An Early Look at Microsoft Windows Live, Part 2 Windows Live: Tool Time Wayne Kawamoto
Working towards a significant online stand with a new set of tools, Microsoft's Windows Live lineup of services promises new ways to handle e-mail, instant messages, schedules, and maps; manage RSS feeds; perform Web searches; and much more. In this two-part review, we'll be evaluating pre-release editions of Windows Live Mail, Microsoft's newest Web-based e-mail service; Windows Messenger, the successor to MSN Messenger; Windows Live Toolbar, a set of tools that assist in searching the Web, filling in Web forms, blocking pop-up ads, and more; Windows Live Safety Center, a service that scans for viruses and evaluates a PC's health; and Windows Live Favorites, which lets you access your Internet Explorer and MSN Explorer favorites from any computer with a Web connection.
As previews of Microsoft's next-generation lineup, the betas offer a lot to like. As long as Microsoft delivers (relatively) bug-free and secure versions of these tools in their final releases, most users will probably welcome them. As one would expect, at this point in time Microsoft is still encouraging feedback from users and the tools are subject to change before release. In other words, the following reviews offer a snapshot of various works in progress.
Last week we covered Windows Live Mail, and the new Windows Messenger; this week we'll look at three other services in the Windows Live line-up: Windows Live Toolbar, Windows Live Safety Center, and Windows Live Favorites.
Tool Time
Windows Live Toolbar replaces the MSN Search Toolbar and offers a set of useful tools for searching the Web, including a convenient search field that lets you perform a search from any Web page and a built-in pop-up blocker that identifies and cuts down on unwanted pop-up advertisements. You can choose to have the toolbar halt all pop-ups, or allow some from certain sites to appear. Like its predecessor, the toolbar may be customized with buttons to display the functions that you use most often.
A useful fill-in function inserts your personal information into Web-based forms. To use it, you enter personal information (name, e-mail address, telephone number, etc.) into the program and when you set "Form Fill" to on, the feature fills in Web-based forms automatically — a true time saver. Your personal information is stored on your computer, not a central database, and it's password-protected.
A fantastic new feature called Onfolio offers a means to save, organize, and share data that you find on the Web, which can include links, entire Web pages, portions of pages, e-mails, Office documents, and more. The feature resides in its own pane that appears on the left side of the screen, and you can define folders within to store data.
When you want to file data, click on the "capture" button to store a Web page link or information on a page, or you can drag and drop data to it. After capture, you can add your own notes if you wish. Onfolio is a serious tool for those who do lots of Web-based research and a welcome way to effectively manage the information.
A phishing filter constantly scans Web sites and alerts you to sites that appear to be asking for personal information. The filter goes further to block you from sharing personal information if a site is a known "phishing" site. The filter will be updated regularly through an online service run by
Microsoft.
The toolbar also offers tabbed browsing support — a feature missing in earlier releases of Internet Explorer but set to finally make its long-overdue debut in IE 7 — so that you can open multiple pages in a window and easily switch between them. This allows you to effectively keep several unrelated sites open and immediately refer back to them. Once you get accustomed to tabbed browsing, there's no going back.
The Toolbar also detects RSS (Really Simply Syndication) feeds and helps you subscribe to them. This way, you can send updated information to your Live.com site, a customized homepage that serves content in a layout of your choosing. As an example, the page can be configured to display the weather in your hometown, the latest news headlines, and Web search results. At press time, there were no system requirements listed for the Windows Live Toolbar.
