Today Microsoft Corp. launched the next generation of Windows Live, providing consumers worldwide with a compelling new set of tools and services that help make it easier than ever to communicate and share with the important people in their lives, from anywhere they have Web access across multiple devices. And, with built- in security features, consumers can use Windows Live services with confidence.

A free and fun upgrade for the online and Windows experiences, the new Windows Live was launched today at http://www.windowslive.com/ and at events in New York and Los Angeles. To celebrate the launch, Microsoft is partnering with the children’s nonprofit Operation Smile (http://www.operationsmile.org) to encourage people to share smiles through Windows Live to help Operation Smile make a difference in the lives of children around the world.

Today’s Internet-savvy consumers are relying more and more on the Web to communicate and share with their friends and family, but they are also becoming increasingly frustrated with how difficult it is to keep track of all their e-mail accounts, photos, address books and other online information. In fact, visiting multiple Web sites to access the online information they need frustrates 61 percent of online consumers, according to a Harris Interactive Inc. study commissioned by Microsoft.* And more than two out of three online consumers (67 percent) agree that they would use an all-in-one service with a single username and password for organizing and managing everything they do online.

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Windows Live, Web Services, Online Services, Release, Microsoft, Press