RCPmag

Open Menu Open Menu


News

Live Mesh Apps Unveiled by Microsoft Lab

Microsoft has developed four demonstration applications that showcase its Live Mesh cloud-based data synchronization service, according to a report issued on Tuesday by veteran Microsoft watcher, Mary-Jo Foley.

The apps are part of a new "MeshPack," and were apparently announced late last month at Microsoft's Professional Developer's Conference (PDC). The MeshPack includes a collaborative crossword puzzle, a shared bulletin board, a collaborative list application and a group polling tool called "CrowdVote," according to Foley.

The MeshPack was produced by Microsoft Startup Labs, which creates prototypes and product concepts on various platforms, including Live Mesh, according to the lab's blog. Right now, access to the MeshPack seems to depend on having a PDC code.

The PDC event also was the venue in which Microsoft announced that Live Mesh had advanced from a Community Technology Preview (CTP) release to Beta release. Previously, Microsoft had limited the number of participants in the Live Mesh CTP. However, with the Beta release, people worldwide can now sign up to use it.

The Live Mesh Beta features additional device support. Users of the Beta version can now sync data to hardware devices running Mac OS X (versions 10.5 and higher on Intel processors) and Windows Mobile (versions 6.0 and 6.1).

The Beta provides only a "Limited Mac Tech Preview," according to a Microsoft blog. When fixed number of Mac clients is exceeded, new sign-ups won't be able to join the Mac preview. Likewise, the Beta restricts Windows Mobile device access to just U.S. or U.K. residents.

The Live Mesh Beta includes some new features. It now permits WAP-based mobile phone access. You can now establish "roles" to control folder access permissions by other users. Additionally, users can drag multiple files to Live Desktop folders, instead of just one at a time. Users can store of up to 5 gigabytes of data in the cloud using Live Mesh.

Live Mesh originally had its debut in April, way before Microsoft's unveiling of its Windows Azure "operating system in the cloud," which was the big announcement at last month's PDC. However, Microsoft actually considers Live Mesh to be part of the Windows Azure platform. It's part of Azure's Live Services component.

The main portal to sign up for the Live Mesh Beta, which requires a Windows Live ID, is located here.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

Featured

  • Linux Apps Support Comes to Cameyo Virtual App Delivery Service

    Cameyo on Wednesday announced that its Virtual App Delivery service now supports Linux applications, expanding from Windows apps support.Cameyo's Virtual App Delivery service has extended its support to Linux applications, the company announced on Wednesday.

  • Rackspace-Hosted Exchange Service Gets Hit with Ransomware Attack

    Managed services provider Rackspace issued an announcement on Tuesday confirming that its hosted Microsoft Exchange e-mail service was disrupted by a ransomware attack. Rackspace's hosted Microsoft Exchange e-mail service was disrupted by a ransomware attacks, the managed services provider confirmed on Tuesday.

  • Microsoft Turns to Partners for Azure Kubernetes Service Boost

    In a joint statement by Microsoft and Isovalent on Monday, the two companies announced that Microsoft's Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) will be receiving eBPF capabilities.

  • Microsoft Adds Privileged Identity Management Delegation to Azure Lighthouse

    The commercial release of Privileged Identity Management (PIM)-enabled Azure Lighthouse delegations is now available, Microsoft on Monday announced.

Most   Popular