Recently, Microsoft have been flaunting their figures about the amount of people they have using Windows Live services, not to mention the number of people using the xBox Live service.
To me, it looks like they may be counting on these people to buy into Windows Phone 7 to help its success. From where I’m standing, this can only be a good thing.
Here’s the exact quote of what Microsoft has been saying:
“We partner heavily with other popular Microsoft web properties like Windows Live to integrate high profile features and scenarios that attract more Windows Phone customers. This will extend our reach to 500+ million active users and differentiate our offering in the marketplace.”
We have all seen glimpses here & there of how Microsoft has included several of their other online services:
- xBox Live : You can play turn by turn games, there’s an avatar editor & there are achievements.
- Windows Live : Adding the contacts & social networking aspects, both nicely worked into the ‘People Hub’
- SkyDrive : Introduced strait into the Pictures & OneNote. When you make a new note or take a new photo, they are instantly uploaded to your Skydrive.
- Email : Making your personal Hotmail inbox available in an easy to use mobile format.
The list goes on.
Now, what hasn’t or won’t be getting a Windows Phone 7 counterpart from the list of Microsofts free services?
(This is presuming they don’t add it before the release, but time is ticking so I doubt they will appear just yet.)
Well, to start off, you don’t get direct access to your SkyDrive. For those of you who don’t know what this wonderful thing is yet, Microsoft provide anyone with a @Hotmail or @Live email account a free 25GB of online storage. Uploading to it is as simple as click & dragging your files into the web browser. Plus you can specify who has access to each file; a specific user, the public or just you. Its a similar idea to DropBox. Being able to access this from your Windows Phone may encourage more people to use it.
Then there are of course there is the Windows Live Movie Maker. As newer, more powerful processors appear, editing video on the go is becoming more & more likely for other devices. Considering we have already seen apple bring iMovie to the iPhone, why not?
Talking of editing, how about Live Writer? (which Im currently writing this on) Its a great piece of software for writing blogs with, but will Microsoft not make a mobile version for the same reason they have made Mobile Office so simple? They don’t think people will want to be “writing essays on their phone.” I still feel it could be a good idea for those who are away from their pc & fancy posting a quick rant about the prices of grapefruit or whatever you may be into.
The most obvious exclusion so far is Live Messenger. Windows Mobile has had an instant messenger for budding MSN addicts for a long time, but so far its not been mentioned in the advertisement of Windows Phone 7. Will there be an new version of Windows Live Messenger? The new “Wave 4” of Windows Live applications, are currently still only in beta (I’m playing about with them right now) but will we see any news about a mobile version when the full Windows programs are released? We will have to wait and see.
The big question is then this: Are the current integrated service features enough to encourage your average Windows Live user to buy a Windows Phone 7 device when they arrive? Only time will tell.
If you have any ideas about what Live features you want on WP7,
or if you think including Windows Live features will help sales, drop us a comment below.
Twimagic
Andrew Chobaniuk
Emiel Zuurbier
MrVamosMuchachos
Skypirate
DeeDee
Dlanor
hg
Sam
Sweet
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is my first post that Ive written using the Windows Live Writer (Wave 4 – Beta) and it worked brillianty :D
All of the wave 4 beta programs are awesome, except for Live Messenger which regularly repeatedly disconnects from the network.
great post Cris. Its a good idea to get your Live id all ready by importing facebook into it , sorting out your contact lists , etc . Once you get a WP7 device all you need to do is add your live id and you are good to go .