We’re rolling out the next generation of Windows Live products and services and want to let you know about a few more of the cool new features you can try.

Today I’ll talk about some features that have been recently released, but keep in mind that there is lots more coming out VERY SOON!

To download and try more new stuff (some of it still in beta), go to http://get.live.com/wl/all.

Get connected on the new Spaces home page

Without downloading a thing, you can already see lots of new features when you sign in to Windows Live Spaces.

The new Spaces home page now helps you stay even more connected with your Spaces friends and Messenger contacts. Whenever you sign in to Spaces, you’ll see at a glance when your friends and contacts add new photos, blog entries, friends, lists, or SkyDrive files to their space. You'll also see upcoming birthdays, how many people have visited your space, and new comments.

Share high-resolution photos using Photo Gallery, Spaces--even Facebook!

Windows Live Photo Gallery beta makes it super easy to organize and edit your photos, and then share them on Windows Live Spaces. Now there’s also a link to share photos from your space on Facebook.

But one of the most exciting new additions to Spaces is the ability to upload high-resolution photos–which means your friends and family can watch full-screen slide shows, download your pictures, or download entire albums. There’s even a link to instantly order prints.

Of course, only people you’ve given permission to can view your pictures. And now you can set different permissions for different albums.

Send vacation auto-replies in Hotmail

Next time you go on vacation, you can set Hotmail to automatically reply to e-mail that comes in while you’re gone.

That way, nobody will think you’re ignoring them. And you’ll look organized. But if you don’t want everyone to know you’re away, you can have the auto-replies sent only to people in your contact list. It’ll make your vacation more relaxing!

To compose your reply mail, go to Options, click More options, and then click Send automated vacation replies.

More ways to access your Hotmail

Because one size doesn’t always fit all, now there are more ways to check your mail:

1. On the web at www.hotmail.com or mail.live.com.
2. Using our free downloadable program, Windows Live Mail beta, where you can manage multiple e-mail accounts in one place.
3. Using Outlook Connector to get your Hotmail in Microsoft Office Outlook.
4. On your mobile device. Find out more about Windows Live for your mobile device here.

Access Hotmail using POP3

If you’re a Hotmail Plus subscriber, you can also now access your Hotmail using a POP3 e-mail program such as Thunderbird, iPhone, or other mobile devices. This feature is currently available to:

• Hotmail Plus subscribers
• Members of the @Edu program
• Users of our ISP partner e-mail programs such as Qwest and Verizon

Learn more about it on the Hotmail blog.

Link your Windows Live IDs

Lots of you requested this one, so we made it happen. If you have multiple Windows Live IDs, you can now link them for easier switching between accounts. Sign in once for all accounts, and quickly access information for any of your accounts. To link your IDs, go to https://account.live.com.

As always, let us know what you think!

- The Windows Live team

Over the next few days, Microsoft Update will be delivering an update to Windows Live Photo Gallery (2.2), with several improvements prompted by feedback from you (thanks, and keep those comments coming!).

Of the changes in this version, the most exciting is the new feature allowing you to publish your photos directly to a Flickr™ account. Just click the Publish menu, and then click Publish on Flickr. While we think Spaces is more fun to use than Flickr because of all the great sharing and customization features (such as event planning!), we think that Flickr users will find our editing and panoramic photo features fun and useful too.

If you have already installed Photo Gallery beta, you’ll eventually receive a notification from Microsoft Update that there is a critical update for Windows Live Photo Gallery, and you will get the update from there. Please bear with us; this is being rolled out over a period of several days, so you may not see it right away. If you have automatic updates disabled, you will need to go to Microsoft Update (http://update.microsoft.com) to get the latest Beta 2.2 version. 

If you want to try Windows Live Photo Gallery beta for the first time today, download it from here, and then check Microsoft Update to ensure you get the latest Beta 2.2 version with all of the new functionality announced today!

Read more about this release of Windows Live Photo Gallery beta on the Microsoft Photo Blog.

Brad W.
Windows Live team

As you probably know by now, Windows Live Home is the central page for Windows Live on the Web. It provides an easy jumping-off point to all your Windows Live web services and gives you at-a-glance status for some of them. On the Home page, you can quickly check for new e-mail, new comments on your blog, or updates from your Spaces friends without having to go to each of those pages.

Today we’ve released a new version of the Windows Live Home page. We've taken off the "beta" tags, which means we're no longer just testing this page out--it's here to stay. 

Here are some of the cool additions you’ll see starting today:

• Personalized page: You asked for it, you got it! A direct link to your Live.com personalized page, where you can add gadgets and RSS feeds to see the latest content that YOU want to see.
• Events: Our new event-planning service, Windows Live Events, now has a link on the Home page, too. Use it to help plan your next holiday party or night on the town. Read more about the Events service here.
• Family Safety: If you use Family Safety to help keep your kids safer online, now you can easily access their latest activities with a direct link from the Home page.
• Friends’ updates: Now you can see more specific info about your Spaces friends, like who they’ve become friends with, and what photos they’ve added recently.
• Free downloads: You can get the latest Windows Live software including Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, Toolbar, Family Safety, and Writer from the “More Windows Live services” link on the right side of the Home page. Install just one, or get them all.

You probably already know that you can get to your space from Windows Live Home. Make sure you do that today. As we mentioned in our last blog post, Spaces has just released a bunch of new features, including improved photo sharing, more info about your friends, and easier navigation. Want to know more? Check out the long list of great new features on the Space Craft blog.

Antonia B.
Windows Live team

Just in time to help you plan a Halloween party or your next holiday gathering, Windows Live Events went live today!

Whether you’re meeting friends for drinks downtown, getting together for a football game, or hosting a formal soiree, Windows Live Events makes it easy to organize just about any kind of gathering. With Events, you can quickly create a customized event website and send e-mail invitations to all your friends. There are more than 100 great templates that make it easy to add colors, fonts, and background images to your site. 

Once the invites are out, you and your guests will come back to see who is coming, what they can bring, and how to get to the party.

But I think the coolest thing about Events is that you can use it as an online scrapbook for memories of the event. Your guests can go to the website before and after the party to post comments, tell stories, and share photos.  Typically I’m too busy serving snacks or making drinks to remember to take photos at my own party, so the photo-sharing part of Events is great for me. Read more about Windows Live Events on the Space Craft blog.

Events is one in a series of new and updated Windows Live services rolling out between now and the end of this year.

Windows Live Spaces also released several new features today, including improved photo sharing and a new Spaces home page. For more details on the many other improvements just added to Spaces, check out the Space Craft blog.

Keep watching Windows Live Wire for more info on all the Windows Live updates as they come out. And remember to try out Windows Live Events when planning your next get-together!

Kirsten B.
Windows Live team

Have you tried the Windows Live SkyDrive beta yet? I’ve been using it to store private files that I can access from both home and work. I keep them private by signing in with my e-mail address and password. I’ve also created folders I share with specific people, and a few totally public folders. All you do is create a folder, set permissions to the people you want to share with, and upload your files.

Until recently, you could store up to 500 MB on SkyDrive, but starting today you can store up to 1 GB!

Another new feature—now you can set up RSS feeds for the public folders you’re most interested in, so you'll know as soon as anything new is added.

There’s more information about the added storage and other changes in today’s beta refresh on the SkyDrive Team blog.

And because we’re working on more and better integration between all the Windows Live services, you can also access SkyDrive directly from your Windows Live Home page, and share your SkyDrive folders on Spaces.

Kirsten B.
Windows Live team

We want to update you all on the progress we’re making on Windows Vista x64 support in the new Windows Live installer. We’re working hard to make sure Windows Live programs like Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, and Writer can be installed on 64-bit computers running Windows Vista, and we’re in the process of testing this internally.

You can expect to see this functionality available to the public sometime later this fall. In the meantime, thanks for your patience and for your great feedback on all the new beta products!

Windows Live team