An update to the previous versions that we have featured (and tutorial-ised) in the past, the new beta - version 0.99 - has a cool new interface and some great new features, including:
- Login using your eBuddy ID so you can sign into all your accounts (Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Google Talk and MySpace IM) at once
- Take a picture using your phone and use it as your display picture
- More ways to sort your contact list
- Support for Blackberry phones
We'll be posting more screenshots soon and will keep you updated with information about when you can get your hands on the latest version.

A considerable number of people may have, for whatever reason, reported the popular web-based IM client through the Report abuse option that's sitting in every "Help" menu since version 8.1. But I'm not even seeing those hardly annoying, automated "I'm using eBuddy.com!" messages anymore.
Or perhaps Microsoft just accidentally blocked the site of a competitor... again. But while last week's mistake was corrected in less than a day, the ban on eBuddy.com has first been noticed by Messer Bram already last Wednesday.
Either way, it's probably yet another example of a safe URL being blocked as part of Messenger's inefficient worms and SPIM filter. Both parties were contacted and I'm awaiting their reaction.
Microsoft have made a mistake from blocking things from day one, it is an inefficient system that was poorly coded and even made Messenger slower. Blocking one of the most successful services to take advantage of their product was an error of judgement and like I said last week Microsoft don't seem to be pleasing those who work closely with their products.
Source: mess.be
The actual feature is pretty straightforward, you can now start group chats with all your buddies that are on the MSN, Yahoo or AIM networks. This means you can start a MSN groupchat, a Yahoo groupchat or an AIM groupchat, not one with mixed contacts.
We have added some other nifty features like being able to give a group chat a name, so that you can find it easily, and being able to filter contacts when you invite them.
Source: eBuddy blog
Visit the eBuddy website
View our web messenger page
Nathan says (13:00): What am I getting for my Birthday?
Emily says (13:01): Well I am thinking of buying you...
And your laptop battery dies! So what do you do? You pull out your PSP and go to m.ebuddy.com. It then loads up a special eBuddy website that is dedicated for the PSP that the real nice guys from eBuddy have created just for you.
Why did they do this? Well according to their blog they are getting more and more people using the normal eBuddy on the PSP:
Every month we are seeing more and more users chatting with our Mobile Internet version on a Playstation Portable. Therefore, we decided to develop a brand new version, specially designed for the PSP ... and we just released it!
So what does it consist of? It has a simple interface that doesn't take long to load and has all the features you need. Sure it doesn't have everything, just the essentials to make instant messaging portable.
Source: eBuddy blog
eBuddy for the PSPAll this may seem good but I'm not really into it. I don't check my email on my Nintendo Wii, I don't use Facebook/ MySpace on my mobile phone, nor do I use web messengers designed to be more portable. Well the iPhone has changed this. The screen is large enough to provide a good user experience, just look at the video made by Vincent Manuhuwa using eBuddy below:
You can clearly see using eBuddy is quick, clean and easy to use. Although Trillian Astra for the iPhone may have the charm of a flashy design, I could see myself using eBuddy wherever I am.
Visit eBuddy
View the andyman's thread on eBuddy for mobile
Source: eBuddy blog- The eBuddy multi-network web messenger beta has been updated twice in July. Read the improvements of the July 6th update, which include connection and performance improvements and lots of bugfixes, and the changes in the most recent July 19th update, which include the abilities to upload your own display picture and to receive custom emoticons from Windows Live Messenger users.
- In other eBuddy news, the eBuddy Mobile Messenger beta has now been downloaded over 100,000 times - helped partly, I would like to think, by my tutorial and review of it.
- Also, for any "lucky" iPhone owners out there eBuddy have released a special version of their web messenger for you to use, offering a convenient and attractive messaging solution for the device. After managing to get hold of one in the US to ship over to their offices in the Netherlands, the eBuddy team started making a modified version for it straight away and ended up with one of the most advanced, AJAX powered, web-based, multi-network chat clients currently available for the iPhone. It is currently an alpha version (so expect more updates and changes in time) and allows you to use your iPhone to connect to your Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and AIM accounts. If you have an iPhone just browse to eBuddy.com and it will automatically take you to the sign-in page for the iPhone version. Find out more and see a screenshot here.
- Messenger Air Live 2 has been released! Download it here or find out more about the features it offers, including custom alerts, contact cloner, toast flood protection and display picture slideshow.
- The Messenger content provider Kiwee (which has been offering all of its content for free on its Canadian site for a while now) has relaunched at kiwee.com. At the new address they are offering backgrounds, emoticons, winks and display pictures for free (to any one who creates a free account), as well as 'postCards' to use on social networking sites such as MySpace. They actually seem to be moving away from Messenger content and focusing more on things like these 'postCards' and therefore haven't moved all off the content from their old site over to the new one, but luckily for you their old site is still available and the Canadian one is still free.
- The official XBOX 360 Messenger Kit has been designed to make it easier to type messages when using the Windows Live Messenger integration on your XBOX 360 and is due to go on sale in the US in early September for about $30.
- The latest version of Adium, a Messenger client for Macs, has been released. View the changelog for version 1.0.5 or download the latest release now.
- To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the emoticon Yahoo! Messenger conducted a survey of 40,000 of their users to find out how they use emoticons. See the results at the official Yahoo! Messenger Blog.
- Although we're now celebrating the birthdays of Windows Live Messenger, some people are still nostalgic and marking the 8th birthday of MSN Messenger which was on July 22nd.
The application is currently in beta and supports most modern phones and allows you to connect to your Windows Live/MSN, Yahoo! and AIM accounts.
I've been testing it for a few weeks and have to say that it is incredibly easy to use and very useful. Wherever I am with just a few button pushes I can see who is online and chat to them (and more) using the feature-filled application.
Now I've written a comprehensive guide, including screenshots, to show you what it allows you to do and how.
Read my tutorial and review on our forums
See if your phone is supported
Find out more about the betaThe first group of testers for the 'Early Bird' beta will be strictly limited, so if you are interested, get in now!
The popular Web Messenger has been rewritten from the group up to improve ease of use and performance (the current version often gives me browser lag).
Yesterday I signed up, it was really quick and simple, and now I have been accepted into the first testing stage. I can tell eBuddy has been totally changed; the structure of the web messenger is looking at a wider picture than just adding simple new features.
However using separate windows is highly annoying, I wish they would offer an alternative, which I could manipulate in my browser. That being said, eBuddy looks as if it has a strong future ahead, which is why I respect it as a great web messenger.
Sign up for the beta
View a basic comparison of the current eBuddy and the new betaIt is believed that the company, based in The Netherlands, has recently received funding from an as yet undisclosed, but top tier, VC firm which has allowed it to relaunch under its new name. The original eMessenger, which had been around since 2003, added AJAX functionality in February.
Future plans for eBuddy are currently unknown but now it has funding it will surely try to expand and get better. To start with it has already hired TheBlasphemer, and he seems to be quite busy with them!
eBuddy.comLooking back at their old design I must say that this one is far more user friendly, looks cooler, and is easier on the eyes. The new site also features 2 diffrent MSN/WLM web clients. However, they have made no offical announcement for the update, so we currently do not know every change that has happened. But whatever the changes the new look is a great improvement.
View the new eMessenger Site



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