messenger

I know that all the "cool kids" have moved onto multinetwork instant-messaging clients like Trillian, Pidgin, imeem, or Adium (for Mac), but I'm still a loyal Yahoo Messenger user.

When asked why, I usually reply that all of my friends use Yahoo Messenger, but the real answer is more embarrassing: emoticons. How could I live without "dancing guy," "big hug," "green vomit," "talk to the hand," or "laughing skull?"

For those of you who also like those goofy Yahoo emoticons, there's good news. Yahoo is planning to add 10 new emoticons to its instant messenger, and it's running a contest to let users submit their own entries and vote on their favorites.… Read more

A phishing scam was circulating on Friday through Yahoo Messenger that directs people to a malicious Web site where they are prompted to enter their Yahoo user name and password. The malicious instant message automatically forwards itself to the victim's IM contacts.

The IM arrives from someone in your contact list with a link to a Geocities Web page and smiley face emoticons surrounding the link. When clicked on, the link opens a page that looks like a legitimate Yahoo 360 sign-in page.

Yahoo is investigating the matter and will take down the Geocities Web site if it is … Read more

When Yahoo Messenger went down Wednesday, it might have just been one of those little technology glitches that happen from time to time.

And when some people started having problems with Gmail Thursday, well, it probably was because of some small gremlin in Google's hamster wheel.

Same with my friend's company's corporate e-mail going down the last couple of days--all easily explainable.

Except, maybe there's a single unifying explanation. Maybe it's because of Mercury in retrograde.

I know. Roll your eyes all you want. But the phenomenon--an optical illusion in which Mercury, from our earthly … Read more

In the cyberworld, Web customization is king--just as the millions of user-centric YouTube videos and MySpace Web pages attest. It's little wonder, then, that avatars, digital representations of you, are growing in function and form.

This collection of downloadable and Web-based avatar generators ranges from the more cartoon-like engines to three-dimensional architectures where users give life to their pint-size replicates. Be sure to tune into the video and photo gallery on my adventures with avatars, with CNET News.com's Neha Tiwari, for a personal take on the highlights and lowlights of some popular avatar builders.… Read more

Category: Communications

Windows Live Messenger is Microsoft's instant-messaging service. Once called MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger is a chat client that also works with Yahoo's IM protocol. Users can text and video chat, as well as make calls to regular telephones. It's also got a shared file storage system that lets users swap and store files.

Windows Live Messenger is available on several different platforms including mobile phones. Recently it's even been integrated into Microsoft's gaming console, the Xbox 360. All versions require users to sign up with Microsoft's LiveID identification system.

Web site: … Read more

Category: Communications

Yahoo Messenger is Yahoo's instant-messaging client and chat protocol. Yahoo Messenger users can chat with one another via text, voice, or video chat. Yahoo has also built in VoIP services to let its users call regular old telephones without having to leave the application. Users can also download and install a number of plug-ins that add extra functionality and features.

Yahoo recently launched a Web-based version of Messenger that runs right in your Web browser. The Web version doesn't give you access to all the bells and whistles of the desktop app, such as access to … Read more

A number of highly critical security flaws have been found in the latest version of Yahoo Messenger, which could allow attackers to gain remote access to users systems, according to a security advisory issued by eEye Digital Security.

The vulnerabilities affect Yahoo Messenger versions 8.1 and 8.0, running on Windows, eEye stated in its "upcoming advisories."

Although eEye does not disclose extensive details about vulnerabilities until the respective vendor develops a patch, the security researcher did note the Yahoo IM flaws requires little user interaction for an attacker to exploit the vulnerabilities.

"It's the … Read more

Editor's note: This is Part Two of a two-part series on multinetwork IM clients. Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about all-in-one desktop chatting.

All-in-one IM clients have much to offer the instant messaging butterfly. They organize your contacts from multiple networks while enabling customizations, plug-in support, and familiar emoticons. However, desktop chatting isn't always the best solution for the jet-set crowd.

Users who work off multiple computers and tire of downloading déjà vu could opt for browser-based chat, while the handheld-dependent might prefer a sturdy third-party IM client to replace a weak, nonnative browser or the single-network IM most compatible with their device (for instance, Pocket MSN for Windows Mobile users,).… Read more

Heard the one about the Skype worm? Actually, users of the popular VoIP service Skype have been contending with misleading and dangerous URLs for some time. Like worms spread by MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger, various Skype worms have been known to include a message such as "Give me your opinion" followed by a URL. Clicking the link then installs several malicious files including versions of the Warezov/Stration Trojan horse. Stration has been known to open remote access on infected machines.

Now, Chris Boyd, Director of Malware Research at Facetime Security Labs, has found a recent Skype … Read more