Using SkyDrive lets files synchronise any time you have internet access, as they're always copied to the cloud.
If you're only using peer-to-peer synchronisation, files will update when any two endpoints are online. As well as synchronising folders, Live Sync will ensure Office templates, dictionaries and signatures are shared between machines, and will also keep your Internet Explorer Favourites and recently visited sites up to date. Right-click on a folder you want to sync and you can choose the devices for your files, as well as whether they're reflected onto SkyDrive.
Live Sync is very easy to use, associating devices with a Live ID. Syncing files between PCs and the cloud is easy: choose the endpoints that you want to sync, choose the folders you want to sync, and your files will be kept in sync until you end the partnerships That's a 3GB reduction from the Live Mesh beta's 5GB of space, so if you're using Live Mesh, you'll need to be careful about migrating to Live Sync. Each device you add to a Live Sync mesh is an endpoint, and you can choose to share content on a peer-to-peer basis or through a 2GB cloud store (part of your 25GB Live SkyDrive allowance). Replacing the older FolderShare-based service with one that's built on the Live Mesh device synchronisation prototype, Live Sync uses Mesh's device-to-cloud and device-to-device synchronisation features to share folders and files between PCs. The most business-focused of the Essentials tools is the newest member of the family, Live Sync. Although they're essentially consumer applications, they do have many features of interest to businesses - especially small companies with minimal IT budgets. We've been using the beta of Live Essentials Wave 4 for some time now.
Other tools include a new Bing Bar plug-in for Internet Explorer and the Live Family Safety PC lock-down tools. The new Essentials tools get a similar makeover, gaining new features and new integration points with Office and Windows. Windows Live will never be an alternative to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr - but it can be a place where they all come together and mix with your IM contacts (and your Hotmail address book).
Wave 4 is a significant upgrade for Live, with a new Hotmail, the addition of the Office Web Apps to SkyDrive, with much more of a focus on synchronisation and on social network integration.
They've been upgraded, updated and given more social features (as well as the Windows 7 version of the ribbon user interface). The latest Windows Live update, Wave 4, includes a new set of Live Essentials tools. The orphaned applications have become Microsoft's answer to Apple's iLife bundle - tools that actually add to Windows and demonstrate Microsoft's commitment to its 'Software+Services' vision. Renamed Windows Live Essentials, they're now a separate download (although they can be preinstalled by OEMs) that updates along with the rest of the Windows Live Services.
Off went Windows Mail, Movie Maker, the Gallery and Messenger into the hands of Microsoft's Online Services group, to be rewritten and rebranded as part of Windows Live. These updates will make Windows Live Family Safety easier for parents to get started, and it's easier for them to keep their kids safer online.Microsoft's anti-trust woes shook up Windows, pulling out all those little applications that sat in the Start menu and rarely got used. We have also made enhancements for web browsing such as locking Safe Search for children and helping them find sites designed for kids with. This results in a seamless login experience and enhanced reporting capabilities to help parents understand what their kids are doing on the computer and online. "Based on customer feedback, the newest version of Family Safety features tighter integration with Windows User Accounts and Windows Parental Controls. "Today, we announced the launch of an updated version of Windows Live Family Safety," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars.
The biggest change is the release of Windows Live Movie Maker in final form, which was announced earlier today. Windows Live Essentials, which refers to the suite of Windows Live client applications (as opposed to Web services), consists of a long list of software: Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Writer, Toolbar, Family Safety, Office Live Add-in, and Silverlight. Microsoft has yet again updated the Wave 3 release of Windows Live Essentials, evidenced by the change in build number of specific applications in the suite.