Xp file sharing

Microsoft has just announced two new Windows Live products, Windows Live Folders and Windows Live Photo Gallery. Windows Live Folders is Microsoft"s online storage solution, set to compete with AOL"s Xdrive, Box.net, and a lot of other startups in this market. Windows Live Photo Gallery acts as an upgrade to Vista"s Windows Photo Gallery, providing tight integration with Windows Live Spaces and Windows itself. Windows Live Folders ***

Box.net is beta testing a new plug-in for Microsoft Office that lets users save Office files to their Box.net storage folders. The plug-in works for both Office 2003 and 2007 on Windows XP and Vista, provides users a new "Save to Box.net" button, and gives visual notification when the file is uploading and then successfully sent. Users can then access that file anytime on their Box.net Web storage folder. Box.net users can now download a plug-in for Microsoft Office to save files right to their Web storage folders.(Credit: CNET Networks) The new plug-in was built using Box.net"s developer API, which the Box. ***

America Online has overhauled its instant messaging application to combine voice and text conversations with games and file- and photo-sharing. Last week, the Internet company began testing an early-stage IM application, called Triton, which eventually will be the foundation of AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM. Among its innovations, Triton features a unified chat box with "tabs" for each new conversation and easy access to address book information. The chat box includes tabs for mobile and text communications, photo- and file-sharing, and eventually will enable users strike up a chat via Internet video. For now, Triton works only for Windows XP users. With roughly 20 million active AIM users, AOL is trying to stay ahead in a highly competitive game. ***

When Sun Chun first heard of Skype and its promise of free, high-quality Internet phone service, he figured the claims were mostly hype. Chun, who generally considers himself an early adopter, had tried broadband phone services before, only to suffer lost calls and garbled conversations. So he was skeptical when reports began circulating a year ago of revolutionary peer-to-peer software that could render traditional phone companies obsolete, much as file-swapping services threatened the recording industry. The jury is still out on whether Skype will take down the Bells. But Chun, for one, is kicking himself for waiting so long to try out the software. "The conversations with our friends are surprisingly clear and crisp," Chun, a San Jose, Calif., tech worker, said in an e-mail. "Calls to my friend in Australia were also of equal crisp quality. So now, I am urging all my friends and family to install this incredible software. ***

America Online has released a new version of its ICQ instant messenger, its first facelift of the service in a year. The ICQ 2001b Beta v5.15, released Tuesday, offers a new file-sharing function that enables people to swap directories with their ICQ buddies, a two-way messaging feature with cell phones, multilingual support, a spell checker, and new graphical renditions of emotions and smiley faces. The upgrade also lets people save a contact list on a computer and make requests to friends to send part or all of their contact lists. The announcement comes as AOL's competitors are adding bells and whistles they hope will lure customers to their chat services. Microsoft recently ***