Windows only: Windows Live Writer, Microsoft's multi-platform blogging tool, was one of many Live Essentials apps that recently received a few upgrades, and they're really helpful for anyone writing on the web.
Most helpful in this release candidate, for anyone writing a blog on Live.com, Blogger, WordPress, MovableType, or any other supported platform, is the ability to search through local drafts and published posts for text in any post, letting you get at older posts for editing and unfinished ideas quickly. WordPress.com and self-installed WordPress users get the same kind of auto-completing tags as on their site editors, and new plug-ins for Writer have been released that let you upload and link pictures from Flickr, auto-tweet your posts on Twitter, and do more. New to Live Writer? Head over to blogger Jared Goralnick's tips and tweaks for Windows Live Writer.
The release candidate of Windows Live Writer 2009 is a free download for Windows systems only.