Microsoft updating Windows Live apps

From CNET News.com: Microsoft on Wednesday outlined a series of improvements it's making to its Windows Live set of downloadable programs for managing photos and videos and keeping files in sync.

With no major update to Windows coming this year, Microsoft is counting on improvements to Windows Live to help boost the appeal of Windows for this year's holiday shopping season.

"We're refreshing Windows 7 with a new suite of apps," general manager Brian Hall said in a telephone interview.

The updates to Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Movie Maker, Windows Live Mail, and Windows Live Sync will go into beta in the coming months, Hall said, declining to be more specific.

The next version of the Windows Live Photo Gallery tool will add facial recognition abilities and improved editing tools for removing blemishes or scratches. Apple has had face detection in the most recent version of iPhoto, but until now Microsoft has only detected the presence of faces in shots, not tried to recognize who, exactly, was in the picture. Hall said Microsoft's face recognition features draw on the company's research efforts as well as tapping in to the user's existing network of social contacts to figure out who might be in a photo.

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