Microsoft Live Essentials
With Windows 7 Microsoft has removed email, instant messaging, address book, calendaring, and movie maker from the Windows install. If you run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor it will direct you to Live.com (a Microsoft) site for tools that will add back these features to Windows.
Live.com has offered most all of these tools in one form or another for over a year; and for quite some time now the entire suite of tools.
I’ll just quickly list the features:
- Live Messanger
- Live Call
- Live Mail
- Live Writer
- Live Photo Gallery
- Live Movie Maker
- Live Toolbar
- Live Family Saftey
Live Messanger is the replacement for Windows Messanger, MSN Messanger it’s substantially the same as what ever Microsoft messanger you might use — with an updated look and feel and of course, new features.
Live Call is Microsoft’s entry into the voice communications market. I’ve never used it, so I can’t really comment on it.
Live Mail is the replacement for Outlook Express and Windows Mail (for you Vista users). It somewhat resembles both of it’s predecessors, but carries forward many of the refinements from Windows Mail; and introduces a number of “bugs” that had been stomped out long ago in the code line (I reported several during the BETA — they still haven’t been fixed, and I expect until they annoy someone on the Live Mail team they won’t be). On feature that has been added that many will find useful is the ability to interface with Hot Mail/MSN Mail/Live Mail web mail directly (at no cost).
Live Writer is a WYSIWYG editor for BLOGing. It interfaces to Live BLOGs as well as a number of blogging engines and web sites.
Live Photo Gallery is Microsoft’s attempt to get some of the media sharing market. I don’t use it, but I’m sure they’ve figured out some way to make money from it (like all the others).
Live Movie Maker is the replacement for Windows Movie Maker. I haven’t used it. The previous software might be fine for novices; but I prefer to use Final Cut Studio on my Mac; so I don’t think my opinion of this software is relevant to the target audience.
Live Toolbar is like most toolbars, a waste. Whether it’s invasive like most of them or not I can’t say — I have no need for toolbars; and you probably don’t either.
Live Family Saftey is designed to limit access to questionable internet sites and content. I’ve never used it; but I would guess like most it errors on the side of caution.
There is also a Microsoft Office Outlook Connector, and Office Live Add-In which provide access to Live features directly from Microsoft Office (why?) that you can read about on your own.
Overall, many of the “free” tools in Microsoft Live Essentials are probably well worth the small amount of time and energy to download and install. One note, make sure you uncheck the items you don’t want (you can add them later if you change your mind) and pay close attention to the attemp to change (and lock) your browser’s home page and search tool.
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