Windows Live or Google Mail

Hi everyone

I'm new to the forums, and am thinking of switching from googlemail/calender etc, and using the windows live apps

Part of my thinking is that i've read that windows live downloads work well with vista. There are other reasons for me considering switching, but i'm really interested in what people think, and whether it would be worth doing.

Couple of things would be useful :
1. When I had a hotmail.com email address I was constantly bombarded with spam. Despite the fact I hardly used that old address (now inactive), for registering on websites. Is spam still likely to be an issue ?

2. Calender - Google has an online calender which is viewable in outlook, however you cant add items to it via outlook, only view it. This obviously mean either using it online all the time, and just viewing it, or having two calenders open. As yet, I've only been able to find the online Windows Live Calender, is Microsoft likely to include a calender integrated with Windows Live Mail, that also syncs like the mail programme.

3. Is it possible to edit what you see when you first log into Windows Live online ? For example, things I'd like to see are things like, email, calender, favourites, skydrive etc. Not really interested in things like spaces (maybe I havent looked at it properly), but the favourites were a pain to find in the first place.

I currently use firefix web browser, which to my dismay have found the Live toolbar doesnt seem to work...

I'd be really grateful for any comments or suggestions anyone might have one these or any other point regarding my post

Many thanks for taking the time to read it

Bryan

Hello Bryan !
This is my first post here, and I'm happy I can give some feedback about something I know some stuff about.
Now, let me say that for a while I've been using Windows Live both "in the cloud" and on my Vista Desktop. As far as I am concerned, I have only good words about the Live Desktop apps, generally. I've been using Windows Live Picture Gallery, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail. I also have to say that I was quite impressed by Live Writer, too. The apps still need some more coherence in Vista desktop integration, that at the UI level, and also at some interconnectivity and functionality.
If we're talking about the online Live Services, the same kind of problems arise, I mean integration (which has been improved a lot in the last few months) and functionality. For instance, I'm not sure if Live Calendar work with Windows Calendar in Vista. I never used Outlook with online calendar, so I can't talk about that.
At the moment I'm using Google Docs, and Gmail in parallel with Windows Live online applications. The main reason for keeping Google Mail and Google docs is that my company uses Google Docs for some online documentation and interactive projects developed together with our clients. I'm only using Live services for my private needs, such as personal e-mail and a personal Vista - technical online blog. I'm also enjoying a lot the possibility of posting pictures online from the Windows Live Picture Gallery on my personal space.
I hope this helps. My advice would be to keep both services in use, see which one is more useful to you and only after that decide which one to keep.

1. I'm not having spam issues with Windows Hotmail.
2. That did not happen yet, Windows Live Calendar is not integrated in Windows Live Desktop Mail and not even in Windows Calendar. Another bad thing is that Windows Live contacts are not integrated with Windows Contacts functionality in Vista. (that is you have to choose from Default programs Windows COntacts and update them manually with the ones in your live account, or ditch Windows Contacts functionality and use the Contacts functionality integrated in Windows Live Desktop Mail application)
3. If you set your home page to Live Search and set your browser to automatically sign you in on that page, the page is highly customizable and it might satisfy your needs.