Have you checked out the new beta releases of Windows Live products?  You can download them at http://download.live.com.  I’ve mostly been playing around with the new version of Windows Live Messenger, and there are tons of great new things in the beta.  As I uncover more of them, I’ll definitely be blogging about them over the weeks ahead.

But for now, I thought I’d go straight to one of the definitive sources of information on the new beta release.  I talked with Michael Bramlage, a Senior Product Manager on the Windows Live team, to get an overview of what’s new and specifically some of the features he really likes.  We talked for quite a while, so this podcast is a bit longer than most.

You can download this specific podcast in the format you prefer using the links below:

• Windows Live Messenger Beta (WMA format)
• Windows Live Messenger Beta (MP3 format)

Or subscribe to my whole podcast series using these links:

• Windows Live Podcast Series (WMA format)
• Windows Live Podcast Series (MP3 format)

If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s well worth the download.  And after you’ve played around with it a little, please share your thoughts with the rest of the Windows Live Community as part of our most recent challenge.

- Marcus

Some of my very cool colleagues in Canada have launched a great new competition to encourage people to think about what the world of education will be like in 2020.  They have graciously opened up the competition to both US and Canadian residents (apologies to those of you in other countries).  Check out the details of the competition here, follow the rules, and if your entry is selected as one of the five winners, you could receive CDN$5,000!

Part of the competition involves predicting the future of Windows Live, so why not also tag your entry with Clubhouse tags so the rest of the Windows Live community can read your entry too. 

Good luck!

- Marcus

Windows Live Video Messages Beta combines the flexibility of e-mail and voice mail with the personal expression of a video call; it's like a video version of voice mail. Video Messages allows you to record and send personalized videos that your friends and family can access anytime, anywhere they are online.  This new service is available through a LifeCam video messages gadget and a Web site so everyone can get in on the fun.

The best way to experience Video Messages is with the LifeCam video messages gadget, available for anyone running Windows Vista and using a supported Microsoft LifeCam. By downloading the new gadget, folks that use LifeCams can create, send and receive video messages right from their desktop.  A demo of the LifeCam Video Messages gadget is available here. 

You also can easily use Video Messages through a website, which will work for anyone using Windows Live. From the website, you can record a personal video message and enter the e-mail address of a friend or family member who will receive a notification of the video via e-mail. Recipients who are also Windows Live customers can even respond with a video of their own. 

The Windows Live Video Messages beta service and the LifeCam video messages gadget will be available for free at http://videomessages.live.com and they are supported by the following LifeCam products: LifeCam Show, LifeCam VX-7000, LifeCam VX-6000, LifeCam VX-5500 and LifeCam VX-5000.

- Marcus

What would you do with an extra 5GB of storage space that you can access from any PC connected to the internet?  That's what SkyDrive offers and it's one of the most popular new Windows Live services.  People are using it for all sorts of different things.  In fact, I use it to store my podcast files!  So I thought it was probably about time I did a podcast about SkyDrive instead of just using SkyDrive for my podcast storage.

To learn more about what makes SkyDrive so attractive I talked with Ian Tien, a Senior Product Manager on the Windows Live team.  Ian told me more about how he personally uses SkyDrive and what he's heard from our customers.

You can download this specific podcast in the format you prefer using the links below:

• Windows Live SkyDrive (WMA format)
• Windows Live SkyDrive (MP3 format)

Or subscribe to my whole podcast series using these links:

• Windows Live Podcast Series (WMA format)
• Windows Live Podcast Series (MP3 format)

If you haven't started using SkyDrive yet, I hope this podcast inspires you to give it a try.

- Marcus

By now you all probably know that I'm really into taking digital pictures and sharing them on-line.  The combination of Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Spaces makes sharing incredibly easy.  But what are some of the other options for sharing photos?

One of the great "low-tech" options built into Windows Live Photo Gallery is the ability to order prints on-line and have them produced at thousands of local retail outlets.  Doing this lets you share photos with people that might not be as computer-savvy.

To get started, just click on Order prints... in the Print menu of Windows Live Photo Gallery:

Then select from any one of the printing companies in the first part of the Order Prints wizard window that appears next.

I've highlighted Ritz/Wolf --  it's one of my frequently used printing companies and have many different local outlets.  You could choose any of the other options that work best for you or the person receiving your prints.

As you step through the wizard, you can choose to either ship the photos directly to the person you're sharing with, or better yet just have them printed at a local outlet so your friend or family member can pick them up later that day!

- Marcus