Nemo surfaces! Windows Live for TV in the wild

Harrison Hoffman — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:33:00 GMT

Here's a little something to kick off our birthday celebration in style! Back in October, we reported on Project Nemo, a Windows Live product for Media Center being developed behind the closed doors of Redmond. Well now the little project has made its debut on Windows Live Ideas (for some reason you must be signed into ideas.live.com with a US Live ID for the link to work).

Ten points for each person you can identify in the shot.

That's right, Nemo is back with a new look and a new name. They're calling it exactly what you would expect, Windows Live for TV. Live TV is an additional program for Windows Media Center which will provide access to Spaces, Messenger, and Live Call, all wrapped up in a ten foot interface. Here's the feature list from Ideas:

• Browse millions of Spaces in rich 3D graphics with new Gallery views and full keyword search
• Find out what your friends have been doing and saying on Windows Live Spaces
• Have real-time text and voice conversations*
• Call your friends' mobile or landline telephones by signing up with Verizon Web Calling to make affordable domestic and international calls**
• Easily navigate with your mouse, keyboard or a TV remote (remote navigation requires Microsoft Media Center Remote and IR)
• Make free PC-to-PC calls to other Windows Live Messenger users.

*Both parties must have compatible webcams, microphones, and speakers
**Requires voice calling in Windows Live Messenger Client

This is how the team blog, In Orbit, defines the application:

"Windows Live for TV is an early beta 3D browser application that makes it easy to connect to your social network as well as friends and family from within Vista Media Center or IE7.0. You're be able to view the best of Windows Live Spaces and communicate with Friends and Family over Windows Live Messenger 8.1 with voice & text chat as well as make a phone call.

Media Center has brought the PC to heart of the home, adding Windows Live services to Media Center will make it easier to stay in touch with your social network. Our goal in creating Orbit is to bring social networking to a new form factor that is both intuitive and fun to use. We built the application in Windows Presentation Framework (.NET 3.0) and it will run within Vista Media Center or directly in Vista hosted IE7.0 browser."

For those of you out there who are hoping to use it on Windows XP Media Center, I think you are going to be out of luck. WL for TV will require a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate.

It's nice to see that this killer application is getting its chance to shine. You can sign up to test Windows Live for TV here. And so it begins...

Update
Just to be clear, the project is no longer being referred to as Nemo, the new codename is Orbit.

Update 2: Added a couple of shots of my own (Click to Enlarge)

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.

LiveSide - News blog : Nemo

Nemo surfaces! Windows Live for TV in the wild

Codename Nemo: Windows Live meets Media Center