Microsoft took the beta label off Windows Live Services, a mix of desktop and Web apps that are part of the company’s “software + services” strategy to keep those promoting “cloud computing” at bay (e.g., Google). Reuters and eWeek have rundowns of the global launch, while Digital Inspiration complains about the launch of the Live Mail component. The suite of Windows Live Services includes mail, Messenger, Spaces, a toolbar, events, blog editing tool, security features, and several other services. We wrote previously about Windows Live Events here.

Also, according to the material I received, Windows Live is “teaming up with Operation Smile and celebrities in New York and Los Angeles to encourage people to ‘share their smiles’ using Windows Live. People can go to Windows Live to share their smiles from Windows Live Spaces and for each smile shared, Microsoft will donate money to Operation Smile.”

Related Topics: Microsoft: Bing

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling