows Live Essentials strikes back ??? completing the Windows 7 experience « TUWW - The Unofficial Windows Weblog on October 31, 2008 at 12:22AM

    Pingback from  Windows Live Essentials strikes back ??? completing the Windows 7 experience « TUWW - The Unofficial Windows Weblog

  8. Posted by: Clearing up the Windows Live confusion | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com on November 02, 2008 at 8:07PM

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  9. Posted by: Windows Experience Blog on November 13, 2008 at 12:38AM

    Brian Hall, General Manager for the Windows Live Business Group, just posted to Windows Live Wire an

  10. Posted by: Microsoft rolls out Windows Live Essentials betas | Microsoft News Tracker on December 15, 2008 at 4:11PM

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  11. Posted by:   Microsoft starts to roll out Live Wave 3; reinvents Facebook by Techno News Feed on December 28, 2008 at 7:31PM

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  12. Posted by: Windows Experience Blog on March 12, 2009 at 6:31PM

    Back in October during PDC2008 , I highlighted the Windows + Windows Live relationship . Specifically

  13. Posted by: Completing the Windows Experience with Windows Live on March 12, 2009 at 6:52PM

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  14. Posted by: Completing the Windows Experience with Windows Live « zK++ Blogosphere on March 12, 2009 at 6:56PM

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  15. Posted by: Completing the Windows Experience with Windows Live | Windows Seven 7 on March 12, 2009 at 7:09PM

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  17. Posted by: Completing the Windows Experience with Windows Live - iTechtalk on March 12, 2009 at 11:20PM

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  18. Posted by: Easy Rider, 1969 on May 02, 2009 at 6:00PM

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  19. Posted by: Windows 7 para 2009, Office 2010 en 2010 (??duh!) « Cr??nicas del Simio Malhumorado on May 16, 2009 at 11:22PM

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  20. Posted by: Windows 7 heading for the gate, Vista exiting stage left ??? Shooting at Bubbles on June 04, 2009 at 11:45PM

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