Ok. So Microsoft realised the Windows brand is pretty much their strongest message to consumers. MSN services, as a result, are in the process of being rebranded and revamped into Live services under the Windows banner.
It’s become obvious to me that the consumer products division of Microsoft is not necessarily fully aligned with the business products division. Talking to a few Microsoft employees gave me insight into the ‘healthy competition’ that there is between alike products. Windows Live Messenger drives the Office Communicator team to make a better business product and vice versa, for example.
But I’m starting to see some disparity between the views of the divisions with regards to the features in the differeing products for business and consumer markets. Outlook 2007, for instance, can now consume RSS feeds (yes I know 2003 could but not without a plugin) and mail and feeds sit side by side in your inbox. Tag them, colour them whatever to determine what is a call for action or just a flow of information.
I’d like to see RSS feeds make their way into Windows Live Mail too. Now the Windows Live portal is cool and all, but mail is still the centre of my universe. I suppose, yes, that i can get my mail as a feed into the portal. But having seen the last attempt at aggregation portals not really work on the Internet (and to some extent in the work place) I’m not concvinced that it will work. I suppose choice is the main thing. Let me choose what front I end I want to use to get my mail and consume feeds, be it my mail client or a portal. I’ve never been a big fan of dedicated news readers so the inclusion of a reader in Outlook 2007 is a welcome addition.
And Google did add the little RSS banner thing to Gmail a while back, but it’s only really a summary.
For sheer reponsiveness in a portal though Netvibes continues to impress me. It loads infinitely faster than Windows Live. Most impressive.
Now.. back to Oblivion!!!