Messenger Stuff: MSN and Windows Live Messenger News http://www.msgstuff.com MSN and Windows Live Messenger News en Messenger Stuff Messenger Stuff: MSN and Windows Live Messenger News http://www.msgstuff.com http://www.msgstuff.com/images/logo.png 144 144 Windows Live Messenger 9 WILL use WPF effects!You may have already heard that, along with the rest of Windows Live wave 3, the next version of Windows Live Messenger (version 9.0) will have a new user interface.

After being tipped off by an unaffiliated yet trustworthy source who ? naturally ? doesn't want to be identified, Messenger Stuff can now reveal that the new interface will use the graphics effects available through WPF [Windows Presentation Foundation] where supported (i.e. on Vista and with a decent graphics card).

To put it simply, this finally means that we will see transparency effects in the various windows of the program, possibly similar to those already seen in Yahoo! Messenger for Vista. We are led to believe that the actual design has not changed much but the WPF effects have been integrated well in what is bound to be a popular new addition.

In other version 9 news, the Messenger team ? as with nearly everyone else inside Microsoft ? are still keeping their cards close to their chest. Whilst we do know about the knew interface and that they have moved on from a milestone 1 build to a beta 2 build (seemingly counting this an an alpha build, not beta 1), we do not yet know as much about the new features.

Presumably some, if not all, of the new features will be different to those in the aforementioned alpha version if they are not being publicly disclosed. Also, since all the other Windows Live software and services seem to be getting better integration with one another Messenger might get more integration as well, including with the mysterious "Groups" and "People".

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/471-windows-live-messenger-9-will-use-wpf-effects!/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/471-windows-live-messenger-9-will-use-wpf-effects!/Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:13:18 GMT Messenger Plus! Live 4.7 coming very soonstarted the beta process of the new Messenger Plus! Live, carrying the major new build number of 4.7. The new version adds mainly performance enchanting features as well as a handful of small, but useful tweaks to the software. Below is a list of all the major changes:

  • The ability to copy large amounts of text and images into conversations
  • Emoticon sounds are now in stereo, which helps to fix a variety of related bugs
  • Skins and scripts can now be updated using the /checkupdates command in messages
  • There is a bigger panel for displaying the quick icons display in conversations
  • There are various bug fixes and performance optimising features specifically for skinning and scripting

>> Download the current version of Messenger Plus! Live

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/470-messenger-plus!-live-4.7-coming-very-soon/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/470-messenger-plus!-live-4.7-coming-very-soon/Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:42:15 GMT Updated: eBuddy for iPhone/ iPod ToucheBuddy has been updated for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The new interface is sleeker and easier to use than ever, with the ability to add eBuddy to your home screen if you're an iPhone 3G user.

>> View the announcement at the eBuddy blog

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/469-updated-ebuddy-for-iphone-ipod-touch/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/469-updated-ebuddy-for-iphone-ipod-touch/Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:27:52 GMT Use Twitter through Windows Live MessengerTwitter is "a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates (otherwise known as tweets) which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length." Basically it keeps you and your friends up-to-date with each other, you literally tell this service what your doing and others view this on your Twitter page.

The traditional way is to use Twitter via text-messaging, but this new form of social networking has expanded into other services, such as an app for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Now you can use Twitter through Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger and of course Windows Live Messenger using an interactive bot.

Twitt'd requires your username and password, then you're off! It is really easy to use and get a hold of, plus you don't need to worry about wasting text messages. To use Twitt'd for Windows Live Messenger add twittd@live.com as a contact.

>> Visit the official website
>> View our Twitter page (yes, we have one)

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/468-use-twitter-through-windows-live-messenger/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/468-use-twitter-through-windows-live-messenger/Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:14:50 GMT Messenger Plus! 3 update fixes OS compatibility issues
It's not everyday that I find myself recompiling an old friend. Messenger Plus! 3 had been recompiled early this year with Visual Studio 2008 and because I do not test any of my products in Windows 98 anymore, I had the bad surprise today to learn that VS2008 does not produce compatible binaries for older operating systems. Long story short, it meant that Messenger Plus! 3 couldn't be installed on some older versions of Windows while it should have.

The problem has been fixed so if you're one of those still forced to use Windows 98 or Windows Me on a regular basis, you can now download the updated version of Messenger Plus! 3 on this web site which will continue to work beautifully with MSN Messenger.


>> Download: Updated: Messenger Plus! 3.63.148
>> View: Patchou's thread about the update

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/467-messenger-plus!-3-update-fixes-os-compatibility-issues/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/467-messenger-plus!-3-update-fixes-os-compatibility-issues/Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:02:11 GMT Tutorial: Using Live Mesh for Windows Live MessengerLive Mesh allows you to do this, and LiveSide have posted a few guides to using the program for Windows Live Messenger:

>> Live Mesh tutorial: Synchronising Windows Live Messenger content
>> Live Mesh Tutorial: Synchronizing Messenger Plus! Skins, Scripts Etc
>> Check out Live Mesh

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/466-tutorial-using-live-mesh-for-windows-live-messenger/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/466-tutorial-using-live-mesh-for-windows-live-messenger/Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:07:17 GMT Meebo offer Facebook like chat to other social websitesMeebo have announced they will provide "instant messaging in a box" to various community websites. Think of it as a kind of shoutbox, where users can chat to other users on a website with an established community. The application will be similar to Facebook chat, in the sense a small box will pop-out once clicked, showing users online, with whom you can talk to.

This is yet another great idea from the Meebo ideas factory, but I'm not currently sure who will have access to it. I believe it is open to a selected few websites, with large communities, hoping to profit from ads within the application. If the service becomes publicly available, then expect to see one here.

>> Source: TechCrunch

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/465-meebo-offer-facebook-like-chat-to-other-social-websites/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/465-meebo-offer-facebook-like-chat-to-other-social-websites/Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:40:19 GMT Backup your display pictures, emoticons, winks and everything elseWindows Live Messenger Emoticons Backup allows you to do this.

The program will backup emoticons, winks, backgrounds, dynamic backgrounds and display pictures and allow you to restore them at a later date. Essentially this will save you a lot of time and hassle, and I guess I'm posting about this to index it for search engines, so anyone caught up in this situation has a solution.

>> Download Windows Live Messenger Emoticons Backup ]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/464-backup-your-display-pictures,-emoticons,-winks-and-everything-else/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/464-backup-your-display-pictures,-emoticons,-winks-and-everything-else/Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:35:42 GMT Windows Live Messenger for BlackBerryweb messengers accessible on your mobile phone, or palmtop and now ones designed for the iPhone's high resolution, large screen display. Now Windows Live Messenger is compatible with the current leader in smartphones, the BlackBerry.

Incoming messages are received through the Push technology, and users can send pictures, use emoticons and have a customisable display picture. The client in simple and lightweight, but like the BlackBerry's user base, is designed for productive users. All in all this is a simple application, but if you're a Blackberry user, who natively uses Windows Live ID, it is a must.

>> Download Windows Live Messenger for the BlackBerry

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/463-windows-live-messenger-for-blackberry/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/463-windows-live-messenger-for-blackberry/Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:22:16 GMT Some things we've missed: July catchup
i'm Initiative concerns:
mess.be have discovered Microsoft have raised $1.5 million on the i'm Initiative campaign since its launch sixteen months ago. However, in ads on just one new campaign, the Talkathon Microsoft have spent $5 million! One could argue Microsoft aren't really raising money for charity, but are attempting to portray themselves in a favourable light to users, which in my book is a big no no.

TinyURL blocked:
The 3rd party company in charge of stopping viruses spreading though Messenger have come under fire again, when they blocked TinyURL links within messages. The system has been controversial since it blocked websites containing .info domains, or entire websites such as YouTube and eBuddy. The system is also ineffective as there are workarounds virus creators can implement and the poor coding means it slows down Messenger. This is probably not the last we will hear of the crazy blocking system either.

MessengerDiscovery Live update:
Version 1.5 brings webcam recordings, encrypted messages, pinable contacts and skinable alerts. Download the update from the official website. As always MessengerDiscovery is feature rich, containing many new and wonderful ideas. It is just a shame they are coded sloppy and this update continues that trend.

MSN Messenger UK stats: - Source

MSN Messenger has topped a group of 10 websites and applications which account for 30 per cent of the UK internet use.

Web users spend 2.6billion minutes a month on MSN, almost eight per cent of the UK's total of 33billion minutes.

EBay, Facebook, Google and iTunes are among the other "500 club" - sites who see users log at least 500million minutes online.


So there we are, a nice little wrap up of the news over the past week or so, but don't worry there is still more to come, some of which is more interesting than this dribble. But being honest, with no development updates, news has been and will remain slow until when Windows Live Messenger 9 is near ready. ]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/462-some-things-weve-missed-july-catchup/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/462-some-things-weve-missed-july-catchup/Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:26:17 GMT New Yahoo! Messenger for Vista beta refreshanother small update to their new beta Vista-only, user-friendly, GUI-orientated messenger client.

There are lots of bug fixes and general enhancements as well as the main improvements:

Persistent text formatting
Now when you change your font, text size or color for your IM messages, we?ll save your settings between sessions. So if you like to IM in font size 14 using red letters in Arial Bold, we?ll remember!

Voice improvements
We updated the user interface for the voice feature to make the buttons more clear and added a new voice visualization called ?Color Burst?. Plus there?s an updated incoming call notification that appears front and center when a call comes in.

No webcam yet, but we?re making that clear
A lot of our feedback has been from users asking for webcam support or users that look for the webcam feature but can?t find it in the product. Currently, we don?t have webcam support in Yahoo! Messenger for Vista but to shorten our users? search for it, we added a webcam menu item. Those not in-the-know will get a message telling them that webcam support is coming soon.

>> Source: Yahoo! Messenger blog
>> Download the latest Yahoo! Messenger for Vista beta
>> Official Yahoo! Messenger for Vista site
>> Send feedback about the latest beta version

Yahoo! Messenger logo
]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/461-new-yahoo!-messenger-for-vista-beta-refresh/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/461-new-yahoo!-messenger-for-vista-beta-refresh/Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:30:16 GMT Beware Messenger spoofing emails!
We at Messenger Stuff would like to warn people not to open or follow any links in these emails and instead report them as junk and/or spam as well as delete them.

Currently there is no Messenger 9.5 available in public or private beta testing so for the sake of your computer's health do not open or download anything from these emails It's highly likely to only lead you to a virus, worm, spyware, malware or other nasty that really you don't want on your computer.

Take care. We'll have news covering the Messenger Plus! Live skinning contest and our favourite entries coming soon. ]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/460-beware-messenger-spoofing-emails!/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/460-beware-messenger-spoofing-emails!/Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:55:44 GMT Messenger Plus! Live celebrates 50 million users
We've done it! 50 million people now use Messenger Plus! on a daily basis. 50 million! that?s just plain incredible. On some popular sites, Messenger Plus! is downloaded even more than software such as Acrobat Reader and Firefox. To celebrate in beauty, we've temporarily changed the logo on the site as well as the home page. We?re also putting the finishing touches on the skinning contest that will start in August.


Patchou also hinted at an upcoming version of Messenger Plus! Live 4.70.

>> View the announcement at the Messenger Plus! Forums ]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/459-messenger-plus!-live-celebrates-50-million-users/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/459-messenger-plus!-live-celebrates-50-million-users/Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:37:19 GMT Continuum: An unique Messenger gadget for WindowsContinuum is a Windows sidebar gadget with a lot of character. It basically allows you to sign into MSN/ Windows Live Messenger, using a sleek, transparent interface, along with a sidebar gadget containing your favourite contacts.

Continuum is really well polished, easy to use and looks great. The sidebar idea also makes it more accessible and integrates Messenger better into Windows. Moreover you don't need to open or keep running Messenger to use it, thus the program only uses around 10MB of system memory, which is a strong contrast compared to an inactive Windows Live Messenger.

I highly recommend Continuum, its design is the main factor to draw you in, but in the end you find it practical enough to use it as an alternative to Messenger itself. The only problem with it is that it lacks the vast amount of features we have become used to within Windows Live Messenger, however this could change over the course of its development.

>> View a screenshot of Continuum in action
>> Visit the official website of Continuum

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/458-continuum-an-unique-messenger-gadget-for-windows/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/458-continuum-an-unique-messenger-gadget-for-windows/Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:19:25 GMT Google Talk now available for the iPhoneiPhone's large high resolution touch screen interface has made it very popular for web applications to take advantage of. Google have continued this trend by today releasing Google Talk for the iPhone and iPod Touch:

Attention iPhone owners! You can now chat with all your Google Talk buddies while on the go. Our new version of Google Talk is designed specifically for the iPhone and runs in the iPhone's browser, so you don't need to download or install anything. Just visit www.google.com/talk on your iPhone, sign in, and start chatting. And because it is built for the browser, it will work on today's iPhones as well as on tomorrow's 3G iPhones.


The success of the iPhone has meant many popular web services now have specific pages and functions designed for it, including the most popular web messengers.

>> Source: The Google Talk development blog
>> View Google Talk for the iPhone

]]>http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/457-google-talk-now-available-for-the-iphone/http://www.msgstuff.com/news/post/457-google-talk-now-available-for-the-iphone/Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:31:22 GMT