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I can't believe that this version of Windows Live apps seems to be the near final version...

–derlinzer

re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

@wideawakewesley: The Send/Receive button is now the sync button.

–Dingold

re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

Windows Live Essentials Beta now available in many more languages including 7 Indian languages...

–Vasudev

re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

Anyone to consolidate all feedbacks and share that with the WL team? Here are my suggestions...

–lbastie

re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

A few issues: 1. No Send/Receive button in Mail (not even an option in customise toolbar) 2...

–wideawakewesley

re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

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LiveSide - News blog

Spotting the Changes in Essentials

Posted Dec 15 2008, 01:56 PM by Kip Kniskern with 26 comment(s)

Our eagle-eye reporter Sunshine was on top of the Essentials beta update, and so we’ve had a few minutes to take a look around. As reader Deathseeker noted in a comment to Sunshine’s post, there’s now quite a list of peripherals installed with the Essentials beta:

Windows Imaging Component Hotfix
SQL Server CE 3.1
Search Enhacement Pack
Microsoft Sync Framework Runtime
Microsoft Sync Framework Services
Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime
Direct3D 9
Junk Mail filter update
Microsoft Application Error Reporting
Windows Live Communications Platform
Windows Live Call
Windows Live Sync

We agree that’s a lot of “stuff” to watch go by when you’re not expecting it. As wary computer users, we’re conditioned to raise our hackles to anything unusual being installed. Far from being crapware, however, these additional programs offer some nice enhancements to the Windows Live experience.

The Direct3D 9 enhancements, for example, are really adding some nice touches to Messenger and Mail, among others. Really loving the new toast:

(Hi Brian!)

So far we’ve spotted (or confirmed what we were expecting), along with the visual improvements (including the new icons), the ability to insert albums in Live Writer, to save shared photos in Messenger, and What’s new messages in the Messenger header:

Since you all are so good at spotting new stuff, what have you noticed that’s different? Leave us a comment….

Filed under: Windows Live, Essentials, Wave 3

Comments

MCD wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 2:17 PM

i was just wondering something...

with this released why is this site: http://get.live.com/

still up? isn't http://download.live.com/ enough?

Khristopher wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 2:24 PM

You can no longer turn off the video carousel.

Khristopher wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 2:32 PM

One thing that they haven't fixed yet is organizing contacts by status when viewing contacts in category view.

Contz wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 2:37 PM

@MCD maybe because there those who do not want a product in beta but feel safe with a full product release. I think it will be replaced once essentials will come out of the beta.

RebelSean wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 2:46 PM

Kip, you can find a lot of the messenger changes at:

www.msgstuff.com/.../522-exclusive-windows-live-messenger-9-build-1202

I'm updating as I find them :).

alsiladka wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 2:50 PM

Windows Live Mail - Contacts still displays my contacts' nicknames as the display name. Does anyone know how it can be changed?

They still have not improved the Windows Contact - Windows Live Contact sync situation.

JSYOUNG571 wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 4:44 PM

Looks very nice and even better. The only problem I have as far as messenger, you still can not do audio and video setup. It's been that way since the first beta. Is anyone else having this problem?

WindowsFan wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 6:13 PM

WL Movie Maker is one of least useful apps in WL Essentials. I can't even edit out the middle of a clip or put a title by itself at the beginning of a video.

I hope Microsoft puts a LOT more work into it before it's released. So far, Windows MM 6 is still better.

rieuwa wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 6:54 PM

One of my favourite modifications is that they have finally fixed a scrolling jumping problem that I kept having between the message pane and the message list in Windows Live Mail.... A few weeks back I was half insulted on the community forums by other members who considered me pedantic and thought that the previous silly behaviour was 'exactly what it should do'.... I'm glad somebody at Microsoft is listening : )

Oh and the fact that Ctrl+S actually closes an event in Windows Live Mail Calendar view... that will no doubt be a timesaver now that it works!

Overall, liking the new update :)

CalumJR wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 7:29 PM

Signature sounds have been removed :(

CalumJR wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 7:32 PM

Also does anybody notice how pixelated and messed up most of the default themes look like when used in Messenger?

Eg. the 'Tree' theme looks horrible compared to it's equal on the Windows Live web services, the whole scene in Messenger is just very pixelated :(

DeathSeeker wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 7:35 PM

It asks to install SQL Server CE, even if you have SQL 2005 Fulll or SQL Express installed. I'm not quite sure why they don't use the existing (either of mine) to do whatever they need to do. Making me install a third version of SQL? LAME

It asks to install Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime if you have a full complete up to date version of Visual Studio 2008 Professional installed. Can somebody without it installed confirm if it appears on their list? I'm hoping that this is only for users with Visual Studio installed.

Messenger changes/non-changes

Still no option to disable chicklets

Still no option to get ride of ugly status borders

Still no option to right align display pictures

Kept that stupid little chat box spech bubble arrow

Added(?) that ugly header to the sign-in screen

Included an option to get of that totaly pointless Favorites category(Yay!)

Better sorting(Yay!)

Blocked contacts look more blocked(Yay!)

Install size has jumped to 66.9Mb

Status text removed in convo-window

Chatbox header still ruins all full backgrounds(I wonder if anyone on the Messenger team knows that full window backgrounds exist :-/)

By far the worst change so far: Green Messenger guy is now behind Blue Messenger guy :(

Anyone released the individual .msi's yet? I'd love to try Mail/Photo Gallery on my main machine.

ChaosAngelic wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 7:35 PM

The ability to minimize Windows Live Mail to the system tray appears to be missing in this build. Disappointing, as it's a feature I always used to use. If anyone knows of a way to enable it, please tell me.

CalumJR wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 8:24 PM

ChaosAngelic, you've got to be kidding right? :/

I always used to use that feature back when I didn't have ObjectDock.

I really hope it's there again in the next build, although when Windows 7 comes out, I won't beed that option as it will constantly be on the taskbar anyway, whether I am using it or not! :D

So looking forward to using the Windows Live Essentials on Windows 7 and the new taskbar! :D

ChaosAngelic wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 8:32 PM

@CalumJR:

If it's there, I can't find it. Used to be in the right-click menu for the tray icon...

Yeah, the problem is I want it running all the time... and I don't necessarily want it on my taskbar. It just has to run in the background, checking for my emails... and not taking up a space on the taskbar. I'm using Windows 7, by the way.

CalumJR wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 8:41 PM

Other things notcied:

1) THE MOST IMPORTANT:

Photo Gallery is very inconsistent in user interface with Windows Live Mail, which looks very clean, free of icons and has big headers and nice shading throughout the application. Mail, Messenge and Writer also allows you to change the colour of the application, Photo Gallery (which the majority of us use frequently) doesn't provide this option and looks horrible compared to Windows Live Mai and Messenger

2) Should'nt "Windows Live Contacts" in Windows Live Mail be named "Windows Live People" and also have the Windows Live People icon? (at least definitely the name surely)?

3) Windows Live Contacts has a different style of title in the title bar. E.g. we have "Inbox - Windows Live Mail", "Your feeds - Windows Live Mail", "Calendar - Windows Live Mail, "Microsoft Communities - Windows Live Mail" and "Windows Live Contacts (xxx_xxx@live.co.uk)". Surely it should be "People - Windows Live Mail" or something similar? Also, I don't really understand why they've kept the behaviour of Contacts opening in a seperate Window but they haven't with Calendar ot Feeds, surely they should either have them all open in a new window, or all of them open within the Windows Live Mail application window?

4) Windows Live Mail will not let you rename your calendar, yet it will let you rename your account. I have a nice name for my account yet my calendar's name is stuck with "Live.co (xxx_xxxx@live.co.uk)" the "Live.co" bit obviously means "Live.co.uk" but it won't seem to let me alter this and get rid of it's horrible name! :/

5) In Messenger you cannot have your contact's scene preference showing in your conversation windows WHILST having all of the other people's conversation windows (people who haven't set a preference and do not have Messenger 2009) showing YOUR default scene. This leave many people with the horrible blue design, by default, showing up in your conversation windows unless you check "Use default scene" which then changes ALL the conversation windows to your default colour, even people who have selected a preference :/

That's all I can remember for the time being but I will post more later.

Can't an official beta tester or Microsoft employee please report these problems?

CalumJR wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 8:51 PM

@ChaosAngelic:

It is there for me :)

If you right click on the icon in the taskbar, it should say "Hide window when minimised". Is it there for you? It's there for me and it works. Just tried it ;)

Hope you can get it working :)

By the way, I do have to say, I REALLY love the new Messenger and Mail icons in the notification area, both blue and both go really well together! Well done Microsoft on the amazing UIs in these programs! :)

Now all we need is the consistency I stated in my above comment :)

CalumJR wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 8:54 PM

@ChaosAngelic:

It is there for me :)

If you right click on the icon in the taskbar, it should say "Hide window when minimised". Is it there for you? It's there for me and it works. Just tried it ;)

Hope you can get it working :)

Now all we need is the consistency I stated in my above comment :)

ChaosAngelic wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 9:08 PM

Oh, now that's odd. It shows on my sister's XP machine but not on my Win7 machine. Hopefully that's a bug and not a design choice...

DeathSeeker wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 9:08 PM

Installing any version of the software breaks all previous versions of the software. If you had Messenger installed and just installed the new Photo Gallery/Sync/Contacts your preciously working Messenger is broken. LAME LAME LAME

Dingold wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 15 2008 9:18 PM

@ ChaosAngelic

Are you useing the new superbar in Windows 7? If so, are you right-clicking on the big icon on your superbar?

wideawakewesley wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Tue, Dec 16 2008 3:39 AM

A few issues:

1. No Send/Receive button in Mail (not even an option in customise toolbar)

2. The turned corner animation in the messenger window to access the colour control. The frsit time is cool, after that it's just annoying, especially as it animates when you go to change your status or status message.

3. No add-ins in Messenger

4. The mail icon in Messenger is too large

5. Changing the colour scheme across the different client applications does not have the same effect on each one. Try making both Messenger and Mail black.

I'm sure I'll find more things that bug me, but that's my top five for now. I like what I've seen so far though. Can't wait to get a new version of A Patch to make Messenger look nicer.

Wes

lbastie wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Tue, Dec 16 2008 4:50 AM

Anyone to consolidate all feedbacks and share that with the WL team?

Here are my suggestions:

- Push with the suite all the links to all WL services (translator, frameit, ...)

- Integrate video messages with the suite

- Keep the choice between icons & text for the menus (I don't like text in WL mail)

Vasudev wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Tue, Dec 16 2008 5:42 AM

Windows Live Essentials Beta now available in many more languages including 7 Indian languages.

Dingold wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Wed, Dec 17 2008 1:23 PM

@wideawakewesley:

The Send/Receive button is now the sync button.

derlinzer wrote re: Spotting the Changes in Essentials

on Mon, Dec 29 2008 3:46 PM

I can't believe that this version of Windows Live apps seems to be the near final version. There's so much basic functionality missing, UI & design are inconsistent over the apps and even more when you use them with their web counterparts.

What about agenda view & calendar subscriptions, simply adding a task, adding/changing a contact picture, adding a description to an image, why are their ads in a desktop app, why still no secure transmission of data (except account info)?

I didn't expect a free Outlook, Aperture or other Pro tool, but i expected at least basic functionality and features. Functionality and features that you find in most other free and/or system-bundled apps...

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Spotting the Changes in Essentials

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