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April 2008 Articles
Microsoft launch Live Mesh - Net.Matters - April 2008
Microsoft has announced a new program, aiming to bring together users' data from a number of devices - and allowing them to access synchronised files, anywhere, anytime.
Whether from a desktop, laptop or mobile, Live Mesh will use the internet as a data hub, reflecting the current trend towards "cloud computing". Data is held on the web and users can access files from any local device. Theoretically, you'll be able to take a photograph on your phone and access it on your desktop in a matter of minutes.
Live Mesh will also enable file sharing - documents can be modified and updated "live" and so long as the users are registered with Live Mesh, they will be able to see the most recent document.
This web based service is nothing new - Google and Salesforce.com have been offering office applications online. What is significant, is that Microsoft is now embracing this opportunity and adopting the technology which is in direct competition to their suite of products.
Initially Live Mesh will be made available to Windows XP and Vista users. Microsoft plan to roll it out to Apple Macs and other platforms including mobile. A beta version of the product aims to be on the market by the end of 2008. Microsoft proposes that users will have 5Gb of online storage space and unlimited peer to peer data to enable devices to synchronise information.
Microsoft's Amit Mital, general manager of Live Mesh: "Devices are how we interact in the new "web-connected" world and we use a variety of them, including PCs, laptops, media devices, phones, digital picture frames, game consoles, music players and the list grows at every CES. However, as we discover, adopt and use more of these digital devices, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the people, information and applications we depend on in synch."
The Live Mesh announcement comes just days after Microsoft said it was testing a facility whereby users could make a monthly subscription for the Microsoft Office Suite, accessible via the web. Applications would no longer sit on consumers' PCs but would be stored online. Analysts are predicting the cost of PCs would drop as manufacturers and suppliers would no longer need to build in the cost of the software licence fee into the whole package. Whether or not the overall cost for the consumer will drop once they have subscribed to Office remains to be seen.
Windows itself would still remain built into the PC. The new product, code-named "Albany" could be made available by the end of this year and sees Microsoft step more and more into the web-based services market that Google and others are already in.
Whether from a desktop, laptop or mobile, Live Mesh will use the internet as a data hub, reflecting the current trend towards "cloud computing". Data is held on the web and users can access files from any local device. Theoretically, you'll be able to take a photograph on your phone and access it on your desktop in a matter of minutes.
Live Mesh will also enable file sharing - documents can be modified and updated "live" and so long as the users are registered with Live Mesh, they will be able to see the most recent document.
This web based service is nothing new - Google and Salesforce.com have been offering office applications online. What is significant, is that Microsoft is now embracing this opportunity and adopting the technology which is in direct competition to their suite of products.
Initially Live Mesh will be made available to Windows XP and Vista users. Microsoft plan to roll it out to Apple Macs and other platforms including mobile. A beta version of the product aims to be on the market by the end of 2008. Microsoft proposes that users will have 5Gb of online storage space and unlimited peer to peer data to enable devices to synchronise information.
Microsoft's Amit Mital, general manager of Live Mesh: "Devices are how we interact in the new "web-connected" world and we use a variety of them, including PCs, laptops, media devices, phones, digital picture frames, game consoles, music players and the list grows at every CES. However, as we discover, adopt and use more of these digital devices, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the people, information and applications we depend on in synch."
The Live Mesh announcement comes just days after Microsoft said it was testing a facility whereby users could make a monthly subscription for the Microsoft Office Suite, accessible via the web. Applications would no longer sit on consumers' PCs but would be stored online. Analysts are predicting the cost of PCs would drop as manufacturers and suppliers would no longer need to build in the cost of the software licence fee into the whole package. Whether or not the overall cost for the consumer will drop once they have subscribed to Office remains to be seen.
Windows itself would still remain built into the PC. The new product, code-named "Albany" could be made available by the end of this year and sees Microsoft step more and more into the web-based services market that Google and others are already in.
