I got my hotmail email account with everyone else back in the 90s and only in the past 3 years or so moved over to Gmail, Google's email service. I'm not sure how much good stuff I can say about this.

There are more features which I haven't even tapped into like Gmail mobile and Gmail for your domain. The good news is the product is constantly changing and it's not just fluff of making the screen look prettier, it is genuine user friendly features that make email a fast, reliable and sometimes even fun service. And as of this month, registration does not require an invitation from anyone, so have at it!

I've had it installed for a week now.. and Im ready to share my thoughts..

I like the look and feel, its got the updated skin and has retained the same feel so I'm not having to spend precious time figuring out where things went.. of course if you update your messenger from an ancient version then what I just said doesnt apply and its your own fault for not keeping up! haha..

I do love the 'sharing folders' feature that will finally allow people to share files without worrying about firewall issues! Naturally I expect the mean spirited grandfathers at RIAA to formulate some kind of lawsuit to stop such a feature because it could become another avenue for mp3 sharing..

Live Spaces, Live Search, Live Toolbar, Rhapsody??? Funny how one can learn about all kinds of new services Microsoft is pumping out under their 'Live' flagship all through this 'little' tool.. I dont think I'll be using them but I'm starting to think that 'messenger' might need to be renamed 'portal' and messaging contacts is just a part of what this new application can do.

I decided to test the application by tryin my unique logic on it.. and was surprised. Heres why, I saw the 'Find a contact or number..' textbox at the top and decided to punch in a friends phone number and hit enter. The search result suggested that I could call the number.. I clicked on that suggestion and up popped the Live Call application... apparently Microsoft has partnered up with Verizon and now do VOIP (charges apply). Very cool but Im fine with just texting people on their mobile devices if I really need to get a hold of them, which this can do also.

A worrying concern is that with all this activity going on (graphical ticker at the bottom of the messenger of latest videos - video carousel/etc).. I cant help but think that from a bandwidth perspective this 'little' application is taking up a larger chunk of traffic than one would expect. I luckily have broadband service but that doesnt mean I want my rich client showing me things I dont want and use my bandwidth/cpu processing also.. so Im gonna go de-activate such things (video carousel) immediately.

This 'little' application has a 61MB memory footprint and takes up 28MB disk space. I can see why products such as Trillian and Jabber are becoming popular, but for those who have mainly Microsoft (and now Yahoo! - yes you can message them directly too now) buddies.. this is the tool of choice.

Note: To utilize all the cool functionality, it does require that the person you are messaging with to have the same version (or really close) of the messenger too.

This should be of no surprise to anyone... yes I just got Vista (Ultimate - $399) and have it installed on one of my machines.. thanks to having enough iron in my computer I can enjoy the functionality.. I enjoy Aero ( the new 'glass').. I love the sidebar feature, IE 7 rocks (tabbed browsing with thumbnails of all tabs), the Photo Gallery is very nice allowing me to ditch Adobe Photo Album, and I can now ditch Nero thanks to Windows DVD Maker.. Ultimate apparently comes with a poker game (whatever) and the ability to have yer background be a looped video (whatever).. the look and feel is very TIGHT..
I will be conducting my own tests (speed of file transfer, video/audio conversion, searching for content within files, usability amongst different members of my family and my own private brutual assault practices) so I will keep you updated.. but for now there have been no glitches and Im just spending my time clicking all over the place to get myself re-oriented with where things are.
For folks whom are having a hard time figuring out which edition ya want. Microsoft did a good job of providing just that.. a comparison listing on their website. 90% of civilization is prob good with the Home Premium edition - $159 (comes with Windows Movie Maker/etc bundled for your media/entertainment needs).
I do think Microsoft is takin some great steps towards the right path with this new release, even with how they are now kosher with letting you download the product (elite rulz!) instead of buying it off the shelf (newbie).. just make sure yer completely aware of the logistics to handle the download (the sucker comes on a DVD or 5 CDs)..
Now be aware that you definitely want to do a clean installation cause upgrading is a great way to confuse everything.. granted your applications/personal data would still be installed/available.. but all the junk from years past would be too.. so do yer computer a favor and backup your personal data, install Ultimate from scratch and re-install your apps. Dont blame Microsoft for your lousy installation / configuration practices!
Microsoft seems to push 'Easier.. Safer.. More Entertaining.. Better Connected' down yer throat.. jury is out on safer.. but i think the others definitely are delivered.. Say 'hello' to the new O/S that will rule for the next 10 years.. Im gonna go pull out Ethereal and see what kinda activity is exactly being sent out from my new Ultimate box.. figure out this 'Big Brother' nonsense.

We were initially planning on purchasing the Sims 2 for our 9 year old daughter, but when I saw how there were teenagers making out on the cover of that game.. I dropped that request. (update: apparently there's another kid-friendly version of the Sims which doesnt have any kissing going on) She received this game from her Nana, and initially I figured it'd be just a regular '2 hour and done with' kinda game . I was wrong! This thing actually teaches business-sense to kids! Pet Vet does a great job of making the player very aware of their state of finances and how a business' reputation can effect their popularity, and ultimately their income. I know of some real companies whom would benefit by having their employees play this game and realize that point. Back to the game.. it's simple, straight to the point, allows for a wealthy number of opportunities and options which I can see keeping my lil girl busy for at least a couple of months. Software requirements: Direct X, Windows XP/2000 and a decent amount of RAM and disk space and you'll be just fine.