LiveSide - News blog : Live Call

Microsoft stops Windows Live VOIP services from July

Chris — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:30:00 GMT

Last year Microsoft announced that the existing VOIP partnership with Verizon would be terminating in 2008. Currently this service allows Windows Live Messenger users to call friends and family using regular landlines and mobile phones, but this functionality is set to expire over the next few months.

According to a Microsoft spokesperson, this service will terminate on the following dates:

EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) - July 15th 2008,
USA - August 31st 2008.

They confirmed that so far, no replacement service has been identified.

“Microsoft is actively investigating a successor to Verizon Web Calling in Windows Live Messenger in EMEA and the U.S. and hopes to offer the service again in the coming months. We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers.”

So what does this mean for Microsoft’s VOIP strategy? Its been disjointed, lacked development and made no visible progress over the past 2 years, and now we have the prospect of the service being discontinued indefinitely. However there is some hope on the horizon.

At the end of last month, Mary Jo Foley talked about a service codenamed Echoes. She explains how the different aspects of this project are expected to function with the help of network operators, in particular regarding the synchronising of contacts to and from all mobile devices, and enabling text message (SMS) to IM conversations. In addition parts of Echoes throw light on Microsoft’s own VOIP platform plans:

Step 1: “Echoes will assign a local mobile number to each Windows Live contact”
…
Step 5: “Voice calls can be connected through Echoes directly from the mobile to the Windows Live Messenger user’s PC”

Mary Jo mentioned this new functionality shipping with Windows Live Messenger v9 betas, following on from the TAP trials being undertaken in Europe and Asia over this summer. Swisscom and TeleNor are allegedly some of the EMEA partners, with trials in Asia rumoured to be using Starhub (#2) and M1 (#3). Anybody in these countries heard anything about the testing going on? If so drop us an email, we’d be interested to hear how what’s going on.

Given the expected v9 ship date of Q4 2008 however, it seems like a somewhat tall order for Microsoft to ship a working VOIP platform and cross-partner systems integration in just a few months. Echoes seems to be perhaps a more realistic aim for Windows Live Wave 4, which would mean Microsoft needs a stop-gap VOIP provider for the next 18 months. With only 1 month left to run in EMEA, anybody care to guess when the service comes back online?

(I couldn’t find any user stats for VOIP services except Skype, so its difficult to tell how many users will be affected by this.)

Codename Nemo: Windows Live meets Media Center

Chris — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 02:14:00 GMT

Codename Nemo is designed to be an add-on for Windows Vista (Home Premium and Vista Ultimate editions), that integrates Spaces, Messenger and Live Call into a UI designed for large monitors and TVs. Nemo essentially creates a Windows Live Media Center, and is optimized for use by Microsoft Media Center remote, as well as keyboard. Of particular note is the 3D Gallery view for browsing Windows Live Spaces, shown below, presumably built using the new Windows Presentation Foundation that will be included in Windows Vista.

(Gallery prototype design larger view*)

By bringing Windows Live to the living room, Microsoft could expose users to its online services in a way that competitors such as Google or Yahoo have not yet exploited. With content plus advertisers equaling revenue, this can only be a good thing for MSN. Adding MSN Soapbox or MSN Originals integration into this Windows Live package could present Microsoft with a content delivery method that really starts to move the PC out of the office. Combine this with live concert streaming thanks to MSN’s recent partnership with Control Room, and suddenly the Media Center PC has much more to offer. Nemo would make upgrading to Vista a lot more attractive for the Windows Live fans too.

Although initial indicators that Nemo would be in beta by the end of 2006, the project now appears to be on hold, for reasons unknown. We have heard it was demoed at MGX 2006, an internal-only Microsoft conference for those working in global sales and evangelism, so we’re expecting (and hoping) to see it back on track soon.

*Final product will not be identical to this.

Microsoft announces new Windows Live hardware

Chris — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:20:00 GMT

Microsoft has today announced the expansion of its Windows Live hardware line, both with the new range of voip headsets (LifeChat) and a wider range of webcams (LifeCam).

- The Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000 will be widely available in November 2006 for an estimated retail price of $99.95 (U.S.). This is a laptop only webcam.

- The Microsoft LifeCam VX-1000 will be widely available in September 2006 for an estimated retail price of $29.95. Readers have told us that this is already in the shops.

- The Microsoft LifeChat products introduced today will be widely available in January 2007 for the following estimated retail prices:

Microsoft LifeChat ZX-6000: $69.95 (U.S.)
Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000: $39.95(U.S.)

With these new LifeChat devices launching soon, it's a shame that Microsoft's voip product currently falls well behind the likes of Skype in terms of features and extensibility, something which no amount of attractive hardware can rectify. Maybe the upcoming VoiceMail service, to be integrated in Live Mail (and the desktop version) v2, will remedy some of these deficiencies.

Microsoft Press Release

Update: Pictures of these devices are available here.

New Messenger Features On the Way

Chris — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 18:49:00 GMT

The Messenger Team is poised to release new features into the imminent Windows Live Messenger April refresh, including: Windows Live Today: The Windows Live replacement of MSN Messenger's MSN Today pop up box when you sign in to Messenger. Encrypted...(read more)

Microsoft serious about VOIP? You bet

Chris — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 17:01:00 GMT

In a BusinessWeek article published today, Olga Kharif talks about Microsoft's expansion into VOIP in and how consumers can expect to see it integrated into future products and services. - In Windows Live Messenger and Mail users can call their contacts...(read more)

Windows Live Session summary

Chris — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:19:00 GMT

Last night saw the first Windows Live Session in the UK, hosted at MSN London. Phil Holden gave some good demos of Windows Live beta products as well as outlining the history and intentions behind them. Several MSN UK staff were present too, some of whom...(read more)