Windows Experience Blog : Windows Live, Windows

Updated Version of Windows Live Family Safety Released

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:02:29 GMT

With yesterday’s update to Windows Live Essentials (which included the final release of Windows Live Movie Maker), we also released an updated version of Windows Live Family Safety.

Windows Live Family Safety is designed to help parents keep their children safer online. It offers parents the ability to manage which websites their kids can visit, as well as the list of contacts they can communicate with when using the Windows Live services such as Windows Live Spaces, Hotmail and Messenger. It can also generate a report for parents so that they can monitor their children’s computer and online activity. The best part is it lets parents monitor what their kids are doing from anywhere they are online — from any Windows Vista or Windows 7 PC that has web access and that parents have administrative rights to (via http://fss.live.com).

The updated version of Windows Live Family Safety also offers deeper integration with Windows resulting in fewer log-in prompts and faster web surfing compared to previous versions of Family Safety while it’s running on the PC.

Windows Live Family Safety uses Windows accounts as the basis for storing settings. Parents are no longer required to have a Windows Live ID for each child who needs their own settings.

Windows Live Family Safety reads the Windows Parental Control (WPC) settings on Windows Vista and Windows 7 enabling parents to retrieve WPC activity reports from any Windows Vista or Windows 7 computer online. These reports include time spent on the computer, browsing history, and games and applications run. This monitoring is transparent to the end user, as a notification is displayed once on Windows account login when monitoring is enabled.

With Windows 7, there are new Windows APIs which provide software developers greater control of Windows Parental Controls UI and settings. Windows Live Family Safety takes advantage of the new Windows APIs. It’s now easier for users to access Windows Live Family Safety directly from the Windows Parental Controls Control Panel in Windows 7.Windows Live Family Safety is another good example of Windows Live “lighting up” the Windows PC.

With these improvements to Windows Live Family Safety, Microsoft demonstrates its continued commitment to helping parents keep their kids safe on the Web. You can download Windows Live Family Safety, part of Windows Live Essentials, at download.live.com.

Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, Story, Family Safety, Security, Filters, Accounts, Family

Have Your Windows & Windows Live Blog Posts Showcased - Join The Clubhouse

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:08:15 GMT

Are you using your blog to talk about using Windows and Windows Live? Do you want to get your post showcased on Microsoft websites? You should join The Clubhouse. The Clubhouse is a place that brings together people using their blogs to help others how to use the best parts of Windows and Windows Live.

How does The Clubhouse work?

You first need to apply to join The Clubhouse. There is a small review process in order to insure that there is a good fit for people applying and the rest of The Clubhouse.

Once you’re approved, you continue to write fantastic Windows and Windows Live content on your blog and use special tags that help identify what you’re writing about as it relates to either Windows or Windows Live. Your posts are brought into the Clubhouse via your RSS feed (having an RSS is a requirement to take part in The Clubhouse). Once you tag your post for The Clubhouse using the special tags, it gets pulled through your RSS feed into The Clubhouse.

In order to use the special tags needed to identify your contributions for The Clubhouse, you will need to add a new Tag Provider in Windows Live Writer. Right now, The Clubhouse has special tags for Windows Live and Windows Vista, with a set of special tags launching for Windows 7 later this month.

Once your post is published with the special tags – it appears within The Clubhouse where members of The Clubhouse rate one another’s contributions, so the top rated content can be showcased on Microsoft websites, newsletters, and even tweeted from @MSWindows and @windowslive. So it’s up to your peers to choose which content is good enough to get showcased.

So where is your content showcased?

After you get enough good votes inside The Clubhouse – depending on the type of post (Windows Vista or Windows Live) your stuff will show up on 1 of 2 Microsoft websites:

Explore Windows Live:

Discover Windows Vista:

Outside of the really cool opportunity to get your content from your blog showcased on Microsoft websites, The Clubhouse offers several other “perks”.

As you continue to write your own content – you will earn Club Points and Badges. When you earn a certain amount of Club Points, you get Badges. Each Badge you earn will appear next to any of your content showcased on Microsoft websites. You also can earn special-recognition Badges as well. These Badges are a great way for people reading your content to see how much you rock.

Because I am a Microsoft employee, for any of my content you will see this Badge:

If you blog quite a bit about using Windows and Windows Live – I suggest giving The Clubhouse a look and applying! It can be a great way to gain more exposure of your content!

Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, Story, Windows Live, Windows Vista

Vote for us on CNET’s 2009 Webware 100!

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:29:49 GMT

13 Microsoft Products have been nominated in CNET’s 2009 Webware 100 including several from Windows Live (Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live SkyDrive, Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Sync and Live Mesh) and Internet Explorer 8.

My colleague Antonia over on the Windows Live Team Blog has all the details including links on where to cast your vote. Voting voting ends on April 30, 2009 (12pm Pacific Time) so vote now!

Follow us on Twitter

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:47:51 GMT

This is just another quick reminder that for those of you who are on Twitter and want to stay on top of all the latest happenings with Windows through our blog posts here on The Windows Blog – you can follow The Windows Blog on Twitter. Each time we post a blog post here, it automatically gets “tweeted” to Twitter. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed as well. And of course I’m on Twitter too – feel free to follow me as well. When I’m not busy posting blog posts here, I’m tweeting about Windows and Windows Live or reading what others are saying.

For other Microsoft products and services on Twitter, Adam Kinney has a pretty nice list going here for you to also follow.

Completing the Windows Experience with Windows Live

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:31:46 GMT

Back in October during PDC2008, I highlighted the Windows + Windows Live relationship. Specifically, I called out how Windows + Windows Live will complete the Windows PC experience with Windows Live Essentials. Now that people can experience the relationship first-hand with Windows Live Essentials today – I thought I’d re-approach and discuss the topic in a little more detail.

Today, users are increasingly expecting that their PC (and their OS) allow them to do things on their desktop that have an online component such as e-mail. This is where Windows Live Essentials comes in. For example, when you’re at home on your laptop you can use Windows Live Mail, but when you’re on the go you can access that same mail from any computer with an Internet connection by going to Windows Live Hotmail. Windows Live Essentials combines what you do on the PC with what you do on the Web. That’s the benefit of software + services.

Many of the Windows Live programs within Windows Live Essentials serve as a “bridge” to the Windows Live services:

With Windows Live Messenger, you can not only chat with your friends via IM, but also follow What’s New with them on Windows Live, which means you can stay on top of updates they make like new photos or blog entries.
With Windows Live Writer, you can publish new blog posts to Windows Live Spaces.
With Windows Live Photo Gallery, you can upload your photos to Windows Live Photos and share them with the people you choose.
With Windows Live Mail, you can sync your Windows Live Hotmail e-mail and calendar to your PC.

Windows Live Essentials extends beyond Windows Live as well. Windows Live Writer is capable of publishing blog posts to most major blogging services, not just Windows Live Spaces. As a matter a fact - I use Windows Live Writer to publish all my blog posts here on this blog, which is powered by Telligents’ Community Server. Windows Live Mail supports POP3 and IMAP allowing for multiple e-mail accounts from a variety of e-mail providers including Gmail. And Windows Live Photo Gallery supports custom plug-ins for uploading photos to a variety of photo sharing websites (check out this awesome plug-in for uploading photos to Facebook).

For Windows Live Essentials, we have introduced 3 programs as the successors to programs that were introduced in Windows Vista:

Windows Live Mail is the successor to Windows Mail
Windows Live Photo Gallery is the successor to Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Live Movie Maker is the successor to Windows Movie Maker

We made this change because we learned that many of the end-user experiences need to be updated more frequently. With Windows Live Essentials, we feel we are in a better position to innovate on these programs and enhance your experience as a PC user and at a much quicker rate - as they are outside of the Windows OS.

Windows Live Essentials doesn’t just consist of the above 3 programs, it also includes Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Toolbar, and Windows Live Family Safety adding significant value to PC users through its integrated and powerful features.

Windows Live Essentials today are free, key applications that make it easy to manage multiple e-mail accounts, edit and share photos, chat with IM for PC users and available today for you to download at download.live.com (available for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and the Windows 7 Beta).

In the coming weeks, I plan to dive deeper into many of these integrated and powerful features (many of which I use myself) that I that I hope you will enjoy.

Find a Laptop with Windows Laptop Scout + Special Holiday Offers

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:59:00 GMT

Need help finding the perfect laptop just for you or someone in the family for the holidays? We’ve got the perfect tool for you. We’ve launched Windows Laptop Scout to help you find the right PC. Windows Laptop Scout helps you search for a laptop starting with how you or someone in your family will use the laptop. You can choose from 4 selections to get results on laptops that will meet your needs (you can choose all that apply to your needs).

Once you click “Show laptops” – you’re given results based on your needs. I took Windows Laptop Scout for a spin myself. I chose “Work on the go” and “Music, movies, and more” and as you can see in the below screenshot, I got 18 out of 31 laptops that meet my needs (more laptops will continue to be added).

I was able to refine my search by adjusting the settings on the bottom such as Price, Screen Size, Speed, Storage and Weight. The results update automatically. Windows Laptop Scout is a tool I strongly recommend checking out if you are looking for a new laptop.

I’ve also got some deals I think you’ll be interested in especially as we officially head into the holidays.

Over on Windows.com we have a list of a few special deals folks can take advantage of…

Sony: Buy any eligible VAIO CS or SR series notebook with a VAIO DPF-D80 digital photo frame and save $180. Click here for details.
Dell: Save now when you buy the Dell XPS M1530 together with a Linksys by Cisco Router and Media Center Extender. Click here for details.
Blockbuster: Buy a qualifying laptop from participating retailers and get 6 months of Blockbuster movies. Choose from more than a dozen models from 5 great companies. Click here to pick a qualifying laptop.
Best Buy: Buy a Windows Mobile Smartphone and 2-year activation, and Geek Squad will set up your phone, including e-mail, right in the store. Click here for details.

Hopefully along with Windows Laptop Scout, you will find these offerings useful!

Oh and don’t forget the recent updates to Windows Live too! You can check out all the offerings of Windows Live at WindowsLive.com.

Keep your life in sync with Windows Live

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:05:00 GMT

Brian Hall, General Manager for the Windows Live Business Group, just posted to Windows Live Wire an exciting overview Windows Live today and how the pieces of Windows Live will fit together to give users a connected experience. He is sharing more details regarding the next “wave” of products and services coming for Windows Live designed to help keep your life in sync.

In September, we talked a bit about the new Windows Live products and services and released client betas for the Windows Live suite of applications – now known as the Windows Live Essentials. Those betas are still available for you to try out today at download.live.com. The Windows Live Team is working hard to ship the Windows Live Essentials out of Beta soon.

The Windows Live Hotmail Team has also recently rolled out a new update to Windows Live Hotmail as well.

On top of the Windows Live Essentials, we’ll be shipping updated versions of the Windows Live web services.

Windows Live Calendar, Windows Live Spaces, and Windows Live SkyDrive will all be updated.

We’re will also be updating the main homepage for Windows Live. The redesigned homepage for Windows Live will serve as your gateway to the Windows Live services - with a strong emphasis on the What’s New feature which consists of activities from your friends on Windows Live. You will be able to add friends to your “network” and see what they are doing via Personal Message updates from Windows Live Messenger, recent blog posts on their Windows Live Spaces, or photos uploaded to Windows Live.

What’s New also lets you pull in updates from partners such as Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, WordPress, and more. If you have friends on Windows Live pulling in their Twitter updates into their profiles, it will appear in What’s New.

And remember – Windows Live Messenger will now pull in What’s New directly into the client for quick access to what’s going on with your friends on Windows Live. You will be able to access What’s New through Windows Live Toolbar as well.

(Pssst… What’s New is my favorite Windows Live feature!)

A brand new Windows Live Profile page will let you update your Personal Message directly from the web, view your Network, and add “Favorite things” such as books, movies and music. Your friends can leave you Notes on your profile too.

We’re also introducing a new Photos experience for Windows Live utilizing Windows Live SkyDrive as well as Windows Live Groups.

On the mobile side – there will be new points of access to Windows Live on any mobile device with a browser. You will be able to use your mobile phone to access What’s New and see what your friends are doing, update your Personal Message, upload photos to Windows Live, and manage your email and calendar.

I’m pretty excited for what’s being done with Windows Live and I think you will be too. For all the latest and great news and information on Windows Live, you should bookmark and subscribe to the Windows Live Wire blog. You can also follow Windows Live Wire via Twitter as well.

As mentioned at PDC this year – Windows + Windows Live will complete the Windows experience as they work together hand-in-hand.

The Complete Windows Experience – Windows 7 + Windows Live

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:55:21 GMT

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.

Download the “I’m A PC” Messenger Theme Pack

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:52:30 GMT

To go with your Life Without Walls Wallpapers for your PC, you can now download the “I’m A PC” Windows Live Messenger Theme Pack that gives you a variety of Display Pictures and Backgrounds for your IM conversation window.

Click above to download the “I’m A PC” Messenger Theme Pack. I’ve got it installed on my PCs and it works just fine with the latest Windows Live Messenger Beta available for download at download.live.com.

Thanks to Paul Thurrott for the heads up!

PDC2008 is LIVE – Register Now!

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:48:00 GMT

The brand new site has just launched and early bird registrations are now open for the 2008 Professional Developers Conference. PDC2008 is an event where the best developers gather to listen to Microsoft disclose details on its future platform. Register before August 15th, 2008 and take advantage of the Early Bird Special - a $200 discount off the registration price.

The PDC2008 website offers some goodies such as desktop wallpapers and blog bling. I ended up using Stardock's LogonStudio (which I blogged about here) to change my logon background to one of the PDC2008 wallpapers. I've also added some PDC2008 blog bling to the Windows Experience Blog. Along with the goodies off the new PDC2008 site, you can also follow PDC2008 on Twitter and become a Fan of PDC on Facebook.

Both Chris and I will be attending PDC2008 and hope to see you there!

I've created a Windows Live Event for PDC2008 for those signed up to attend PDC2008 this Fall. Just head on over to http://pdc2008.events.live.com/ . You can send me a Private Message (via Windows Live) with your Windows Live ID and I'll have an invite sent your way in 24 hours or less. You'll be able to add the Windows Live Event to a variety of calendar services including Windows Live Calendar. The Windows Live Event supports having discussions as well as uploading photos. If you've signed up to go to PDC2008 and have gone to PDC before - I'd love to see some photos from past PDC's.