Windows Live Connects Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace

The new Windows Live Essentials 2011 and the new Hotmail integrate social networks, chat, or classic email into a unified interface and are available to users starting today.

Hotmail is significantly more practical, can store more documents, and has integrated Office Web applications for working on all documents in email. The most significant upgrade in Windows Live is Facebook Chat, which allows communication directly from Messenger, either through a regular chat window or video call with one of your online friends. In addition to Facebook, Windows Live can connect user accounts from LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace, and others. Profile synchronization combines everything into the same window and makes it easier to view all activities of contacts. The photo gallery has been enhanced with facial recognition technology that allows saving photos by the people tagged in them.

Photos can also be linked to the geo-location where they were taken, using the Map it with Bing option. Editing video and audio recordings has been improved in Windows Live Movie Maker, which allows rich visual effects, uploading photos and video clips to the Flickr service, while SkyDrive, a virtual storage, provides enough space to store all files without worrying about deletion. “A large number of our users, as much as 73 percent, use social networks along with Windows Live, so we made an effort to facilitate their communication and navigation using the new Windows Live Essentials 2011. With it, they can download the desired upgrade for Messenger, photo gallery, Movie Maker, Mail, Mesh, Writer, and Family Safety. The beta version of Windows Live was successful and received positive feedback from users, especially the photo gallery, which has been improved in the new version with additional options for viewing, editing, and easier posting to social networks. We are proud that users recognize our effort,” said Tomas Koska, Microsoft’s online expert and manager for Windows Live Essentials technology.

Hotmail has also been significantly improved with better filters for recognizing spam, categorizing mail for easier finding of contacts, messages, or notifications from social networks. The limit on the number of archived emails has also been removed due to the storage capabilities on SkyDrive (a virtual storage for all types of documents that can be accessed by people we grant access to). Integrated Office applications allow working on documents online, using any browser, whether on PC, Mac, or mobile, without the need for prior installation of the same program from the Office suite. In creating improvements for Hotmail, Microsoft paid special attention to security and privacy and introduced a unique password that links email access to one or more of the user’s computers. Users can download the new version of Windows Live and experience the benefits themselves at the website: http://explore.live.com, and try the new Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. (M.N.)