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Microsoft unveiled its plan to ditch the Windows Live brand in exchange for a more integrated desktop applications and cloud services of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Windows Live was introduced in 2005 and though its services like Hotmail and SkyDrive are being used by over 500 million users, Microsoft noted that they "did not meet their expectations of a wholly connected experience". Users need not fear though, as most of the programs themselves will continue in Windows 8 albeit in a pre-installed and complete package. "Windows Live services and apps were built on versions of Windows that were simply not designed to be connected to a cloud service for anything other than updates, and as a result, they felt 'bolted on' to the experience." Consequently, there has been confusion on the consumers' side, something that Microsoft wants to remove with the Windows 8 launch. With Windows 8, a user only needs one Microsoft account, referred to as an "identity service". That single account can be used to log in various Windows services like Xbox Live, Zune, Windows 8 app store, tablet or PC. "Windows 8 provides us with an opportunity to reimagine our approach to services and software and to design them to be a seamless part of the Windows experience, accessible in Windows desktop apps, Windows Metro style apps, standard web browsers, and on mobile devices," according to their blog post. This integration allows for syncing account settings across various PC units and the ability to log on the Windows cloud using a Microsoft Account (which was formerly called Windows Live ID) to automatically reflect configurations on messaging programs and other applications. Norton Scientific Collection blog post boasted of the cloud feature of Windows 8 where users can share data across various products, "When you connect a device or service to your Microsoft account, you're automatically provisioned with a set of cloud services, includ

Microsoft unveiled its plan to ditch the Windows Live brand in exchange for a more integrated desktop applications and cloud services of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Windows Live was introduced in 2005 and though its services like Hotmail and SkyDrive are being used by over 500 million users, Microsoft noted that they "did not meet their expectations of a wholly connected experience". Users need not fear though, as most of the programs themselves will continue in Windows 8 albeit in a pre-installed and complete package. "Windows Live services and apps were built on versions of Windows that were simply not designed to be connected to a cloud service for anything other than updates, and as a result, they felt 'bolted on' to the experience." Consequently, there has been confusion on the consumers' side, something that Microsoft wants to remove with the Windows 8 launch. With Windows 8, a user only needs one Microsoft account, referred to as an "identity service". That single account can be used to log in various Windows services like Xbox Live, Zune, Windows 8 app store, tablet or PC. "Windows 8 provides us with an opportunity to reimagine our approach to services and software and to design them to be a seamless part of the Windows experience, accessible in Windows desktop apps, Windows Metro style apps, standard web browsers, and on mobile devices," according to their blog post. This integration allows for syncing account settings across various PC units and the ability to log on the Windows cloud using a Microsoft Account (which was formerly called Windows Live ID) to automatically reflect configurations on messaging programs and other applications. Norton Scientific Collection blog post boasted of the cloud feature of Windows 8 where users can share data across various products, "When you connect a device or service to your Microsoft account, you're automatically provisioned with a set of cloud services, includ

U.S. Senate Committee hears submissions on NASA's 2013 budget request & U.S. space program The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has been hearing submissions regarding NASA's 2013 budget request and on the priorities, plans and progress of the U.S.