A Widows Live ID provides you with access to a host of online products and services designed to help you sort through the clutter and bring all the pieces of your online life together in the one place.
If you already use Hotmail or Messenger then you already have a Windows Live ID, the same one you already use when you login to a Windows Live site. If you don't use Messenger or Hotmail, then don't stress, it's super-easy to get one.
Either sign-up for Hotmail or download Messenger to get a new ID. Windows Live lets you sign up using an existing e-mail address you already own such as other web email services (such as Yahoo! Mail) or your ISP e-mail (such as BigPond), so you don't have to memorise another set of user names and passwords if you don't want to.
Like we said, easy.
If you're still wondering why you should get a Windows Live ID then basically it's because it comes with a new, free Hotmail account, the best way to do Web e-mail. With it comes Messenger, Australia's most popular instant messaging service, allowing you to keep your friends closer through real-time online chat with voice and video capability.
There's also a host of other handy tools you can download to your PC. Movie Maker is an easy-to-use editing program that'll help you turn your home movies into schmick, mini-movies that you'll treasure for years to come. There's also Photo Gallery, which will organise the photos on your computer and allow you to share it on sites such as Flickr and Facebook without opening a web browser.
You can also create your own online profile and use it to share files, photos or videos with your friends. Most importantly, your Windows Live profile lets you connect your updates with more than 80 social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Flickr.
And last but not least, since size counts — every Windows Live ID comes with 25GB of free online storage via Skydrive, allowing you to save all your stuff in the one place.
Take a couple of minutes, get a Windows Live ID and use it to access Hotmail, Messenger and a range of free online services and desktop software all available from Windows Live.
Home