Microsoft won't be shipping Windows 7 with all of the bundled applications that the company has historically installed by default with the OS. Instead, it will deliver e-mail, photo-gallery features, and video-editing capabilities as downloadable applications, collectively called Windows Live Essentials. Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Photo Gallery, and Windows Live Movie
Maker have bec!n available in beta form for some time.

There you can also .find beta versions of Windows Live Writer (a blogging tool), Windows Fatnily Safety (parental controls), Microsoft Office Outlook Connector (for using Outlook 2003/ 2007 as a front end to Hotmail) and Windows Live Toolbar (to make Live apps accessible in Internet Explorer).

Windows Live Essentials should not (but probably will) be confused with Windows Live services; the latter may be associated with desktop programs, but they require nothing more than a browser to run. For example, Windows Live Hotmail is an e-mail client accessi¬ble only in a browser, whereas Windows Live Mail runs on the desktop.

Some old standbys remain, with face¬lifts. Windows Paint's basic image editing features now appear via a Scenic Ribbon a la Office 2007. The OS's APls will make the ribbon available to third-party developers. Though some users didn't-appreciate having to learn new locations for many features in the complicated Office apps, the ribbon works well for the relatively few and simple tools in Paint and WordPad.
Also in the future OS: a refresh of Calculator, and a Sticky Notes feature that supports ink (as well as text) and permits resizing of notes .