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Microsoft will eventually offer Live Mesh to Mac users and more

We live in a connected world that is steadily becoming more connected every day. As wireless devices like laptops, cell phones, digital photo frames and more become common, getting data to and from these devices is growing in importance.

To help make this task easier, Microsoft announced a new program today called Live Mesh. The application uses the internet as a data hub allowing users to easily synchronize images, video and other data across computers, phones and other devices.

The application would allow users to do things like take a picture on their cell phone and have a digital photo frame at home display it a few minutes later. The program is reported to be in beta status and limited to 10,000 U.S. testers and computers using Windows.

Microsoft reportedly has plans to roll Live Mesh out to other computer operating systems including Mac OS X, cell phones and other devices over the coming months. Bill Gates’ replacement Ray Ozzie was the man behind the idea for Live Mesh and he wrote in a memo to Microsoft employees, “As our industry has evolved because of this Web-catalyzed services transformation, so too has Microsoft.”

Live Mesh is further proof that Microsoft is beginning to transition from software and services that are resident on local computers to an online and distributed type of software. Microsoft also isconsidering new subscription methods for its big money making Office applications like a subscription service or totally ad supported offerings.

Reuters quotes Jonathan Yarmis, an analyst form AMR Research as saying, “We may be seeing signs of a Microsoft that is newly focused. This is exciting because it has as much to do with who is doing it as what Microsoft is doing.”

dailytech.com