Microsoft has begun showing how it will integrate its Windows Live online services into Windows Vista in recent test builds of the operating system, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans.Harrison Hoffman, one of the writers of the LiveSide blog, said in an e-mail Thursday that Windows Live has appeared in the “newer builds” of Vista. He said the links to Windows Live services appear in the Welcome Center screen of recent Windows Vista builds, which is the “Welcome to Your Computer” page in the OS.Currently, the extent of the integration is the addition of icons that link users to Windows Live applications, such as Windows Live Messenger, Hoffman said. In fact, a posting on the Microsoft-watching blog of Steven Bink shows a screenshot of the integration to which Hoffman is referring. According to that screenshot, users can click on an icon to learn more about Windows Live and download online services such as the Windows Live Toolbar, Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Messenger. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe Microsoft has been releasing intermittent test builds of Vista to beta testers; the OS is currently in a public Beta 2 release. Testers are expecting the first Release Candidate of Vista to be out soon, and Microsoft has said recently that it is on target to release Vista to enterprise customers in November and consumers in January 2007. Brandon LeBlanc, one of the writers of Longhorn Blogs, also confirmed via e-mail the integration of Windows Live in Vista’s Welcome Center. He said it’s still unknown how much Windows Live services will be included in the OS once it is released to manufacturing.Microsoft has said it would integrate its Windows Live online services with Vista, but has been unclear as to how it would execute on this strategy. The company has been pushing its online services hard as a way to drive online advertising revenue to compete with Google and Yahoo. Microsoft’s public relations firm did not return immediate requests for comment on Thursday.–Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 12 ‘best practices’ IT should avoid at all costs From telling everyone they’re your customer to establishing SLAs, to stamping out ‘shadow IT,’ these ‘industry best practices’ are sure to sink your chances of IT success. By Bob Lewis Sep 28, 2023 9 mins CIO CIO CIO interview Qualcomm’s Cisco Sanchez on structuring IT for business growth The SVP and CIO takes a business model first approach to establishing an IT strategy capable of fueling Qualcomm’s ambitious growth agenda. By Dan Roberts Sep 28, 2023 13 mins IT Strategy IT Leadership feature Gen AI success starts with an effective pilot strategy To harness the promise of generative AI, IT leaders must develop processes for identifying use cases, educate employees, and get the tech (safely) into their hands. By Bob Violino Sep 27, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Innovation Emerging Technology feature A fluency in business and tech yields success at NATO Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer speaks with Lee Rennick, host of CIO Leadership Live, Canada, about innovation in technology, leadership across a vast cultural landscape, and what it means to hold the inaugural CIO role at NATO. By CIO staff Sep 27, 2023 6 mins CIO IT Skills Innovation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe