Microsoft's Windows Live and Office Live raised a few eyebrows

Microsoft's Windows Live and Office Live raised a few eyebrows back when they were first announced. Was Microsoft simply trying to cash in on all the "Web 2.0" hype and show that it was able to match Google? Since that time, the Redmond giant has been working furiously to add more features to the "Live" stable of products, and has even been preparing to add features from its original namesake, Xbox Live.
Now, Microsoft has announced that they will be partnering with Verizon to bundle various Windows Live services with subscriptions to Verizon's DSL and FiOS Internet services. Verizon customers will have the option of a cobranded Verizon/Live.com home page, a Verizon/Live.com search page, and e-mail access through Windows Live Mail. They will also receive a Windows Live Toolbar, a cobranded version of Windows Live Messenger, and Windows Live OneCare.
This deal enhances an earlier partnership that Verizon and Microsoft entered into in 2002, when the Internet service provider agreed to bundle MSN 8 with new accounts. In many cases, products that used to fall under the MSN umbrella, such as MSN Messenger, have been rebranded as Windows Live services instead. Verizon seems happy with the deal. John Wimsatt, a senior vice president at the telco, gushed: "We're delighted to move forward with Microsoft in offering our broadband customers an enhanced, more-personalized Internet experience through a combination of Windows Live services and innovative features from Verizon."
The contract is not exclusive: other ISPs can also jump on the Windows Live bandwagon if they so choose. Nor are the Windows Live services forced upon new users. Upon signing up for a Verizon account, customers are given a list of menu options that allow customization of e-mail, home page, and search engine preferences. If customers make no choice, the default for many of these options is set to Yahoo, based on an earlier agreement between Verizon and the exclamation point-enjoying search engine company.
Will deals such as this boost Windows Live's popularity? So far, reaction to many of the Live services has been mixed—few people are rushing to replace Google with Live.com and its slow, if fancy user interface. However, with Vista still on track for its ship date next January, much of Windows' default infrastructure will incorporate Live services, and my contacts at Microsoft assure me that the sluggish performance of many of the Live tools will be fixed by the switch to Vista's new graphics architecture, although it remains to be seen whether these performance gains will be noticeable on existing hardware.