Windows Live services online and on tap
By Staff, CNET News.com
Published: March 14, 2006, 4:00 AM PST
It's taken Microsoft five years to develop the next Windows, but Windows Live services are proving faster and easier to deliver to consumers with a tweak here and a twitch there.
| Product | Code name | Description | Competitors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Live Mail | Kahuna | Successor to Hotmail, more like a traditional e-mail program such as Outlook | Yahoo Mail, Gmail | Reached the "M6" beta stage in May, more than 1 million users |
| Windows Live Search | Microsoft's homegrown search engine | Google, Yahoo, Accoona | Public beta launched in March | |
| Windows Live Local | Maps and directions; Bird's eye and street-level images | Google, Yahoo | Public beta launched in December | |
| Windows Live Search Mobile | The mobile version of homegrown search | Google, Yahoo | Beta | |
| Windows Live Expo | Fremont | A free online marketplace for goods that can also be limited to a social network | Craigslist, eBay | Recently moved from internal and limited testing into U.S. public beta |
| Windows Live Family Safety Settings | Vegas | Parental control tools for monitoring children's online use | Net Nanny | In limited beta with fewer than 10,000 testers; public test expected in early summer |
| Windows Live OneCare | A1 | Subscription antivirus service | Symantec, McAfee | Paid service launched at the end of May |
| Windows Live Video | Warhol | User-generated video | YouTube, Google Video | Not yet in public testing |
| Windows Live Messenger | Successor to MSN Messenger, adds social networking and contact-sharing features | Yahoo Messenger; AIM; ICQ; Gmail chat; Plaxo | Final version launched June 19. | |
| Live.com | Based on Start.com, a home page with gadgets, RSS feeds and more | MyYahoo, Google | Public beta with 3 million registered users | |
| Microsoft Gadgets | Small applications written in Javascript and HTML, used by Live.com and Windows Vista | Yahoo Widgets, Apple's Dashboard | More than 160 gadgets available | |
| AdCenter | Moonshot | For serving up paid search ads; Uses demographics to help target the marketing message | Yahoo, Google | Launched in Singapore and France and in beta in the U.S.; serves 40% of MSN paid-search ads |
| Windows Live Safety Center | Free basic antivirus protection | McAfee, Symantec | Beta; performed 1.3 million scans and cleaned 150,000 PCs as of February. | |
| Windows Live Favorites | Stores Web bookmarks online | Launched in June. | ||
| Windows Live Custom Domains | A way for people to use Windows Live Mail with their existing e-mail domain | Limited beta, U.S.-only | ||
| Windows Live Toolbar | A collection of services under a common Web toolbar | Yahoo, Google | Beta launched in March | |
| Windows Live Answers | Direct answers to fact-based Web queries | Yahoo Answers; Google Answers | No ETA | |
| Windows Live Clipboard | Outlined by Ray Ozzie, uses a mashup of technologies to allow an online equivalent of a PC's clipboard | |||
| Windows Live ID | A new authentication tool for Live services, based on Passport, Microsoft's once-controversial authentication service | Liberty Alliance | Expected to be released later this year | |
| Windows Live Mail Desktop | A desktop application for viewing Windows Live Mail | Google, Yahoo | Went into early beta testing March 28, broader testing expected in the spring |
Sources: Microsoft, CNET News.com research
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