The Windows Live snowball

Microsoft keeps rolling out more Windows Live services – mail, IM, search (Web and phones), maps/directions, parental controls, homemade media hosting, etc. (see 20 of 'em at a glance in CNET's handy chart. Microsoft "seems to crank out a new Windows Live service every five minutes," according to CNET. The parental-controls service was mentioned by several news outlets this week. Red Herring mentions an intelligent approach Microsoft is taking: "The company has been consulting with child development experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to help set age-based guidelines for the service," and it's also talking with family organizations outside the US "to take into account cultural differences" and "help [Microsoft] set up localized guidance for parents in different parts of the world." Free, built-in parental controls for a single computer almost seem like a too-little-too-late for the 24/7 Web on all devices, but a lot of smart families still have younger members using a single PC plugged into the wall of a family room or other high-traffic location in the house, and it's logical that controls be built into the operating system for littler Web surfers. Plus, another tool for the parental toolbox never hurts.