Microsoft Patent Reveals Possible Feature of Windows Live?
Over on WMPoweruser.com they have an article about a Microsoft patent, filed back in August 2008, to pair a user’s device with all their other devices by just connecting it to a single device. The picture below shows connecting a phone to one desktop will automatically create an association with the user’s laptop and second PC but I would expect would want to expand on this model and have it connect with all devices owned by the user.
Being able to automatically add a device to one’s network (or mesh) of devices would be an extremely useful feature of Microsoft products especially as services are becoming more and more integrated. However being able to connect a single device with one machine and subsequently more devices in its self isn’t that interesting, I have to do that now with my HD2 and other than being time consuming its not that annoying. What would be interesting with the concept though would be if these devices could “talk” to each other, so my HD2 plugged into one of my online PC could also be connected to one of my remote online devices.
Looking at what Microsoft already offer it wouldn’t be too far fetched to think that we might see an implementation of this quite soon. Microsoft already do a good job of connecting a users Windows Live ID with other products it offers such as the Xbox, Xbox Live, and the Zune brand through Zune.net and Microsoft even provides a way to connect digital photo frames with a Live ID through framit; Windows Phone 7 Series will be closely integrated with Windows Live. Its even easier to connect a Windows PC with Windows Live through a client like Live Mesh.
On a side note Windows 7 users can connect their Windows Live profile with their user account on their PC, maybe the way in which this technology will work rather than something like the Live Mesh client.
Its possible to sign in on nearly every Microsoft device to Windows Live through the Live ID but that doesn’t mean that device is connected in anyway to a network of devices. However Live Mesh does exactly that, it connects all devices owned by a user, if they want it too. We also know that the Live Mesh technology is very likely to be incorporated in the Devices/Documents service of Wave 4; so this concept of all devices being connected could make an appearance with Wave 4.
One example I can think of is sending pictures or video from a phone to a digital photo frame without needing to copy it to several devices in the process, for someone who doesn’t have a free data connection on their phone contract that is.
This patent verges on an idea I had for Windows 8 (or Windows.Next as it should be called) a few weeks back where a user could sign in to any PC using their Windows Live ID and have the experience automatically customised to the way they want it.
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