Microsoft set to unveil MobileMe competitor next month

I hope and expect that Microsoft will do a much better job than MobileMe.

Why can't microsoft just use the Live platform to do all these? Why can't they congragate everything to easy the users of the pain?

@Avro: Of course they'll call them Sky. We all know that the clouds are in the sky ... without the sky, there is no cloud! ;-) @puzder: My guess is that Mesh will merge/link into SkyDrive, and that such services may be accessible through hte mobile services in the future Ultimately though, isn't this just part of the SaS/hosted services plans?

They could just update Windows Live for Mobile in order to do all this, but they release one more service that nobody will understand. They could just take viigo and build an RSS-based "AppStore", but they're putting lots of effort into creating a totally new "AppStore" thing. Let's see: We got Windows Live, we got Live Mesh, we got Skydrive, we got Zune services, we get SkyBox. What's next? How many redundant services and applications will they release until they understand that none of the services is close to perfect, nobody understands the services and thus nobody's going to use them and they just waste their time developing thousands of redundand services. So typically Microsoft! Can't the make just ONE PERFECT SERVICE? Can't they finally understand that people like Apple because everyone understands their products? I wonder how much developers at Microsoft get paid for wasting their time on developing redundant services instead of working together on ONE PERFECT SERVICE. I even wonder how much employees get paid for thinking of new ideas and new ways to confuse the customer.

Microsoft, the new Xerox.

Isn't Handango a partner with Microsoft? Yawn!

I think BSKYB will make using SkyBox in particular a pain in the ass in the UK.

Great!!! 3 more products from Microsoft. Joe User of course will know right away by the name how it fits in with the rest of the product line:( Will they ever learn? SkyBox, SkyDrive, Folder Sync, Live Mesh, Live Mail, HotMail, MSN mail. I think someone (not gone from the company) created some application in VB that just cranks out new product names. What works with Windows Mobile now? Can I sync my Live Calendar with my windows mobile phone? You know "Wave 3" of the live products????

How American of me. That should be: Because confusing your company with The Beatles is one thing but confusing them with The Right Honourable The Lord, Lew, Baron Grade of Elstree in the County of Hertfordshire is quite another. :-)

@Lindy - You might be right about that product naming application!!! @mikegalos - as a former Microsoft employee, what is your take on the naming fiasco that they seem to be perpetually stuck in? Stupid marketers or what? --tayme

gorath Lew Grade created the British ITV television network.

Come on MIke, Do you honestly believe bringing in yet another family of products under the Sky brand with what appears to be similar functionality to what Live Mesh offers to PCs is in any way making the messaging clear to the user? Why can't they brand all their online enabled services 'Live' - like Xbox Live, Office Live and Windows Live?

You guys will find this interesting: http://unfq.com/7-reasons-why-i-stopped-using-ubuntu-1792.html

Lindy, Wow, not only didn't you bother reading the article that says these are codenames, not only did you not read my reply to Raaj that points out that these are codenames but you managed to trun the codenames into an entire imaginary product family all using the "Sky" name. And you're trying to make fun of me? Wow

mike, I'm a strong MS defender, a hardcore MS Live services, Windows and Windows Mobile user. But this is enough. Lindy's absolutely right. No matter how they will call the services, there's no need for more redundant, confusing applications. They could just add caledar sync to Windows Live Mobile, they could just work together with Handango or and use viigo for the mobile application store. They already have the services, but instead of expanding them, they create new onesin order to fully confuse their customers. Why can't they just make ONE easy-to-use, easy-to-understand product line like Apple? With their confusing, redundant, hardly integrated set of services they are only encouraging people to switch to Apple, no matter how many "great" features their services have, because nobody understands them anyways. Seriously, that's typically Microsoft. They just can't make consumer-friendly products. Features are not everything. Although I'm a big Windows Mobile fan, it's hard to recommend it to people when 85% already don't understand their normal phones. There's a reason that the iPhone had such an impact and it's the same reason that will cause Microsoft's online services to fail if they don't make a 180 turn soon. They just don't understand the consumer. A product won't sell if it isn't consumer-friendly, easy to use and understandable, no matter how much features it has. Even YOU should admit that there's something wrong with Microsoft wasting their time and money on developing confusing, redundant services.

Mike, I'm almost certain you're mistaken about Lew Grade and ITV. He was in charge of the ITC production company, who made shows for ITV. ITV is not owned by any one company or person. Anyway, back to the naming sillines, yes, I do think Sky box would be a daft name, especially seeing as one of Rupert murdoch's companies will happilly sell you a "sky box" right now. Also, it really is time they simplified their line-up. As others have said, there is definitely too much crossover going on.

gorath, I could be wrong but I recall that ITC was a big part of the consortion that created ITV.

maati "Why can't they just make ONE easy-to-use, easy-to-understand product line like Apple?" Because "one size fits all" solutions only work when either: A) You are a niche player with only a tiny market (say 3.5%) B) You are targeting people who prefer being told what they need C) Your users prefer a solution that "just sort of works" for their needs to one that actually meets their needs D) You'd rather spend more on advertising than on product development E) All of the above

"Because "one size fits all" solutions only work when either..." A product does not have to be "one size fits all" to be easy-to-use and easy-to-understand, or even to be accepted in the consumer market. Look at Windows. Microsoft is very successful there. It is easy to use and easy to understand...unless you are wearing your Cupertino supplied blinders. Obviously, it is no where near "one size fits all". Microsoft needs to look at their cloud offerings and put it under a single umbrella and not have multiple products doing the same things...I think that is what many here were getting at...and I think that mikegalos knows that, as well. --tayme

tayme Obviously you think Microsoft needs to spend more time listening to branding people. After all, branding people: Loved the name "Microsoft Bob!" Weren't too thrilled with the name "Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition" Really didn't like the name "Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2" But, you must be right, a catchy name is what really matters (at least it's what matters most to you, apparently) You may now return to the clarity of syncing your iPhone 3G and iPod 3G with your Mac G3.

tayme I am NOT at this time "inside Microsoft" As for the rest, I believe I answered your self-proclaimed 'neutral, just looking for information' comment about (to use your 'not alluding to anything but just looking for an opinion' phrasing) "the naming fiasco that they seem to be perpetually stuck in" So, not alluding to anything and just looking for an opinion on the subject but have you stopped beating your wife? And, don't go into a lot of detail, just answer yes or no.

Ahh, this is funny!! :-)

Um, Mike, you do remember that 8 of those years were with Clinton, right? Shouldn't he have been able to undo the damage of the previous 12?

"@mikegalos - You still haven't answered my question...I read the article and I see that it states that these are code names...but really, do you honestly thing that MS has historically done a good job naming products?" Well, on one hand, MS has product names like XBox, Zune, Silverlight, which sound cool, but reveal nothing about the product. Then you have product names like Windows Live Photos, Windows Live Writer, and Windows Live Calendar, which sound quite decent and do give an indication of what the product is about. And then you have products aimed at enterprises (mostly) with long winded names that reveal everything about the product. There are a few consumer products that fall in this category, but I can't think of any at the moment. So, my question is, how can you look at history and draw conclusions one way or another? Lindy's point FolderShare, Mesh, etc., is valid in my opinion.

Dipsh "Um, Mike, you do remember that 8 of those years were with Clinton, right? Shouldn't he have been able to undo the damage of the previous 12?" Well, six of those eight were with a Congress so obstructionist that they chose to shut down the government rather than compromise with anyone but their party leadership. It'll take us a while to undo the damage of people who proclaimed the US Government was the problem and felt their only duty was to prove that view right. Goodbye to the Reagan/Bush/Bush era. What we as a people will make to replace you remains to be seen but the chance to do so is wonderful.