Windows Live#Wave 2

{{Short description|Former brand name for Microsoft online services}}

{{Infobox website

| logo = Windows Live Logo.svg

| logo_size = 120px

| screenshot = Windows Live Home.png

| caption = Screenshot of Windows Live Home, which served as a central location to access all Windows Live services

| url = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.live.com/ |date=* |title=Archived official website }}

| commercial = No

| type = Software plus services
(Web applications)

| registration = Required

| owner = Microsoft

| launch_date = {{Start date|2005|11|01}}

| current_status = Closed

| num_users = 330 million

| content_license = Proprietary

}}

Windows Live is a discontinued brand name for a set of web services and software products developed by Microsoft as part of its software-as-a-service platform. Chief components under the brand name included web services (all of which were exposed through corresponding web applications), several computer programs that interact with the services, and specialized web services for mobile devices.{{Cite web |date=2008-11-12 |title=Windows Live Wave 3 Reviewers Guide |url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/WindowsLive/docs/WindowsLiveRG.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601191014/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/WindowsLive/docs/WindowsLiveRG.pdf |archive-date=June 1, 2010 |access-date=2008-11-16 |website=News Center |publisher=Microsoft}}

According to Microsoft, Windows Live was "a way to extend the Windows user experience".{{Cite web |last=Thurrott |first=Paul |date=2006-01-18 |title=Windows Live Preview |url=http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowslive_preview.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527151147/http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowslive_preview.asp |archive-date=2007-05-27 |access-date=2007-06-17 |website=SuperSite for Windows |publisher=Penton Media}} As such, Windows Vista's welcome screen provides a link to download Windows Live Messenger or to subscribe to Windows Live OneCare. Also, Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker were not offered with Windows 7 and became an exclusive part of Windows Live.{{Cite web |date=28 October 2008 |title=The Complete Windows Experience – Windows 7 + Windows Live |url=http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2008/10/28/the-complete-windows-experience-windows-7-windows-live/ |website=The Windows Blog |publisher=Microsoft}} Microsoft announced that Windows 8 would have Windows Live apps included out-of-the-box, and would include built-in synchronization technologies powered by OneDrive (then SkyDrive).{{Cite web |date=2011-09-13 |title=Windows 8 Developer Preview Guide |url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/E/4/1E455D53-C382-4A39-BA73-55413F183333/Windows_Developer_Preview-Windows8_guide.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007012704/http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/E/4/1E455D53-C382-4A39-BA73-55413F183333/Windows_Developer_Preview-Windows8_guide.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-07 |access-date=2011-09-20 |website=Download Center |publisher=Microsoft}} The Windows Live brand was phased out during August 2012, when Microsoft released Windows 8 to manufacturing. Active Windows Live services remained active but were gradually renamed. The "live.com" domain, however, continues to be used in the URLs for Outlook, OneDrive, and the Login and Signup pages.

History

Windows Live was first announced on November 1, 2005. In its initial release, several Windows Live properties were rebranded and enhanced from Microsoft's MSN set of products and services. However, MSN still exists alongside Windows Live as a means of delivering content (as opposed to customized content and communications).{{Cite web |date=1 November 2005 |title=Microsoft Previews New Windows Live and Office Live Services |url=http://news.microsoft.com/2005/11/01/microsoft-previews-new-windows-live-and-office-live-services/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103201918/http://news.microsoft.com/2005/11/01/microsoft-previews-new-windows-live-and-office-live-services/ |archive-date=3 November 2014 |access-date=3 November 2014 |website=News Center |publisher=Microsoft}} In May 2012 Microsoft began renaming Windows Live services, partly in anticipation of Windows 8, which integrates many of the Windows Live products and services into the operating system.{{Cite web |last=Stross |first=Randall |date=May 27, 2012 |title=Goodbye to Windows Live (and Whatever It Meant) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/business/windows-live-brand-fades-into-the-sunset-digital-domain.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113132048/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/business/windows-live-brand-fades-into-the-sunset-digital-domain.html |archive-date=January 13, 2016 |access-date=February 28, 2017 |website=New York Times}}

Services

=Online services=

The following services were once part of Windows Live but are still online.{{Cite web |date=2012-05-02 |title=Cloud services for Windows 8 and Windows Phone: Windows Live, reimagined |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/05/02/cloud-services-for-windows-8-and-windows-phone-windows-live-reimagined.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140216162040/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/05/02/cloud-services-for-windows-8-and-windows-phone-windows-live-reimagined.aspx |archive-date=2014-02-16 |access-date=2013-06-15 |website=Building Windows 8 |publisher=Microsoft}} Outlook.com and OneDrive still use the "Live" branding in the URL even though the brand name is dropped.

The usage of the Live.com domain was later extended to consumer versions of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft To Do, Microsoft Lists, to distinguish them from the enterprise versions.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
Previous Name !Description !Later renamed to !Website
scope="row" \| ID \|Provides single sign-on service, allowing users to log into various Microsoft products and services with the same credentials. Users can manage their accounts and link multiple IDs together using this service. \| rowspan="2"\|Microsoft account \| rowspan="2"\|{{url\|account.microsoft.com}}
scope="row" \| Profile \|Allow users to manage their profile information and displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users.
scope="row" \| Hotmail \|Free webmail service using AJAX technology \| rowspan="3"\|Outlook.com \| rowspan="3"\|{{url\|outlook.live.com}}
scope="row" \| Calendar \|Calendaring web app that allow users to organize appointments, schedule meetings, set reminders, and share their calendar events.
scope="row" \| People \|An address book service, which allows users to keep track and synchronize their contact's information. Allow users to add contacts from other social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, Flickr and soon Sina Weibo and Skype to their Microsoft account.
scope="row" \| SkyDrive \|Password-protected file hosting service. Enables file sharing and content synchronization. Can preview images, Microsoft Office documents and ZIP files. Integrates tightly with Office Web Apps and Outlook.com to serve as an online storage for their needs. \|Microsoft OneDrive \| rowspan="2"\|{{url\|onedrive.live.com}}
scope="row" \| — \|Note-taking software designed for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. It gathers users' notes, drawings, screen clippings, and audio commentaries, and notes can also be shared with other OneNote users over the Internet or a network. \|Microsoft OneNote
scope="row" \| — \|Business communication platform offering workspace chat and videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration. \|Microsoft Teams \|{{url\|teams.live.com}}
scope="row" \| — \|Cloud-based task management application that allows users to manage their tasks from a smartphone, tablet and computer. \|Microsoft To Do \|{{url\|to-do.live.com}}
scope="row" \| — \|Allows users to create, share, and track data inside lists. \|Microsoft Lists \|{{url\|lists.live.com}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

Previous Name

!Description

!Later renamed to

!Website

scope="row" | ID

|Provides single sign-on service, allowing users to log into various Microsoft products and services with the same credentials. Users can manage their accounts and link multiple IDs together using this service.

| rowspan="2"|Microsoft account

| rowspan="2"|{{url|account.microsoft.com}}

scope="row" | Profile

|Allow users to manage their profile information and displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users.

scope="row" | Hotmail

|Free webmail service using AJAX technology

| rowspan="3"|Outlook.com

| rowspan="3"|{{url|outlook.live.com}}

scope="row" | Calendar

|Calendaring web app that allow users to organize appointments, schedule meetings, set reminders, and share their calendar events.

scope="row" | People

|An address book service, which allows users to keep track and synchronize their contact's information. Allow users to add contacts from other social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, Flickr and soon Sina Weibo and Skype to their Microsoft account.

scope="row" | SkyDrive

|Password-protected file hosting service. Enables file sharing and content synchronization. Can preview images, Microsoft Office documents and ZIP files. Integrates tightly with Office Web Apps and Outlook.com to serve as an online storage for their needs.

|Microsoft OneDrive

| rowspan="2"|{{url|onedrive.live.com}}

scope="row" | —

|Note-taking software designed for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. It gathers users' notes, drawings, screen clippings, and audio commentaries, and notes can also be shared with other OneNote users over the Internet or a network.

|Microsoft OneNote

scope="row" | —

|Business communication platform offering workspace chat and videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration.

|Microsoft Teams

|{{url|teams.live.com}}

scope="row" | —

|Cloud-based task management application that allows users to manage their tasks from a smartphone, tablet and computer.

|Microsoft To Do

|{{url|to-do.live.com}}

scope="row" | —

|Allows users to create, share, and track data inside lists.

|Microsoft Lists

|{{url|lists.live.com}}

=Mobile services=

==Windows Phone==

My Windows Phone was a free online companion service for Windows Phone mobile devices that provided users with a free mobile phone back-up solution by wirelessly synchronizing contacts, calendar appointments, photos, and OneNote notebooks with a password-protected online portal. Users could access and manage their information stored on their Windows Phone devices via the online portal using their Microsoft account, as well as accessing a set of features for remotely ringing, locking, mapping, and erasing their lost phones. This service integrated tightly with other Windows Live services including Hotmail.com People and Calendar, and SkyDrive.{{Cite web |last=Woodman |first=Aaron |date=13 July 2010 |title=Windows Phone 7 – Getting Connected |url=http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2010/07/13/windows-phone-7-getting-connected/ |website=Blogging Windows |publisher=Microsoft}}

==iOS==

Microsoft released a Windows Live Messenger application on the iOS App Store, which allowed users on mobile devices running iOS to communicate with their contacts via the Microsoft Messenger service. In addition to the instant messaging functionalities, the application also allowed users to view their Messenger social feed, view their friend's Profiles, and integrate with Hotmail and Photos.

==Feature phone==

Windows Live also provided customized services specifically created for feature phones. It was offered via three channels — through Client-based (for Windows Mobile and other supported mobile devices such as Nokia phones), Web-based (for WAP or GPRS-enabled mobile web browsers), or SMS-based services.{{Cite web |date=2008-11-14 |title=Windows Live for mobile Wave 3 – take your social life on the go |url=http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2008/11/14/windows-live-for-mobile-wave-3-take-your-social-life-on-the-go.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205102138/http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2008/11/14/windows-live-for-mobile-wave-3-take-your-social-life-on-the-go.aspx |archive-date=2008-12-05 |access-date=2008-11-16 |website=LiveSide.net}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
rowspan=2\|Mobile Service !colspan=3\|Offered through !rowspan=2\|Exchange ActiveSync support? !rowspan=2\|Description
Client !Web !SMS
scope="row" \|Calendar Mobile \| \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{Yes2\|Yes}} \|Web-based version of Calendar designed for mobile devices to view, schedule and manage calendar appointments and events. SMS service for users to query today and tomorrow's appointments in their calendar
scope="row" \|People Mobile \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{Yes2\|Yes}} \|Web-based version of People designed for mobile devices for access to contact information. Client-based version allows integration of the contact list with the mobile device's address book. Also allow users to query contact information via SMS
scope="row" \|Groups Mobile \| \| {{yes}} \| style="text-align: center;" \| \| \|Web-based version of Windows Live Groups designed for mobile devices
scope="row" \|Hotmail Mobile \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{Yes2\|Yes}} \|Web- and client-based version of Hotmail that targets mobile devices, and allow new email alerts via SMS
scope="row" \|Messenger Mobile \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| style="text-align: center;" \| \|Web- and client-based version of Windows Live Messenger that is designed for mobile devices, and allow users to send instant messages via SMS
scope="row" \|Profile Mobile \| \| {{yes}} \| \| style="text-align: center;" \| \|View and update user's own Windows Live Profile information using a mobile device
scope="row" \|SkyDrive Mobile \| {{yes}} \| {{yes}} \| \| style="text-align: center;" \| \|Web-based version of SkyDrive designed for mobile devices for accessing documents stored on the cloud. Client-based version allows upload of photos directly from a mobile phone camera.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

rowspan=2|Mobile Service

!colspan=3|Offered through

!rowspan=2|Exchange ActiveSync support?

!rowspan=2|Description

Client

!Web

!SMS

scope="row" |Calendar Mobile

| {{yes}}

| {{Yes2|Yes}}

|Web-based version of Calendar designed for mobile devices to view, schedule and manage calendar appointments and events. SMS service for users to query today and tomorrow's appointments in their calendar

scope="row" |People Mobile

| {{yes}}

| {{Yes2|Yes}}

|Web-based version of People designed for mobile devices for access to contact information. Client-based version allows integration of the contact list with the mobile device's address book. Also allow users to query contact information via SMS

scope="row" |Groups Mobile

| {{yes}}

| style="text-align: center;" |

|Web-based version of Windows Live Groups designed for mobile devices

scope="row" |Hotmail Mobile

| {{yes}}

| {{Yes2|Yes}}

|Web- and client-based version of Hotmail that targets mobile devices, and allow new email alerts via SMS

scope="row" |Messenger Mobile

| {{yes}}

| style="text-align: center;" |

|Web- and client-based version of Windows Live Messenger that is designed for mobile devices, and allow users to send instant messages via SMS

scope="row" |Profile Mobile

| {{yes}}

| style="text-align: center;" |

|View and update user's own Windows Live Profile information using a mobile device

scope="row" |SkyDrive Mobile

| {{yes}}

| style="text-align: center;" |

|Web-based version of SkyDrive designed for mobile devices for accessing documents stored on the cloud. Client-based version allows upload of photos directly from a mobile phone camera.

=Search services=

Bing, a replacement of the search engine Live Search, was originally named Windows Live Search (and MSN Search prior to that) and was once part of the Windows Live family of services. Windows Live Search once occupied the homepage of Live.com, the domain for all Windows Live services. However, on March 21, 2007, Microsoft decided to separate its search developments from its Windows Live services family, forming part of the Live Search and Ad Platform. As part of this reorganization, the new search brand, Live Search, was consolidated with Microsoft adCenter, a part of Microsoft's Platform and Systems division.{{Cite web |last=Foley |first=Mary Jo |date=21 March 2007 |title=Microsoft severs Live Search from the rest of the Windows Live family |url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-severs-live-search-from-the-rest-of-the-windows-live-family/339 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103203503/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-severs-live-search-from-the-rest-of-the-windows-live-family/339 |archive-date=3 November 2014 |access-date=3 November 2014 |website=ZDNet |publisher=CBS Interactive}} However, Microsoft recognised that there was a brand issue as the word "Live" continued to remain in the brand.{{Cite web |title=Keynote with Kevin Johnson at Microsoft |url=http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/017296.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624035719/https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/017296.html |archive-date=2018-06-24 |access-date=2009-05-30 |website=seroundtable.com}} As an effort to create a new identity for Microsoft's search services, on June 3, 2009, Live Search was officially rebranded as Bing.{{Cite web |last=Singel |first=Ryan |date=2009-05-28 |title=Hands On With Microsoft's New Search Engine: Bing, But No Boom |url=https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/05/microsofts-bing-hides-its-best-features/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429062542/http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/05/microsofts-bing-hides-its-best-features |archive-date=2012-04-29 |access-date=2017-03-12 |website=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast}}

=Developer services=

Live Connect is a collection of APIs and common controls that allow developers to have a deeper control and offers access to the core Windows Live services and data through open and easily accessible application programming interfaces (APIs). Live Connect is built on standard web technologies such as OAuth 2.0, Representational State Transfer (REST), and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), and is designed to work with any technology or device. Live Connect unites the previously separate APIs of Windows Live into a single API that is based on industry standards and specifications.

=Discontinued services=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
Name !Description !Replaced By !Discontinued Date
scope="row" \|Admin Center \|Enabled users with domain names to change their domain MX record(s) (mail server records) so that all features of Outlook.com will be available on their own domain names. \|Microsoft Office 365 \|10 April 2014
scope="row" \|Agents \|Interactive chatterbots through Windows Live Messenger that allowed users to get more information about specific topics. \|{{N/A}} \|30 June 2009
scope="row" \|Alerts \|Sent information updates to the user's email inbox, mobile device or Messenger. \|{{N/A}} \|30 September 2010
scope="row" \|Barcode \|2D barcodes that can be used to store information or link to the mobile web. \|Microsoft Tag \|{{N/A\|Never launched}}
scope="row" \|Call \|Allowed users to make PC-to-PC and PC-to-Phone voice and video calls. \|Skype \|1 June 2010
scope="row" \|Devices \|An online device management service that allowed users to centrally access and manage the synchronisation of files stored on their computers and mobile devices. Also allowed users to remotely access their computers from the internet via their web browser. \|{{Included\|Integration into OneDrive}} \|{{Dunno}}
scope="row" \|Events \|Enables managing and planning different types of events and share them with others using Calendar, Spaces and Alerts. \|Windows Live Groups {{small\|(now discontinued)}} Calendar \|3 September 2009
scope="row" \|Expo \|Allowed users to post online classifieds and search for listings posted by other users. \|{{N/A}} \|31 July 2008
scope="row" \|Favorites \|Synchronized the user's favorites between computers and allows for the sharing of favorites. \|OneDrive \|14 April 2009
scope="row" \|FrameIt \|Extended the functionality of digital photo frame devices, allowing users to customise the content delivery from multiple sources such as RSS feeds. \|{{N/A}} \|15 December 2010
scope="row" \|Gallery \|A center for collections of developers' add-ons for Windows Live Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Writer, Toolbar, Spaces, and Live.com, as well as Windows 7 and Windows Vista Sidebar and SideShow gadgets. \|Windows Live Plug-ins {{small\|(Discontinued)}} \|1 October 2011
scope="row" \|Groups \|Enabled users to create their social groups for sharing, discussion and coordination. \|{{Included\|Integration into OneDrive}} \|{{Dunno}}
scope="row" \|Home \|Provided a central location to access Windows Live services, monitor status information, and navigate to other Windows Live sites and services. \|{{N/A}} \|18 February 2013
scope="row" \|Help Community \|Collection of forums and message boards that allowed communication with other users of Windows Live products. \|Microsoft Answers \|6 June 2008
scope="row" \|Mesh \|File sharing and synchronization service based on FolderShare and Live Mesh technologies. Supported PC-to-PC and PC-to-Cloud synchronisation, and synchronisation of program settings such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office between multiple computers. Also allowed users to remotely access their computers via the internet. \|OneDrive \|2012
scope="row" \|Office Live Workspace \|Offered 5GB of storage space for storing Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook documents and lists online and sharing them with others. Office Live Workspace did not offer collaboration or editing capabilities however. \|Office Online \|21 January 2011
scope="row" \|OneCare Safety Scanner \|Free PC scanning and health service to help delete viruses and other threats. Included a registry cleaner, disk cleaner and defragmenter, network open port scanner, and comprehensive virus and spyware scanner. \|Microsoft Safety Scanner \|15 April 2011
scope="row" \|Personalized Experience \|An all-in-one home page featuring a customisable RSS aggregator, gadgets and search tools. \|My MSN \|30 March 2010
scope="row" \| Plug-insplugins.live.com/developer/information \|A central repository for collections of developer plug-ins for Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Live Writer. \|{{N/A}} \|{{dunno}}
scope="row" \|QnA \|A question and answer service which allowed users to ask questions, tag them according to topic, and gain points and reputation for answering other users' questions. \|MSN QnA {{small\|(now discontinued)}} \|21 May 2009
scope="row" \|Search Center \|A desktop search program which provided a unified local and remote indexed search from a unified interface. \|Windows Search 4 {{small\|(now part of Windows Vista and Windows 7)}} \|12 December 2006
scope="row" \|Shopping \|An online shopping comparison website which allowed users to compare items and prices of over 40 million products from more than 7000 online stores. \|Bing Shopping {{small\|(now discontinued)}} \|20 February 2007
scope="row" \|Spaces \|A blog and social networking service which allowed users to create personalized blogs, add friends, and upload photos. \|{{Dropped\|Migration to WordPress or Sina blogs in China}} \|16 March 2011
scope="row" \|Sync and Live Mesh \|File synchronization which allowed files and folders between two or more computers be in sync with each other or with the cloud storage on the web. Live Mesh also enabled remote desktop access via the internet using a web browser. \|OneDrive \|31 March 2011
scope="row" \|TV \|An additional program for Windows Media Center which provided access to Windows Live Spaces, Messenger, and Call on large-screen monitors or TVs. \|{{N/A}} \|24 June 2008
scope="row" \|Video Messages \|Combined digital video with e-mail into a service that allowed all webcam users to create, send, and receive video messages to anyone in their contact list, even when they are offline. \|Skype \|21 July 2010
scope="row" \|Web Messenger \|Online version of Windows Live Messenger which allowed users to talk online and in real-time with others from within a web browser. \|{{Included\|Integration into all services}} \|30 October 2008
scope="row" \|WiFi Center \|Allowed users to search for wireless networks that are available and displays information about them. \|{{N/A}} \|16 February 2007
scope="row" \|WiFi Hotspot Locator \|A website which allowed users to locate wireless internet hotspots worldwide and view their positions on a map using Bing Maps. \|MSN WiFi Hotspots {{small\|(now discontinued)}} \|16 February 2007

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

Name

!Description

!Replaced By

!Discontinued Date

scope="row" |Admin Center

|Enabled users with domain names to change their domain MX record(s) (mail server records) so that all features of Outlook.com will be available on their own domain names.

|Microsoft Office 365

|10 April 2014

scope="row" |Agents

|Interactive chatterbots through Windows Live Messenger that allowed users to get more information about specific topics.

|{{N/A}}

|30 June 2009

scope="row" |Alerts

|Sent information updates to the user's email inbox, mobile device or Messenger.

|{{N/A}}

|30 September 2010

scope="row" |Barcode

|2D barcodes that can be used to store information or link to the mobile web.

|Microsoft Tag

|{{N/A|Never launched}}

scope="row" |Call

|Allowed users to make PC-to-PC and PC-to-Phone voice and video calls.

|Skype

|1 June 2010

scope="row" |Devices

|An online device management service that allowed users to centrally access and manage the synchronisation of files stored on their computers and mobile devices. Also allowed users to remotely access their computers from the internet via their web browser.

|{{Included|Integration into OneDrive}}

|{{Dunno}}

scope="row" |Events

|Enables managing and planning different types of events and share them with others using Calendar, Spaces and Alerts.

|Windows Live Groups
{{small|(now discontinued)}}
Calendar

|3 September 2009

scope="row" |Expo

|Allowed users to post online classifieds and search for listings posted by other users.

|{{N/A}}

|31 July 2008

scope="row" |Favorites

|Synchronized the user's favorites between computers and allows for the sharing of favorites.

|OneDrive

|14 April 2009

scope="row" |FrameIt

|Extended the functionality of digital photo frame devices, allowing users to customise the content delivery from multiple sources such as RSS feeds.

|{{N/A}}

|15 December 2010

scope="row" |Gallery

|A center for collections of developers' add-ons for Windows Live Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Writer, Toolbar, Spaces, and Live.com, as well as Windows 7 and Windows Vista Sidebar and SideShow gadgets.

|Windows Live Plug-ins
{{small|(Discontinued)}}

|1 October 2011

scope="row" |Groups

|Enabled users to create their social groups for sharing, discussion and coordination.

|{{Included|Integration into OneDrive}}

|{{Dunno}}

scope="row" |Home

|Provided a central location to access Windows Live services, monitor status information, and navigate to other Windows Live sites and services.

|{{N/A}}

|18 February 2013

scope="row" |Help Community

|Collection of forums and message boards that allowed communication with other users of Windows Live products.

|Microsoft Answers

|6 June 2008

scope="row" |Mesh

|File sharing and synchronization service based on FolderShare and Live Mesh technologies. Supported PC-to-PC and PC-to-Cloud synchronisation, and synchronisation of program settings such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office between multiple computers. Also allowed users to remotely access their computers via the internet.

|OneDrive

|2012

scope="row" |Office Live Workspace

|Offered 5GB of storage space for storing Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook documents and lists online and sharing them with others. Office Live Workspace did not offer collaboration or editing capabilities however.

|Office Online

|21 January 2011

scope="row" |OneCare Safety Scanner

|Free PC scanning and health service to help delete viruses and other threats. Included a registry cleaner, disk cleaner and defragmenter, network open port scanner, and comprehensive virus and spyware scanner.

|Microsoft Safety Scanner

|15 April 2011

scope="row" |Personalized Experience

|An all-in-one home page featuring a customisable RSS aggregator, gadgets and search tools.

|My MSN

|30 March 2010

scope="row" | Plug-insplugins.live.com/developer/information

|A central repository for collections of developer plug-ins for Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Live Writer.

|{{N/A}}

|{{dunno}}

scope="row" |QnA

|A question and answer service which allowed users to ask questions, tag them according to topic, and gain points and reputation for answering other users' questions.

|MSN QnA
{{small|(now discontinued)}}

|21 May 2009

scope="row" |Search Center

|A desktop search program which provided a unified local and remote indexed search from a unified interface.

|Windows Search 4
{{small|(now part of Windows Vista and Windows 7)}}

|12 December 2006

scope="row" |Shopping

|An online shopping comparison website which allowed users to compare items and prices of over 40 million products from more than 7000 online stores.

|Bing Shopping
{{small|(now discontinued)}}

|20 February 2007

scope="row" |Spaces

|A blog and social networking service which allowed users to create personalized blogs, add friends, and upload photos.

|{{Dropped|Migration to WordPress or Sina blogs in China}}

|16 March 2011

scope="row" |Sync and Live Mesh

|File synchronization which allowed files and folders between two or more computers be in sync with each other or with the cloud storage on the web. Live Mesh also enabled remote desktop access via the internet using a web browser.

|OneDrive

|31 March 2011

scope="row" |TV

|An additional program for Windows Media Center which provided access to Windows Live Spaces, Messenger, and Call on large-screen monitors or TVs.

|{{N/A}}

|24 June 2008

scope="row" |Video Messages

|Combined digital video with e-mail into a service that allowed all webcam users to create, send, and receive video messages to anyone in their contact list, even when they are offline.

|Skype

|21 July 2010

scope="row" |Web Messenger

|Online version of Windows Live Messenger which allowed users to talk online and in real-time with others from within a web browser.

|{{Included|Integration into all services}}

|30 October 2008

scope="row" |WiFi Center

|Allowed users to search for wireless networks that are available and displays information about them.

|{{N/A}}

|16 February 2007

scope="row" |WiFi Hotspot Locator

|A website which allowed users to locate wireless internet hotspots worldwide and view their positions on a map using Bing Maps.

|MSN WiFi Hotspots
{{small|(now discontinued)}}

|16 February 2007

Software

Microsoft has released several computer programs with "Windows Live" brand, a summary of which is included below. All except Windows Live OneCare are freeware and published in a software suite called Windows Essentials (formerly Windows Live Essentials). Essentials programs are designed to integrate well with each other, within Windows, and with other Windows Live services such as OneDrive and Outlook.com.{{Cite web |last=Foley |first=Mary Jo |date=25 August 2006 |title=Microsoft Seeks Testers for 'Windows Live Essentials' |url=https://www.eweek.com/news/microsoft-seeks-testers-for-windows-live-essentials/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231010223228/https://www.eweek.com/news/microsoft-seeks-testers-for-windows-live-essentials/ |archive-date=2023-10-10 |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=eWeek |publisher=Quinstreet}} Windows Live OneCare on the other hand, was a commercial consumers utility marketed with a software as a service licensing model.

class="wikitable"
scope="col" \| Service ! scope="col" \| Description ! scope="col" \| Fate
scope="row" \| Family Safety \| Parental controls similar to Windows Vista's Family Safety feature \| Integrated into Windows 8 and later
scope="row" \| Mail \| Desktop mail and calendar client designed to succeed Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista, with full RSS support \| Integrated into Windows 8 and later
scope="row" \| Movie Maker \| A video editing program for consumers \| Discontinued, most functionality integrated into Photos app, a feature which was called Windows Story Remix (later Video Editor)
scope="row" \| Messenger \| Instant messaging app \| Replaced by Skype
scope="row" \| Messenger Companion \| An add-in for Internet Explorer that allows users to share a webpage with their friends on Windows Live, see links to webpages the user's friends have shared and comment on these shared pages. \| Discontinued
scope="row" \| OneCare \| A suite of computer security programs with antivirus program, backup utility, and a personal firewall. \| Discontinued; functionality is partially offered by Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows Defender, System Center Endpoint Protection, Windows Backup and Windows Firewall.
scope="row" \| Toolbar \| A toolbar plug-in for Windows Internet Explorer, which allows quick access to a user's Windows Live Spaces, Hotmail, Favorites and Live Search from a button on the toolbar. \| Replaced by Bing Desktop and Bing Bar
scope="row" \| Photo Gallery \| Image organizer that makes posting photos to SkyDrive and Facebook easier \| Discontinued; functionality is partially offered by Photos app in Windows 10, and OneDrive app.
scope="row" \| Writer \| Desktop blog publishing tool that can publish to popular blogging services and make use of SkyDrive for photo storage. \| Discontinued; open sourced as Open Live Writer in late 2015.

class="wikitable"

scope="col" | Service

! scope="col" | Description

! scope="col" | Fate

scope="row" | Family Safety

| Parental controls similar to Windows Vista's Family Safety feature

| Integrated into Windows 8 and later

scope="row" | Mail

| Desktop mail and calendar client designed to succeed Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista, with full RSS support

| Integrated into Windows 8 and later

scope="row" | Movie Maker

| A video editing program for consumers

| Discontinued, most functionality integrated into Photos app, a feature which was called Windows Story Remix (later Video Editor)

scope="row" | Messenger

| Instant messaging app

| Replaced by Skype

scope="row" | Messenger Companion

| An add-in for Internet Explorer that allows users to share a webpage with their friends on Windows Live, see links to webpages the user's friends have shared and comment on these shared pages.

| Discontinued

scope="row" | OneCare

| A suite of computer security programs with antivirus program, backup utility, and a personal firewall.

| Discontinued; functionality is partially offered by Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows Defender, System Center Endpoint Protection, Windows Backup and Windows Firewall.

scope="row" | Toolbar

| A toolbar plug-in for Windows Internet Explorer, which allows quick access to a user's Windows Live Spaces, Hotmail, Favorites and Live Search from a button on the toolbar.

| Replaced by Bing Desktop and Bing Bar

scope="row" | Photo Gallery

| Image organizer that makes posting photos to SkyDrive and Facebook easier

| Discontinued; functionality is partially offered by Photos app in Windows 10, and OneDrive app.

scope="row" | Writer

| Desktop blog publishing tool that can publish to popular blogging services and make use of SkyDrive for photo storage.

| Discontinued; open sourced as Open Live Writer in late 2015.

Windows Live Butterfly

The Windows Live Butterfly awards program (formerly the MSN Butterfly program) was a program whose members were given the benefit of new Microsoft software to test before the beta releases went public and they were in direct contact with the program managers for Windows Live products.

Microsoft had initiated the Windows Live Butterfly program in order to recognize the contributions made by exemplary beta testers. Prospective 'butterflies' were selected by the Windows Live product team and were nominated for a term of one year, after which they could be renominated.{{Cite web |url=http://www.jcxp.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7999 |title=Excerpt of Windows Live Butterfly Acceptance E-mail from Windows Live Beta Team |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104162320/http://www.jcxp.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7999 |archive-date=January 4, 2009}}

The Windows Live Butterfly program was closed in June 2009.

User interface

All Windows Live websites sport a common theme. Different themes have been used on the sites with each phase of product release, called "Waves". Each Wave has a set of online services and desktop programs (Windows Essentials). The web services are labelled by each Wave, for example, Hotmail Wave 4. The programs from Windows Essentials are usually called by a year number, for example, Windows Live Messenger 2011.

= Blue Vapor/Flair/Wave 1 =

{{Wide image|Windows Live Header old.png|600px|The Windows Live Flair header}}

Most original Windows Live applications and services used a visual theme known as Blue Vapor or Flair.

=Wave 2=

{{Wide image|Windows Live Header.png|600px|Windows Live 2.0 header}}

With the public beta release of the Windows Live Wave 2 Suite,{{Cite web |title=Windows Live 2.0 Release Notes |url=http://get.live.com/betas/installer_release_notes |access-date=2008-06-06 |publisher=Microsoft}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} a new visual theme was released to enable the Aero transparency effect in Windows Vista.{{Cite web |date=2007-06-15 |title=The Death of Flair – Windows Live's New Look |url=http://www.liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2007/06/15/the-death-of-flair-windows-live-s-new-look.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010115948/http://www.liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2007/06/15/the-death-of-flair-windows-live-s-new-look.aspx |archive-date=2008-10-10 |access-date=2008-11-16 |website=LiveSide.net}}

=Wave 3=

{{Wide image|Windows Live Wave 3 Header.png|600px|Windows Live 3.0 header}}

Microsoft released a set of new themes for their Windows Live Wave 3 services, which allows users to customize their pages on Windows Live using a set of predetermined background pictures. Several of these themes are dynamic and change according to the time of day and the current weather condition of the user.{{Cite web |date=2008-06-05 |title=Windows Live Wave 3: New Header UI |url=http://www.liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2008/06/05/windows-live-wave-3-new-header-ui.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606130521/http://www.liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2008/06/05/windows-live-wave-3-new-header-ui.aspx |archive-date=2008-06-06 |access-date=2008-06-06 |website=LiveSide.net}}

=Wave 4=

{{Wide image|Windows Live Wave 4 header.png|600px|Windows Live Wave 4 header}}

In addition to the themes provided in Windows Live Wave 3, the release of Windows Live Wave 4 provided additional themes for users to customize their pages on Windows Live, with several dynamic themes that changes according to the time of day and weather conditions at the user's location. Several of these newly added themes are similar to wallpapers originating from Windows 7.{{Cite web |date=2010-01-04 |title=Recapping the rumors: what we 'know' about Wave 4 |url=http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2010/01/04/recapping-the-rumors-what-we-know-about-wave-4.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108100128/http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2010/01/04/recapping-the-rumors-what-we-know-about-wave-4.aspx |archive-date=2010-01-08 |access-date=2010-01-27 |website=LiveSide.net}} In addition, the Windows Live Wave 4 header features a reorganized dynamic navigation menu that displays the number of the user's current online contacts and the number of unread e-mails,{{Cite web |date=2010-01-21 |title=More information about Windows Live Wave 4's dynamic header |url=http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2010/01/21/more-information-about-windows-live-wave-4-s-dynamic-header.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128220904/http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2010/01/21/more-information-about-windows-live-wave-4-s-dynamic-header.aspx |archive-date=2010-01-28 |access-date=2010-01-27 |website=LiveSide.net}} as well as an in-built Windows Live Web Messenger service allowing users to connect to the Microsoft Messenger service and Facebook chat service to chat with their online contacts while browsing any Windows Live properties using a web browser.{{Cite web |date=2010-01-04 |title=A new wave, a new look: First look at the Windows Live Wave 4 header |url=http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2010/01/04/a-new-wave-a-new-look-first-look-at-the-windows-live-wave-4-header.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107053959/http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2010/01/04/a-new-wave-a-new-look-first-look-at-the-windows-live-wave-4-header.aspx |archive-date=2010-01-07 |access-date=2010-01-27 |website=LiveSide.net}}