In the current version, you can add your accounts from Google, Twitter and Hyves (a popular Dutch social network). Once you have added your Google account, all your Google Talk chat contacts will be loaded into Messenger. When your friends are online on Google Talk you can chat with them just like with regular Messenger buddies. Our Twitter support currently means BuddyFuse can automatically Tweet your Messenger personal message status updates. In the video below you see how everything works
BuddyFuse has been in private testing for some months now and with new features on the horizon the program should shape to be one of the most popular and useful add-ons for Microsoft's hit IM client.
Download BuddyFuse for Windows Live Messenger BuddyFuse blog: BuddyFuse now available
on Wed 23 Sep 2009 (19:12 GMT) (6792 views)
As promised, everyone can now download and install the latest version of MessengerDiscovery - version 2.1. Everyone is invited to test this new version and report bugs/give feedback. MessengerDiscovery 2.1 has been in development for three of months and has undergone some rigerious testing to ensure that you do not encounter any major bugs even though it is a beta.
The feature seems really useful for those into the popular social networking website Facebook, which for me personally is the main way to contact my friends aside from my mobile phone. Hopefully Microsoft has a first party solution coming too in Windows Live Messenger 10.
View screenshots of MessengerDiscovery with Facebook Chat integration Download MessengerDiscovery 2.1 beta
Build 8.0.0.090205 has been circulating around the web, and offers audio and video support. This feature has been long-waited, but in the leaked build, the short-comings of the program make it highly unstable and not worth the download for these highly desired set of features. This is an early build, and a lot of work is still required.
Ever since Macs went Intel based, their potential has become wider. It appears that Microsoft may make Messenger for Mac 8 an Intel only build, a common trend among many pieces of Mac software. The transition period to Intel based Macs should mean the minimal amount of users are affected by this change. This however, is still unconfirmed by Microsoft.
Microsoft Messenger for Mac is shaping up to be a feature packed, highly-polished product. Although nothing can compete with the customization options within Windows Live Messenger for Windows, the program is intentionally designed to be simple; the cooperate mode shows it is not just meant to chat to friends, it is designed to enable productivity. When the complete version is released, expect an in-depth feature on all the individual changes.
View more information and a selection of screenshots View the Microsoft product page for Messenger for Mac
on Sat 21 Feb 2009 (20:02 GMT) (4687 views)
MessengerDiscovery is about to undergo a massive transformation. Coming in 2009, The new Messenger Discovery will change the way you look at Messenger forever. For those die hard fans, we have prepared a special beta version just for you. Compatible with both Messenger 8.5 and 2009. Just remember there is still a lot of work to be done, so this is nowhere close to the final product.
It has always been a domain of MessengerDiscovery to provide functionality that none of the other prominent add-ons have, especially regarding Patchou's Messenger Plus!, as well as TheBlasphemer's StuffPlug. Behind the product stands a bit different philosophy than behind the others – while all add-ons strive to help the user with useful things, MessengerDiscovery is not sponsor-powered, nor do I see MD as being an all-round add-on, but rather as providing enhanced security and unique features.
Here are some of the highlighted MessengerDiscovery 2.0.0019 Beta features:
- Do not tell contacts when you are typing a message
- Use a chat-only nick name
- Send nudges as fast as you want
- Send files if you or your contact is appearing offline
- Allow unlimited file transfers
- Do not let nudges shake the conversation window
- Right-align your messages
- Capitalize the first letter of every message you send
- Show window on top when you receive a message
- Do not blink the window when you receive a message
- Show alerts on definable events
- Check every received URL for phishing sites (using PhishTank)
- Ask you whether you want to join grouped conversations
All this goes along with a wonderful shiny, fresh new design, created by star designer Will Ingles:
When I saw the first private builds of this Beta back in early December 2008, I got really excited about it. I am amazed about the design, and about what Matt re-coded from scratch in just about 2 months. In future versions of MessengerDiscovery, you will be able to make use of its engine, as it will have a complete Plugins engine...
However, I also learned that there are some problems when you have Messenger Plus! installed, if you are using its Tabbed Chats feature (tabs won't disappear from the tab-bar then although their windows are closed). Also, from my latest tests, the phishing protection seems to have some issues in Messenger 2009, Version 14.0.8064, but I think Matt will fix them as soon as he publishes a new beta. Just remember his statement: “there is still a lot of work to be done, so this is nowhere close to the final product”.
Download MessengerDiscovery 2.0.0019 Beta Visit the MessengerDiscovery 2 Beta site Share your thoughts in the MessengerDiscovery Community ForumsWhat do you think about MessengerDiscovery?
- Are there any features you miss?
- Bugs you are annoyed of?
- Tell us what you think about it!
on Sun 11 Jan 2009 (23:44 GMT) (3150 views)
It's now official, Microsoft has released the final version of Windows Live Messenger 2009 on the Live web site. That's about time. It took more than a year of beta versions to get to this new release but it was worth the wait. Of course, it means Messenger Plus! needs a final update too and I’ve got good news: I just saved a bunch of mon... I mean, the beta version available in the Download page has been updated to support the new Messenger. The new build number is 353. Even better, Messenger Plus! Live 4.80 will officially be released before the end of the month :-).
Two reasons pushed me to refresh the public beta before doing a final release: first, the sooner the better. I know many of you were wondering what would happen with Messenger add-ons with the new Messenger and this beta it meant to be somehow reassuring. After all, everything is fully functionnal again, including emotion sounds, scripts, skins, logs, colors, event notifications, as well as the hundred of other features&options offered in the software. Secondly, I thought some developers may like to benefit from the research I had to do during the past few weeks in the windows files of Messenger; more precisely, in UIB data files.
View the announcement at the Messenger Plus! forums Download Messenger Plus! Live for WLM 2009
on Sat 01 Nov 2008 (10:19 GMT) (1447 views)
If you've been using the latest beta version of Windows Live Messenger lately, I have some good news: Messenger Plus! is now fully compatible with it! Although I don’t like releasing anything that's not "final", the growing popularity of this new Messenger made it clear something had to be done on my side. For that reason, Messenger Plus! Live 4.79 has been added to the Download section and the Change Log has been updated accordingly.
Keep in mind that this is beta material so no support will be given for it. Some of the improvements (display pictures in notification popups for instance) are global to all Messenger versions so if you like what's fresh and new, this beta is for you. Also, while you have fun with this new release, get prepared for a very special promotion coming your way for Christmas. Those of you who like action figures and collectibles (yes, you read correctly) are in for a shock.
I'm glad to see people can now get their Messenger customization fix. The program would of been out earlier, if it wasn't for a beta leak, and some crazy server problems. Download now!
Download Messenger Plus! Live for Windows Live Messenger 9 Wave 3 View the announcement at the Messenger Plus! ForumsI was working very hard on MessengerDiscovery 2 trying to get it perfect and releasing it at the end of next month, but I wasn't planning on WLM 9 becoming public so soon. So I am going to release a public beta (2.0 preview) ... This version is 80% compatible with Windows Live Messenger 2009 Beta (version 9), most features work but the MessengerDiscovery engine has not been thoroughly tested.
From that statement it seems the program will be buggy. Heck, every final version of MessengerDiscovery has been buggy and has lacked that polish which makes the good stand from the great. I say use the beta with caution, as it is still not a supported product.
Visit the MessengerDiscovery 2 beta website- Cleaner icons and softer sounds have replaced the current ones
- The toolbar menu has been removed, and the email button enlarged and placed to the right
- Contacts now have new hover effects
- Display picture containers change colour depending on your and your contacts' status
- A new feature called "What's new" gives updates on alternating contacts at the bottom of your contact list
- A "Change your Scene" feature allows you to change the header background image in the contact list
- There is a layout option within the options menu
- The statuses "Out to lunch", "In a call" and "Be right back" have been removed
- A chat history button has been added to conversations
The update is still incompatible with Messenger Plus! Live, however Patchou has told users: "I'll start working on it today but I can't say yet if I'll release something publicly before the final version is released by Microsoft or not (all of that depends on when they'll actually release a final)."
Personally, this version is the improvement I have wanted for years. A cleaner design, that doesn't really need patching, and highly customisable features, along with a more polished feel, is what Messenger should be. The new sounds and icons seem refreshed and as if they have been created by someone with a good eye for program design. Wave 3 gets the big thumbs up from Messenger Stuff.
Download the new beta version (in your own language) Get the new beta via Windows Live Installer (Direct link, English version) View our gallery containing screenshots of the new Windows Live Messenger Wave 3 beta View more coverage over at LiveSide View the announcement at the MessengerSays blog
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
The actual beta program was designed to gather feedback on the totally new features (animated display pictures, signature sounds, multiple points of presence, etc) and suggestions about what people want from the new version. Releasing a build like they did at the early stage they were at in the development cycle meant that they could get good user input and feedback and actually have time to implement changes and improvements to the software.
This is unlike most of the betas we have been seeing recently (e.g. Windows Live wave 2 beta) where the changes to the software are already mapped out and beta testing only appears to be to check that it doesn't crash on "real-world" PCs and that there are no major bugs. This beta seemed to show a real shift in the way Messenger is developed, which could be attributed to the Sinofsky effect.
Microsoft need to improve their Messenger client to stay on top of the game and what better way of attracting new users (and persuading current ones to keep using it) that including new features that people actually want and not just their own ideas. Despite lots of criticism of the way this Messenger beta was handled, we are being led to believe that big changes have been happening to the software behind the scenes during all this time of unusual inactivity and silence from the development team.
They don't want these major changes and additions to the software leaked to the public and hence weren't too bothered when the things that the public knew about anyway were leaked through news and the leaking of the beta software itself. The leaking of the beta (which could easily have been prevented by Microsoft but surprisingly wasn't) also meant that they could see how the servers coped with the new features - all of which are fairly server intensive - which is one of the purposes of dogfood releases.
The closure of the beta program seems like a logical step at the moment as, with no new version since late November last year, there is nothing really left to test. Not much is known about the next beta version so, as always, everything is left to be seen in the next few months when it is released into the wild, readying itself for a final release with the rest of the Windows Live wave 3 suite in late 2008 (or early 2009).
Want some wildly guessed tips for the new version anyway? Look out for a possible new UI, changes to audio and video chats (including multi-person functionality), Windows Live Groups integration, "Echoes" integration, and Office/Office Live (Workspace) integration (and/or even Live Mesh integration).
Please note: the usual standard blogging disclaimer applies; the views expressed here are the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of their associated employers, companies or organisations.
Thanks to LiveSide for the image and plethora of links.
Messenger Stuff
