Windows Live Contacts
Encyclopedia
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Windows Live
Windows Live
Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, part of their software plus services platform. A majority of these services are Web applications, accessible from a browser, but there are also client-side binary applications that require...
services. It integrates tightly with Windows Live Hotmail
Hotmail
Windows Live Hotmail, formerly known as MSN Hotmail and commonly referred to simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. It was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith and launched in July 1996 as "HoTMaiL". It was one of the first...
, Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
, Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Mail is a free of charge email client from Microsoft's Windows Live set of products. It is intended to be a successor for Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista...
and Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile is the website for Windows Live users to manage their profile information. It is a profile feature which displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users. The profile is associated with a user's...
to provide users access to their contact's profiles and information. It allows a user to share different information with different groups of people.
Real-time Updates
Windows Live Contacts allows real-time updates to contact's information. Suppose one of the user's contacts just moved and has a new home address. When that contact enters their new information in Windows Live Contacts, the user's contact list across Windows LiveWindows Live
Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, part of their software plus services platform. A majority of these services are Web applications, accessible from a browser, but there are also client-side binary applications that require...
services is automatically updated in real time. The same thing happens when the user changes his or her details — the user's friends and colleagues immediately receive the new information through Windows Live Contacts. Contact updates can be seen in the user's Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
and Windows Live Hotmail contact list, and also on the user's Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile is the website for Windows Live users to manage their profile information. It is a profile feature which displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users. The profile is associated with a user's...
.
Single contact list
When a user connects another social networking service such as FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
or LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...
to Windows Live using Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile is the website for Windows Live users to manage their profile information. It is a profile feature which displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users. The profile is associated with a user's...
, Windows Live Contacts automatically import and de-duplicate contacts on these connected social networks into the Windows Live contact list. Users may view social updates of these contacts from other social networks on their Messenger social feed. Any contact updates made on these social networks will also be automatically reflected on Windows Live Contacts.
If the Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
service is connected to Windows Live, the user may also initiate instant messaging conversations with any Facebook contact on Facebook Chat using Windows Live Contacts and any other Windows Live services (such as Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
).
Permissions
A user can decide who can and can't see their contact information. They can have their personal information display only to their friends, their friends of friends, people on their MessengerWindows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
contact list, or a custom list of contacts.
All users must sign in with their Windows Live ID
Windows Live ID
Windows Live ID is a single sign-on web service developed and provided by Microsoft that allows users to log in to many websites using one account...
in order to use the Windows Live Contacts service.
Favorites and Categories
Windows Live Contacts allow users to add each individual contact to a specialized "Favorites" category for frequent contact, or sort each contacts into different categories as defined by the user. These categories and "Favorites" will appear in Windows Live MessengerWindows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Mail is a free of charge email client from Microsoft's Windows Live set of products. It is intended to be a successor for Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista...
, Hotmail
Hotmail
Windows Live Hotmail, formerly known as MSN Hotmail and commonly referred to simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. It was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith and launched in July 1996 as "HoTMaiL". It was one of the first...
, Photo Gallery
Windows Live Photo Gallery
Windows Live Photo Gallery is a photo management and photo sharing application released as a part of Microsoft's Windows Live initiative. It is an upgraded version of Windows Photo Gallery, which is a part of Windows Vista....
and other Windows Live
Windows Live
Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, part of their software plus services platform. A majority of these services are Web applications, accessible from a browser, but there are also client-side binary applications that require...
services to allow easy searching and sorting of contacts.
Network
A user can allow other Windows LiveWindows Live
Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, part of their software plus services platform. A majority of these services are Web applications, accessible from a browser, but there are also client-side binary applications that require...
users to join their own network, or join other Windows Live user's networks through Windows Live Contacts. When a user joins another user's network, a relationship is established between the two contacts and is reflected on their Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile
Windows Live Profile is the website for Windows Live users to manage their profile information. It is a profile feature which displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users. The profile is associated with a user's...
, similar to how Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
friends functions.
Messenger integration
When signed in to Windows Live MessengerWindows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
, Windows Live Contacts will display each contact's current online status with a colored border around their display picture, with green meaning "online", red meaning "busy", orange meaning "away", and grey meaning "offline". Users may also initiate conversations on the Messenger client through Windows Live Contacts if the contact is in a status other than "offline". Microsoft also added integrated capability for instant messaging with contacts on the Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
service within Windows Live Contacts.
Contacts Control gadget
Client-side JavaScript
Client-side JavaScript is JavaScript that runs on the client-side. While JavaScript was originally created to run this way, the term was coined because the language is no longer limited to just client-side, since server-side JavaScript is now available.-Environment:The most common Internet media...
that enables end users to use their Windows Live Contacts (from Windows Live Hotmail and Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
) with any third-party (non-Microsoft) websites conveniently and securely. The gadget is compatible with any web server, and doesn't require any license with Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.
The Windows Live Contacts control gadget can be seen in several working samples:
See also
- Windows LiveWindows LiveWindows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, part of their software plus services platform. A majority of these services are Web applications, accessible from a browser, but there are also client-side binary applications that require...
- Windows Live IDWindows Live IDWindows Live ID is a single sign-on web service developed and provided by Microsoft that allows users to log in to many websites using one account...
- Windows Live ProfileWindows Live ProfileWindows Live Profile is the website for Windows Live users to manage their profile information. It is a profile feature which displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users. The profile is associated with a user's...
- Windows Live HotmailHotmailWindows Live Hotmail, formerly known as MSN Hotmail and commonly referred to simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. It was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith and launched in July 1996 as "HoTMaiL". It was one of the first...
- Windows Live MailWindows Live MailWindows Live Mail is a free of charge email client from Microsoft's Windows Live set of products. It is intended to be a successor for Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista...