Yahoo Messenger 9 offers a more elaborate friend list and can display videos and photos in the chat window.
(Credit: Yahoo)You can't take it with you, at least when it comes to your social graph.
But with a new beta version of Yahoo Messenger 9 software (download it for Windows) released Thursday, users have new options for reconstructing networks of friends and contacts they've built elsewhere.
The new beta of Yahoo Messenger 9 can help user invite contacts on AOL, Google's Gmail and Orkut, Microsoft's Hotmail, MySpace, and other online services to connect through the Yahoo service. Version 9 also includes a special group of all people in your Yahoo address book, helping to connect with contacts users may have stored elsewhere within Yahoo itself.
Also tying more deeply into the rest of Yahoo, the new beta can be used to reflect some other activities within the network--for example, when somebody spotlights a Web site of interest using Yahoo Buzz.
"We'll add more types of updates in the future," said product manager Sarah Bacon in a blog posting about the new beta.
Yahoo Messenger 9 is intended for use on Windows XP, in contrast to the more obviously named Yahoo Messenger for Vista (download it for Windows Vista). The final version of the Yahoo Messenger 9 is due in the third quarter, Yahoo said. The Mac equivalent is scheduled to be released by the end of the year.
Also new in the beta is a better interface for setting status messages--even if you're away from your IM software, Yahoo said. And links to games present in Yahoo Messenger 8 has made its way to version 9, so users can play pool, checkers, and others. However, only those with version 8.1 or later can play games with those using the version 9 beta, Yahoo said.
Yahoo Messenger's icon, a frighteningly happy face, reflects the fact that people have a whole section of their brains just for processing facial information. Yahoo is tapping into that visual cortex a little more directly with the new beta, which uses larger emoticons.
For further information, check Yahoo's blog about the new beta or a Messenger 9 beta demo video.
A Canadian start-up is offering a way to do local searches from within AIM or Live Messenger through a free service called Poynt.
Multipled Media's Poynt service lets you search for local businesses and view listings on a map all within the IM window. Last week, the company added the ability to search for movie listings and watch trailers.
Poynt displays local business listings on a map in Windows Live Messenger and AIM.
(Credit: Multiplied Media)It wasn't immediately obvious to me why I would want to do a local search in IM rather than toggle over to a Web browser, and an analyst agreed with me to some extent.
"It addresses a big audience that's using IM and has an instant-messaging window open all the time," said Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence. "It involves a little bit of a behavior change because people aren't used to doing that through an IM window, but there's an interesting opportunity."
But we both see a lot of potential for Poynt on mobile devices, and toward that end, the company is working to enable it on BlackBerry devices in mid-2008, according to John Lowe, chief executive of Multipled Media. On mobile devices the service will use GPS (Global Positioning System) to set your location.
I gave it a spin on my computer, locating Poynt as a contact on my AIM and Live Messenger services. Once you start communicating with Poynt there are some easy-to-follow commands for using the service. You set your location using a landmark, address, city, or ZIP code.
Then you can choose SuperPages in the U.S. and Yellow Pages in Canada and search by store name or store type, or movies to see current films by theater, genre, or title. You can also see show times, cast listings, and synopsis and search for movies playing on specific dates.
The listings can be displayed on a map that opens up in an adjacent interactive window in Live Messenger (although for some reason that feature wouldn't work for me) or in a separate browser window for AIM.
Multiplied Media aims to make money off sponsored listings and a revenue share from transactions, such as buying tickets online.
The company is working on an Apple widget for the Mac and functionality on the iPhone, as well as something for Facebook. Multiplied Media also plans to add user reviews, possibly through a partnership with a provider like Yelp, Lowe said.
Despite an interoperability agreement between Microsoft's and Yahoo's IM services, the Poynt service won't work on Yahoo Messenger until the company specifically develops the capability. However, both iChat and Gmail use the AIM functionality and so Poynt is available through those interfaces, the company said.
Testers of the Yahoo Messenger for Vista preview version (story) with a need for speed should feel the rush after installing Microsoft's recent Windows Vista Hotfix.
The Hotfix purportedly makes response time in Vista's layered windows up to four times faster, a velocity that affects all applications built with layered windows. In Yahoo Messenger for Vista, menus that overlay the central interface, like the options menu or skin chooser, pick up the pace.
Users who have installed Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta already have the Hotfix. Microsoft reports that it will also be available in the service pack's final release. In the meantime, the Hotfix, which addresses Vista's top user complaint, is available a la carte for those who don't want to wait for Vista Service Pack 1.
The files installs for users with administrative privileges and will require a reboot before changes take effect.
Download:
* Hotfix for Vista 32-bit
* Hotfix for Vista 64-bit
Update 2:50 p.m. This article has been updated with user experience information on AIM integration into Gmail.
Gmail and Google Talk users can now chat with their AOL Instant Messenger buddies through the Gmail interface, Google announced today. Rolling out to all English-based users by the end of the day, the new feature will let you seamlessly jump from chatting with a Google contact to an AIM buddy without having to use two separate chat clients.
... Read More
Microsoft's Windows Live services are living up to its name by going live, losing the "beta" label, and becoming available as a free, Windows suite of six Web-connected applications.
The suite includes Windows Live Mail, which integrates with Hotmail and supports POP and IMAP. Among the other complete desktop services are Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Writer for composing blog posts. Windows Live Photo Gallery manages picture albums that can be uploaded to Microsoft Spaces, MSN Soapbox, or Yahoo's Flickr.
The Windows Live Installer took about 10 minutes to work.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Also final are Windows Live Spaces for blogging, the Windows Live Events invitation service, as well as the security products Windows Live OneCare, and the 3MB Windows Live OneCare Family Safety, which offers parental controls over children's Web-surfing habits. Microsoft's many other online-only tools with the Windows Live moniker include search, Local mapping, and Favorites for bookmarking Web pages.
Fully using these tools requires a Windows Live ID, which replaced Microsoft's former Passport ID. Sign-up is available at get.live.com.
In our tests on Windows XP so far, the download took several seconds. Installation took another 10 minutes. Before you install, make sure to tell Microsoft not to change your browser and home page settings if you like them the way they are.
The Google Pack of 13 applications, which includes Picasa photo editing, Norton security scanning, an IM client, a browser toolbar, and desktop search, may be the closest competitor to the Windows Live bundle. However, the Google Pack does not offer a desktop blog composer or an e-mail client as Microsoft's suite does.
Last year, when we picked our favorite Windows Live services, Microsoft still seemed only to be getting started with its stable of online tools, each of which remained in beta testing for up to two years.
Although Windows Live has reached prime time, we suspect that Microsoft will continue to add features. For example, we wish that you could chat within Windows Live Hotmail, which came out of beta testing in May. But at least the e-mail service will notify you when buddies are online so that you can open Windows Live Messenger with a few clicks. Plus, the Messenger clients from both Microsoft and Yahoo enable users to chat with users of the other brand.
Windows Live services remaining in beta testing include Windows Live Calendar beta, released today, and Windows Live SkyDrive.
Microsoft's latest mobile offerings for checking e-mail work with Wap2.0, iMode, and HTML phone browsers.
We'll report back soon with results and a review from our hands-on testing with the Windows Live desktop suite.
Zero-day exploit codes targeting Yahoo and AOL instant-messenger services could put frequent IM users at risk to new attacks.
A non-vendor disclosed vulnerability within Yahoo Messenger has been exploited by two different code releases Wednesday. This is the third security glitch for Yahoo Messenger in as many months. There is no workaround or patch available yet for these exploits.
A second non-vendor disclosed vulnerability in AOL Instant Messenger targets how users are notified of new IMs. Security vendor Secunia recommends that current AIM users disable that option until a patch is available.
ZDNet blogger Ryan Naraine has more information and links to the exploit codes.
Windows users await Yahoo Messenger for Vista.
(Credit: Yahoo)A CNET News.com reader served as my personal tickler file this week, asking me if I knew when Yahoo Messenger for Windows Vista will be released.
In January, Yahoo previewed a version of Messenger optimized for Vista and said it would be released in public beta during the second quarter, which ended June 30. So, they are about three months behind schedule.
I asked Yahoo about it and here is the company's reply: "We continue to actively work on Yahoo Messenger for Windows Vista and look forward to sharing updates and information including the beta launch of the new service. We will keep you up to date on launch timing but in the meantime, information is available on the Yahoo Messenger blog and the Yahoo Messenger for Windows Vista product page."
Curious about a delay with a product? Got some other tip you want us to follow up on? Send them our way.
(Credit:
Yahoo Inc.)
Got Yahoo Messenger? Hit refresh.
Yahoo on Thursday issued a patch for a highly critical security flaw, just a week after it issued another Yahoo IM security update.
In this latest case, a security flaw was discovered in the ActiveX control, which is part of the Yahoo services suite that is typically downloaded with the Yahoo Messenger installer. The vulnerability could be exploited if a user visits a malicious Web site, which in turn could lead to a buffer overflow attack and launch of arbitrary executable code.
Not a good thing.
Yahoo is calling on users to update to version 8.1.0.419. That would apply to any user running a version older than Wednesday.
On the bright side, Yahoo says it knows of no exploits for this particular flaw at this time.
On Tuesday, Yahoo released an updated version of Yahoo Messenger, designed to patch a vulnerability in the Webcam feature first exploited last week.
The China-based exploit causes a heap overflow to be triggered when the target accepts a Webcam invitation. After opening an invitation, a remote attacker could execute malicious code on a compromised machine.
Users who downloaded or had installed Yahoo Messenger prior to August 21 should update to the latest version, Yahoo Messenger version 8.1.0.416.
Social networking site Bebo, with a 36-million-strong member base centered primarily in the U.K., announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Microsoft on a new instant messaging initiative. The Windows Live Messenger service, formerly known as MSN Messenger, is now the fuel behind Bebo's new internal IMing operations.
Bebo users who have hooked their Windows Live usernames up to the service have an "IM Me" button on their profiles that they can use to communicate with other members in-browser if they're online, but Bebo's IM is also open to members without Windows Live Messenger. Essentially, the partnership integrates existing Windows Live accounts into Bebo and also provides a robust base for the Web-based chat interface.
A peek at Bebo's IMing service with the Windows Live logo button.
(Credit: Bebo)Don't think that this deal necessarily has broader implications in today's acquisition-happy digital media culture--the Microsoft partnership is strictly limited to Windows Live Messenger at this point. Bebo's internal search, after all, is powered by Yahoo, which has been talked up as a possible buyer for the independent social networking site.
Rival MySpace launched its instant messaging service earlier this summer, but has kept it separate from other IM clients like Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger, or AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Facebook, meanwhile, does not offer an internal IM service--but several third-party developers have created them for the Facebook Platform.
