An earlier family of free desktop and Web-based applications from Microsoft, most of which were accessed from a personalized home page or browser toolbar. Launched in 2005, Microsoft integrated and rebranded its MSN services, Hotmail email and Windows instant messaging under the "Live" umbrella.
In 2012, Microsoft began dropping the Live brand and moved the remaining applications into the Windows Essentials suite. See
Windows Essentials and
Office Live.
Even Bing Was a "Live Service"
Microsoft's search engine started out as MSN Search, which turned into Windows Live Search and then Live Search and finally Bing.