Windows Live Essentials 2011 out

The thing I like about Mesh is that I feel like I have control over my files and where they go. The files "live" on my hard drives and are synchronized as a service, and can be synchronized to the cloud (SkyDrive) if I want. With "Office Live" (which, unless you're using the small business service, is really just a name used to refer to SkyDrive + Office Web Apps), the documents live full-time on the cloud, and any other copies that might be floating around are duplicates.

Documents are just as "secure" in either case, since someone guessing my Live password gives them access in both cases, but with Mesh, the files are "mine."

It's mostly a question of whether you synchronization managed through the app or through a separate "service" like Mesh. OneNote is kind of an odd duck in this respect compared to Word, Excel etc. because it it autosaves and it relies on a set of files and folders rather than discrete single-file documents, so it kind of makes sense to let OneNote take care of itself when it comes to syncing. However, I like regarding my files as files in a filesystem so I can manage them that way - I'm free to easily email a OneNote section file by attaching it, or maintain the files with my own backup processes rather than relying solely on the cloud's.

In my opinion, Microsoft should ditch the Office Live branding (except for the small business version, which is entirely different) because it's confusing and it's just a semantic repackaging of SkyDrive + Office Web Apps. OneNote should delegate its synchronization functionality to Mesh. MS has some good services but they are more focused on branding everything as a discrete product with a bright, shiny name than they are in presenting users with a coherent story.