Eventually, Microsoft plans to release Windows Mobile client software for Live Mesh. That software will let smartphones and other mobile devices benefit from the service's automatic data synchronization and remote control features. For now, though, Windows Mobile users can at least upload and download files via a newly provided mobile version of the Live Mesh website.
Browser-based access for Windows Mobile users shows Live Desktop folders (left) and recent activity (right)
(Click either to enlarge)Pointing Internet Explorer at m.mesh.com and logging into the Live Mesh service provides a list of folders and files stored on a user's Live Desktop (above left). From there, files can be uploaded or downloaded at will. Additionally, an "Add Picture" link automatically creates a Mobile Pictures folder on the Live Desktop, if one is not already present, then uploads the selected snapshot.
The browser-based access for Windows Mobile also provides a "news" feature (above right), alerting the user to recent Live Desktop file operations. This is useful in cases where multiple users have been granted access to a Live Desktop, or perhaps simply as a means of jogging one's memory.
BackgroundAnnounced in April and
updated in June, Live Mesh has been described as a "software-plus-service platform." Intended to integrate desktop and mobile operating systems -- including Windows Mobile, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Macintosh OS X -- it provides synchronization and remote access services similar to those offered by products like
LogMeIn,
GoToMyPC, and
SugarSync.
Microsoft's Live Mesh website
(Click to enlarge)Live Mesh users log into Microsoft's
Mesh.com website, where a personalized home page (above) provides them with 5GB of "cloud" storage, termed the Live Desktop. Data can be uploaded to and downloaded from the Live Desktop with any Web browser.
In addition, Microsoft provides specialized client software -- currently available for Windows XP and Vista, and promised for both Windows Mobile and Macintosh OS X -- that adds one or more devices to a user's personal "mesh." Once client software has been installed, designated folders and files on any device are synchronized automatically to the Live Desktop; from there, they're pushed to any other devices in the mesh.
Live Mesh permits accessing devices (left) and sharing files (right) via special Windows client software
(Click on either to enlarge)An application provided with the client software for Live Mesh (the Windows version is shown, above left) pops up to provide easy access from any device in the mesh. It is also possible to share files with friends, family, or colleagues, by allowing them access to one's Live Desktop. In that case, the Live Search client can not only track contacts' online status, but also provides an indication of who has added or made changes to shared files (above right).
Further informationWhile Microsoft has promised to release Live Search clients for Windows Mobile and Macintosh OS X "later this year," a specific timetable has not been provided. An OS X Live Search client was released briefly earlier this week, and obtained by
WindowsForDevices.com and other testers. While the application apparently worked effectively, it ceased to function after several days, and a replacement has not been made available. For a mini-review of the OS X Live Search client, see the
jkOnTheRun website,
here.
For more information on Live Mesh, see our previous coverage,
here and
here, and on our sister site
eWeek.com,
here. To access the Microsoft Live Mesh blog, go
here.
To join Live Mesh -- still termed a "technology preview" but now apparently open to anyone with a Microsoft Live ID -- see the Microsoft website,
here.
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