What IS Windows Live?

Bill has been talking about it during the XBox 360 launch... Its going to be Microsoft's attempt at making a simplistic version of all of its important web services. Its basically a direct attempt to googalise Microsoft but do it without ad support and make it integrated with all of their other stuff. Taking a successful brand extension - XBox Live - and applying the same logic to another brand, hoping that customers will notice the name similarity and find the two synonymous.

Messenger Live for example will eventually integrate with XBox live - something we've all been waiting for really.

Here's the Beta site for Windows Live, looking nice and tidy. Here's some ideas they have.

The best quote when they're talking about Messenger Live:

"plus new ways to connect and share documents with almost magical ease"

UPDATE - Spong have reported on Windows Live. Now, we're not picking on Spong - we never do. We just don't agree with half of the things they say...

Nowhere have we found anyone say that XBox Live is going to become Windows Live. Nowhere.

"Speaking on the eve of the Xbox 360 launch, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates outlined how Xbox Live would evolve into Windows Live, using Windows Messenger as a conduit. The Xbox team showed limited Live integration with Messenger back at E3 in 2003, and even that limited showing caused something of an outcry"

You can actually use Windows Messenger on the XBox, you just get the Media Center Extender from the states and use it on a modded or US console. The Windows Live ideal is much more than what has simply been said here, and will in reality be extended towards the XBox - not from it - using the features available from Windows Live on your XBox.