Liveside have continued their mining for information from the WindowsLivePreview.com website and have discovered some new images and information about Windows Live Sync, the replacement application to Live Mesh.

From the screenshot above its clear to see how this has taken Live Mesh technologies and incorporated them into a new application with a more informative UI and some new features. The current PC is shown at the top and lets users know if all the folders on the PC are up to date, below this is what a guess is a browser to select a new folder to sync and a link to the new Windows Live Devices service.

In the main area of the application is a list of all the folders currently being shared with this PC and whether they are up to date, it appears that if a folder is not up to date then it can be manually told to sync. Extra information can be shown about the folder showing where the folder is in the user’s directory, where and who else this folder is shared with both of which can be changed.

At the bottom of the application are the program settings which are shared with this PC, this is a brand new feature for Sync. This part of the application allows applications settings, for example in Internet Explorer this is favourites, across all of a user’s connected PCs which should make for a seamless use of PCs. Liveside are reporting that currently its only Internet Explorer and Office that can have their settings shared but the hope is that many more applications will soon make use of this features possible through an API. I can think of a few great uses of this, like having the same set of wallpapers on all my PCs without having to sync them and set them as the wallpaper slideshow manually.

In terms of the service side of Windows Live Sync the Live Desktop of Live Mesh will now become a part of SkyDrive only providing 2GBs of storage for Sync, how this integrates with the other folders in SkyDrive is currently unknown. I hope, like others, that the 2GB limit will quickly be expanded upon or users will be allowed to make use of the full 25GB of SkyDrive storage, you never know SkyDrive might be getting an increase to its storage limit. Current Live Mesh users need to know that when Sync is installed on their PC it will automatically remove Live Mesh from the PC and you will have to set up all the folders you want synced.

As you probably noticed at the top of the Sync window is a “Remote” tab, this uses the Live Mesh technologies to allow remote access to a user’s PCs and it will be possible to do the same remote access from Windows Live Devices in the browser from anywhere in the world.

The Live Mesh technologies can be easily seen in the remote access screenshot as Microsoft have done very little, seemingly, to change the look and feel of the remote experience which is the best way of using the technologies.

I am really looking looking forward to the ability to sync program settings across my PCs however the 2GB limit on Sync doesn’t sound that good, Live Mesh has 5GB. You might also like to know about the future of the Live Framework which was basically a way to access the technology of Live Mesh through the internet for one’s own use in a wide range of ways, well I have been informed that these technologies will be forming part of Messenger Connect.

Manan has discovered something interesting today that shows again that Live Mesh is being incorporated in the Windows Live Essentials suite, we have known about for some time now. This information has come from the Device Manager which on my PC, where I have Live Mesh installed before I installed Windows Live Wave 4, lists ATI Radeon HD 3450 and Live Mesh Remote Desktop Mirror Driver.

However on Manan’s PC which didn’t have Live Mesh installed when he installed Windows Live Wave 4 he saw that in Device Manager he had ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 and a new thing call driver called Windows Live Display Driver.

It certainly looks to me that the Windows Live Display Driver is a new replacement for the Live Mesh one and its interesting that
the driver on my PC wasn’t replaced or at least renamed by this new one. The replacement service and application for Live Mesh is thought to be called Windows Live Sync.

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.

Windows Live Wave 4 and Windows Mobile 7 are both suffering from a major lack of news and I have started to think that the lack of news about both products is linked.

I think the reason we have heard so little about Windows Live Wave 4 is because aspects of the suite are closely related to Windows Mobile 7 and as such Microsoft are reluctant to talk about it until their new mobile OS has been announced and demonstrated. Below I discuss some of the ideas I have had in which Windows Live Wave 4 could, hopefully, integrate with Windows Mobile 7.

Windows Live Devices?

We know Microsoft will be adding a new service, Devices, to the suite when they release wave 4 which suggests to me that many different gadgets, possibly including TVs, will be able to link up to Windows Live. It is also possible that aspects of the devices can be controlled, in some way, through the service. Currently Windows Live links up well with Digital Photo Frames, through FrameIt, and I expect the devices service to incorporate them. It is also understood that Live Mesh will become part of the Windows Live family so we see a place to add computers and mobiles to the service just like in Live Mesh. Finally I both believe and hope that the Microsoft My Phone service will utilise the Live Mesh technology, therefore become a Windows Live service; which should reduce the replication of data, such as contacts (currently Windows Live and My Phone don’t use the same list of contacts). To that end Microsoft won’t want to show off Windows Live Wave 4 yet as it would show the level of integration of phone storage of future Windows Phones and Windows Live.

If Microsoft is serious about the cloud then this is something they really need to do, by combining all their online services into a single place with the ability to centrally control linked devices and their storage it will make using Windows Phones and Windows Live much simpler for consumers.

Windows Live only services on mobiles?

If we now look at Windows 7 we saw Microsoft remove many of the default applications like Mail and Calendar so the company couldn’t be sued for bundling applications with the OS. Now the only way to access similar applications from Microsoft is to download the Windows Live suite. Microsoft could well follow a similar idea with Windows Mobile, but not for fear of being sued. It makes more sense to me to have a single calendar accessible on any Microsoft platform, whether that is Windows, Windows Mobile or on the cloud; the same can be said for contacts, tasks and several other aspects of Microsoft services. Instead of Microsoft providing downloadable applications to access these services I expect they will embed them within the OS with mobile calendar being the Windows Live Calendar. Some people could be concerned with the integration then between Windows Mobile and Office Outlook, however through the merging of Office and Windows Live in the cloud, through Web Apps, I can see a closer integration between Windows Live and Office Outlook.

It makes sense for Microsoft to only provide highly integrated services on their phones which link up with the cloud services of Windows Live; for example I would love to be able to sync my Windows Live Calendar with the calendar on my Windows Phone (why this has not yet been done still amazes me).

Windows Live going Social?

From job postings we know Microsoft are aiming to make Windows Mobile social by integrating several Social Networks deep within the OS, this could indeed mean an expansion for Windows Live. Microsoft My Phone already allows sharing photos on several Social Networking Sites from within the service. If then, as I predict, My Phone becomes part of Windows Live Microsoft will be making their online suite of services even more social. It makes sense that Microsoft would use Windows Live as the platform to share content, for a start they already have a good Photo service which I expect to soon be joined by a Video service. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if we see the launch of a URL shortening service from Microsoft, probably along the lines of WinLi.ve. Messenger is one of the most used Instant Messaging services and if Microsoft were able to leverage those social interactions through more aspects of Windows Live they could stand to gain quite a lot. Again if Microsoft were to use Windows Live as the means of consumers sharing content to Social Networks then they wouldn’t want to show parts of Windows Live before Windows Mobile.

For me it would seem Microsoft is gearing Windows Live up to be a platform for sharing content, they already have a lot of websites partnered up to allow people to keep informed of “What Is New” with their contacts; it would therefore be logical for Microsoft to provide a means of reversing the exchange of information and allowing posting of information to those services via Windows Live.

I am really looking forward to information on both products from Microsoft and would hope my ideas would only scratch the surface of what Microsoft has really been up too. I guess we shan’t be hearing much with regards either of the products for over a month until the Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona on 15^th February; seems a long way off yet.

Some of you will know that I have several PCs, a netbook and phone (soon to be replaced by the HTC HD2) and that I am university student so I need to be able to keep all my machines synchronised with all the same files. I thought I would write an article addresses the ways I am able to keep all my files in sync and how easy it could be for you to make your life easier.

So first the review of each way to share files and keep PCs in sync, then how I have used them and even a few tips on how to get the most from the methods.

Email

Perhaps the most basic (and cheapest) of methods is to email your files to yourself from one PC and then open the file on another PC. I will only ever use this in the most extreme of cases as it is such a slow and painful experience compared to some of the alternative ways.

Pros

• As long as you have internet access you are pretty much guaranteed to be able to send files to yourself
• Files can be accessed on mobile devices which lack ports

Cons

• Requires internet access
• Takes time to upload and send large or numerous files
• Takes time to download and save the files in the correct folders

Memory Stick

I more efficient way to keep the most update to date files on your PCs is to use a memory stick and its the way I used to keep all my files updated. This is fine if you have only a few PCs you use on regular basis and aren’t likely to be a large number of new files.

Pros

• Nearly every PC has a USB drive so you will be able to save any files to any PC
• Quickly save the files to the memory stick
• Large storage for lots of files
• Ability to access the files wherever you are

Cons

• Requires USB stick (although these are very cheap now)
• Can be laborious to save the files in to correct location
• Can’t transfer files to mobile devices

The Cloud

Easily the easiest and most efficient way today to keep your files in sync is to use the cloud to store you files and, for some services, download the files to correct location on your PC.There are several websites that all offer similar services with varying features, capacities and cost.

I use Microsoft’s Live Mesh as I find it to be the best free service on the market at the moment with the ability to upload and download files to PCs, Macs, Phones and access them using the online desktop (Live Desktop).

Pros

• Using the client folders can be set up to automatically upload and download any new or updated files to the cloud to the same folder on the Live Desktop; an “always on” internet access is needed
• No need for manual intervention to put files in the correct location on other PCs
• Online folders can be navigated just like on Windows
• Currently 5GB capacity for the Live Desktop (unlimited capacity for the syncing of files directly from one PC to another) but in theory it could be unlimited storage
• Access via the client to files and folders from wide range of computers and mobile devices and access via the Live Desktop on any device with web access

Cons

• Requires internet access
• Currently Live Mesh is lacking a few features (it is due an update within the next few months)

How I use all the methods

Thankfully there is internet in most places I use a PC so I am able to use my preferred way, Live Mesh, to keep everything synced across all my PCs and my phone. The advantage of this service on my PCs is that if I write a document on my uni PC I don’t need to think about being able to access it on my netbook so long as I have access to the internet on bother devices. Another benefit is that if I take a picture on my phone it instantly starts to be uploaded to the cloud and then downloaded as soon as I am at one of my PCs, saved plugging the two devices up and manually syncing them.

Of course there have been times when I have needed to access or save a file when I haven’t been able to access the internet so I have needed to use my memory stick, which is still a great way to transfer a small number of files. As soon as I download the file to correct location on my PC Live Mesh will start to upload it to the cloud and my other PCs.

Then there have been times when I have forgotten my memory stick and had to email myself files which is horrible way of syncing files and not something I want to have to do again.

Other uses of keeping files synchronised

I don’t just keep work files synced but I keep all my pictures and music synced across all my machines using Live Mesh this, again, is a great way to ensure you have whatever you want on any PC without needing to be concerned about having space for it on your memory stick.

When I take a photo off my camera or rip a CD the content will automatically be synced to my other (online) PCs but not to the Live Desktop as this has a capacity of 5GB which is just not enough for media collection.

Tips for keeping files synched

Memory Sticks

The best way I have found to keep folders synched when only transferring a small number of files is to have a similar folder structure on both the PC and the device so you can easily copy over folders in the parent directory.

The Cloud (Live Mesh)

One great way I have found to get quick access to my Live Mesh folders was to pin the folder to the explorer sidebar or even create a new Windows 7 Library for the folder, as seen below with my Images folder.

I hope some of you will find this information useful, I find that it takes a combination of all the ways I have discussed of keeping in sync to ensure that your files are accessibly all the time when and wherever you are. Using the cloud is definitely the best way for me to keep in sync but each to their own.

About this time last year I brought my first netbook, an Acer Aspire One, so I could use it at university as my laptop was getting pretty outdated and use Love Mesh to be able to access the work I have done in my flat, at home or via the internet around university. The Aspire One came with Windows XP on, not something I enjoyed using that much seeing as I had used Vista on my personal PCs since it came out. I intended to use the netbook in lectures, to take notes, and to do research and write assignments in the library.

For the first term at university I was able to cope using XP on the netbook but would have much preferred to have Vista installed on it. By the Christmas holidays I was aware that Microsoft would soon be allow users to download a beta version of Windows; as soon as it came out I have downloaded it and installed it on my netbook. From then on I have used my netbook more and more as being able to take the power of Windows 7 anywhere and everywhere is, as it turns out, extremely useful.

Use at University

Using the netbook became much better for things like checking the lecture notes or timetables because of Aero Peek, allowing me to have multiple windows of the same application open, like Internet Explorer, Word or Acrobat Reader, and then quickly switch between the different windows. Another advantage to Windows 7 over XP on such a small screen is that the taskbar can show icons which allows more applications to be open without the taskbar getting cramped.

Another advantage to having the netbook and Windows 7 was being able to use on the train when I went home, normal laptops are just too large for the tiny tables in the seat backs. It was great being able to do work on the go, especially when using Office 2010.

Use at Home

At home I had much less need for netbook but I still found uses for it such as listening to music, on the improved Windows Media Player 12, outside or accessing the internet around the house rather than being stuck in one room.

Use on Holiday in the UK

During the summer I went to see relatives around the UK and took my netbook with me so that I could access the internet, as any tech enthusiast needs to, and so that I could take pictures and then take them off the SD and edit them on the netbook using Windows Live Photo Gallery. However to go on the internet I was hoping to be able to access wifi but my relatives internet was down so I had to use my Windows Mobile to create a tethered connection.

Use Abroad

I have taken my netbook abroad too so I can access the internet, play music and edit photos, it great to be able to access and do things away from home and get the most of the experiences abroad.

Now I know most people can do most of these things on any mobile PC whether it is running XP, Vista, 7, Linux or OSX but very few can do these things on a such a small, lightweight form factor with all the power, simplicity and ease of use of Windows 7. I know I wouldn’t want to use any other operating system on my Aspire One, it just works so well anywhere, anytime.

With Office Web Apps being released to testers this week it got me thinking about Microsoft’s Software + Services strategy as we can now see the Office service in the cloud to accompany the software on PCs.

So what other combinations are there from Microsoft that fulfil the Software + Services strategy?

Current Software + Services

Windows Live – A great example of the strategy

Live Mesh

Part implementation of strategy

Coming Soon Software and/or Services

Looking at what Microsoft currently offer and are planning to offer there are a few areas that need to be addressed before this strategy is truly realised.

Windows Live

The majority of this suite works brilliantly as both software and services but there are a few offerings that need to be added too:

• Web Messenger needs a lot of work done to it to make it a real counter part to the software, currently it looks awful and has such limited functionality it doesn’t feel like a final release of the service but more of a beta version
• I am not sure if the link between Photo Gallery and Photos needs to be changed but seeing how Office applications are now accessible though the internet maybe Microsoft should consider adding editing features to the web service so users can edit their photos online before publishing them to the internet
• I can’t see a version of Movie Maker coming to the browser soon however I think there should be a place to upload and view the movies online
• An online version of Writer would be brilliant and seeing how it is such an internet oriented application it makes sense to have a version accessible through a browser for times when people aren’t at their own PC and can’t install Writer
• A way to access SkyDrive from a PC using explorer really should be added as this would increase the usefulness of the service hugely as users could save their work from their PC directly to the cloud and even use it for things such as backups

Live Mesh

There isn’t much that needs doing to this offering as its works very well however a few more controls of what and when something is syncing would be a great addition. There is talk that this will be moving the Windows Live suite and I would hope it becomes part of the SkyDrive.

Zune + Zune.net

I was surprised to see the addition to the Zune.net website to allow users to listen to music through the browser but if this is the way the team are taking it then maybe there will be the option, in the future, to stream music from your own collection to listen wherever you are.

Windows Mobile + My Phone

I think the My Phone features and functions will be great when its final release launches on October 6th but I do think it need to be combined with Windows Live to create one place to go for all online storage and contact information, it would also keep both offerings more up to date for users to have only the one place for both.

Windows + Windows Azure

I am not entirely sure what Windows Azure will be like when it is finally released but I know I am looking forward to using it in whatever form it may take to bring the PC to the cloud and as I have yet to use it I can’t suggest improvements.

Office + Office Web Apps

The Office Web Apps are still very basic but their potential is huge as I know there have been times when I have needed to alter something but haven’t been at a PC with Office on and with it coming to Mobiles too it will really be a great service.

The Future

The XBox has yet to have any service but that is perfectly understandable seeing as it is so different from anything else, but who knows maybe in the future Microsoft will want to compete with OnLive and bring out a streaming service for games on TVs and PCs.

I know there are plenty of other applications from Microsoft that has no service counterpart at all, such as Visual Studio, but maybe over the next few years we will be seeing more software have a version on the internet as more and more offerings go to the cloud and lets hope Microsoft improve what they have already done to achieve their goal of Software + Services.

My understanding of Cloud computer and how it works is limited so I might be way off the mark with this!

We know that the Apple fell and so helped Newton to prove gravity existed but I have started to wonder whether it is possible for the Apple to rise up to the Cloud.

Microsoft are working hard on getting more of their software into the Cloud as that is seen to be the way that technology is moving with everything being hosted for us in giant datacenters and not so much on our own local machines. We can see this very clearly with Windows Azure, where Microsoft are moving Windows to the cloud, but Office is following suite and it wouldn’t be too difficult for Windows Live to only exist online. There are other services based in the cloud such as Live Mesh too that show Microsoft is keen to keep all our information online to be accessed anywhere.

Competitors are also taking things up to the cloud, Google and Amazon being perhaps the two biggest with what they already offer. Google have even announced their Chrome OS; it could just be a browser with an extremely limited connection with the user’s computer so that everything is stored in the cloud. If this approach is taken with the future operating system basically being a browser to hosted applications then I can see one major issue for one company and it is with Apple. It might just be that Apple are working hard on taking their operating system and other services to the cloud but because they hardly ever disclose anything until its ready to be released it is currently not being reported, but I am not so sure they even really want too.

The whole point of Apple is too make very stylish hardware with its own operating system and in doing so making it tricky for people to use their software on any other device. If Apple were to take their OS up to the cloud then it would be accessed via the internet and therefore anyone could have access to it if they had an internet connection.

Apple already allow Windows to be installed on their machines which benefits both Apple and Microsoft, but Apple knows if they didn’t make it easy for people to use Windows they would see less sales of their hardware with their own operating system. With only 4% of the computer operating system market share it is clear to see Windows has the normal OS market controlled and I expect Apple don’t see a way to gain a better market share in the cloud with an operating system.

If Apple don’t offer hosted apps and an operating system to match what will happen to them? They would surely just become a premium hardware manufacturer allowing people an expensive way to the internet and any number of competitors’ online OSes, not a business model I can see working very well.

As I said at the start I might have this all wrong but from what I can tell the future looks very shady for Apple as the company that we know and some love.

Over the last few days and weeks Microsoft had been more forthcoming with information about the Zune HD, even allowing pre-orders for the device when it goes on sale on September 15th. This info has also been accompanied by several videos from various websites giving some “first looks” at the device, where, curiously, all the Zune HDs have no internet access apparently due to poor wifi in the buildings, unless I have missed some videos.

This has lead me to think that either:

• The internet access and integration with the device is flaky.
• The internet access and integration with the device is best seen through the apps that are rumoured to be on the device.
• The internet access and integration with the device is more prominent than Microsoft want us to believe at this stage.

I really don’t see how the internet on the Zune HD could be flaky as it will be key to the device’s ability to compete directly against the iPod Touch and because the rest of the software looks to tight. I think it safe to assume that the internet works very well and its just that Microsoft don’t yet want people to know much about how much internet integration there will be on the Zune HD.

There are rumours circulating saying that there will be apps on the Zune HD, this again is needed to really be able to compete with the iPod Touch and also to make the Zune HD more than just a media device, something, I am sure, Microsoft is very keen to get onto the market. There are many apps that would be really good for the device and seeing the direction the XBox is taking with linking other online services with the console it is not unlikely that there will be Twitter Clients, mail apps, a facebook app and other internet apps. Even offline apps could be very good, especially if Windows Mobile 7 will be using the same framework for devs to write apps then there could be a huge amount of potential for the Zune HD, similar to the iPod Touch and iPhone. Also I have yet to see a video demonstrating the Marketplace, no doubt the place where apps can be downloaded so only more reason to think Microsoft has asked for people not to show the internet on the Zune HD.

My final idea is the one I think would be the best and most interesting, it is also the one that has the least grounds for being true. It think there might be very strong links with Microsoft services such zune.net’s social profile, Windows Live services and Live Mesh (apparently going to become part of Windows Live Wave 4). Therefore there has been no internet on the device because things would be constantly updating from/to the cloud, something we aren’t meant to see yet. I think it would be very good to link people’s Windows Live services with there Zune account so for example they could have their photos on the device pulled/pushed to Windows Live Photos. If Live Mesh was built into the device then it would be a great time saver and a way to ensure any media you bought on your PC would be instantly on your device; I already use Live Mesh to keep all my music and photos synced across all my PCs and my Windows Phone. This kind of integration is what Microsoft really need to see and use on their various services and devices seeing as they offer them separately anyway, there is no other company who is able to offer so much and if everything was integrated there would be no one to oppose them in terms of ease of use with people’s digital content.

I am still unsure why there are so few videos with internet on the Zune HD, maybe I am way off the mark and it is just due to lack of wifi in the all the buildings the video reviewers have been in but I would still hope to see apps and integration with other services.

One final thing for anyone who knows: when will the Zune HD be up for pre-order in the UK?

Update: With regards to Windows Live Wave 4 Devices service (the rebranding of Live Mesh?) could it be that the Zune HD could be listed here as a device, another reason why we have yet to hear/see much about Wave 4 as they don’t want us to know about the integration of the Live services yet.

The Inquirer has posted a video interview they had about Windows Phones and in it they talk about Microsoft MyPhone where there is mention of Live Mesh powering MyPhone . The interviewer asks if this is part of the “Mesh setup” and the reply is “It will be part of Mesh but slightly different from Mesh at the moment.”

Want I really wanted to see was MyPhone becoming part of Windows Live

as it makes sense to have peoples’ contacts, emails, meeting etc all in one place rather than on several services offered by Microsoft. Perhaps this means Windows Live will use Mesh for syncing information across all the platforms and for storage; another thing I have wanted to see happen to reduce the number of competing services.

This fits in with my prediction that we will be seeing Live Mesh being properly released in time for Windows 7, if MyPhone is also due to be released when Windows Mobile 6.5 is released around October/November.

Lets hope a universal system for syncing and storage is coming from Microsoft because more information has been shared about Mesh, Windows Live and MyPhone than was intended.

They talk about Mesh just after 5 minutes in this video.