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 Updated add-on: GMessIN 2.5 & GMessIN5 1.10
Updated add-on: GMessIN 2.5 & GMessIN5 1.10

dwergs says ( 22 Feb 2003 ):

 

GMessIN by Gil Shabtai has been updated with contact picture saving and more contact details as well as a news animation title which lets you know when someone's online. Not added to our downloads yet (because I'm extremely busy today) but you can download it from the official home of GMessIN.



 3° in the news...
3° in the news...

dwergs says ( 20 Feb 2003 ):

 

How unusual is it to offer group IM?

"I don't think it's so unusual as it's required for this audience. The thing the application does that isn't common is that you can have up to 10 members. That group always exists. So when you start an IM, all 10 people are automatically in that conversation. Is that earth shattering? Absolutely not. It's just a requirement. It's the basis for socializing, and these other things build off of IM."

More questions about the so-called "extreme instant messaging" app on CNET News.com.



 Final call for the Add-on & Site Wishlist
Final call for the Add-on & Site Wishlist

dwergs says ( 20 Feb 2003 ):

 

Excluding (some) duplicate, non-ethical and (too) personal requests, we've already gathered 40 wishes to be granted. Have an idea for an add-on or suggestion for Mess.be? Brainstorm away and add it to the Mess with MSN Messenger wishlist. Hurry up though, because submissions will be disabled in a few days.



 Threedegrees Screenshot compilation!
Threedegrees Screenshot compilation!

dwergs says ( 19 Feb 2003 ):

 

Timothy created a feature compilation screenshot of the ThreeDegrees application. Click here for a preview! [Thanks to Timothy]



 7 Messenger Plus easter eggs discovered so far
7 Messenger Plus easter eggs discovered so far

dwergs says ( 19 Feb 2003 ):

 

Thanks to Timothy, dlfranks, ToMTeMoR and Raddie for discovering more easter eggs in the latest version of Messenger Plus 2.

Same procedure as before: if you want to see all of them select the space between the [brackets]:

[/patchou, /shello, /sdoh, /skiss, /sbrb, /sconfig, /sevillaugh]

[Source: Msgplus Forum]



 ThreeDegrees Screenshots
ThreeDegrees Screenshots

Johnny_Mac says ( 19 Feb 2003 ):

 

Yesterday mess told you about the new project by Microsoft threedegrees and its use with MSN Messenger 5. Today screenshots of threedegrees are available on Neowin.net. They show how messenger is integrated with the new Microsoft project and how you can group your MSN Messenger contacts. For a full list of screenshots, click here.

Update: Get your beta here !

[Source: Neowin]



 What version of MSN or Windows Messenger are you using?
What version of MSN or Windows Messenger are you using?

dwergs says ( 18 Feb 2003 ):

 

This week's poll is a repeat of our first poll 3 months ago: "What version of Microsoft's Messenger are you using?"

To find out, select Help from the pulldown menu and select About MSN/Windows Messenger. You don't need to get into the build version details, just verify if it's 4.6, 4.7 or 5.0 and whether you're using MSN or Windows Messenger.

Last time -which was only a few weeks after the release of MSN5- 60% users already switched to the next MSN Messenger version. Let's see how things have changed and please share your vote.



 NEW Messenger Plus! 2 Easter Egg
NEW Messenger Plus! 2 Easter Egg

dwergs says ( 18 Feb 2003 ):

 

We told you about the /patchou Easter Egg in MP2 earlier, but with the new release comes another secret bonus. We don't want to spoil your hunt so highlight the space between the [brackets] to find out what & how to access the undocumented Messenger Plus! feature.

- What is it? [A sound commands control panel! Messenger Plus! offers a set of commands to display a message while playing a special sound (heard by you and your contact)]

- How to get a taste? [type /sbrb in a conversation window and meet Arnie]

- UPDATE How to de-activate it? [type /sconfig (thanks to Patchou for telling us]

Thanks to Timothy for telling me about it and I suggest you try to find the other ones yourself.



  ICQ, Yahoo and ofcourse MSN on your Java-enabled phone
 ICQ, Yahoo and ofcourse MSN on your Java-enabled phone

dwergs says ( 18 Feb 2003 ):

 

Developed by mobile solutions firm LineFusion, the Java-based application, dubbed JustYak, allows both mobile-to-mobile and mobile-to-PC messaging in Signapore (and beyond). JustYak costs US$0.01 per message while incoming messages are free. The models deemed suitable for the chat software include the Motorola T720 and T720i, Motorola A388 and A6288, Nokia 7650, Siemens S55 and Sony Ericsson P800. [Source: CNET Asia]



 Messenger Plus! 2.02.23 (BETA) Released
Messenger Plus! 2.02.23 (BETA) Released

Johnny_Mac says ( 18 Feb 2003 ):

 

Messenger Plus! 2.02.23 public BETA has been released with over 35 bug fixes or modifications. These include:

Major Fixes
- /clear bug with emoticons
- Special Tags are parsed correctly when using a Quick Text alias
- You can now specify MP3 files for your Contact Sounds
- Deactivate Commands option works properly now
- Shortcuts in Plus! menus
- Crashing when sending a lot of carriage returns

Major Modifications
- Contact Name column in Contact Manager is now cut in two columns: name and email
- Added a /run command to execute programs or display web pages
- An option in the 'Various' window of the Preferences to remove the Share button from the IM windows toolbar
- (!IP) tag displays all you're IPs, not just your networks
- Added /PersoStat command to display the Personalised Status window
- You can now specify MP3 files for your Contact Sounds
- New Easter egg

A full detailed list of these mods and fixes can be found here and you can download this new version from mess right here.

Patchou has also announced that his website will be available soon, and we'll keep you posted as soon as it goes online.



 Threedegrees is really 'cool'
Threedegrees is really 'cool'

dwergs says ( 18 Feb 2003 ):

 

Next week Microsoft will release a public beta version of threedegrees, a persistent online application that will allow young people to express their social graces, and sometimes disgraces, among friends and lovers.

Here’s how it works: You invite friends to form a posse of up to 10 participants. [...] If you’re online—and since threedegrees assumes you have broadband, you’re probably online all the time—you give your friends a holler simply by sending the equivalent of an instant message. Everyone in the group will see it. If you want to send them a digital photo, you simply drag it over the icon and it shows up on everyone’s computer. Then there are “winks”: small animations that you trigger to run on everyone’s screen (Some of the standards include big lips smacking a kiss or a heavyset cartoon character who drops trou and cuts the cheese).

The most ambitious feature is called musicmix, an online equivalent of a pajama party where people take turns playing deejay. Each group member contributes favorite tunes into a shared playlist, displayed on a dashboard with a customized “skin,” and everyone listens together. A click from any participant can choose a new song. Then everyone chats about the tunes.

Will replace MSN Messenger? Will it work counter-productive as a time waster? I this Microsoft's attempt to get a piece of the P2P pie? It sure is something to keep an eye on so if you want to be notified when it's released, subscribe to the mailing list at Threedegrees.com.

UPDATE: You'll need Windows XP with Service Pack 1 and MSN Messenger 5 in order to run the p2p app.

[Source: MSNBC.com | Reported by: Zero1]



 Another Smartphone with MSN Messenger coming
Another Smartphone with MSN Messenger coming

dwergs says ( 17 Feb 2003 ):

 

T-Mobile International will be the third mobile operator to sell a device running Microsoft's Smartphone software. The German company will offer in Europe, starting midyear, the same handset from High Tech Computer that Philippine mobile operator Smart Communications said it would start selling soon.

The HTC triband phone has a color screen, 32MB of memory, and a MultiMediaCard expansion slot. Its software includes slimmed-down versions of Microsoft's Outlook, Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, and Windows Media Player.

[Found at Neowin - Vote for Mess.be on Neowin!-] [More info: PCWorld.com]



 Callserve disappears from Windows Messenger
Callserve disappears from Windows Messenger

dwergs says ( 17 Feb 2003 ):

 

Callserve, another integrated service that allows users of both Windows & MSN Messenger to "Make a call", will soon disappear from Windows Messenger. In an e-mail sent to its users over the weekend, the company suggested installing MSN Messenger which will continue offering the option:

".Net Voice Services currently is available and will continue to be available through MSN Messenger. All Windows Messenger features are available in MSN Messenger and you will have the same list of buddies in MSN Messenger"

Is this another sign of Windows Messenger 5.0 about to be released? [Source: an e-mail from Callserve]



 Your MSN Add-on & Mess.be Site Requests
Your MSN Add-on & Mess.be Site Requests

dwergs says ( 16 Feb 2003 ):

 

I'm temporarily opening a visitor's wishlist register where you can make requests for specific MSN Messenger add-ons, features, Mess.be site improvements and additions. The object of this list is to motivate and inspire add-on developers & the Mess.be team. Feel free to speak out (but please do so in the appropriate category) while you can and let's see what Messers want!



 Opera going "Børk" Style
Opera going

m_chibi says ( 16 Feb 2003 ):

 

It was already mentioned in the news that Microsoft is making sure that Opera's web browser does not properly display their homepage: "http://www.msn.com". Opera has released a new version with just one alteration. It makes the homepage of MSN look like nonsense, nonsense which was inspired on the swedish chef from "the muppet show".

Opera's point of view:
"This is a joke. However, we are trying to make an important point,"
[Mary Lambert, desktop product line manager at Opera]

Microsoft has not commented yet.



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