The Windows Live Shopping Beta site has improved a great deal since I last gave it a shot. I feel like I can really do my research on products that I may sometime want to buy. I can make my own customized lists of items that I am interested in and may also compare items. I can also turn my search results into an rss feed so that I may easily keep my eye on products. The user interface is very intuitive and allows me to see and do many things with search results. I'm glad to see that this site is coming around.

In a time where we are able to piece together our own news with RSS Readers, Windows Live leads the way in personalization. I switched to using Windows Live for RSS updates some time ago (from Google). Aside from the great graphic appeal that comes with using Windows Live, the main reason I switched, was the ability to add pages that separate RSS feeds into categories. This made my RSS reading less cluttered, easier to maintain and more enjoyable. Tab and page based user interfaces make for much easier browsing on pen and touch screen computers.

It looks like Google has now added this same feature through tabbed organization. This is probably good news for many. Interesting as we're so used to Microsoft pulling from Google innovations.

Inklings may want to check out the new plugin that is in beta, written by Ed Holloway. It will allow you to add ink to your blog post without using the cut-paste method that many were using before. Just hit the "Insert Ink Blog" button and you are set to add ink to your post. I foresee many unreadable posts in my future. You can find the plugin here: Ink Blog Beta

Just a couple other plugs for Windows Live Writer. I know there are many posts emerging on this surprise tool released by Microsoft, but there is good reason. This program makes publishing to blogs incredibly easy and with great style. Within Live Writer, pictures may be edited, borders may be added, margins may be added, effects may be added, and pictures may be auto uploaded to the web server. Plugins may be written to improve the application to your liking, as Ed Holloway has done above. You can see how to write your own plugins here: Windows Live SDK

Windows Live Writer is a new tool in Beta that allows publishing to many different blogging utilities. Inklings and Impressions is a blog that will support this new tool. This is our first post using the new utility.

The different views offered by the utility make this a useful program. It is very easy to see your blog entry inside the web page before it is published. The one feature I would love to see added is the ability to upload pictures to the web server. This would complete the ultimate post utility. If you want to make your blogging experience a little easier, then this tool is for you. The new utility can be downloaded here: Windows Live Writer

Another slick site and another beta on the internet. Windows Live is my favorite spot on the internet. It is my home page. The new site "Windows Live Gallery" is a source for implementing features on a customized Windows Live site. The site is layed out very nicely. It has a very clean look and feels a lot like running an application on a local computer. The search feature works great and of course you can browse for Live content through a category structure. The site far exceeds the previously used "Microsoft Gadgets" site.

If you have yet to check out Windows Live, then I would recommend getting yourself a passport and begin the process of making your custom morning news paper. To view the Windows Live Gallery site, go here: Windows Live Gallery