One of my favorite Windows Live applications is Live Mesh. There hasn't been much exposure for this application because it's still in beta. For those of you who don't know what Live Mesh is, I'll give a short introduction before I get into the overview.
Live Mesh is a program that allows you to sync an unlimited amount of data to an unlimited amount of computers. Live Mesh will automatically sync any new content inside your folders to everyone in your cloud. The beauty of Live Mesh is that you can also access your files online if you don't have access to one of your cloud computers using your Live Desktop. Windows Live Mesh is currently only available for Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X v10.5 or higher.
Getting started:
Before you even get started with Live Mesh, Microsoft Silverlight must be installed in order to for you to even download or view your Live Mesh homepage. After you have Silverlight installed, head over to the Windows Live Mesh homepage, sign in with your Windows Live ID, and click "Add Device". Then select your OS and install the Live Mesh application. You'll need to do this for all of your machines you want to synchronize your files to.
After you have Live Mesh installed on your machines, you'll need to sign into the client with your Windows Live ID. You then need to name your device, which is the tricky part. By default, Live Mesh will name your device as your default PC name, but for many that won't cut it especially if you're on a work computer. After you've successfully named your device, you're ready to start synchronizing files.
Syncing your files:
The biggest misconception with Live Mesh is the fact that many people believe you only have 5GB of storage. While this is indeed true, that limit is only applied to your Live Desktop (There is a trick to getting around that limit, which we'll explain in a few). To start syncing your files, you're going to need to add a folder by hovering over the Live Mesh systray icon and going to the folders tab and clicking "Manage Folders". Next simply right click in the window, and click "Live Mesh Options -> Create Live Mesh Folder".
Before you just add your folder, you need to take a look at the synchronization options. If you're not going to need your select files stored in your Live Desktop, which is your online storage, then make sure to select "Never synchronize with this device", especially if you've moving more than 5GB of data. You can then either copy and paste files into your folder, or drag and drop.
If you just want to synchronize existing folders with your cloud, simply right click on the folder of your choice and click "Add folder to Live Mesh". Your folder will remain in place, and your cloud will receive the folder and all of the files within.
Your files will then start synchronizing to all of your devices in your cloud. Be aware though, the synchronization process is very complex. Live Mesh will only synchronize if you have enough system resources and your Internet usage is at a minimum.
Note: Your synchronized folders will appear on your desktop automatically. When Live Mesh is not active, your folders will use the standard folder icon, but when you are signed into Live Mesh they will use a fancy dark blue icon.
Using your Live Desktop:
This is the trickiest part of the Live Mesh platform, but if you just pay attention to the settings you will be fine. The main focus of your Live Desktop is to provide you with offline access to your files, which to be honest is what Windows Live SkyDrive is for. None-the-less as I mentioned earlier, your Live Desktop only has 5GB of storage. To access your Live Desktop, simply login to the Live Mesh website.
Click "Add New Folder", and upload your files. Do note that by default the folders in your Live Desktop will not synchronize with your cloud but will add a folder on your desktop. When you click on the folder, it will bring up the synchronization opens. However, as mentioned earlier if you do not want to synchronize your files in your Live Desktop, you can simply delete the shortcut created on your desktops. Annoying I know, and hopefully this will be fixed in the future.
As you notice in the above screenshot, when you open your Live Desktop you're going to see two different color folders. The dark blue folder are files that you have actually synchronized to your Live Desktop, and the light blue folders are files that you have not synchronized to your Live Desktop. Why did Microsoft force all of your folders to show in your Live Desktop even if you have not synchronized them there? No one will ever know, but hopefully that will be addressed in the next release.
Overview:
Overall the Live Mesh platform is an excellent way to tie your cloud together. There are many other features that are not featured above, such as the ability to invite members to your Live Mesh folders, renaming your folders via the web, alerts when members edit, add, or delete files from your folders, and so much more. The only thing that I hope Microsoft will address in future versions is the Live Desktop and it's misconception. While I like being able to access my files when I am not online, I do not like the fact that the folders I create in my Live Desktop are added to my cloud's desktop.
If you're looking for a client to synchronize your plethora of files across your cloud, Live Mesh is the perfect solution. Live Mesh has come a long way since the initial beta, and with Wave 4 just around the corner we're going to see some huge improvement as well as some cool new features. Wouldn't it be great to use this on your mobile devices? ;)
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