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 People switch partners faster than MSN accounts
People switch partners faster than MSN accounts

dwergs says ( 23 Oct 2004 ):

 

msnResearch involving nearly 23 000 Hotmail users in 13 countries has proven that people switch partners more often than they change Hotmail accounts. The study, called "Hotmail for Life", showed that for example 81.7 per cent of the Dutch participating Hotmail users had NEVER changed their Hotmail address, while 77.3% moved homes, 46.9% changed their haircolor and 44.9% bought a new car!

The same goes for other countries: the survey found that 74 per cent of Canadian respondents have NEVER changed their MSN Hotmail address, but a mere 11% have never changed job. Indians top the list of Hotmail loyalists: 92.3 per cent Indians have retained their original Hotmail addresses. India was followed by Italy (86.8 per cent), Germany (85.8 per cent) and Spain (85.3 per cent) in the list of Hotmail loyalists

A Hotmail address, also linked to other MSN services like MSN Messenger, appears to be one of the most stabil factors in the life of the Hotmail user. Of all respondents 66% owned their account for over three years already.

I have to note that the study was finalized before the recent Gmail hype. Perhaps the new breed of "Super Inbox" services has made some of the Hotmail loyalists change their minds... or accounts.

[Source: GlobeTechnology, Express India and Nu.nl]



 Updated: Spleak 0.80.22 (Public Beta)
Updated: Spleak 0.80.22 (Public Beta)

dwergs says ( 22 Oct 2004 ):

 

spleakThe second beta version of the Spleak plugin has been released today. By installing Spleak you get to enjoy the entertaining and useful presence of the female chatbot Spleak on your Messenger contact list.

Spleak is still in beta so please excuse her for growing pains, but if not now already she'll grow to be a cool acquisition to your contact list. So, what has changed?

- IMT Labs has tripled their servers so Spleak should be lightning fast now.
- An anti-spyware statement has been added to the setup. You can install Spleak with your eyes closed, but she's not unattractive so why should you ;)
- You can now easily uninstall Spleak if necessary.

Note that an MSN Messenger 7 compatible version is in the works.

spleak for msn messenger >> Download Spleak 0.80.22 (public beta). (Save as spleak.exe)

spleak for msn messenger >> Tell us what you think of Spleak.

spleak for msn messenger >> Visit Spleak's home.



 Added: Babes, Games and Movies
Added: Babes, Games and Movies

dwergs says ( 22 Oct 2004 ):

 

the ring display pictures for msn messengerFor those who don't know it yet, if you upload MSN display pictures marked with the mess.be URL you can win Amazon.com gift vouchers, Splitreason T-Shirts and other goodies.

What's important is that you follow our Adobe Photoshop instructions for making display pictures and/or tag them with our URL. QUALITY is always more important than quantity and we do not necessarily reward only mass uploaders (but it helps ;))!

The latest batch uploads included:

>> 23 The Ring 1 + 2 MSN Display Pictures.

>> 40 Def Jam Vendetta + Fight For New York MSN Display Pictures by ColdX.

>> 73 Vida Guerra MSN Display Pictures by pHr0sTbYt3.

If you're out of inspiration, we're looking for more Horror MSN Display Pictures and Horror MSN Emoticons to celebrate next week's Halloween appropriately.



 Microsoft, Swatch Offer New Wireless Watches
Microsoft, Swatch Offer New Wireless Watches

dwergs says ( 22 Oct 2004 ):

 

Microsoft and watch maker Swatch are offering a new line of wireless data watches bringing the era of Dick Tracy wristwatch radios one step closer.

Known as the "Paparazzi" line, the computerized Swatches offer local entertainment updates through a deal with publisher Time Out, as well as a chance to meet celebrities. The watches utilize unused local FM radio channels to broadcast general content as well as personalized scheduling information and instant messages to watches.

The watches are sold only in the United States and Canada so far, although the parties are eyeing European markets.

Some other MSN Direct compatible watches:

>> Fossil Watches - Wrist Net Dick Tracy - Wrist Net Dick Tracy Watch


>> Fossil Watches - Wrist Net Round - Wrist Net Round Watch


>> Fossil Watches - Wrist Net Square - Wrist Net Square Watch


[Source: Reuters.com]



 Istanbul, replacement for Windows Messenger
Istanbul, replacement for Windows Messenger

dwergs says ( 22 Oct 2004 ):

 

Microsoft announced its entry into the red-hot VoIP market Tuesday with the beta release of a new communications client capable of powering instant messaging, telephony integration and PC-based voice and video. Code-named Istanbul, it will be a "client of choice" replacement for Windows Messenger in a new version of the Office Live Communications Server (LCS).

Istanbul allows the use of a single interface to switch from instant messaging to conferencing to traditional telephony. The overall goal is for the integration of various communications and collaboration technologies to increase the productivity of teams of information workers. For example, with Istanbul, a user could search various address books for a company contact and view their status. That status information can be more than an away message.

The user interface for Istanbul looks very much like a standard IM menu, with contact lists and icons, but integration and interoperability promises increased functionality. In addition to IM and search, Istanbul blends VoIP and conferencing technologies.

The final release of LCS 2005 is scheduled for later this year; Istanbul is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2005.

[Source: InstantMessagingPlanet]



 MSN closes Nike Olé game for MSN Messenger
MSN closes Nike Olé game for MSN Messenger

dwergs says ( 21 Oct 2004 ):

 

At some point this month, MSN has closed and disabled access to its Nike-branded turn-based soccer game for MSN Messenger. This means we can not offer it to you anymore from our MSN Messenger Games Launcher. 4Across Birds, Pegball and the rest of the games remain available directly from the Mess.be launcher, even if they're not listed in your Fun & Games pulldown menu in MSN Messenger.



 Updated: Messenger Plus! 3.25.106
Updated: Messenger Plus! 3.25.106

dwergs says ( 21 Oct 2004 ):

 

As promised a week ago, here is Messenger Plus! 3.25. This version focuses on security and user satisfaction.

Every binary file of Messenger Plus! is now signed with a Verisign Digital Signature: the publisher's name is Patchou. The setup and the way the sponsor agreement is presented to the user is now ten times clearer:
- a separated explanation message;
- a delay forcing the user to pay attention;
- a screenshot of the search bar installed by C2Media
- a clearer "I refuse" option.

Patchou is assuring us there is no way you can miss the point of this screen now: "Let's hope it will calm down some of the people who have been criticizing me over the past months, my first goal is to make a great Messenger plugin that everyone will enjoy, and if I have to take a pay cut for this to happen, so be it."

So, a round-up of the changes:
- The sponsor agreement has been modified extensively;
- From now on, every public release of Messenger Plus! will be signed by Verisign as coming from Patchou;
- Several bug fixes;
- This version is the last one NOT compatible with MSN Messenger 7 yet.

>> Download Messenger Plus! 3.25.106.

[Reported by: Xero_Cool, XxRebelSeanxX & R-Style]

On a side-note: KeyStorm, Choli, Chrono and Omar are proud to bring you the board of the Spanish Messenger Plus! Community.

They would like to introduce it as a sibling board of the official Plus! Community and it has the same recognition: Patchou has given his consent for all news appearing in there to be official and all the help will be given by experienced users.

>> Visit the Spanish Messenger Plus! Community Board. [Reported by: KeyStorm & XxRebelSeanxX]



 Added: Katie Holmes and Colin Farrell Display Pictures
Added: Katie Holmes and Colin Farrell Display Pictures

dwergs says ( 21 Oct 2004 ):

 

katie holmes msn display picturesOne for the boys and one for the girls. I leave it up to you to decide :)

>> Browse 62 Katie Holmes MSN display pictures.
>> Browse 61 Colin Farrell MSN display pictures.



 Transcript of the MSN Beta Chat on MSN Messenger 7
Transcript of the MSN Beta Chat on MSN Messenger 7

dwergs says ( 20 Oct 2004 ):

 

Without further ado, here is the transcript of the MSN Beta Chat on MSN Messenger 7 finished only minutes ago around 3:30 AM my local time. The room was filled with over 200 MSN Messenger enthusiasts, including of course a cool gang of Messers, Plussers and Neowinians. Hundreds of questions were asked but only a limited amount (most of mine, yay!) got answered. Contrary to what I posted earlier, the chat transcript is now formatted.

UPDATE: For those who don't want to read through the whole transcript here are some of the most interesting Q&A's.

Q: Are we [like some people claim] going to have to pay for webcam conversations?
A: The webcam feature that shipped in version 6 of Messenger will continue to be free in version 7. We are introducing a new feature in version 7 that will allow you to make premium audio/video conversations including full screen video that will be for a subscription fee.

Q: Everytime I open up my MSN Messenger, the contacts refresh. Is this a bug?
A: Yes and we have fixed it. This shouldn't be a problem in the final release :)

Q: Some of the bitmaps are out of place with the rest of the UI, like the nudge bitmap in the chat window. Will these be changed to match?
A: Yes, we have updated these images.

Q: Will be NAT supported in audio?
A: We have made several improvements in this area, stay tuned for public beta.

Q: Fix the leaks in your internal team ;)
A: Heh... if wishing made it so. :)

Q: Could we please sign in offline from the systray via right click?
A: Someone else mentioned just the other day that we were missing this access capability. We're looking into how we can do this.

Q: The scrollbar within conversation windows randomly goes up and won't come back down, this has been a problem in past versions as well; will this be fixed in v7?
A: Yes, we've fixed several bugs related to this since we've released the beta. I won't promise that it is perfect, but I'll say that I haven't seen the problem anymore.

Q: A suggestion: maybe make e-mail addresses and display names copyable in the contact cards for easy access. :)
A: I agree. I've made this suggestion myself. It should be fixed by the time we get to the final release.

Q: How old is the oldest member of your development team?
A: over 47 years old!

Q: Whats the youngest member of the dev team?
A: 21 years old.

Q: Do you guys use MSN Messenger *after* work too?
A: After work.. we never go home :) Just kidding of course we use it after work - it is almost a requirement for employment on the team.

Q: Will we have a feature that will allow us to physically punch other users in the face when they annoy us?
A: That feature currently exists, and is just undiscovered by our users.

Q: Are you evaluating bio-mod enhancements such as direct brain wave links to your buddies in a future version of MSN Messenger?
A: Are you signing up to be a beta tester if we do? :-0

Q: Do you ph43r AIM?
A: We ph43r no1

>> Read the complete MSN Messenger 7 Beta Chat.



 Official beta page conceals Winks as top attraction in MSNM7
Official beta page conceals Winks as top attraction in MSNM7

dwergs says ( 19 Oct 2004 ):

 

While some are questioning the authenticity of the beta page mentioned in yesterday's news (read our update for more on that), Zero1 discovered the Winks feature being carefully hidden in the source of the page in question.

This could mean it is still unsure whether the short Flash animations with sound you can make appear on top of your contact's conversation window known as Winks, will even be included in the public beta of MSN Messenger 7 expected in the next couple of weeks. If this is true, we can assume the dangerous exploit hasn't been defeated yet.

A Microsoft spokeswoman said earlier that Winks are still planned for the final release in 2005 but mentioned nothing about including it or not in the prior public beta.

Of course, these are all assumptions. MSN can easily and at the 11th hour make the announcement of the feature appear again by removing just a couple of characters in the source. But still, it's an interesting find for all "easter egg" lovers.



 Chatters make better friends
Chatters make better friends

dwergs says ( 19 Oct 2004 ):

 

msn friendsUnlike what the display picture to the right wants to make you believe, young people who frequently communicate with their peers on the Internet have stronger relationships than those who don't. That's the conclusion of a study acclompished by P. Valkenburg at the University of Amsterdam.

In the nineties researches warned parents for the negative effects of chat on social behaviour. Back then, online time seemed to decrease direct contact with close friends and relatives.

Nowadays, only four percent talks to "strangers" online and modern technlogy stimulates getting in touch with your existing social network. Friendships get stronger especially if youth can use chat software like MSN Messenger to talk about personal stuff, including love, secrets, sexuality and typical puberty worries.

[Source: Nu.nl] [Reported by: Timothy]



 MSN Display Pictures and MSN Emoticons currently unavailable
MSN Display Pictures and MSN Emoticons currently unavailable

dwergs says ( 19 Oct 2004 ):

 

We're sorry for the inconvenience, but our collection of thousands of MSN Display Pictures and MSN Emoticons is currently having problems with all the traffic. We're trying to fix this issue as soon as possible. In the meantime, these specials are still available:

>> Special Presidential Election Display Pictures .

>> Mess.be's exclusive Freemoticons - MSN Display Pictures installers.

>> Mess.be's exclusive Freemoticons - Emoticons installers.

>> Atoma's MSN Buddy Display Pictures.

>> Last year's Academy Awards Display Pictures.

>> MSN Display Pictures you can wear...



 Public Beta of MSN Messenger "coming soon"
Public Beta of MSN Messenger

Zero1 says ( 18 Oct 2004 ):

 

According to a new official MSN page the public beta release of MSN Messenger 7 is "coming soon". The private beta has spread like fire for the past two weeks and while probably all the new features have already been discussed here in detail, MSN is "teasing" us with stuff like drag and drop backgrounds, set your status before logon and send feedback.

The page allows you to sign up for receiving a .NET alert on the release of the new beta, but we're quite sure we'll beat them to it with our own Mess.be News Alerts ;)

UPDATE: It's being rumored the "beta" page mentioned above is fake because of spelling mistakes and misleading domain information. We can tell you that it's linked on messenger.msn.com and MSN itself is sending the link internally to their MSN Portals around the world. It is officially backed by Microsoft, but if you're afraid of getting spammed by their alert, you can always unsubscribe and just sign up for our Mess.be News Alerts to get all the Mess.be news flashes directly delivered to your MSN Messenger window.

[Reported by: Stigmata]



 Spleak looking for a place on your contact list!
Spleak looking for a place on your contact list!

dwergs says ( 18 Oct 2004 ):

 

spleak betaI prepared you for the launch of Spleak last week and today it... or should I say she is FINALLY here!

We're proud to give you an exclusive taste of the first public beta version of a new, intelligent chat bot for MSN Messenger. This version is just the beginning but we at Mess.be are pretty confident she'll become one of your most entertaining and useful contacts... If not at first, then definitely in the future when she continues to grow and learn! Promised :)

By downloading and installing the Spleak plugin you will add her to your MSN Messenger 6 or Windows Messenger 4.7 contact list. Spleak would be a good reason to stick with MSN Messenger 6, but if you have the MSN Messenger 7 BETA installed, you can for now meet her through Windows Messenger until full 7.0 compatibility is achieved.

What are you waiting for? Go and meet Spleak. You'll like her! :)

>> Download Spleak 0.71.20 (public beta). (Rename to spleak.exe if necessary to run)

>> Browse our Spleak display pictures and see how she looks like.

>> Tell us what you think of Spleak.

>> Visit Spleak's home.

Oh, and if you tell your friends about her, you get a chance to win a free iPod every week! Find out more about that, and all things Spleak at her homepage.



 Updated: Mess Patch for MSN Messenger 7.0.0225
Updated: Mess Patch for MSN Messenger 7.0.0225

dwergs says ( 17 Oct 2004 ):

 

The ultimate MSN Messenger patch aptly called Mess Patch is back for the latest beta build: 7.0.0225. The CVR Patcher and Wink Disabler would be pointless for this version, so they have been removed from this long list of tweaking options:

- Enable polygamy;
- Install custom games;
- Remove the (BETA)-tag (and restore your custom content from 6.2);
- Disable Nudges;
- Enable Multiline Nicknames;
- Remove Add Contact label;
- Remove MSN Search bar;
- Remove the banner ad;
- Show the Enable/Disable Tabs checkbox in your options;
- Remove the MSN Today button;
- Fix nickname length bug;
- And a new one: add a contact list background image on the go, choose any .png on your hard drive and it does the job for you.

Big thanks to TheBlasphemer and theunknown whom without this patch might
not have been what it is and of course also thanks to Rolando, WindowsX and Koen for their dedication and contribution.

>> Download Mess Patch for MSN Messenger 7.0.0225 BETA.



 Your MSN Display Picture as your T-Shirt and vice versa
Your MSN Display Picture as your T-Shirt and vice versa

dwergs says ( 17 Oct 2004 ):

 

Your cool MSN Display Pictures don't necessarily have to be seen by online people only. We have a collection of MSN Display Pictures which you can buy on a t-shirt, hat, hoodie, etc. Bring your online personality out to the streets or the other way round: be what your wear, on MSN Messenger. We have just added funky new designs by our SplitReason partner.

>> Check out the MSN Display Pictures you can wear.



 Quick Survey: Are you using MSN Messenger 7 BETA already?
Quick Survey: Are you using MSN Messenger 7 BETA already?

dwergs says ( 17 Oct 2004 ):

 

Today we would like to find out how many of you Messers are already using the MSN Messenger 7 beta! This will help us decide what version to lay our focus on for now regarding addons and custom content, because right now we're in some kind of twilight zone in-between versions.

>> Are you using MSN Messenger 7 BETA or not? (3 questions, will take maximum 1 minute to complete).



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