New Windows Live Wave 4 services spotted

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The first few details about the next iteration of Microsoft's set of Windows Live software and services, known as Windows Live Wave 4, are beginning to emerge. Two new services, Windows Live Documents and Windows Live Devices, are currently undergoing testing within Microsoft.

Windows Live Documents will replace the existing Office Live Workspaces service, which provides users with online access to their documents and facilities for sharing work with others. The current online applications will be replaced with the free offerings of the new Office Web applications - lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote which allow users to create, edit, and share Office documents though a browser.

In an attempt to simplify and improve user experience, Office Live merged with Windows Live earlier this year meaning that all the current Office Live services will eventually be delivered through Windows Live. Windows Live Documents is thought to store your files through SkyDrive, which already acts as the storage for services such as Windows Live Photos.

This screenshot of an internal testing website by LiveSino.net and shows the two new services added to the standard Windows Live header. It also shows that the link to Windows Live Events has been removed as the service is set to "retire" next year.

Windows Live Devices looks like it will replace Live Mesh, a service that synchronises files between different devices and an online storage space. The features look pretty much the same, such as synchronisation and remote desktop access, and should be available by downloading some software to your PC, Mac or mobile phone. The new software may be in the form of an updated version of the Windows Live Sync software and the online storage space - currently known as your Live Desktop - may be replaced by Windows Live SkyDrive.

LiveSide point out that digital photo frame tool Windows Live FrameIt is expected to be integrated with the rebranded service as well. Along with the Office Live team, the Live Mesh team also moved into the Windows Live Group earlier this year.

Images courtesy LiveSino and LiveSide, click to enlarge.

Windows Live Documents and Windows Live Devices will join the line up in October when public beta testing is expected to get under way. According to our sources, milestone 1 has already been reached internally and the final release of Wave 4 is expected around the same time as Office 2010 launches, in Q2 of next year.

(5 replies) #1 +AltecXP on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:11

I'm still waiting to be able to use Skydive like a drive on my desktop.

#1.1 profets on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:59

AltecXP said,

i'd love that.. but imagine how quickly people would be filling up that storage?

#1.2 giwo on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:04

http://www.gladinet.com/

The free version works quite well, I'm using it as we speak to turn SkyDrive into a drive on my computer.

#1.3 RobertH on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:31

This.

How much easier it would be if you had a folder in My Computer called SkyDrive.

#1.4 johnnypatras on 10 Aug 2009 - 20:44

You can try Live Mesh, not exactly what you ask but pretty similar. You can have folders in your Desktop and synchronise them with your pcs and a Virtual Desktop on the mesh, or share them with your friends or other people etc. etc. . A technical preview is out by MS, you can try it out.

#1.5 McDave on 11 Aug 2009 - 11:52

I found that gladinet was really slow on my computer, was near unusable.

(2 replies) #2 lordcanti86 on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:13

I'd like them to unite the UI of Hotmail/People/Calendar with the rest of the Windows Live services.

#2.1 Quikboy on 10 Aug 2009 - 22:39

#2.2 pikablu0530 on 11 Aug 2009 - 01:49

I thought the UIs for most Windows Live services are quite united. Am I mistaken?

#3 briangw on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:19

AltecXP,

You can use Live Mesh to do that, but there's only 5 Gb of space that they give you.

(5 replies) #4 Omen1393 on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:24

Since Windows Live Movie maker is coming with wave 4 all of the Windows 7 users have to wait 3-4 months in order to get a movie maker that all the other versions of windows already have bundled in? As much as I love Windows 7, that's kind of lame.

#4.1 fourinjuly4ij on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:48

What do you mean? I have Windows 7 and Movie Maker right now.

#4.2 +statm1 on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:23

Wave 4's Movie Maker is supposed to be entirely better than any crap that has been out since the XP version(which was the last good version).

#4.3 XerXis on 10 Aug 2009 - 21:01

Omen1393 said,

you can install the xp/vista version on windows 7:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...&displaylang=en

#4.4 XerXis on 10 Aug 2009 - 21:01

#4.5 geoken on 10 Aug 2009 - 22:49

XerXis said,

Although you can install the Vista version on Win 7, the link you posted is not the XP/Vista version, it's the XP version. There is a huge difference between Movie Maker 2.6 (which you linked to) and Movie Maker 6 (which is included in Vista).

To get MM 6 on Win 7 you just need to pull the folder out of a working Vista install and run it on Win 7, installation is not necessary.

(3 replies) #5 thealexweb on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:25

Windows Live Documents? They already have Office Live, to many MS services rivalling each other, to inefficient, MS can't beat the competition this way.

#5.1 KavazovAngel on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:37

It will replace the current Office Live Workspace service.

#5.2 dbam987 on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:38

Not really. This article states that Office Live will be replaced/merged with Windows Live, so there (in theory, and if I read it right) should be less confusion in naming convention.

#5.3 Mokusei on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:41

i think that WL Documents are for incoming Office Web Apps; afair, week ago some sites posts information that Office Live Workspace will be shut down

(3 replies) #6 gate1975mlm on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:39

Will there be a new version of Winodws Live Mail Desktop in Wave 4?

#6.1 joemailey on 10 Aug 2009 - 18:52

gate1975mlm said,

There will most likely be new version of everything. At least that's what it should mean. Wave 4 is a refresh of all windows live services.

#6.2 Faisal Islam on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:10

lolz..yea..but wait...Windows Live Movie Maker hasn't finished yet

#6.3 +statm1 on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:27

Technically Mail Desktop doesnt exist anymore.. Its just Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Hotmail. But yes theres always a refresh of Windows Live Mail, Messenger, Writer, and hopefully Movie Maker will get updated as well.

(1 reply) #7 Xenomorph on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:15

Just make Windows Live Mail NOT look like something left in the toilet after a unicorn was out all night eating his weight in spicy Mexican rainbows, and I will be happy.

#7.1 +xiphi on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:49

What's so bad about the current look of WLMail? One of the reasons I use WLMail now is due to its simple interface.

(4 replies) #8 nMIK-3 on 10 Aug 2009 - 19:43

Plus along with Windows Devices and Documents we can except Wave 4 to bring major improvements and new features to existing Live services such as the Messenger, Movie Maker and Photo Gallery.

Do we have any estimated release date for Wave 4?

#8.1 vanx on 10 Aug 2009 - 20:00

nMIK-3 said,

Did you not read the last sentence of the article?

#8.2 lee26 on 10 Aug 2009 - 20:01

Read the bottom of the original post.

It clearly answers your question.

Why is it that more and more people ask questions that have already been answered?

Too many people aren't reading the whole post.

#8.3 lee26 on 10 Aug 2009 - 20:02

oops vanx beat me to it.

#8.4 nMIK-3 on 10 Aug 2009 - 20:35

Relax ppl...
I completely missed out the last two lines bellow the photographs..

(1 reply) #9 Magallanes on 10 Aug 2009 - 20:00

The new buzzword is
~~social~~
~~Web 2.0~~
~~Cloud~~
Wave

#9.1 Rolith on 10 Aug 2009 - 21:01

Wave is actually pretty standard definition for pushing new version of a service live...been around for as long as I've been doing service-based webcoding almost a decade now.

(3 replies) #10 Majesticmerc on 10 Aug 2009 - 21:54

Microsoft need to stop renaming their services. Me and many others I know have been using Mesh for ages, why does it need renaming?

#10.1 Quikboy on 10 Aug 2009 - 22:40

'Ages'? It's funny how fast times goes by.

#10.2 Majesticmerc on 10 Aug 2009 - 22:43

Its been around for well over a year now, which is a VERY long time in computing

#10.3 +DonC on 10 Aug 2009 - 22:59

I liked the "mesh" name...

(2 replies) #11 M_Lyons10 on 10 Aug 2009 - 22:01

Alright, this is interesting, but where does Microsoft MyPhone come in if you can now sync devices including mobile phones through Live as well? Now I'm confused. LOL

#11.1 pikablu0530 on 11 Aug 2009 - 01:48

This video http://intruders.tv/inqtv/2009/07/31/windo...os-walkthrough/ mentioned something about MyPhone to be part of the "Mesh" in the future releases. If Live Mesh is to be Devices/SkyDrive/Sync, then my guess is MyPhone will likely to take on that platform as well some time in the future.

#11.2 andrewbares on 11 Aug 2009 - 06:48

M_Lyons10 said,

If only Microsoft could work together. Instead, they're 3 different (or more) companies. They always compete with themselves. Maybe Wave 4 will bring everything together, but chances of that are still slim.

(2 replies) #12 geoken on 10 Aug 2009 - 22:52

I hope the new Live Gallery includes auto face tagging.

#12.1 andrewbares on 11 Aug 2009 - 06:47

Me too. We kind of need that.

#12.2 McDave on 11 Aug 2009 - 11:55

And if maps /photo intigrated with geo-tagging from phones.

(1 reply) #13 Bern@rd on 11 Aug 2009 - 01:32

WTF, why does this article have a low rating? damn trolls...

#13.1 andrewbares on 11 Aug 2009 - 06:46

Boosted the rating by one

#14 babyHacker on 11 Aug 2009 - 20:12

I hate to be one to complain here but it seems that in a year and a half, or what it will be when Wave 4 comes to market, there will have NOT been anything near the progress one would expect in that time period. I am not sure how Microsoft ever expects to catch up with anyone at this rate.

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