I'll admit that it seems strange to use Microsoft's Live Mesh on a Mac, but with Apple's MobileMe getting spotty reviews, some Mac users prefer to look for alternative ways to sync. Until now, Snow Leopard users who rely on Live Mesh were out of luck, but a new version of the Live Mesh client supports OS X 10.6. If you're still on Leopard, you don't need to update to the new release, but Snow Leopard users will have to reinstall Live Mesh to get it working again.

Remembering that Live Mesh is available on the Mac - and seeing the new iPhone app from another syncing service, Dropbox - got me thinking about whether you can use Live Mesh on an iPhone. It turns out that the answer is yes, although there's unfortunately no app for that, yet. If you're sharing files through Live Mesh, you can get to them on an iPhone via the web interface. Although Apple fans tend to balk at using anything from Microsoft, this might be one case where it's viable.

Microsoft has thrown open the doors to its Live Mesh file synchronization service. Now anyone can sign into the service using a Windows Live ID. You no longer need to sign up for an account and sit on a waiting list.

Live Mesh, which launched as a technical preview in April, allows users to synchronize files across multiple computers. All of your synchronized files will also be available via the web for easy access even if you're not near one of your computers. The service is still in beta, but now it's a public beta.

The Live Mesh interface also features a nifty news category that presents you with recent updates to your folders and files. If you add music to the shared music folder on your home PC, you can read about it on your work PC or on the web.

Eventually Microsoft plans to roll out Live Mesh clients for Mac and mobile devices, but right now Live Mesh works only with Windows XP and Vista.

[via LiveSide]

Microsoft has launched a technical preview of its new Live Mesh service, which is basically combines remote desktop, online storage, and file synchronization services. Right now the service is available for Windows XP and Vista, but eventually support will be added for OS X, mobile phones, and other devices. And when we say "available," we mean Microsoft allowed 10,000 people to sign up for the first round of testing. All of those slots are full, but you can sign up for the waiting list.

Live Mesh lets you choose folders and files on your computer that you want to synchronize with other computers, and with an online desktop called your Live Desktop. The system gives you a lot of control over which folders to share, and which computers and devices you can use to access those folders. You can also share folders with other Live Mesh users, see when those users are online, and even when they're accessing your files.

Right now there are basically two separate interfaces for Live Mesh: the desktop version and the web version. From either interface you can see a list of updates to your files and folders, access those documents, or initiate a remote desktop connection.

Ultimately, developers will be able to write applications for Live Mesh that you can also synchronize across platforms. In other words, you'll be able to sync more than files. Say you've developed a household budget tracking application. You can share access to the application with other members of your household, and every time someone makes buys groceries or pays a utility bill, they can enter the amount on their own computer and the updates will be available on everyone's system.

We've embedded a video from the Live Mesh blog explaining the service after the jump. You'll need to have Microsoft Silverlight installed to watch.

Computer scientists from Germany have developed a way to laser-scan an object via a webcam into your computer. The software calculates the 3D dimensions based on the input it receives from the webcam, which views the laser beam being swept over the object you are scanning. At first it looked as though this was too-good-to-be-true, but you decide for yourself. I haven't tried this myself, and I really don't know what I would use it for, but it looks very cool for anyone thinking about scanning your own head, your cat, or something else in 3D. I suppose any 3D or game artists would find it useful, since they are constantly trying to find good ways of mapping a new object into the computer so they can model it, play with it, and change it. The software that accomplishes this feat of engineering is available as a free download. The software you can download doesn't allow full 360 degree scans...yet. Hopefully the developers will put out a new version in response to all the feedback they will undoubtedly be getting. We shall see.

[Via Engadget]