The 2010 Summary, Part I

Once again, a year is over — for me, 2010 was very interesting. Much has happened, including unforeseen events. Come with me on a timeline journey and let’s think back to the most interesting events in 2010!
Today, we are going to take a look at the first half of 2010, that is, from January to June.

• January 2010

• Details and first photos about Messenger Wave 4 emerge.

• You can now connect SkyDrive to Windows Explorer — using CloudStorageExplorer.

• Hotmail Wave 4 will add Conversation view for messages.

• February 2010

• The cloud system Windows Azure launches officially.

• The social network Facebook launches its new home page layout.

• Windows Live ID has an outage, causing that customers cannot sign in anywhere.

• The Windows Live Messenger extension Messenger Plus! becomes silent at Yuna Software, its new owner, but eventually the silence is broken and we can move on to new pastures.

• The Chinese website cnbeta.com discovers the design of Windows Live Writer 2011.

• March 2010

• Google acquires the online image editor startup company Picnik.

• The IT trade fair CeBIT 2010 takes place in Hanover, Germany.

• The release roadmap for Windows Live Wave 4 surfaces.

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• April 2010

• Live.com changes to be Windows Live Home.

• Office 2010 reaches RTM status, its development is finished.

• Chris Jones talks about the future of Windows Live.

• May 2010

• The search engine Google overhauls its interface.

• Angus Logan showcases the Windows Live Messenger App for Apples iPhone smartphone.

• mynetx.net takes an in-depth look at the new features in Hotmail Wave 4.

• Messenger 2011 retires the existing “View webcam” feature and instead relies on Video calls, which are easier to maintain. Users’ reactions are overly negative and loud.

• The complete feature list of Windows Live 2011 is published. Remarkable new features include Messenger’s Facebook Chat module as well as Photo Fuse and facial recognition in Photo Gallery.

• On May 31, Windows Live Events is closing.

• June 2010

• Office 2010 and Office Web Apps are released to the public. Office Web Apps allow to edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations right in your web browser.

• The Windows Live Wave 4 public beta launches in 7 languages.

What was your personal highlight in the first half of 2010? I am curious to know!