Last night, I attended a presentation by Phil Holden on where Microsoft was headed with Windows Live, search in general, Messenger, Spaces, and a few other subjects besides. I was one of an assorted mob of bloggers who'd been tagged by Frank Arrigo as the kind of people who'd give frank and fearless feedback. I think they got their money's worth: by the time I had to leave, the questions had swung around to the like of "How do you seriously expect to take on Google in this space?"  

One thing's for sure: a lot has changed in Microsoft's approach to the web since I last seriously checked it out. So: I've registered a Space, tried out Live search (especially handy with Google's performance this last few hours) and renewed my interest in Messenger. We'll see how it all goes.