The Windows Live team has published an instant update for the web file storage Windows Live SkyDrive.

Omar Shanine, Group Program Manager, SkyDrive.com, announced:

Starting today, we are launching a new version of the SkyDrive website. We took advantage of modern browsers and HTML5 to make SkyDrive faster, easier to navigate, and more beautiful for viewing photos.

Some of the new features include:

Site

• New layout, look and feel, and site architecture
• SSL enabled on all authenticated pages
• Clean urls (removed most of the junk from the URLs)
• SkyDrive can now be pinned to your Windows 7 taskbar with jump lists (IE9)
• Header now says SkyDrive
• What’s new feed for docs and photos removed
• Upload file size limit now 100MB
• Moved to edge-to-edge layout to take advantage of larger screens
• Reduced size of header to give more room to your content

Photos

• Brand new photos experience
• HTML5 video playback
• Thumbnails generated for H.264 Video
• CSS3 Transitions for albums and 1-up view
• Photo album thumbnails now “pulse”
• Thumbnails generated for all photo sizes (previously limited to 5000px)
• Support for aspect ratio thumbnails (including panorama)

Docs

• Icons for PDF filetypes
• Recent documents includes more items
• Open in Office Client from SkyDrive now gives you the option to install Office 2010 trial using Click-to-Run technology
• Performance improvements to the Office Web Apps in IE9
• Details view now supports touch

Groups

SkyDrive groups now appear in the left nav giving you one click access to Group content.

In a future post, I will highlight some of the new features in the all-new Windows Live Skydrive, Wave 5 (16.0).

Instead of adding pictures as attachments to your Hotmail messages by clicking Attach and then File and then selecting the pictures you would like to include, Hotmail brings you a tool so you can more efficiently select and add multiple photos to a Hotmail message in Internet Explorer in a couple clicks: select Attach and then Photo.

Try it yourself: just go to http://mail.live.com/, sign in with your Windows Live ID, start composing a new e-mail message, and click Attach, Photo.
Note: this is an Internet Explorer-only feature.

Source: http://windowslivewire.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!2F7EB29B42641D59!41587.entry

Invisible additional info

Whether Word, Excel or PowerPoint—the innocent icons don’t tell what is inside them. Normally it is documents like texts. And they contain much additional info. That can be comments, but also revision notes. However, there is surely information which is not suitable for the public.

Awkward potential

In business it is truly important to be careful. When several collaborators work on a document, send it back and forth via e-mail and make corrections, such a document can contain inflammable matters. The problem: when you hide the comments and annotations, they are no longer visible at first sight. And that is exactly what is dangerous. Because, when you send such a document to a customer, for example via mail, resourceful users can make the data visible again anytime. And that’s what can get awkward.

Remove personal data

But private computer users should know, too, that their documents contain a massive amount of data, data that might not be suitable for everybody. That can be data like a counter how often a document was edited—and by whom it was edited last. People who save the texts, spreadsheets or presentations normally and distribute them, is likely to distribute their indiscreet data as well. But: you can change that. The latest Office version can remove all personal data.

Useful feature in Office 2007

Office 2007 has a really useful feature, called “Inspect document”. The feature checks whether there is any hidden information. If yes, these data can be removed from the document with a single click. Only after having done this, you should send the document to other people via e-mail. Older Office and Word versions cannot do this, sadly.

Free tool

However, Microsoft offers a free tool to remove hidden data in Office documents. “Office Add-in: Remove Hidden Data” is the name of this useful extension. Once installed, it can “clean” any document with a single click. Important thing, you should really take a closer look at this, especially when distributing documents, sending them via mail or publishing them on the Web.

Indiscreet photos

Photos can be really indiscreet as well. Not only concerning the motive, that is sure. When you take photos with your digital camera nowadays, you have to be aware that there is a massive amount of data hidden in the photos, data that we normally don’t see. For example, let’s take a photo that I just took of a nice espresso machine. Looks great—and nobody knows what I used to take the photo. Nobody? As if! The photo contains many hidden data. And you can make these data visible. And behold: The photo has been taken with an iPhone. Even the used aperture, time and date date hidden within the photo.

EXIF data

This information hidden in the photo are also known as EXIF data. They can be extraordinarily useful, for instance for hobby photographers, as they can find out easily what aperture and exposure time they used to take a photo. If colleagues extract these data from a photo, that could get uncomfortable. For example, when you are discovered to be skiving off work because your colleagues found a party photo being taken just while you were ill.

JPG & PNG Stripper

Generally, it is very easy to make these EXIF data visible, for example in Windows: Just select the photo and click on details in Windows Explorer, and info like creation time, aperture, exposure time, camera type and much more are shown. The Mac can show these data easily as well. If you want to remove your data from your photos, for example because you want to publish the photos on the Web, you can remove the additional data from the photos. Just use special programs like JPG stripper, and you’re done. The photos are retained. Only the additional data are removed from the photos. If you don’t want everybody to see the additional info, you should always do this. In any case, it is more discreet.

More information

• Office Add-in: Remove Hidden Data
• JPG & PNG Stripper for Windows
• Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF)

1. Open http://home.live.com/ and click on Options, then Customize this page.
2. To change the order, choose the element to move by clicking it in the Page layout section. Click the UP or DOWN buttons until the elements are in the correct order.
3. To change the number of displayed photos, e-mails and news, click the corresponding check boxes in the Number of items shown section, and choose the appropriate numbers of items.

Source: http://windowsliveblog.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!720E46AE746458F7!5791.entry

1. Apri la foto cliccandoci due volte sopra.
2. Scegli il menu Strumenti cliccando sulla voce del menu.
3. Clicca su Ritaglia foto.
4. Fai uno o più dei seguenti passi:
   • Scegli una proporzione dal menu a tendina corrispondente per cambiare la dimensione della foto conformemente. Le dimensioni predefinite sono le migliori per tagliare una foto poiché essa si adatta completamente alla pagina di stampa, senza tagliare nessun lato.
   • Se intendi selezionare una dimensione a piacere, clicca su Personalizzato nel menu Proporzione. Poi, trascina i lati del fotogramma di ritaglio finché la foto non ha la dimensione che desideri.

   

   • Se cambi le dimensioni di una proporzione predefinita, il rapporto viene preservato.
   • Clicca Ruota fotogramma per scambiare tra la posizione orizzontale e verticale per il tuo ritaglio.
5. Clicca Applica.

Fonte: http://windowsliveblog.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!720E46AE746458F7!5771.entry

1. Doppio click sulla foto che vuoi modificare, e aprila.
2. Cliccca Modifica nella barra di Windows Live Photo Gallery, poi clicca su Correggi occhi rossi.
3. Ritaglia un rettangolino attorno all’occhio da correggere, dopodiché rilascia il mouse.
4. Ripeti questo passo un numero adeguato di volte necessario a rimuovere completamente l’occhio rosso. Non c’è bisogno di salvare la foto ora, i cambiamenti vengono applicati automaticamente.

Fonte: http://windowsliveblog.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!720E46AE746458F7!5729.entry

• Finestra di conversazione di Windows Live Messenger: Cinese/Giapponese/Coraeno IME (Input Method Editor) si reimposta in Inglese nella finestra di conversazione di Messenger.
  Su un computer con su installato Windows XP Sp2 o SP3, se ricevi un messaggio istantaneo mentre la finestra principale di Messenger è chiusa, e poi provi a scrivere caratteri Cinesi, Giapponesi o Coreani nella conversazione usando IME, la modalità input si resetta alla lingua Inglese e non potrai inserire caratteri Cinesi, Giapoonesi o Coreani. Per risolvere questo, riapri la finestra principale di Messenger e ricomincia a scrivere nella finestra di conversazione.
• Video: I settaggi e gli effetti per le webcam potrebbero non funzionare più e non appaiono per le webcam
  Alcuni produttori di webcam offrono dei settaggi per le operazioni di camera o effetti che possono essere applicati al video attraverso Messenger. Con la nuova versione di Messenger queste opzioni potrebbero non funzionare più. Se non vedi nessun controllo di camera e nessuna icona per gli effetti sotto la tua immagine di Messenger durante una video-chiamata o una sessione webcam, consulta il produttore della tua webcam cercando un aggiornamento.
• Windows Live Mail: I certificati S/MIME devono essere ristabiliti
  S/MIME (Secure/ Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) è una sicurezza standard per chiavi pubbliche di criptazione e la firma delle e-mail con un ID digitale o un certificato. Quando usi la funzione Secure Mail (certificati) di Windows Live Mail per inviare o ricevere posta, devi necessariamente ristabilire il tuo certificato S/MIME e i certificati di tutti i contatti coi quali scambi e-mail sicure.
  Puoi settare il tuo certificato personale S/MIME selezionando il certificato corretto in Windows Live Mail:
  • In Windows Live Mail, clicca il tasto menu sulla barra degli strumenti, poi clicca Opzioni per la protezione.
    Clicca la scheda Protezione.
  • Nella sezione Protezione Messaggi, clicca ID Digitali.
  • Nella finestra Certificati, seleziona il certificato che utilizzi per le tue mail S/MIME

  Puoi impostare il certificato per ognuno dei tuoi contatti aggiungendo il certificato alla tua lista contatti:

  • Nella finestra principale di Windows Live Mail, seleziona un messaggio e-mail che hai ricevuto da un tuo contatto che include un certificato digitale.
  • Cliccca l’icona del certificato per quella e-mail.
  • Clicca Visualizza certficitati.
  • Cliccca Aggiungi ai contatti.
• Windows Live Movie Maker: non installato con Windows Live Essentials
  Movie Maker richiede Windows Vista o Windows 7. Se installi Windows Live Essentials usando qualsiasi altro sistema operativo, Movie Maker non verrà installato.
• Movie Maker potrebbe non partire correttamente con alcune schede video
  Movie Maker richiede un uso estensivo del processore grafico. Un PC con una scheda video poco performante potrebbe riscontrare problemi di rendering video e di effetti in Movie Maker.
• I video potrebbero non renderizzarsi se è installato Nero sul tuo PC
  Alcuni programmi di Nero installano filtri che potrebbero andare in conflitto con Windows Live Movie Maker. Se riscontri questo problema, contatta il produttore del programma per verificare la disponibilità di un aggiornamento del loro software. Per una veloce scappatoia, puoi cancellare il NDParser.ax installato da Nero Ahead. Nota che sarà necessario ri-registrare NDparser.ax se vuoi che Nero funzioni di nuovo correttamente.
  Per cancellare o ri-registrare NDParser.ax, segui questi passi
  1. Sul menu Start di Windows, clicca Tutti i Programmi, e poi clicca Accessori.
  2. Click-destro sul Prompt dei Comandi e poi clicca Esegui come amministratore.
  3. Scrivi: CD %programfiles%Common FilesAheadDSfilter e poi premi Invio.
  4. Per cancellare o ri-registrare NDParser.ax, fai una delle due cose:
     a. Per cancellare, scrivi: regsvr32 NDParser.ax /u e premi Invio.
     b. Per ri-registrare, scrivi: regsvr32 NDParser.ax e premi Invio.
• Movie Maker supporta solo font TrueType
  Movie Maker supporta solo le font TrueType. Se selezioni una font Raster, Movie Maker ritornerà alla font predefinita Arial.
• Dopo aver aggiornato a Windows 7, non potrai scaricare foto da photos.live.com
  Per risolvere questo problema, è necessario riparare l’installazione di Windows Live Photo Gallery.
  1. Sul menu Start di Windows, clicca Pannello di controllo, clicca Programmi, clicca Programmi e funzionalità, e poi nella lista, clicca Windows Live Essentials.
  2. Clicca Disinstalla/Cambia.
  3. Click Ripara, e poi clicca Continua.
  4. L’installer mostrerà il tuoi programmi Windows Live.
  5. Chiudi tutte le istanze di Microsoft Internet Explorer, e poi riavvia Internet Explorer.
  6. Apri tutti gli album che ti hanno dato problemi, e prova a scaricarli di nuovo.
• Potresti riscontrare un errore se hai un file DLL in più nella tua cartella System32
  Quando apri il Family Safety Filter su un computer su cui è installato un Windows XP potresti ricevere il seguente messaggio:
  “The procedure entry point IsThreadDesktopComposited could not be located in the dynamic link library USER32.dll”
  Questo vuol dire che probabilmente è presente il file dwmapi.dll nella cartella System32 del tuo Windows XP. Per risolvere questo problema, rimuovi il file .dll usando questa procedura:
  1. Clicca su Start, e poi clicca su Risorse del Computer.
  2. Doppio-click sul disco rigido C:.
  3. Doppio-click sulla cartella WINDOWS, e poi doppio-click sulla cartella system32.
  4. Trova il file dwmapi.dll e cancellalo.
• Windows Live Family Safety: Nessun ID Windows Live necessario per i bambini
  Family Safety può supervisionare anche gli account Windows. Non è necessario, per i genitori, registrare un ID Windows Live per tutti i bambino da supervisionare.

Scarica: Note di Rilascio completo per Windows Live Essentials 2009 QFE2 (PDF; ~ 700 kB)

mynetx: Technogran, it is nice to welcome you as my guest! Please tell me a bit about yourself. How is your life involved with Windows Live?

Technogran: Thank you very much mynetx, it’s nice of you to invite me! I am very flattered to be asked, especially following others such as Angus!
I am on Windows Live and also use all of the Live Essentials Suite of programs on my desktop.

mynetx: Since when are you using Live? Tell me a bit about your history.

Technogran: Oh, I have been using all of the Windows Live applications and also the site itself since it was first thought of, although it doesn’t show that via my Space because I kept deleting it and starting from scratch. When the applications began appearing, they were all in beta, but I downloaded and tested them, and I loved them all.

mynetx: Do you think the Windows Live team cares for their users’ demands? Why?

Technogran: Tricky one this to answer, but I will be as frank as possible. I think that like a lot of Microsoft, the Live teams tend to listen to the wrong users. They take notice of the feedback from the more able user, such as the MVP’s, their ‘in-house’ users, and the more technically able, and the more ‘ordinary’ users views don’t tend to get heard. Microsoft isn’t alone in this, I hasten to add, lots of ordinary users just don’t know how to get their views across, because they are not as computer savvy as the more proficient user is. I am neither. I’m a sort of in-between user if you like, an ordinary user, but capable of making my views known on behalf of the ‘little everyday user’.

mynetx: You like posting tips and tricks in your Space using Live Writer. Do you think the software does its job correctly? Why did you choose Writer?

Technogran: LOL. What else is there? I love Writer, and in my opinion, Microsoft should be shouting from the rooftops about it! I have done my homework and tried to find an equivalent program that does everything that Writer does, and come up with zilch, so I consider it unique and for blogging (which let’s face it, every man, woman and their dog does these days) it’s a must have. I also like it because it’s on my desktop. I am a desktop person, that’s where I spend most of my computer time, and I love the way I can start a post, change it, save it to draft, and work on it at my leisure, only posting it when I feel it’s perfect.

mynetx: Any tip about Writer that you want to share with us?

Technogran: Hmm. Hard one because Brandon has been doing some great tips for Writer lately. My tip to anyone using it (because it annoys me more than anything that more users don’t make use of it) is to use the Margins feature to put a gap between a picture and their text. It tends to look so unsightly when the text ‘butts’ up to the edge of a photo or picture, and it’s so easy to do!

mynetx: Within the next five years, where could you picture Windows Live?

Technogran: I think it all depends on where the Live Teams want to take it, and which direction. There does seem to be a ‘mis-match’ between how they view Windows Live and how the majority of users view it, as was ably illustrated after the Wave 3 updates. Lots of users saw Windows Live first and foremost as a blogging platform and site which then produced a ‘blogging’ community, but it seems that the teams don’t quite see it as such, and to be honest, have never ever referred to it as such.

mynetx: Please provide two positive and negative comments about any outstanding Windows Live product.

Technogran: Hmm, you ask some difficult questions mynetx! Let me see…
Positives. Windows Live Mail, its ability to set up your e-mail accounts quickly and easily. The way it can fetch down all your e-mails, RSS feeds, and Newsgroups all to one place! Love it.
Negatives. Live Calendar. Wish it had incorporated into it a ‘to-do’ feature. I’m not too keen on having all those different calendars either. And Live Photo Gallery, wish it let me ‘geo-tag’ my pics.

mynetx: Do you run Windows Live Mail 24/7? Do you have some kind of a routine with Mail and the other parts of Windows Live?

Technogran: Yes I do. Windows Live Mail is the first program I open in a morning to check my e-mails, then I check all my RSS feeds and read them all. Also most of the newsgroups (about Windows Live natch). Obviously I only open Gallery if I am doing something with my photos, and Writer is open when I am constructing a blog post.

mynetx: Use your fantasy: how do you think Mail will look like within the next five years? What new features could it present?

Technogran: Hmm. Again a toughie because I think a lot will hinge on Google Wave, and whether or not us ‘ordinary users’ take to that or not. Mail has been around for a long time without really changing its format, and it IS based on the letters arriving on your doorstep. IF Google Wave does take off, especially with the ordinary user, then it’s ‘all change’ as they say, and Mail as we all know it will wither and die. It all changes so quickly these days, and change is speeding up, so who knows, but obviously as we have all seen with Windows XP and IE6, there are loads and loads of users who will resist change to the end, no matter how good the replacement is!

mynetx: Comparing these ideas with Mail’s current features, which of these might be added in the next release, Wave 4?

Technogran: Well, we know that Calendar is getting Alerts added—and hopefully for Gran, reminders or even better ‘pop up on your taskbar’ to-do’s. (to aid lousy memories! You’ll all get there some day!) I think the team will want to keep the clean interface, and I know that I am one of its fans, though many don’t like it and think it looks ‘washed out’. I would personally LOVE to see the return of Active Search which was in the old incarnation of Windows Live Mail when it was better known as Windows Live Mail Desktop (and was a pig to type each time you mentioned it!). I loved it but again, lots didn’t and it was eventually removed from the completed product, despite the fact that the team made it ‘choosable’.

mynetx: Windows Live Movie Maker—does its release, only some 24 hours ago, contain any surprises? What do you feel when thinking about it?

Technogran: I love the way the guys were brave enough to take Movie Maker (which was already well liked) and just begin again from scratch. I also love the fact that their new ideas all hinge around making Movie Maker easier to use for a newbie! This is an attitude that this Gran is all for, then everyone benefits! Sure if you are more technically able, there is all the features that you want, but for anyone who has never used a Movie making application before, I applaud their use of the ‘Ribbon’ interface, lovely large easy to see icons, etc. Bet you it won’t be long before we see the video out of a seven year old who has single handedly created a movie with his/her pictures! (Mind you, less of the youngsters, they should show one of a 80 year old Granny or Granddad using their apps as well!)

mynetx: Nice that you already tried the new version of Movie Maker and that you blogged about it.
—Are you satisfied with the Windows Live services that are provided to you? Why?

Technogran: Yes I am. However, I wish their was an easier way to give feedback, and to get feedback back. When the Essentials programs were first in beta all those years ago, I can remember conversing with the teams responsible for all of them via e-mail! Yes it’s true! And you really felt that your feedback was actually not only being read, but also being acted upon. I know it can be time consuming to sift through, but it just makes users feel closer to contributing to a program or application.

mynetx: What is your favorite feature in Photo Gallery?

Technogran: The fact it’s free! LOL. No, that’s difficult because I love all of it. As different features have been added over the course of time, it has become a really powerful photo manipulation program, and I just hope that this continues in the future. I love using the Panoramic Photo feature for example, I love how easy it is to edit your pictures and improve them as well. I would love it if Photosynth and DeepZoomPix were also added as well. That would make Photo Gallery really one of the most awesome free photo programs out there (although it already is in my book!).

mynetx: Ever heard of Live Mesh? What was your first impression of it? Could it be a new diverse method of file sharing among peers, or could it improve the current system at hand?

Technogran: Yes I am beta testing Live Mesh and have it on my computer at all times. Trouble is, I don’t really have any other computer to sync with, but I tend to use it to allow my eldest son to access my files that I need to share with him. I have also used it with a few others who I needed to see a video for example.

mynetx: Do you wish one of the Live Services/Essentials would have a feature that a third-party service/software already has?

Technogran: Yes! I wish Windows Live Mail had a reminder feature such as the one for Thunderbird/Firefox called Reminderfox! I love that program, and found it almost indispensable but no one has ever made one similar for IE or Live Mail. Drat!

mynetx: What is your intention behind talking with everyday users in your section “Living with Live”? What inspires you?

Technogran: Why the newbies of course! It has always annoyed me that we ‘ordinary users’ don’t get heard. Especially this applies to what has become known as ‘silver surfers’ meaning us users who are now retired and now beginning to get to grips with using computers for the very first time. All of the coders, engineers, and those who work in Information Technology as a whole tend to forget that we didn’t have computers at school, no one taught us how to use them, we don’t know you can ‘right click’ to find another menu list, we are of a different mindset and age where we have always used pen and paper, and full words, not all this ‘messenger speak’ that the younger end use today! (I have to often ask my grandchildren to interpret most of what they send in a messenger conversation! In fact my messages usually consist of ‘what does that mean?’) So getting back to your question about what inspires me, it’s that someone has to try and help those users in an easy to understand manner, and as it’s not all that long ago since I was in that position of not knowing anything about using a computer, it’s still all pretty fresh in my mind. Besides, they might listen more to someone who is just an ordinary user like themselves. My ‘how-to’s’ on the Clubhouse are often posted in response to someone on my Network having trouble with either the Windows Live site OR one of the desktop applications.
When Wave 3 was launched I was at my busiest, trying to do posts to help users find their friends, or find their Space etc.

mynetx: Are you working on any project related to Windows Live currently?

Technogran: Not at the moment, although it’s the ‘lull before the storm’ of course, as we all wait for the Wave 4 updates to arrive. I shall most likely be glued to the keyboard night and day when all that occurs as users post up with ‘can’t find this’ or ‘can’t find that’. I would rather do a post to help than give an answer in a forum, simply because you can illustrate the steps to take with pictures and it’s easier then for a user to follow. Also they can always print it out to follow it as well. It’s time consuming doing them, as I like to get my ‘how-to’s’ just right, and make them as easy as possible, but I love doing it and being helpful to other users on here. After all, the last thing we want is users getting so frustrated that they either don’t bother joining and using Windows Live or they just give up because it’s all too much trouble.

mynetx: Technogran, seeing Windows Live from your point of view was very interesting. Thank you for sharing this all with us!

Technogran: No problem!

You liked this interview?

Technogran and me have started a cooperation—look forward to regular rant conversations about the most recent news and happenings in the world of Windows Live!

More about Technogran

• Follow her on Twitter
• Read her Windows Live Space

mynetx: Please tell me a bit about yourself. Is your life directly or indirectly involved with Windows Live?

Lance: I go by the name of Salem. I’m 22 right now, originally from South Africa (the country, not Southern Africa); however I am currently residing in the Cambridgeshire in the UK. My life doesn’t directly involve Windows Live actually—in fact, I consider myself rather new to the whole MSN/Windows Live community.

mynetx: New? Since when are you in the Live business? Tell me a bit about your history with it…

Lance: Okay, maybe not “New”; I just see myself as new to the whole community when I compare how long some people have been involved. I first started using MSN software in 2003 when I first moved to the UK from South Africa. As can be expected, the first MSN software application I used was MSN Messenger, that’s when I first became a regular user at least. I tried a couple of times before that back in South Africa to chat to my relatives in the UK, but due to terrible internet access (high cost and unreliable) I was only ever able to sign-in twice. (OK, maybe it wasn’t a South Africa-wide internet issue, maybe just our budget ISP. [laughes])

But yeah, I really got into it in 2003. Don’t ask me what version I used, I can’t remember if it was MSN Messenger 6.2 or 6.5, but somewhere around there. I applied to take part in MSN Messenger Beta testing (thinking I’d never get in) back in, I think, 2004. To my surprise, I got in…

mynetx: Do you think the Windows Live team cares for their users’ demands? Why?

Lance: I think people (Messenger users) can be very demanding. Well, Windows Live users can, too; but I’m saying Messenger users as it is by far the most used Windows Live product. Users can be very demanding: wanting things, and expecting to get a feature, just because they ask for it. Yet again, it can be kind of frustrating when specific suggestions/demands get made over and over and over again, and they are just dismissed by the developers.

I think it is easy for the casual users to demand things and not fully understanding the behind-the-scenes work that needs to be done to satisfy that demand.

mynetx: What might be the motivation behind dismissing user’s suggestions, especially when they are made really frequently (example: tabs)?

Lance: Haha, yes, tabs was one of the suggestions I was thinking about. I honestly don’t know, but I think the most likely reason would be, as I mentioned before, the scale of the work involved in getting it to work. However, considering that even a third-party developer (like Patchou) can get it working well enough in an add-on, surely Microsoft can get it working in their own software.

mynetx: Well, the Messenger Plus! creator, Patchou, is just one person and is able to implement it…

Lance: Yes, it is certainly possible. I think of the most frequent suggestions, tabs would be one of the easiest to reliably implement (compared to something like polygamy, the ability to sign-in to multiple accounts from one client).

mynetx: Use your fantasy: how do you think Messenger will look like within the next five years? What new features could it present?

Lance: Wow, really difficult question! I would like to see Silverlight/WPF used more. I mean it is Microsoft’s own technology, yet they are not using it.

mynetx: Like in the Twitter desktop client “blu”, you mean?

Lance: I have not heard of blu myself, will need to look it up!

mynetx:

Lance: I just mean, Messenger needs a total visual overhaul. I like the different look they introduced in the first beta of the renamed Messenger (from MSN to Windows Live), the orange one. I think many people complained at first about it because it was so “different” (people don’t like changes) so Microsoft reverted back to a GUI similar to previous versions.

View Full Album

mynetx: Wasn’t Wave 3 (2009) visually overhauled enough?

Lance: Apart from the new colors etc., there is not that much difference in Windows Live Messenger from MSN Messenger 6.x. Maybe I’m wanting to much but: think of the visual overhaul from Windows 9x to Windows XP, XP to Vista, and Vista to Windows 7—big changes, not these minor “tweaks” we are getting.

mynetx: I see… Apart from the user interface, what new features could Messenger present in five years?

Lance: Well… I don’t know what it could have, but I do know some things I’d like to see. Among the top items on my wish list are (in no particular order):

1. Official Polygamy Support — The ability to sign-in to multiple Messenger accounts from one Windows Live Messenger client, and have separate statuses/personal status messages/display names/display pictures for each account.
2. Tabs (although this can be done in add-ons like Messenger Plus! Live, so not that important to me).
3. Multi-party audio (or even better, video) chats.
4. The ability to export your whole WLM Contact List including the structure (groups, categories, favorites etc.). It’s a real pain when you try and migrate to a new account, as you can now only export and import the contacts, you then have to manually re-sort them in the new account.

mynetx: True, I have recently experienced the need for that, when I changed my Live ID.

Lance: It has taken me 2 years to migrate to a new account for this very reason. I just cant resort/rearrange them all; it’s a pain.

Oh, and “Bring back the MSN video carousel in the UK”, lol.

mynetx: I have always wondered that the “Video Carousel” was in 8.5? *-)

Lance: We had it in the UK when it was introduced in Windows Live Messenger, but it did not last long. It is gone now…

In fact I don’t even know if it made it past WLM 8’s beta.

mynetx: Any bugs that need fixing?

Lance: Yes, here is a “bug” I want fixed: Try adding a Yahoo! contact to your contact list (a localized one, not Yahoo.com) as a buddy. Messenger changes it to Yahoo.com even though you enter the localized one (in my case, Yahoo.co.uk). Thus, you cant add Yahoo! Messenger users who have a localized Yahoo address to your contact list. I have requested this a number of times, still not fixed.

Suggestion No. 2: Get rid of the bloody roll-over flash ads in the contact list! (That’s not a “feature” though.)

mynetx: Interoperability with other IM networks is a great field to improve, in my opinion. Yahoo looks like “hacked” into Messenger, instead of implemented correctly…

Lance: Yes, they need to add support for other Chat / instant messaging clients / protocols: Facebook Chat (as they have a stake in Facebook), definitely Jabber support please. Jabber is an open protocol, so an agreement should not be needed. I could then dump Google Talk for chatting to my MXit contacts.

mynetx: A propos Yahoo, what is your opinion on the final deal to use the Bing engine on Yahoo! websites, after all those never-ending ramblings about a cooperation, search deal, whatsoever?

Lance: Well, Microsoft needs to do something especially in search/online advertising, as Google is way ahead in market share.

mynetx: How does Bing relate?

Lance: I have tried Bing a few times. It is definitely much better than MSN Search/Windows Live Search/Live Search (whatever the last time was, lol). It also seems to be improving Microsoft’s market share. Though, I am wondering if this is because people like it, or if people are just “trying it out” as it is new—only time will tell.

mynetx: Mentioning the word “Butterfly”, what comes into your mind?

Lance: A colorful insect that flies!

mynetx: And adding “Windows Live…”?

Lance: Ahh, lol, I knew what you meant.

mynetx: What comes into your mind? What was so special about this group of exclusive people?

Lance: The Windows Live Butterfly program/group goes way back to the MSN days (hence the groups name being “Butterfly”). It was a group of beta testers who have “excelled” in Beta testing Windows Live products. Participants of the group were chosen by Microsoft and in some cases by those who were already butterflies from testers of Windows Live (and previously MSN) products/services. The group had a private discussion “area” on the Microsoft newsgroups. That’s just one of the benefits of being a member of the group. You can think of it as something similar to the MVP program, although only for MSN/Windows Live products, and lower down the hierarchy.

mynetx: Did you like being a butterfly?

Lance: I certainly did enjoy most of my time being a butterfly. It was a really good experience, not only testing, but also socializing and getting to know those with similar interests as yourself. As with any “cyber-community”, the group had its ups and downs but generally it was a good experience. It’s a shame to see the community go!

I think also what made the community so good was the way main person who managed it as he really helped things out.

mynetx: Let’s bring out a toast on Eric Chen!

Lance: Haha indeed.

mynetx: Please provide two positive and negative comments about any outstanding Windows Live product.

Lance: Hm… I choose Windows Live Mail.

Positives: Contact list/Address book synchronized with Live Messenger—that is my main reason for choosing it over other applications.

Negative: Slow (!), especially in IMAP mail downloading; furthermore it can only synchronize/use Contact list of one Windows Live ID even if you add a different Windows Live ID as account to Live Mail.

— Look how easy it was to think of negatives, and how hard it was to think of positives: it makes Live Mail not look good at all…

mynetx: OK, thanks for these.

Let’s talk a bit about your personal customs. Do you run Windows Live Messenger 24/7? Do you have some kind of a routine with Messenger and the other parts of Windows Live?

Lance: Yes, Windows Live Messenger is on 24/7—as long a PC is on it is running and signed in. Routine? Not really. I usually check if any people I chat to often are online (Messenger Plus! Live Desktop Contacts), see if I want to talk to them. I may then open Live Mail, but as it doesn’t auto-run on startup/login nor auto-run in system tray, I have to do this manually, so I often forget. However, as these are the Windows Live applications I use most, that is usually the order I would do things.

mynetx: Comparing your ideas we talked about before (like UI enhancements, tabs, multiple accounts per endpoint, more IM networks, etc), with Messenger’s current features, which of these might be added in the next release, Wave 4?

Lance: I think more IM network interoperability may be the most likely, especially as we heard rumblings about it for this version (although unconfirmed). Like I said also, Jabber could come as it is an open standard and wouldn’t need any agreements (as with other IMs like AIM).

I’d say UI change is next—but not likely. (Again, by UI change I mean a big change, not minor tweaks/changes.) Tabs would be next, and polygamy last, as I foresee this to be more work.

mynetx: Are you satisfied with the Windows Live services that are provided to you? Why?

Lance: Mostly yes. They just satisfy my communications needs, whether it be IM, social networking or e-mail. They are things I think that can be worked on (as mentioned earlier); but yes, overall I am satisfied.

mynetx: Will Windows Live be able to fill the position as overall Windows (and Office) add-on, especially when looking at Windows 7?

Lance: I think so, it is a good suite of applications for the average computer user. I think it would be better to be just integrated with Windows, but the European Union will not be happy.

mynetx: Windows Live and Office Live, along with cloud power in behind—is this the solution? Better than legacy software?

Lance: That depends on the market, in my opinion. In markets where a decent (that is, broadband) Internet connection is easily available/accessible, it is good; but otherwise it isn’t, no. I think people in Europe/the US forget about computer users in places without broadband Internet connections, not to mention those with no Internet at all.

mynetx: So, is the gap between industry lands (high-tech nations) and economically less strong areas increasing?

Lance: I don’t know whether it is increasing, but I don’t think it’s getting smaller. Take my home country for example, South Africa. Broadband Internet (ADSL) access has only become available to the general public (that is, not business) in the last 3-4 years. Here though (in the UK), it was already very common. Now, in South Africa citizens can get a broadband connection, but at a price: for example, they pay the ISP and phone line (as we do), but they also pay a charge for the phone line to be used for broadband/ADSL. So it costs at least three times as much there, plus they still have ridiculous caps/quotas making only basic net usage possible; whereas here, we are using it for much more. Just imagine cloud computing in places like that…

mynetx: To summarize: using cloud web applications is problematic for regions where no broadband web access is available.

Lance: Exactly! I’m all for it, but I wouldn’t want everything to go “to the cloud” soon as it will leave such nations behind.

mynetx: What is your favorite feature in Messenger?

Lance: Video chat is got to be.

mynetx: Why?

Lance: Being someone that lives in a different country than family and friends he grew up with, it’s good to be able to see and hear them.

mynetx: What was your first impression of Live Mesh? Could it be a new diverse method of file sharing among peers, or could it improve the current system at hand?

Lance: I loved it as soon as I tried it, and I am using it all the time now. It is what Windows Live Messenger Sharing Folders should have been. Well, apparently Mesh is intended to be more than just a file sharing service. I’m yet to see the others though, but it makes file sharing/synchronization available to the masses, for free.

mynetx: We can expect some Mesh love in Windows Live Wave 4, as it will play an important role in the upcoming “Windows Live Devices” service. How could it be connected tighter with the other services? What might we see?

Lance: No idea actually; though, I am excited and looking forward to see what they have planned.

mynetx: Me too. I will tell you as soon as I know more details…

Lance: It looks like Wave 4 will be a better release than Wave 3 (I honestly wasn’t happy with Wave 3 at all.)

mynetx: What was wrong or missing in Wave 3, the 2008-2009 release of Windows Live?

Lance: The beta ran extremely long to me—too long for what we saw as changes. Sure, Movie Maker joined Windows Live; but apart from that and minor visual changes, there wasn’t much. I don’t know, maybe I just expected too much.

mynetx: Do you wish Messenger would have a feature that a third-party IM software already has?

Lance: Well, I don’t use any other IM apps (apart from Google Talk, which is crap considering its features; the only reason I use it is for communicating with MXit people), so I don’t really know what other IM applications offer.

mynetx: Ahh, so you are a loyal Windows Live user?

Lance: (laughes) Not loyal; there is just no real need to use anything else. Most of my contacts are on WLM or Skype, but Skype doesn’t offer anything different that I want in Messenger.

mynetx: As Messenger user, I’m sure you’ve got a good tip that not everybody might know about yet—any tweak, counsel, suggestion, whatever comes into your mind.

Lance: One good tip is allowing two WLM instances to run at the same time. It is a registry setting that needs modifying; the only thing is it won’t auto sign-in to a second account (Live ID). [Read more about this tip soon.]

mynetx: How would you summarize your overall experience with Windows Live in a brief sentence?

Lance: Windows Live services help me keep in touch and share my views/stories.

mynetx: Lance, I found it very interesting to talk with you about all of this!

Lance: I enjoyed it too; thanks for thinking of me as some to interview and for taking the time to do so.

Thanks to thirteen23 labs, Alto Voltaje Design, Bram Vandeperre, Messenger Stuff, BuddyFuse and LiveSino for the images.

Windows Live Events

We’ll be retiring Windows Live Events and allow you instead to plan and manage social events all in one place through Windows Live Calendar. […] In 2010, we’ll retire Windows Live Events entirely. At that time, you will no longer be able to get to any of your old events, and you won’t be able to download and save old event photos and videos.

How-to: Back up your existing Events and associated data

Saving photos

1. Go to http://events.live.com/ and sign in with your Windows Live ID.
2. Click View your events at the top of the page.
3. Click the event you want to save photos from. and then click the Photos link on the left side of the event page.
4. Select the photo album that you want to save, and then click More at the top of the page.
5. In the More dropdown menu, click Download, and then click Download with Photo Gallery.
6. Select the photos that you want to save, and then click Download.

Saving files

1. Click the SkyDrive link on the left side of each event page.
2. Select the Documents folder.
3. Click the specific file that you want to download.
4. Click Download, and then open the file or save it to your computer.

Well, using online map services like Bing Maps is really fun, especially when there is Bird’s Eye view of the location you are interested in. We visited our home town virtually and were simply amazed at the accuracy and level of details you can see in those photos.

When we had checked out locations, we thought about how to get there. How good that you can check trains and their timetables online! We just entered our departure and arrival locations, date, number of people, hit ‘Submit’—and instantly got our train connections. Then it was only a matter of seconds to hit ‘Print’ and get some tiny PDF files containing the site, using a PDF printer.

After our vacation, we will probably plug in the SD card of our digital camera and let Windows Live Photo Gallery do the rest.

Long story short—what would we do without our computer? It has become part of our daily life.

What are your plans for the summer? I’m curious.

I might be wrong, but to me it’s another ‘company’ trying to make something never thought of before, that isn’t going to make it, and it doesn’t looks secure at all. I don’t see Opera Unite getting anywhere.

I mean, Opera is used by 1 to 3% of all the people online? And they really think that they can pull this off? More importantly, with that small sized company with no serious skills will be able to secure files etc? It’s just one big joke.

Today, Lawrence Eng, product analyst at Opera, talks about some details on what Opera Unite is designed for, why it was invented, and what it is not.

We don’t hate social networks and big-server computing. The point I tried to convey is that users should have a choice–freedom to decide how and where their data resides and is used. In some circumstances, they may choose Facebook or Flickr, but in other (equally legitimate) circumstances, they may choose to host it themselves. Opera Unite is our way of removing people’s reliance on the big datacenter solution, not because big servers are necessarily bad, but because they’re not enough.

Millions of people are comfortable with other people hosting their data, but there are also plenty of people who aren’t so comfortable, either because it’s a hassle, hard to use, or because of privacy concerns. I share photos online (Flickr, Facebook, and My Opera) but that doesn’t mean I want to share all of my “stupid digital photos” on the public web. Just today, I used Opera Unite to share some content with close friends that I wouldn’t necessarily want to put on Facebook, Flickr, etc.

When possible (depending on one’s router and the design of particular Unite services), Opera Unite supports UPnP (enabled by default) so that users can bypass Opera’s proxy service. Even when that proxy service is used, the data that passes through it is not stored by Opera.

At the end of the day, Opera Unite is still a work in progress, and we need informed, critical voices as well as enthusiastic ones to make it all work. Your feedback has been valuable, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to clarify some issues (even if some points of disagreement persist). People have always counted Opera out, but the company has been around for 15 years, and we’re going stronger than ever on multiple fronts (including the desktop). We did make ambitious statements about Opera Unite, and big claims paint a target on our back, but we think it’s better to aim high and not give up, even if we stumble a little out of the gate. Maybe I’m just an idealistic American, but I think the best is yet to come.

Did you have a look at Opera Unite yet?

Once upon a time, web servers were invented. These used to serve first static, then dynamic content to clients, to us. The basis was simple: a small group of people, the providers, created web content, while the vast majority of us were consumers, readers, downloaders—users. Web servers and clients were designed to suit just these needs.

Then, Web 2.0 came up, along with the idea of contributing to form the web. The idea behind it changed from producers and consumers to “Everybody is a contributor”; the web starts to become a huge whiteboard. Web servers and client browsers do not match the idea anymore—if everybody can be a contributor, every web browser should be able to be a web server.

This is where Opera Unite kicks in. Once Opera runs and once you are connected to Unite with your Opera ID, everybody can access the services you launch. Of course, you can define which people can access which services.

Opera Unite features

• File Sharing of any folder you choose,
• Whiteboard messaging (“Fridge”),
• Media Player streaming any music you choose from your disk,
• Photo Sharing of your newest albums,
• integrated chat room module (“The Lounge”),
• and a small Web Server for your convenience.

Opera Unite and Windows Live Wave 4—what are we going to see?

Could Opera Unite get a competition to Windows Live?

Sharing your own content easily was the goal behind Opera Unite. Sharing your content easily, and access it from anywhere—that’s the goal behind Windows Live Mesh, that will get integrated into the next release of Windows Live programs for your computer, called “Essentials”. What are the differences between Opera Unite and Windows Live Wave 4?

*) Please note: Windows Live Wave 4 is the code name of the next release that the Windows Live Team is currently working on. As it is a product in development, the information might be incomplete or erroneous and is subject to change.