Gates: Windows Live to Include Blogging Tools

Posted on November 1, 2005

CNet reports that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced two upcoming products from Microsoft called Windows Live and Office Live. Gates said the Windows Live service will provide several services including blogging services.

Gates said that Windows Live is a set of Internet-based personal services, such as e-mail, blogging and instant messaging. It will be primarily supported by advertising and be separate from the operating system itself. Office Live will come in both ad-based and subscription versions that augment the popular desktop productivity suite.

Gates also said Windows Live will have a free ad-supported version as well as paid versions. He says there will be licenses and subscriptions.

But free products won't replace paid software. Many of the Live releases will have payment tiers, Gates said, with the lowest levels free and ad-supported, and higher-end versions paid for by the user.

Windows Live blogging tools will be based on Microsoft's MSN Spaces blogging service but will be called Windows Spaces. A beta of Windows Live can be found at live.com. The look of the website is similar to the Start.com site that Microsoft has been developing. Gadgets can be added to Live.com service.

One service Microsoft and Google are probably both starting to watch closely is MySpace.com, the teen juggernaut now owned by News Corp. Live.com will need to be easy to use and free to be able to compete with the rapidly growing MySpace.com.