Windows ads make a comeback
After a brief pause, Microsoft's Windows ad campaign will start singing a new tune.
Microsoft plans to debut a new commercial during the Grammy Awards on Sunday that focuses on its Windows Live services as part of the company's overarching Windows ad campaign that began with a short-lived series featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld and morphed into the "I'm a PC" campaign that started in September and directly targeted Apple.
The new ad features a 4-year-old girl using Microsoft's Windows Live Photo Gallery. It's part of a new phase for the campaign, which Microsoft is calling "Rookies."
"The aim is to put a spotlight on how Windows enhances your life regardless of your age," one Microsoft representative told me.
Windows Live Photo Gallery is one of several free Windows programs that was put out by the Windows Live group. The program, along with Windows Live Mail, initially replaced similar--but less connected--programs built into Windows Vista. With Windows 7, though, Microsoft has stripped the e-mail and photo management programs out entirely, encouraging users to instead download the Windows Live programs.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Other than that, Microsoft does deserve kudos for finally realizing what they want to do with their live services and have now created a very useful and enjoyable service. I just hope they bring my.live.com into the wave 3 fold sooner rather than later!
Anyone agree? disagree?
You couldn't give it away to me for free.
Are you trying some Jedi mind trick?
Windows 7 hasn't been 'released' yet, so obviously they would still be focusing on selling vista.
I dumped windows all together for a Mac
PC is dead to me, Macs and Linux is the future....
PC: I'm a PC, and I'm a Failure!
But I think the actual service is better done than say MySpace which just looks hideous. And that's when you've made an awesome looking profile. Problem though is that it isn't as functional. One reason is simply because nobody uses it. Also, The decision that space name != user name is one I don't really care for on any social networking site. This seems to be a consistent theme though.
But Live Messenger is probably the best dedicated messenger out, but I'm not including multi-protocol ones like Trillian or Pidgin in this. The mail client is good the photo gallery program is nice, Live Writer is actually pretty fun and their Hotmail service has improved. When you put it all together it makes a pretty good package for the casual web browser. Problem is everybody already uses Google search, GMail, MySpace, Facebook, and Yahoo which makes all that hard work pointless to a certain degree. It's really too bad. If more people would give MS live just a trial they might be surprised, but they won't just because it's Microsoft.
I'm just asking, if the answer is no to all three, then great job MS. Otherwise, it's still not ready.
Perhaps you got a file from your friend and double clicked on it. Did you do that? Why blame messenger? They could have emailed it just the same? Would GMail be to blame then because you blindly install whatever your script kiddy friends send you?
Windows Live Services are online services. You use them right through your web browser. They have extras that you can download on your computer to interface with these services. For example the email client connects to Hotmail. However, contrary to popular belief. You can just go to Hotmail.com and log in you know. I read my Live mail from within Linux without any problem whatsoever and I use all the other Live services like spaces and Skydive and whatever else right from within Linux as well every morning.
Great post. Couldn't agree more. I tried the most recent Live Suite and I'm pleasantly suprised. It seems pretty well done, easy to use and kinda fun. The issue, as you stated well, is that people already use those other products. Some people won't try Microsoft because their Microsoft and others won't try Microsoft because they are not unhappy with their current solution. Others won't try it because they want to 'follow the crowd'. In any case, MSFT has it's work cut out for it. Nice suite, hard job selling it. Hmm... somewhat opposite of the usual MSFT MO.
Finally, they're working on Windows 7 as fast as they can and other than the fact they're shipping five thousand versions of it again, I've heard almost nothing but praise from the Beta testers which is in stark contrast to what I heard when Vista was approaching RC1.
What more do you want? Are you gonna cry that they're not fixing everything that's wrong with Windows 3.11 too?
Do tell.
#1 Software backwards compatibility... The is HUGE. A good portion of the programs I use daily won't run on Vista
Not everyone wants (or can afford) to buy completely new versions for all the software they use.
#2 Hardware compatibility. Still a major problem. My $70 2yr old gaming mouse is STILL not vista compatible. Atleast with XP you could use the previous version drivers
#3 Performance. Vista is a slug, thats why they made Win7 perform alot faster (I have a high end system so don't say its just because I have an old system). Sure its performs with 4gb of ram but it still feels sluggish compared to XP with half the tech specs. I run applications that utilize 100% of the CPU and I don't need the 'vista' performance hit when I can use a previous version and get better performance.
#4 UAC nagware. broken security model that people just turn off. Just plain annoying.
I could keep on going but I don't have all night.
If you please list the programs you're having problems with perhaps I can help you get them to run or help you find an updated copy that will work on Vista. I haven't found a single program yet that doesn't work in Vista. A few needed a patch true, but I'd be interested to know which ones still don't work at all.
Have you tried going to the website of the company that made the mouse and downloading updated software for it? For example my old Microsoft mouse worked but I had to download an updated version of IntelliPoint to use the extra features. If it is an MS mouse then please Google MS Intellipoint and get the updated software. If it's not an MS mouse then simply visit the website of whoever made the mouse. If they refuse to support Vista though there is nothing MS or Vista can do about it since they didn't make it.
So you run programs that use 100% of your CPU and complain Vista is sluggish? Vista does use a lot of ram and is not for budget computers, but any OS is going to feel sluggish if you use up all your CPU power. However, I've noticed with 2 or more gigs of ram and a dual core or better Vista runs faster than XP. If your system is sluggish with 4 gigs of ram I'm worried you may have a virus or broken hardware or bum anti-virus. Some cheap AV software can cut your system speed in half or worse. I also have 4 gigs of ram and my system flies. That's something you should look into. Perhaps you need a clean install.
UAC seems to be annoying to a lot of people. However, I've left it on and I never see a UAC prompt except for when I install new software or venture into the Control Panel. Just doing my day to day tasks UAC never pops up. Whatever your job is it sounds interesting that you would have to be installing/uninstalling software all day and spend all your day in the Control Panel. Do you work for InstallShield or something? If you do then you guys make a great product. I've never had a problem with it.
"So easy a 4 year old can do it"
- by JRP-Winteam February 8, 2009 9:28 PM PST
- To watch the commercial now, visit the WindowsVideos Youtube:
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