The sleek design and simple interface of the Windows Live Messenger iPhone application attracts users of its desktop counterpart as well as new users looking for a more streamlined IM program. The application is free and can be downloaded from the App Store within seconds.

After the sign-in page, where the user can sign-in with their Windows Live ID or Hotmail account, the social tab will be displayed. This is where the user will be able to view updates and links from friends posting from social network sites such as Facebook or MySpace. These social networks can be set up in the user’s online Windows Live profile.

The friends tab includes a searchable friends list and a quick way to add friends. The user has the option to add a message, but the only information needed is the friend’s email address. To start chatting with a friend, the user simply taps the friend’s name and the application will bring them to a new chat window. The chat tab will keep up with all of the user’s chats. Each chat uses the iPhone’s QWERTY keyboard along with an easily accessible emoticon keyboard. IMs are viewable through push notifications even when Windows Live Messenger is closed.

Users are also able to swap pictures with their contacts. Pictures can be uploaded directly from the iPhone to Windows Live Messenger, where the user can create albums and add captions.

The user can access their Hotmail account directly from Windows Live Messenger. Notifications are displayed for new emails so the user can check and reply to emails without leaving the application.

Windows Live Messenger for iPhone is a multi-functioning, efficient IM client that allows users to carry their messenger in their pocket.

When Windows Live Messenger for the iPhone was announced I was somewhat under-whelmed - what could Microsoft do that third-party products had not already? Well it turns out not that much. But if you only use Windows Live Messenger as your only IM client then keep reading.

eBuddy and Meebo produce some of the finest examples of instant messaging applications for the iPhone. Feature rich, highly-polished design and an user-friendly interface are at the core of these products. Microsoft may be late to the game, but that doesn’t stop it providing solid competition. The main difference? Windows Live Messenger for the iPhone is very specific in its features and is designed for users of the desktop client. So let's take a look at what the app has to offer.


Going social

The social pane, introduced in Windows Live Messenger 2011 also makes an appearance in Messenger for the iPhone, delivering updates about your friends from various social networking websites. The feature is nearly identical to its desktop counterpart and so if this has become an essential part of your IM experience, I would recommend this iPhone app above any other web messenger straightaway. However, if you're like me and don't find the content relevant, you may just skip this part of the application altogether.


Contact list

Your Messenger buddies are organized much the same way as Windows Live Messenger itself. A list of contacts, the way you like systematized will be right at your fingertips, along with an individual personal message, display picture and status. Adding a new contact is a simple operation. This highlights what is great about the app: Microsoft are not attempting to offer a watered down substitute - this truly is Windows Live Messenger in your pocket.


The contact list will feel familar


Conversations

Chatting can be summed up in three words: straightforward, clean and modern. There is no cluster of buttons to search through - each message is color coded, the conversation layout varies on who is speaking, while switching between the QWERTY keyboard and emoticon panel is nothing short of design genius. This is a true example of where less is more.


Chatting has never been simpler with this well designed user interface

Push notifications are a significant plus, as is being able to manage your logins from multiple locations. A list of active conversations makes it easier to shift through friends with whom you are talking, while simultaneously displaying their current status.




Windows Live Messenger specific features

• The social pane to show what your contacts are saying on other social networking services
• Photo sharing to swap your favorite photos and images with your friends
• Organizing your contacts how you wish - via their display name, your personal name, groups and the favorites section
• The ability to nudge your buddies

To sum up ...

Windows Live Messenger for the iPhone is a masterpiece as far as its development team should be concerned. It is lightweight yet feature rich, which is exactly the point of having IM on the go! I honestly hope they never add another feature, as the app provides everything I need (and a little more) in Messenger. Microsoft has hit the right target demographic as I expect the average age of its mobile users is higher than those who use its desktop equivalent (I don't need skins or scripts here, thank you very much).

I rarely give Microsoft great credit for Windows Live Messenger, but for once I'm happy to provide some positive criticism. So if you are an iPhone owner and Windows Live Messenger is the only IM client you use then by all means download Messenger for the iPhone.

So, what's your opinion?

View Windows Live Messenger for the iPhone at the Apple App Store

The popular web messenger service, eBuddy is about to receive a major refresh, which will be available to users from April 6. Originally named e-messenger until 2004, eBuddy has expanded to become one of the largest web IM platforms available today. We at Messenger Stuff have been given an early preview of what the new eBuddy has to offer.

The upcoming release takes the web application in a new direction, boasting a similar interface to its largest competitor Meebo. So how does eBuddy compare? I'll put to you the problem I've always had with eBuddy: its interface. The design and layout has always been bland and bloated for the user. It seems uncomfortable on my screen. This redesigned build however removes its out-dated system of pop-up windows and instead renders the application in your current browser window. Everything from the login form to sending a message is now unadulterated, simple and maintains a high level of polish. The whole package now feels more modern and in line with the modern web. A spokesperson for eBuddy summarised the changes perfectly:



The great thing about eBuddy is its integration with various other IM platforms. All IM clients tend to share the same basic functionality e.g. setting a display name, chatting to a friend, blocking a certain individual. eBuddy however, includes features for each specific client. Need to set your personal message? Nudge a contact? You can! eBuddy, particularly for MSN/ Windows Live Messenger users is simply your desktop client, but available at any computer without having to install anything. You can't claim eBuddy is a stripped down, half-coded version of Messenger (unlike what a lot of web messengers are out there).

The level of customisation in eBuddy is thus its greatest strength. You can sort your contacts however you prefer or use several buddy lists from various platforms in one window.The tabbed interface improves navigation, conservations are easier to follow and the new jQuery functions make using the application nothing short of beautiful.

eBuddy appears to be going from strength to strength, with a wider userbase and a superb iPhone application. A refresh to the main client itself appears to mark the end of a significant step in eBuddy's development strategy.

Honestly I never was a huge fan of eBuddy, preferring Meebo when I was pushed to use a web messenger. Now I have to re-think my use for Meebo as the new eBuddy provides a vast array of features presented in a clean and creative way. If any of you have any similar allegiances to a certain web messenger I would recommend, come April 6 to give the new eBuddy a try. You may just make the switch.

View a screenshot of the new buddy list
View a screenshot of the chat window

Recently we reported on the new public release of another popular messenger add on, MessengerDiscovery 2.

It would be honest to say the software has had it's problems in the past and as such user's opinions may have been tainted, mine included. However at each major release I give the program another test run for fairness sake.

And that part of the story is no different for me this time around. I downloaded the public release and gave it a spin.

MessengerDiscovery 2 software and website sports a brand new interface that compliments the default style of Windows Live Messenger 2009, the new interface was designed in part by Will ' Willz' Ingles, known for an impressive collection of skins for rival add-on Messenger Plus. In fact rival seems the wrong word to use when describing MD2's relationship with Messenger Plus! Live as the software works flawlessly alongside MP!L almost as perfect partners.

MD2 isn't heavy on resources, only taking 17MB of RAM usage and 0 CPU, The features I've tried all work and look fantastic. I've not uninstalled the software after a few runs, it's not causing me any hassle.

I also love the new Phishing Filter Protection, an new and original feature, almost worth the download alone.

I'm actually recommending MD2 to people now, with added plugin support and toast skins you can still customize and enhance your messenger experience, even furthering the existing functions of MD2

The only downside I have experienced is very minor, and that occasionally at startup MD2 will report that it is failing to load (although it has) however I can see this issue being solved fairly quickly by a update build.

So if you're looking for something new to play with or have had a bad experience with MessengerDiscovery in the past try giving the new version a go I'm sure you'll be pleased at how it has evolved.

Every so often I come across a skin I think gets the right blend between unique design and a polished look. This has become more rare these days, but it does stop them being created. Oil Slick gives Messenger the refined and stylish look it needs, building on its motto of 'A touch of class, a pinch of style'. From the creator of Deep Blue, our skin of the month for January, Volv has released his new creation that has a lot of attention to detail.

What I like about it:

Everything has been looked at and optimised. The slick gradients, display pictures in the contact list and the Messenger icons and buttons changed to blend in with the skin shows just how well this skin has been made. This is my favourite Messenger skin out at the moment, and I will actually be keeping this one.

What I don't like about it:

The sign in screen has to be kept rather big for my display picture to display, which is a little annoying. I also think more options would add to the skin, but there is plenty there to customise it with already. To put it simply there is nothing majority wrong with this skin and I highly recommend using it.

View a screenshot of Oil Slick skin
Download it from the Messenger Plus! Live skins database

Here's the sweeping statement of the day: The Nintendo Wii is the best looking console out there today! Well maybe not, 480p and 16:9 wide-screen support is hardly next-gen graphics and it doesn't compares with the PlayStation's 1080p display. However I find the simple colours and clean interface much more pleasing to the eye than the XMB or the Xbox dashboard. Wii Messenger takes this simple idea and integrates it into Windows Live Messenger.

The good:
The concept itself is a great idea. The clean milk and Tiger skins of the past have always been popular. Messenger itself has a very bloated appearance, and this just makes things easier on the eyes. The skin isn't sloppy either, changing a significant amount of images and icons shows the level of deepth and the creativity the designer has implemented.

The bad:
There are very little options in the skin, meaning it can be difficult to customise Messenger to how you want it to look. Moreover there is some sloppy work in the system tray icons and the display pictures next to the buddy icons in the contact list are hardly appealing.

Once again here is another good skin that's worth a try, breaking away from the Vista style skins that take over the offical skins database. I would recommend using it, but I found the lack of customisation the and ugly icons in the contact list meant I didn't keep using it.

Download Wii Messenger

Despite Messenger Plus! Live integrating itself with the design, and the user's colour scheme of Windows Live Messenger, it contains noticeable differences, that give it an unique look, whilst making it appear part of the main program. Basilis has noticed this difference and has created a skin for Windows Live Messenger based on Messenger Plus! Live's design.

The good:

The skin has a plausible design. Windows Live Messenger looks cleaner with the lighter look and use of gradients. The status icons also make it easy to know which contacts are available , unlike in Messenger where the buddy icon status are easy not to notice. The skin is highly customisable, allowing you to remove buttons and sections as you desire.

The bad:

Some of the images used have become pixelated and don't look great when Messenger is expanded (mainly on the main contact list banner). Some icons could have been changed to match the brighter style of the skin (such as those in the contact list), and the branding of "Basilis" on the sign-in page is a slight annoyance.

Overall this is a good skin, and I believe it shows how good Messenger Plus! Live's design can look if used within Windows Live Messenger. Some added polishing to the skin would have made the skin better, but the level of customisation allows you to patch out elements and buttons you dislike.



Download Messenger Plus! Live skin

I am a new news poster for Messenger Stuff so please bear with me. I'm kicking things off with a review (quiet a lengthy first post, but I hope you like it). I am amazed on how quickly new plugins are being developed. Can you remember the old days when there were one or two faithful plugins? Well I can't say it's a bad thing because even though most of the new plugins have features that Messenger Plus! Live or StuffPlug have' they do come with new, interesting features!

Messenger Air Live 2 is a new add-on which I came across when browsing the net for things to post about on msgstuff.com. I found it on various websites (the andyman adds: including Messenger Stuff) and I thought you may like to check it out. The program itself has some interesting features such as disabling alerts for specific contacts, favourite contact, display picture slideshow and more. It has some great ideas, however it needs to be placed in a easy to use interface to make it come alive.

If I was to keep this plugin installed on my system (which I'm afraid to say I won't) then I would only keep it for things like the Favourite Contact feature and to disable alerts for specific contacts.

The program itself is slow, buggy and the random pop-ups are annoying. The fact that it's slow even on a high specification system like mine is very worrying for me.

The installer was simple, but maybe too simple and it was horrible to use because I am a multi tasker who is always doing something else. And as soon as it goes out of focus it goes into the taskbar status icon and if you have a hidden taskbar such as mine you don't see where it has gone. I think they should remove this very annoying 'feature' and just make it minimize to the taskbar to be honest.

I might be being harsh on this program but I really don't like it (and when I was typing this, the program kept popping up which was very annoying). I can say though I do have high expectations because I am a faithful user of Messenger Plus! Live and that add-on is very, very well coded and is very hard to fault. Check out the feature list for Messenger Air Live 2 below:


So all in all the program has a lot of potential, it just needs a bit of work and it will become a very good add-on for Messenger. I hoped you enjoyed my first review for msgstuff.com.

View screenshots for Messenger Air Live
Visit the official website

Pidgin has been in the news since early April, after it became the new name for Gaim. A few weeks later it was released and after an update last week I've decided to give it a try and see how it feels.

I've seen a lot of forum threads this week asking for alternatives to Windows Live Messenger, as it no longer meets their requirements. I've found myself showing them Pidgin because it works on many IM networks. However, I was recommending the program based on what I knew, I never really tested the program for long, I guess it is time I took it out for a real test drive.

Pidgin is extremely easy to install. Just over 10MB gives you so much, and you can choose to download extras such as Aspell within the installer itself. The NSIS installer system allows you to easily customise where Pidgin should be installed and what shortcuts to use without it becoming complicated.

Compared to Microsoft installers there is a huge difference, they are large, slow and, well, not easy to use. First impressions do count, and I don't want to wait 10 minutes to install a program (which is how long it takes Messenger on my old XP machine).

Getting my accounts set up was a little tricky, mainly because I didn't know what some of the input forms meant. Still it wasn't difficult, just not perfect. This is just me being nitpicky.

Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger may have teamed up, but Pidgin allows you to use all your IM accounts within one program. It may lack in features, but the features it does have provide everything you really need. I just wish the design was more customisable.

With more features and more on the team, Pidgin could be a huge program. It's great for on the go and if you are a business user. However, if like me and everyone you know uses MSN/ Windows Live Messenger, it is better to just use the main program by Microsoft. Nevertheless Pidgin is simple, clean and easy to use. I recommend this as the main alternative to Messenger, it just doesn't suit me.

Adding an account
Buddy list
Conversations in Pidgin
Managing accounts
Setting your friendly name

StuffPlug 3 has been highly desired for more than a while now. Over its long development I and many others have been waiting to enjoy it's vast amount of exciting features. However since the beta release of StuffPlug 3 over a month ago, I've heard little opinion of it.

The professional quality of the program is still present in this version. Everything from the smooth NSIS installer to sending fake invites works like a charm. The program has been extremely well programmed.

The features are vast, and some much loved ones are back. However there have been many other programs doing the things StuffPlug is known for, e.g. the content stealer. These features are not just available in StuffPlug. However that is OK, the features have been coded far better than what the other programs have to offer, but I believe people don't have that StuffPlug crave any more. I'm sure one or two really cool features will soon pop out of the bag.

There is one thing I don't like, the design. StuffPlug has always been known for it's wonderful designs by Rolando, but recently he has been busy, and left the Messenger world, to focus on university. I really don't like the new StuffPlug design. It doesn't look right with Windows Live Messenger, I also hate the buttons that hook onto the toolbars, they are barely visible, and don't get me started on the menu.

That being said, I'm sure design is not top priority, and the program still has the same great things it has always had. Simple, packed full of great programmed features, and makes Messenger that whole lot better.

View a selection of StuffPlug 3 screenshots
Download StuffPlug 3 beta