Microsoft is slowly but surely showing more of its planned software-as-a-service add-ons for Windows, most of which will be ad-supported.Microsoft didn't show off
many new Windows Vista bells and whistles at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week. But company officials did drop hints about some of the new Windows Live add-on services in the Redmond pipeline.
Windows Live is the brand name for the growing family of services, many of which originally launched under MSN, that will be add-ons to Windows. Most of these services are expected to be free and ad-supported.
Microsoft announced its plans for Windows Live in early November and is beta testing a handful of Windows Live services, including Windows Live Local, a mapping service; Windows Live Messenger, an instant messaging update; Windows Live Mail, a Web-based e-mail service; and Windows OneCare Live, a PC protection/backup service.
During his Wednesday night CES keynote, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates offered a few details about some other possible Windows Live services in the wings.
Gates showed off new phones from Royal Philips and Uniden with which users will be able to be used to call Windows Live Messenger buddies via VOIP. They also demonstrated new Live.com TV gadgets for managing photos, videos and other content on Media Center PCs and Microsoft IPTV set top boxes.
Microsoft officials also mentioned that there is a Windows Live TV Recommendations service in the works that will allow customers to rate shows, improving their TV personalization experience over time.
Microsoft did not offer details on availability of any of these new Live services. Company executives have been reticent to discuss when final versions of any of these services will be available for download.
Microsoft also released more details last week on another of its Live services, an online marketplace service designed to compete with eBay and Google's Google Base. That Microsoft service, formerly code-named "Fremont," is now known as Windows Live Expo. Microsoft has not yet opened up the beta program for Live Expo, but it did post new screen shots and information about the service to its Windows Live Ideas page.
Microsoft has not specified how many Windows Live services the company ultimately expects to field, but according to some sources, there may be as many as 50 such offerings on the drawing board. Microsoft officials also have said they plan to field complementary Office Live services, as well as other add-on-service components from nearly all of the company's business units. The model for these services is Xbox Live, the online gaming service that Microsoft offers to its Xbox console customers.
Microsoft nemesis Google is expected to launch on Friday a competitor to Microsoft Live, known as Google Pack. According to a published report in The Wall Street Journal, Google Pack will include the Firefox Web browser, Norton Antivirus, Adobe System's Reader software, RealNetworks' RealPlayer, Trillian instant-messaging software and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware antispyware software. Google's own desktop search, Google Earth, Picassa photo-management, Google Talk instant-messaging and Google Toolbar wares also are expected to be part of the downloadable bundle.
"The critical market for many online services is the 18-to-24 year-old segment. In most categories--blogging, reading blogs, instant messaging, downloading music--18-to-24 year olds are more active than other consumers. Windows Live services are squarely focused on the segment," said Joe Wilcox, an analyst with Jupiter Research.
"But other companies already have assembled similar pieces," Wilcox continued. "Google has Blogger, Picasa, Talk and other software or services that would appeal to younger users looking to socialize or network online. Google would be smart to fill in some of the gaps, either on its own or using software/services from friendly vendors."
Wilcox added that any move by Google in this space "would likely be motivated by more than just competition with Microsoft."
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