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Microsoft Corp. and Sprint Corp. today announced a strategic alliance through which the companies will develop and deliver a range of innovative new service offerings for Sprint’s business and consumer customers. The first consumer offering in this collaboration enables Sprint customers to use Windows Live™ Search for mobile on their wireless phones to conveniently search location-based content from the Internet, such as nearby stores and restaurants, as well as Sprint’s catalog of ring tones, games, screen savers and related services. The service also provides new opportunities for highly relevant and targeted local advertising, which will benefit businesses and consumers alike.
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The service is immediately available at no additional cost to Sprint PCS VisionSM and Sprint Power VisionSM subscribers on all currently available data-capable phones, along with many popular older models.*
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Windows Live Search for mobile combines Microsoft® Windows Live Local Search features, such as maps and directions, with capabilities allowing the indexing and discovery of highly relevant mobile content. This approach brings simplicity for users by delivering search results grouped in useful categories and in a format appropriate for a user’s specific mobile device.
The location-based offering available today from Sprint and Microsoft requires users to input their location by entering their ZIP code, address, or city and state. Future versions of the service are planned to enable consumers to give permission to automatically locate them and show the nearest businesses that match their search.
The press release is a little coy about the monetary aspects, but Daisuke Wakabayashi reports for Reuters that:
Sprint and Microsoft will share the revenue from advertisements placed alongside Windows Live search results and the two companies will work together to introduce new mobile phones services in the future.
It’s fundamentally another eyeball auction only instead of a content site like MySpace, a PC manufacturer like Dell, or an Internet service provider like Verizon, it’s a mobile phone service provider. Microsoft presumably has a leg up on the competition in that arena with the providers like Sprint who are already using Windows Mobile to power their phones.
Microsoft unveils OneCare beta for Vista:
Microsoft on Monday released a new beta for its Windows Live OneCare security service, marking the first time that the anti-virus software runs on Windows Vista.
Windows Live OneCare Beta 1.5, which can be downloaded and used free of charge, is available in 17 localized editions for countries that include the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. Earlier editions were for U.S. customers only.
Other improvements and additions to 1.5, said a company spokesman, include tighter integration with Microsoft’s Windows Defender anti-spyware software, more back-up options (to USB-connected hardware and PCs on the local network), and support for Windows Vista RC1 (build 5500 or later, specifically).
Windows Live Contacts Control v0.2 Released:
We’ve released an updated version of our Contacts Control (formerly known as the Windows Live Contacts Gadget), with improved performance and functionality. Danny Thorpe explains what’s new in more detail on his blog, but I’ve summarized below. Additionally, we’ve updated the Contacts Map and Party Start sample apps to use the new version of the control.
Also refreshed was Windows Live Mail Desktop (now back to its old name after a brief digression as Windows Live Mail Center) which got a new beta build 1083:
We have another Beta refresh build available for you to download today! I am always excited to give the news that we’re releasing an update, but this one is especially exciting for me because I think you’re going to be incredibly pleased with some of the new features that have been added since the last build.
Finally, there were apparently two more stealth Live product launches – Local and Safety Scanner come out of beta:
Just in from http://ideas.live.com , although no official announcement as yet, but Live Local and Safety Scanner have dropped the beta tag and graduated to full blown Windows Live Services. This brings the list of released products to 10, according to ideas.live.com
I note that at one point it was Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner (among other names), but that the OneCare seems to have been dropped recently.
Market Watch says Windows Live Search has already launched:
Microsoft Corp. late Monday said it officially launched its Live Search service, the successor to the Web-search tool on its MSN portal. The company, which had previously released Live Search in test form, said the new service is available in 47 markets globally, with users able to use its Live.com Web site for personalized Internet searches. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., additionally said its Live Search Local service is now available in the United States and the U.K.
Frankly, it’s hard to tell because of the ubiquitous beta logo on the live.com header and the AP says the official launch isn’t until tomorrow, but presumably it’s imminent.
Update: Press release:
Microsoft Corp. today announced the release from beta of Live Search and of Live.com in 47 markets worldwide, and final availability of Live Local Search in the U.K. and the U.S. Microsoft also announced that Live Search will now power the Web search capability on MSN®, the company’s media and entertainment portal, attracting more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month.
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Additional details can be found on the Live Search and Live Local Search team blogs at http://livesearch.spaces.live.com and http://virtualearth.spaces.live.com, respectively.
At the moment, there’s zip at the blogs and MSN is still showing the old MSN Search.
Update 2: Mary Jo Foley reports that the transition from beta to final will take place gradually through the 14th.
According to Techlog, a beta of Windows Live Connection Center Wi-Fi has opened for selected beta testers of Office 2007. The Center offers a Wi-Fi client that helps the user identify and connect to local Wi-Fi networks and a HotSpot Locator (HSL) Web site that provides a searchable list of public hotspots.
Required Hardware / Software: Operating System – Windows XP, (Vista compatibility be added with RC1, currently scheduled for September 2006) and access to wireless hotspots. Note: the WLCC Wi-Fi Suite Beta will not run on handheld devices such as Pocket PCs or BlackBerries.
The Windows Live Connection Center Wi-Fi Suite beta will begin August 22, 2006 and continue through early 2007.
All this is swell, but it’s not clear what Microsoft is really bringing to the table. The client really isn’t an online (i.e. “Live”) application since it installs on the user’s PC and every maker of Wi-FI adapters already ships a client with similar functionality which contends with the native Windows support for control of Wi-Fi configuration. If Microsoft wanted to spiff it up, why not just spiff up the operating system support instead of adding a 3rd player to the mix?
As for the HSL Web site, a search on your favorite search engine for “Wi-Fi hotspots” will yield an number of Web sites that provide equivalent functionality as well, including the mapping that HSL gets with a tie to Windows Live Local.
Meanwhile, the curtain was lifted a little bit on Windows Live Drive:
Microsoft has confirmed further details of its forthcoming Live Drive service, which will offer free online storage that can be mapped directly from PCs running the forthcoming Vista operating system.
Speaking at a blogger’s breakfast prior to the opening of Tech Ed in Sydney, Microsoft Australia technical specialist John Hodgson said that the basic Live Drive was likely to include around 2G of storage for free. Additional storage capacity would be available for purchase, though pricing schemes and final release dates haven’t been announced.
Hopefully, this was some sort of miscommunication as there is no obvious reason why Live Drive, unlike current competitors in online storage (e.g. Xdrive, which is offering 5GB free), should be saddled with a Vista only restriction for drive mapping.
Finally, there was an interesting beta of the Windows Live Contacts Gadget which:
… enables end users to use their Windows Live contacts (from Windows Live Mail/Hotmail and Messenger) with third party (non-Microsoft) web sites, conveniently and securely. The gadget works with any web server, most browsers, and doesn’t require reams of license or partnership paperwork with Microsoft. You don’t have to assimilate your web server into the Microsoft collective in order to play with Windows Live contact data.
Very clever! There are more details by following the link, but I have to reiterate my caveat from when Windows Live Contacts was first announced: Windows Live Contacts is just one of many places where users can and will store contact information. Thereby, the utility of the gadget is limited and probably always will be as application developers within and without Microsoft resist giving up control of “their” contacts.
Update: Windows Live testing video search.
