In Windows Vista, Microsoft added a stack of new programs into the operating system, including a photo manager and editor, an updated movie editor (although Movie Maker was added in Windows Me), an updated Mail program, parental control software, a calendar, integrated contacts and much more. In Windows 7, to remove the bloat that had plagued Windows Vista, Microsoft took out most of these extra programs. The replacements that were available when Windows 7 shipped in October last year was actually built 18 months beforehand and was designed with Windows Vista in mind. A lot of us expected the fourth version of the Windows Live Essentials (these extra programs) with Windows 7, but nearly a year later we finally have the beta version of this software, with the final version to ship alongside Windows 7 Service Pack 1 in September or October. This is a brief review of the Windows Live Essentials with the exception of the Bing Bar, Messenger Companion and Family Safety. I won't be reviewing the Bing Bar as personally I hate browser toolbars and I don't think it will provide much benefit to people and I'll be reviewing Family Safety when it comes out of beta. I actually do use the Family Safety product in my house, but I don't want to upgrade it until it's finished. Messenger Companion I'll also review when it is finally released and only if people I know start using it, because it's fairly useless otherwise.

Facebook is the world's most popular social networking website and has attracted over 400 million active users in only 6 years. For quite a while it appeared to be a very safe place to put information to share with friends, without having to worry about the general public seeing it, unlike Myspace which has dropped it's members significantly since 2007. In the last 9 months though, the sugar coating has started to drop off and more and more people are leaving the service. In the last week, high profile tech broadcaster Leo Laporte deleted his Facebook account live on air during his 'This Week in Google' show to make a point that he did not wish to encourage people to use the service. A Sydney teenager was allegedly murdered after she met a stranger who she met on, you guessed it Facebook. So why has Facebook lost its popularity over the last 18 months? The key here is privacy!

Today has been big in the Microsoft world. Microsoft finally unveiled their latest version of their IM client - Windows Live Messenger 2010. The software isn't available to download in beta form yet, but they've posted screenshots and videos of what will be available when it's released. The rumors that have come from allegedly leaked documents which state the timeline say that we'll start to get access to the web services from May 23 and a beta of the Windows Live Essentials June followed by final versions of everything in August. That's the rumors anyway. Hopefully we'll see stuff before these dates, because Windows Live 4 and especially Messenger 2010 look very exciting. Microsoft is turning Windows Live into the only place you need to go to find your social online services. Whether you want to IM you friends, send an e-mail, check what's happening on Facebook, Twitter or Flickr or just see what your friends have to say about websites, Microsoft wants you to think of Windows Live and Windows Live Messenger 2010 brings that concept into practice. Just a reminder though, if you're still Running Windows XP as your operating system, then you cannot upgrade to Messenger 2010, it is a Windows Vista and 7 only product. You'll be limited to the web services of Windows Live (or Messenger 2009 which will continue to work) if you continue to use XP.

Ever since Windows 98, Microsoft has provided a My Documents folder for you to store all your files in. Most programs written for Windows automatically open the Save As and Open dialog boxes to the My Documents folder so that if you don't know anything about how folder structures work, then you will save it in My Documents where you will mostly be able to find it again. In Windows 2000/Me, Microsoft added a My Pictures folder, in Windows XP along came the My Music and My Videos folders and in Windows Vista it expanded so that there was a Contacts, Desktop, Downloads, Favourites, Links, Saved Games and Searches folder (many of these were already there, but hidden to the user before Windows Vista) in addition to the Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos folder. Windows 7 Added a Podcasts (If You Install Zune 4.0) and Virtual Machines (If You Install Windows Virtual PC).

I've been using Adobe Reader for many many years now, stretching as far back as when it was called Acrobat Reader. Adobe has continued to update it's reader and is currently up to version 9. To most people though, the functions of the reader they use have changed very little. For few more advanced users, who use all of the extra features of Adobe Acrobat to make PDFs then you probably have enjoyed the additions Adobe has made over the years, but regardless of whether you use them or not, they're making the PDF reader more insecure (and bloaty at the same time, Adobe have it auto load in the background when you turn on the computer because otherwise it would be too slow to load when you opened a document).