Windows Live is a suite of Internet powered applications and services designed to run on top of the Windows platform. Microsoft unveiled a variety of services at its technology preview event today that it plans to release next year. All components of Windows Live are currently listed on the Windows Live Ideas page.
Live.com
Live.com is the center of the Windows Live experience. Users will access this personalized portal page for the latest weather, news, mail messages, and whatever else catches their interest. Live.com is similar to the Google personalized start page and My Yahoo!. Users select a content type, enter some personalization options, and are able to change the layout and configuration of the page.
Feed aggregation is built right onto the page. The last 5 titles are shown by default, with expansion options and links to the full content. Enclosures are displayed right on the page inside of their default viewing plugin. Live.com is obviously intended for people subscribing to only a few feeds and there is still a lot of opportunity to introduce users to a richer aggregation experience.
Ray Ozzie called RSS “the Unix pipe of the Internet.”
Microsoft Gadgets help add content to the Live.com homepage. Gadgets can also be used within Messenger, Windows Vista’s sidebar, and the MSN Search toolbar but I am not sure if the same code is reusable for each scenario. Pictured above is my Live.com gadget showing a two column view of my RSS feed. You can assemble your own gadget using JavaScript, CSS, and an XML file to describe your gadget’s content.
Windows Safety Center
Windows Safety Center allows a user to scan their PC for viruses, learn about current viruses, clean out unused files, and perform other maintenance tasks. The Windows Safety Center is advertising supported and provides an opportunity for on-page upsells to a full virus program, firewall, or anti-spyware program for example. There may be opportunities for other upsells throughout Windows Safety Center and I think it’s worth giving Microsoft a call if your company is in any overlapping service area.