Android Thoughts: Android Getting Windows Live

"According to a post on the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft has given developers the tools for Windows Live integration across all major mobile platforms, including our beloved Android. The team in Redmond is giving you a use for that Hotmail account you made in the 90s, and they are bringing Messenger and SkyDrive along with it."

Never mind the snarky tone of the article - this is good stuff for both Windows Live, Android and Windows Phone 7 (kinda). I'm reminded of Microsoft's 1990s move to port Office to the Mac. This widened the user base, but also helped make the user transition between Mac OS and Windows easier. Did MS lose users on the OS side? Certainly, but I'd bet they more than made up for it in sales of Office. Same thing here, mostly. Android's currently the bigger and more popular platform, so offering Live integration makes a lot of sense from a narrow business viewpoint. Would this impact adoption of WP7? As the late-comer I don't think so - Windows Live integration isn't that much of a differentiator for WP7, so the main effect would be to make the transition between WP7 and Android easier. But hey, I could just be blowing smoke here - what do you guys think?