Microsoft Previews Live Mesh

Microsoft is testing Live Mesh, a new synchronization and sharing system that keeps folders synced across PCs and mobile devices.

Microsoft has launched a tech preview of its Live Mesh service, which is designed to keep a person’s documents and media synchronized across a range of computers and mobile devices, while at the same time letting users selectively share items or folders, chat with friends and family, and keep up on news and current events. Live Mesh envisions using the Internet—or, rather, Microsoft’s Web-enabled services— as a central hub or “cloud” for a user’s documents, photos, and messaging, and lets users access those items from any compatible Internet-enabled device. The Live Mesh preview is initially limited to 10,000 users on Windows PCs, but Microsoft plans to extend the technology to selected mobile devices…and even Macs.

Live Mesh enables users to easily share documents and information between devices: computers and mobile devices registered with Live Mesh automatically pick up the latest versions documents and media stored in mesh folders. Users can create and delete mesh folders at will, and password-protect folders with their Windows Live ID; folders can also be shared with selected other users via Windows Live IDs, and file transfers are all protected from snooping by SSL security.

In addition to document-sharing, users can post comments or send instant messages to each other within mesh folders, and keep track of activities in their mesh, including the online status of friends, the status of various mesh devices, and view new comments on folders and documents.

Live Mesh has been spearheaded by Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie, and is being viewed as a possible shift for Microsoft towards net-based computing. The company plans to roll out the service in a public beta by the end of 2008.