Chapter 13. Windows Live Services
This much we know about Windows Live: It’s free. It’s on the Web. And not one average person out of a thousand can tell you exactly what it is. (Maybe that’s because Microsoft keeps changing what it is, year by year. And slapping the “Live” name on other features, like XBox Live and Office Live, that have nothing to do with Windows Live.)
For the moment, Windows Live is a suite of Internet features that connect to your PC’s copy of Windows in various useful ways. For example:
Windows Live Calendar. A Web-based calendar and to-do list that syncs with the calendar in Mail on your PC.
Windows Live Events. An online invitation service; adds events to your Windows Live Calendar automatically.
Windows Live Groups. Discussion pages. Great for organizing team, club, or family events.
Windows Live Hotmail. A free email account.
Windows Live People. An online master address book, incorporating both your Mail and Messenger chat addresses. Can even import Facebook contacts.
Windows Live Photos. A Web site of your very own to show off your pictures. Syncs with Windows Live Photo Gallery on your PC (Chapter 14).
Windows Live SkyDrive. A free, 25-gigabyte virtual hard drive on the Internet, accessible from any computer.
Windows Live Spaces. Blogging and “make your own Web page” site. You can use Windows Live Writer (Chapter 7) to post to it.
Note
Many of these services have special cellphone versions, too.
Two things make the Windows Live concept very confusing. First, the ...
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