Tag - Beta
New version of Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Beta
on Thu 01 May 2008 (20:02 GMT)
on Thu 01 May 2008 (20:02 GMT)
Yahoo! Messenger for Vista, the version of Yahoo! Messenger designed specifically for Windows Vista using its interface technologies, was first released to beta at the end of last year. The first new version since then has now been released.
The main improvement is the addition of much-requested audio chat features. This includes the usual PC to PC calls and PC to phone calls, as well as cool visualisation effects that match you and your contact's voices when you speak.
Along with this there have been general speed and stability improvements, the ability to send "free" SMS messages to mobile phones has been added, and there is a new email alerts feature.
>> Source: Yahoo! Messenger blog
>> Download Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Beta (direct download link)
>> Official Yahoo! Messenger for Vista site
The main improvement is the addition of much-requested audio chat features. This includes the usual PC to PC calls and PC to phone calls, as well as cool visualisation effects that match you and your contact's voices when you speak.
Along with this there have been general speed and stability improvements, the ability to send "free" SMS messages to mobile phones has been added, and there is a new email alerts feature.
>> Source: Yahoo! Messenger blog
>> Download Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Beta (direct download link)
>> Official Yahoo! Messenger for Vista site
Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista released as public beta
on Thu 06 Dec 2007 (22:40 GMT)
on Thu 06 Dec 2007 (22:40 GMT)
Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista has been in development for way over a year now. It was officially announced last January and today a public beta has been released to the public. Its features include:
Yahoo! Messenger for Vista has its flaws. There are a lot of bugs and everything seems very basic at the moment. However, I can see a lot of potential and the idea totally re-designing the software should be on the table for Windows Live Messenger. I can see the completed product being very popular. You can view a video of Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista in action below:
>> Source: Yahoo! Messenger development blog
>> View some screenshots of Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista
>> Visit the official website
- Organize your conversations into tabs, or drag and drop a tab out to create a new window
- Keep up with your favorite contacts by dragging them into the Windows Sidebar gadget
- Send enhanced emoticons that have some extra oomph
- Change the color of your IM windows with a built-in skin chooser. Go crazy with a different skin for every IM window!
- Adjust the display size of your contacts with a handy slider
- Arrange your contact list into multiple columns just by resizing your window
- Send instant messages to your Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger contacts
- Send files to friends as large as 2 GB
- Find contacts quickly with the contact search bar. Type in a few letters of the contact's name or ID and they'll come up in filtered results.
- As-you-type spell checker that's smart enough to know that 'LOL' is not something to correct
- A preferences menu you can access by right-clicking anywhere at the top of the main Messenger window
Yahoo! Messenger for Vista has its flaws. There are a lot of bugs and everything seems very basic at the moment. However, I can see a lot of potential and the idea totally re-designing the software should be on the table for Windows Live Messenger. I can see the completed product being very popular. You can view a video of Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista in action below:
>> Source: Yahoo! Messenger development blog
>> View some screenshots of Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista
>> Visit the official website
Windows Live Messenger 9.0 beta expanded!
on Wed 28 Nov 2007 (18:27 GMT)
on Wed 28 Nov 2007 (18:27 GMT)
So the first Windows Live Messenger 9.0 beta has finally expanded past just butterflies and MVPs to some specially selected testers of previous versions.
There are apparently about 5000 people officially (on Microsoft Connect) testing version 9.0.1407.1107, described by Microsoft as an alpha version and dubbed in the About window as 'Version 2009'. In the welcoming email to testers the Messenger team said:
Here at Messenger Stuff we are 100% against leaks and don't want to jeopardize the beta in any way. For this reason we will not be hosting or linking to any of the leaked setup files. However, we understand that many of you will like to know the changes, so I'm quoting a small changelog from mess.be:
The current version of Messenger Plus! Live (4.23) is "incompatible" with the new beta but Patchou has already said that the latest version of Messenger Plus! Live (version 4.50), due for release in the first week of December, will be compatible. A version of A-Patch has already been made for the new beta.
>> View screenshots in our gallery
There are apparently about 5000 people officially (on Microsoft Connect) testing version 9.0.1407.1107, described by Microsoft as an alpha version and dubbed in the About window as 'Version 2009'. In the welcoming email to testers the Messenger team said:
Please note that this is a private beta for a very small audience only - Windows Live Messenger 9.0 isn't ready for wide distribution yet. By entering the beta, you're agreeing to use the client and send us feedback, and to not share it with anyone else. Doing so is against the Terms of Use. If the build gets out too widely and starts causing problems on the service we may have to shut it down. We don't want to do that and we know you don't want that to happen, so please keep it to yourself.
Here at Messenger Stuff we are 100% against leaks and don't want to jeopardize the beta in any way. For this reason we will not be hosting or linking to any of the leaked setup files. However, we understand that many of you will like to know the changes, so I'm quoting a small changelog from mess.be:
- Sign-in and messaging in multiple locations - You asked for it, now you have it! You can now sign into Messenger from more than one computer at a time, up to four at once. Simply sign into Messenger from one computer, install Messenger on another computer and sign in using the same account. (Only works if all computers are running Messenger 9.0 Beta. Currently enabled only for users whose Windows Live ID country is US or Canada.)
- Signature sounds – Pick your own personal sound that your contacts will hear when you sign into Messenger (only works if you and your contacts have Messenger 9.0 Beta).
- Per contact sounds - Pick unique sounds for each of your contacts. You will be able to tell from across the room who is sending you a message.
- SPIM Reporting - If users send you unsolicited messages or invitations that you consider spam, you can block them and report them as spammers. If you report a user as a spammer, the messenger service will collect this data and put appropriate restrictions on the spammer accounts. All reports of spammers are kept confidential.
- Animated Display Pictures – Show your moves! Messenger now supports animated .gif files as display pictures.
- Link in Personal Status Message – URLs in Personal Status Messages are hot and clickable in the Messenger contact list.
- Behind the Scenes Changes – Architectural changes that modified how things work but shouldn't have changed how things look
- Changes to sign-in, connectivity, presence, sending text IM’s, voice & video featuresWindows Live Contacts Server – wlcomm.exe runs in the background to keep your contacts’ information up-to-date and helps Messenger sign you in faster
The current version of Messenger Plus! Live (4.23) is "incompatible" with the new beta but Patchou has already said that the latest version of Messenger Plus! Live (version 4.50), due for release in the first week of December, will be compatible. A version of A-Patch has already been made for the new beta.
>> View screenshots in our gallery
Coming Soon: Windows Live Messenger 9.0 BETA
on Thu 22 Nov 2007 (18:48 GMT)
on Thu 22 Nov 2007 (18:48 GMT)
For everyone who is celebrating Thanksgiving, we at Messenger Stuff would like to wish you a safe and tummy filled holiday!
A few days ago invitations to the Windows Live Messenger 9.0 BETA were sent to ~1000 testers. At this point we're all under NDA, so no information or screenshots can be made available. The public beta should be starting soon so keep your eyes on your inbox because it's first come first serve. As soon as the word is given, we're going to feature a full review of the beta as well as some possible invites for our readers! So, keep checking back for updates!
A few days ago invitations to the Windows Live Messenger 9.0 BETA were sent to ~1000 testers. At this point we're all under NDA, so no information or screenshots can be made available. The public beta should be starting soon so keep your eyes on your inbox because it's first come first serve. As soon as the word is given, we're going to feature a full review of the beta as well as some possible invites for our readers! So, keep checking back for updates!
Windows Live Installer released with new Messenger beta
on Thu 06 Sep 2007 (19:14 GMT)
on Thu 06 Sep 2007 (19:14 GMT)
In follow up to yesterday's news, Windows Live Installer has been released and comes with the installation of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta 2 (build 8.5.1288).
So what's new? Well nothing really noticeable, just bug fixes according to the offical Messenger blog. Nevertheless, the build is just really to attract users to the new installer as there is no separate download at the moment, unless you download the files below. Here are some facts about the update:
Personally, beta is still bloated and annoying to use for me. All my settings have been modified and I'm finding more and more annoying little bugs. If this is what the finished product will be I'm sticking with 8.1. I'm sure these will be addressed by the final release though.
>> View our pictures of Windows Live Installer
>> Download Windows Live Suite Installer
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (English) (Mirror)
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (Spanish)
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (Dutch)
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (Arabic)
So what's new? Well nothing really noticeable, just bug fixes according to the offical Messenger blog. Nevertheless, the build is just really to attract users to the new installer as there is no separate download at the moment, unless you download the files below. Here are some facts about the update:
- Windows Live Installer has come under very heavy criticism, all comments tend to be negative, I believe a lot of this comes down to the speed and ease of use of the program.
- It is not compatible with x64 editions of Windows. Unless you try this hack.
- A-Patch and Mess Patch have been updated to work with the new Windows Live Messenger beta.
- Messenger Plus! Live is fully compatible with the new build according to creator Patchou.
Personally, beta is still bloated and annoying to use for me. All my settings have been modified and I'm finding more and more annoying little bugs. If this is what the finished product will be I'm sticking with 8.1. I'm sure these will be addressed by the final release though.
>> View our pictures of Windows Live Installer
>> Download Windows Live Suite Installer
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (English) (Mirror)
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (Spanish)
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (Dutch)
>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1288 (Arabic)
Windows Live Messenger 8.5 beta update
on Thu 21 Jun 2007 (19:59 GMT)
on Thu 21 Jun 2007 (19:59 GMT)
A new beta build of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 has just been released, labelled as version 8.5.1238.0601.
So far it appears that this update is only available to existing 8.5 beta users through Windows/Microsoft Update as it has apparently only been made "to test how Microsoft Updates are distributed for Windows Live Messenger". Also there are apparently are no changes from the previous build.
The update is listed as "high priority" on Microsoft Update and is only 6.6MB in size, compared to the 18MB of the installer of the last build. This suggests that, in the future, Microsoft will be using QFE ("quick fix engineering" - aka a hotfix) patches to update Windows Live Messenger, as they did a few times for MSN Messenger 7.5.
Here are the details from Microsoft Update:
Patchou has said that the latest version of Messenger Plus! Live (4.23) is compatible with this new build.
So far it appears that this update is only available to existing 8.5 beta users through Windows/Microsoft Update as it has apparently only been made "to test how Microsoft Updates are distributed for Windows Live Messenger". Also there are apparently are no changes from the previous build.
The update is listed as "high priority" on Microsoft Update and is only 6.6MB in size, compared to the 18MB of the installer of the last build. This suggests that, in the future, Microsoft will be using QFE ("quick fix engineering" - aka a hotfix) patches to update Windows Live Messenger, as they did a few times for MSN Messenger 7.5.
Here are the details from Microsoft Update:
Windows Live Messenger 8.5 Beta 1 Update 1
Date last published: 6/21/2007
Download size: 6.6 MB
This update is being used to test how Microsoft Updates are distributed for Windows Live Messenger. While there are no actual changes to Messenger at this time, it's important for Messenger Beta testers to receive this update. Thanks for helping test Messenger!
System Requirements
Recommended CPU: Not specified.
Recommended memory: Not specified.
Recommended hard disk space: Not specified.
How to Uninstall
This software update can be removed via Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
Get help and support
http://support.live.com/default.aspx?productkey=wlmessenger
More information
http://get.live.com/betas/messenger_betas
Date last published: 6/21/2007
Download size: 6.6 MB
This update is being used to test how Microsoft Updates are distributed for Windows Live Messenger. While there are no actual changes to Messenger at this time, it's important for Messenger Beta testers to receive this update. Thanks for helping test Messenger!
System Requirements
Recommended CPU: Not specified.
Recommended memory: Not specified.
Recommended hard disk space: Not specified.
How to Uninstall
This software update can be removed via Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
Get help and support
http://support.live.com/default.aspx?productkey=wlmessenger
More information
http://get.live.com/betas/messenger_betas
Patchou has said that the latest version of Messenger Plus! Live (4.23) is compatible with this new build.