Conveniently close to RIM’s announcement of BlackBerry Protect, Microsoft has announced that Windows Phone 7 will include a web element called Windows Phone Live, which will include 25 GB of multimedia sharing and syncing through SkyDrive, Find My Phone, which will let you hone in on your phone’s GPS location via PC, along with remote wipe and lock capabilities. The web interface also allows you to view data synced between the phone and the cloud, like contacts, calendar, and OneNote files. The whole service will be free of charge, like BlackBerry Protect.
With Kin out of the picture, there are no doubt a few Microsoft engineers free to work on over-the-air backup and syncing, and Windows Mobile 6.5 had something similar with My Phone. The desktop component may be further expanded with mobile marketplace application, but nothing official has been said about that just yet. Combined with existing integration of services like Xbox, Windows Live Messenger, and Bing, this Windows Phone Live site promises to be a key part of Microsoft’s next-gen mobile experience.
Honestly, I’m a bit surprised that Android doesn’t have something similar, considering how cloud-oriented Google is. The iPhone at least has MobileMe, but with free alternatives popping up on competing platforms, Apple may feel pressured to at least reduce the annual price on their service.
If you’re excited about Windows Phone Live, sit tight – it won’t be available until the holidays, when Windows Phone 7 launches.
[via Windows Team Blog]