Microsoft to unveil Windows Live suite this week

Looks like Microsoft is ready to unveil its promised Windows Live suite this week.

Microsoft officials said in June they would make a common installer and updater available for a handful of its Windows Live services. According to story in The New York Times, the products in the suite will be: Windows Live Messenger 8.5, Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live OneCare Family Safety. (The Times is unclear whether Windows Live Writer is in there, too. But it looks like it might be.)

The Times describes the suite as "the first full release of Windows Live that is intended to produce a 'relatively seamless' experience between the different services and applications."

With the suite, Microsoft is hoping to get users of its more popular Live Hotmail and Live Messenger to try out other members of its Live family. Company officials have said they plan to enable the Windows Live family to make use of more common facilities (like a shared Live Contacts list) and to integrate more tightly with one another over time.