I just started using the new windows live suite 2.0 and trying out each application and service and thinking how there is amazing coordination now between the software on the desktop and the services offered on the cloud. Using Windows Live Mail application with hotmail, gmail and all my other services just enabled me to connect each email I account I had into a single application!. Further i just download the new Outlook Connector 2007 for hotmail and it is just amazing. Allowing me to have a single location for email without the need to go through 2 different applications.

So let me go over one of the scenarios that I am really using today.

1. All contacts are now stored in a single store on the cloud.

2. All my emails are accessed from a single application.

3. I can sync my mobile now with outlook and ensure that all my contacts there are synced on what is stored in my Hotmail.

I just think this is an amazing end to end experience for the user that enables the vision of software + services. Now if I go on a vacation and lets say i lose my phone, i just buy a new one and sync with Live Contacts no need to keep them stored or in sync with my home PC.

Now there is a single application that i can use to access all my emails without the worry to log on each mail service and check it individually, and even i can use my favorite mail client outlook 2007 and not have to download an extra one.

The only missing piece to all that is live calendar, which was launched recently but still it is not available through outlook 2007 or windows live mail application.

Another scenario also i find amazing is the integration with Photo gallery and spaces. Photo gallery makes it so easy to just share photos with friends and family with a single "click" to publish. :).

Honestly, i am not a fan of live spaces too complicated and too many customizations that i am not sure i want all that. But after the photo publishing feature, I just got on fire :). I get to share photos from my desktop with my parents and family without the need to go and open spaces and upload then send it over. it is all done with a flick of a second :). Also I tend to like a lot the slide show for spaces really did a good job here.

I hope i can see more and more software  + services this coming year that would use the cloud as a secure store that would replace our current local data stores.