Microsoft Refolds Windows Live Local

The latest release of Windows Live Local integrates traffic flow and incident reporting capabilities with tighter Outlook and Live Messenger integration.

Windows Live Local beta release to the UK and provided a limited version of it to Canada, the company announced. New sharing features provided in this third release make it easier to provide localized knowledge to others. The Scratchpad feature has been updated to deliver more capabilities beyond its original functions. Scratchpads can be saved and categorized as Collections of information. When a pushpin is placed on a map to mark a location, the user can title and note the location, include a photo, and attach a URL with more information about the place. As more pushpins become part of the Scratchpad, users can organize them into Collections. One example could be a Collection of top coffee spots, while another would list the best places for hearing live music or watching football on Sundays. The Scratchpads can be shared with others, either by email, by Windows Live Messenger, or as a blog entry on MSN Spaces. Local Live users can also add search results to Collections by hovering over them with the mouse and selecting "Add to Collection" from the menu that appears. Searches in Local Live will return results and sometimes sponsored links from Add-in for Outlook. This add-in introduces Windows Live Local mapping capabilities to the Outlook Calendar, enabling Outlook users to find and print maps and directions to meeting locations from within Outlook. It also allows them to better manage their travel schedule by extending meeting times to accommodate travel time and automatically send links with mapping information about meeting locations to other people within Outlook Calendar requests. Microsoft released a Virtual Earth map control for developers who wish to create applications and mashups using Local Live's mapping, local search, and imagery. The control is available to developers free of charge, and licensing for commercial service and support can be purchased too. The company cited key new features in the map control including support for address lookups and driving directions, improved local search functionality, and the ability to easily display standard data sets and Windows Live Local user Collections. "This release is important, as it represents the first time that people can easily capture their rich local knowledge and share it with all Windows Live Local users and the Internet as a whole," said Stephen Lawler, general manager of the Virtual Earth business unit at Microsoft. Tag: Add to DiggThis | Furl Bookmark Murdok: David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.