The entire of Windows Live has gradually been undergoing a complete redesign over the past few weeks, including some brilliant updates to speed up services like Windows Live Hotmail. There are also totally new services, such as the FriendFeed like Windows Live Profile site.
The new Windows Live Profile site ties in closely with stuff like Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Spaces, showing your contacts information about things that you've recently changed, and any information you've chosen to share using the settings pages on the site.
It really brings the services together, and makes it easier to see what your friends are up to via the "What's New" section, that tracks everything that your friends have changed on Windows Live.
The New Windows Live Mail is brilliant. It's much faster, better looking and more lightweight than any other previous versions, and it makes checking your email much easier.
In January the Live team will also be rolling out a feature currently only in desktop email clients allowing users to add and check multiple email accounts, both from Windows Live Hotmail and other services such as any POP3 server and Yahoo! Mail Plus.
Windows Live Essentials is the place to grab the new Windows Live Desktop betas, such as Windows Live Mail Desktop or Windows Live Messenger. This site makes it much easier to download the applications that bridge the gap between the web apps and the desktop apps.
Unlike the old "get.live.com" site, this site allows you to flick through pages of screenshots and information regarding the applications, and doesn't just have the large orange "Get it now" button.
All of the Windows Live sites have been updated to use a dynamic new design centered around the user's avatar, allowing the user to customize virtually any site that they can sign into. The sites now use Segeo UI throughout, making the typography seem fresh and even closer to the Windows OS itself.
The screenshot shows the new Windows Live homepage, which now looks really awesome as it focusses on your content - email, weather information, calendar, contacts.
