If you use Windows Live, you may have noticed some recent changes to the header shown at the top of each page (if not, look at the top of this page
). Indeed, we’ve completely redesigned the header. From now through the end of October, we will gradually roll out this new “Wave 2” header on all the Windows Live sites. You may not realize it at first glance, but we’ve actually doubled the number of features in the header!
Here’s a little bit of info about the changes.
Faster
We’ve done a ton of work to speed up the time it takes to download the header. As a result, the new header loads about 6 times faster than the old version, which means whichever page you’re trying to view on Windows Live loads faster too.
Smaller
Much as I might prefer otherwise, I know you don’t come to Windows Live to look at the header. With that in mind, we made the header about half as tall as before, leaving you more space for the content you came to see.
Easier to navigate
Perhaps the most obvious additions are the new Home, Hotmail, Spaces, and OneCare buttons. These links provide quick access to some of our most popular web services. They help you discover new services you might not be familiar with, and make it super easy to find them again later. (The Home button provides a link to the new Windows Live Home page, a great place to see the status of all your services at once, so you know when there’s anything new to check out.)
Better search
We’ve added support for site-specific searching within any Windows Live service. You already had the ability to search your own mailbox from within Hotmail. We’ve taken that concept and made it available no matter which Windows Live service you’re using. If you’re in Spaces, for example, you can now search for content on other blogs within Spaces, or anywhere on the Web.
Easier to use
We also made numerous subtle design changes for ease of use. These include changing the Windows Live button and menu interactions to work more like the Office 2007 button and menu; updating the design to look and feel more like Windows Vista; and making sure that top-level tasks like navigation, search, and sign-in are always just a click or two away.
More consistent
The previous version of the header wasn’t always consistent across services. This made it more difficult to get oriented as you moved from one service to another. Over the next few weeks, you’ll see a single new header become the standard across all of Windows Live.
So that’s the new header! Of course, there are always more ways to improve, and we’d love to hear what you have to say about it. Please let us know what you think!
Jesse Lim
Program Manager
Windows Live Team
Are we going to be seeing this on the Live.com personalized page as well? Or is that all moving to Windows Live Home?Also, how come the Windows Live button doesn\’t give you a menu on the Live Search 2.0 search pages? Are Live Search and Windows Live diverging branding even more? The rest of the header seems the same.
Is the UK likely to get similar functionality – improvements in entertainment, maps, etc – if I type in, for exmaple, "Stereophonics" into the US search, I get artist info, biography, CD listings for sale, etc – nothing like this in the UK.
I like how you are now adding in the MSN link into the bar too, (after you have been to that site)- it\’s a nice touch.
Would also be nice if I could I could customise which appear links appear, i.e. MSN instead of Onc Care
One question though – no link to the old http://www.live.com page, whether personalised or not – what\’s happening here?
When I click on the \’Windows Live\’ button, and then select \’calendar\’ or \’contacts\’, it just takes me to my inbox… Is there any way to change this? If this extra step could be eliminated, it would be much more user friendy.
I guess you haven\’t rolled the update intp production here in Denmark yet. Is there an ETA?
Cory, we\’re aware of the problem with the calendar and contacts links, and this will be fixed as Hotmail rolls out more updates in the coming weeks. Thanks for your feedback!
Really dont care about "onecare" buton. replace it with either MSN or Soapbox .
This space or blog windowslivewire, is supposed to be the first one to update the users about your future or present live stuff.
you guys are not active at all. i believe ,this is the last place i can look for any information about live.
btw, when can we expect calendr , contacts and web messenger …. web2.0 way ?
When you switched over to windows live all of my email was deleted from my regular hotmail account. Is there anyway to get it back?
As I look at this page, there is a huge MSN banner at the top of the screen.Clicking on it takes me to http://www.xbox.com …
I would like the menu to be "smarter"… I don\’t use Hotmail so I have nothing to do with "Contacts" and "Calendar"…
lookin at my monitor now ,I have yes a small header BUT a banner 4 times bigger plus my tool bar and all this takes up a quarter of my screen. How can this be better. DAH
I really like it! However, would it be possible to allow the four links to be customizable? I\’d like (as others have also stated) to choose something besides OneCare. And I also don\’t use the Live Spaces at all… (oops, should i have said that?) And I know you probably like the ad revenue, but what about moving that banner elsewhere? I have a lot of friends that don\’t join Hotmail or Live simply because there are big ads like that. A lot as in 50 or more. I\’m sure there are plenty of others out there as well!
This website is horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DON\’T want my file folders on the left and then it forwards to EVERYONE!!! It takes SOOOOOOOOOO much more time to get thru my emails now. The type is bad too. Give me a simple format – that\’s all I ask! And, get rid of those file folder listings on the left!!! Sometimes, if it ain\’t broke, DON\’T FIX IT.
Please reply and let me know what I can do about those damn folders on the left. Do I need to just delete all those folders????
well its nice to see you raving about how much better the email headers are. you still don\’t say how to find them. i click options and it just says a load of tripe about customizing my account which i find annoying to the extreme. how do i find these headers?
How do we find email headers? the options don\’t have the same mail display settings as before…please and thanks in advance.
ah, got it. right click on the message and view source to see email header. cheers.
keep on coming home
This new hotmail is horrible! I\’ve wasted 45 minutes trying to find the damn email headers. Right click on the message i get the stupid page source. Thank god for gmail!
It was very important to me to know more information about the sender thruogh the header but this stupid and strangely coplicated form is soooooooo baaaaaaad it was a simple in the past