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 Free Winter Grooves Wink from Windows Live
Free Winter Grooves Wink from Windows Live

dwergs says ( 03 Feb 2006 ):

 

windows live winksAll Windows Live Beta participants today received a special MSN/Windows Live Messenger Wink. Messers Kangie, Zack Whittaker, KitCh, TEENAGER and MJAG03 were so kind to share the link with us, so now everyone can get the one-of-a-kind Winter Grooves Wink for free over here.


custom winksI also noticed customizable Winks over at BlueMountain. It was already possible to buy selected animated Winks and add a personal message to them, but now you can also include your favorite photo inside a Wink, like I did with a Messer's fanpic in the example to the left. Add a Photo Winks will cost you $1.50 per piece. If this is your kind of thing, you might want to create one in time for St. Valentine's Day?



 About the Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Public Preview
About the Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Public Preview

dwergs says ( 03 Feb 2006 ):

 

A couple of days ago a preview version of the Internet Explorer 7 Beta was released to the public. This release includes the long-awaited tabbed browsing (as seen before in Maxthon and Firefox), RSS support, zoom, and lots more. Also when accessing some blogs on Spaces we noticed the appearance of a mysterious yellow bar asking us whether to allow the "Messenger Beta" addon or not. Can you feel the cross-integration coming our way?

Heavy Display Picture rotators who can't live without our Internet Explorer Display Picture plugin should not worry: the tool is perfectly compatible with IE7.

>> Download Internet Explorer 7 Public Beta 2.



 How to get a f%#*ing awesome job
How to get a f%#*ing awesome job

dwergs says ( 03 Feb 2006 ):

 

Hundreds of you would very likely trade a kidney to become part of the Messenger development team. Guess what? Now's your chance, but don't start cutting yourself yet! Microsoft has listed several job positions on their careers site, so simply submitting your stunning resume will do (no surgery required).

To a certain level, these job descriptions reveal future plans for Windows Live Messenger and its integration into other applications. For instance, they're looking for a software developer to kick off a brand new bot platform. "The bot platform’s main goal is to make it super easy [for our partners] to build bot applications that drive user engagement in Windows Live Messenger." In the same area, Microsoft is also looking for a developer to build the first version of the presence platform. The task is to build "cool new APIs" for both internal as external developers to use in presence rich applications.

According to another job description, "Microsoft is building a home user focused E-mail client like never seen before. This will be the primary E-mail client in the Windows operating system and beyond. This can include non-traditional E-mail areas: contacts, RSS, Instant Messaging, SMS." Finally, the most recent vacancy concerns the development of "bold new sharing features". And it sounds urgent ;)

So if you're seriously interested AND available, why not give it a shot? We've been told it helps e-mailing your resume to mccthiremicrosoft.com along with answers to these questions:

- What is your favorite Messenger feature and why?
- What Messenger feature drives you crazy and what would you change to make it better?
- What software engineering project are you most proud of?
- What's the toughest technical problem you personally had to solve?


And if you've graduated recently (2 years), include your transcript as well. Serious applications only! (Hey! This is Microsoft you're applying at) Oh, and of course you must be prepared to leak top secret Windows Live Messenger information to Mess.be once you get the job ;)



 Invite-winning Dudes and Dudettes
Invite-winning Dudes and Dudettes

dwergs says ( 02 Feb 2006 ):

 

The day before yesterday I asked you to post your custom Mess Dude/Dudette on your personal site or blog, in exchange for a beta-invitation to Windows Live Messenger. The first twenty to notify me of their "Duderized" site would receive an invite, but I just decided to throw in an extra ten. So here are the thirty winners:

msn dollzstan, DavidSum, Schiaccianoci, rjbriggsy, Karl Stocker, royale, G_C, gongringer, billynomates, SR, bochenn, Tommy Li, Banzai, ClaudiaXX, sorbo, IZON, Alejandro, TLs4, kidkuniva, Prizunur, Freshe, nixher, ailian, Ville Turpeinen, Richie, Matthew, chris, Patrick Losier, Andrew Stinson and dave.

Thanks to everyone who participated and of course, a big thank you to invite donors for this round: ianjmcd, OunKaiHiong, Yoo.dk, paul moljgun, Eddy, stupler, DgTL and d0t.



 Free license from Conversagent for BOT developers
Free license from Conversagent for BOT developers

Inky says ( 01 Feb 2006 ):

 

Good news for hobbyists and the like who are interested in creating a BOT for MSN Messenger: Conversagent has teamed up with Microsoft to temporarily offer free licenses for their BOT SDK, called BuddyScript. The offer will be available for the next 6 months, so if you're interested in it get it while it's still available!

BOTs developed with the BuddyScript SDK will also have the RL (Reverse List) limitations removed, allowing the BOT to be used by an unlimited number of users. The free licenses allow for up to 50,000 sessions per month, however on request this limit can be removed for the remaining period.

>> Visit the Conversagent Developer Center where you can sign up for the free license.

>> Read the post made by Todd Biggs on the MSDN Forums.



 Windows Live Messenger Invites for Mess Dudes and Dudettes
Windows Live Messenger Invites for Mess Dudes and Dudettes

dwergs says ( 31 Jan 2006 ):

 

Are you wondering why we suddenly stopped overloading our visitors with Windows Live Messenger invites? Well, that's because with the help of dozens of great Messers we reached our initial goal to give away 100 invites per day during 8 days (since it's Messenger version 8.0). Now, more accurately and including all contests, we've handed out a whopping 907 invites in total!

Despite of the time out, we're not gonna stop here. So, here's a new, on-the-fly contest. I'm offering Windows Live Messenger Beta invites to the 20 first Messers who send me a link to their website or blog properly displaying their personalized Mess Dude somewhere (eg. in a blog post, as their profile picture, etc). Just as long as it's publicly viewable for your visitors/readers! Oh, and a bit of promotion for our free Dudes Display Picture generator is greatly appreciated ;)

>> Send us the page where we can find your Mess Dude or Dudette (include a valid e-mail address!).

 

(this banner shows the 7 latest avatars created by you (updated every minute). Say "Hi!" to your Dude(tte) when you see it appear in the Mess.be news!)



 Sharing Folders Utility for Windows Live Messenger
Sharing Folders Utility for Windows Live Messenger

dwergs says ( 31 Jan 2006 ):

 

Microsoft released a tool yesterday to help Windows Live Messenger users with the Shared Folders feature, or more precisely, to help the Messenger development team fix certain issues by providing as much details as possible. Sharing Assistant will "perform basic diagnostics, package all necessary logs to report feedback, and clean up Shared Folders related components if necessary".

>> Download Sharing Assistant here.

Please note that the Shared Folders feature is currently available in the managed Windows Live Messenger Beta, and to specific regions only.

WARNING: Using the "Cleaner" option in the Sharing Assistant will result in loss of data, such as shared content, cached contacts, etc. It is strongly recommended that you perform clean up after backing up your data, and if -and only if- instructed to do so by Support.



 Yahoo! leads in Mobile domain, AOL in Mobile IM
Yahoo! leads in Mobile domain, AOL in Mobile IM

dwergs says ( 31 Jan 2006 ):

 

M:Metrics, a research firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington, has found that Yahoo! is the most popular mobile content brand in the US with an average of 12.8 million mobile subscribers accessing their services per month. The second position, with over eight and a half million subscribers, is occupied by AOL. That's because 89 percent of their users enjoy the seamless access to their AIM buddy lists on their handsets.

Close to AOL we have MSN and Google with about 7 million subscribers accessing their mobile offerings each month during the fourth quarter of 2005.

In December 2005 about 7.35 percent of the US mobile subscribers used their mobile device for personal e-mail, and 6.32 percent for IM. As expected, text messaging (SMS) is still far more frequently used (33.32 percent subscribers).

"Although these are early days in mobile media, the aggressive efforts in mobile by Yahoo! and AOL are paying off," said Mark Donovan, vice president, products and senior analyst. "But it is a close race, and as traditional media brands put more muscle into their mobile businesses, we expect that the market will shift."

With Windows Live Mobile recently shifting into Public Beta mode, Microsoft is far from neglecting their presence in the mobile domain, so with the right kind of market breeding (make us nomadic IM users!) I'm expecting it to grow significantly in 2006. And while I lack the scientific data to back this up, I'm sure the MSN brand is positioned higher already in the European mobile market. Who uses AIM over here anyway?

[Source: M:Metrics]



 Unofficial update: MSN Messenger 7.5.0324
Unofficial update: MSN Messenger 7.5.0324

dwergs says ( 31 Jan 2006 ):

 

John Weis, Software Test Engineer for MSN Messenger, posted an update to the now official 7.5.0322 version on our forum. Build 324 only includes a one-line fix, but if you're still having problems with 322 you're advised to try this one.

>> Download MSN Messenger 7.5.0324 (unofficial, English-only build).

>> Post your experiences with this build in this forum thread.

[Found by: Zahid]



 Being an IM addict is not a bad thing
Being an IM addict is not a bad thing

dwergs says ( 30 Jan 2006 ):

 

geek msn display pictureIf you're like me, your "less computer savvy" friends have probably already confronted you with the fact you always seem to be online whenever they "sporadically" log into MSN Messenger. And I bet millions of parents are worried that their kids spends too much time chatting, and too little breathing the fresh outdoor air. But the stereotype of the Internet loner with a complete lack of social skills has now been proven invalid by Pew Internet and American Life Project's recent study called The Strength Of Internet Ties.

Instead of cutting you off from contact with others, especially e-mail, but also Instant Messaging, is actually bringing us closer, the study reports. "With the help of the Internet, people are able to maintain active contact with sizable social networks, even though many of the people in those networks do not live nearby." Results of the study show that we also use the Internet to seek out others in our networks of contacts when we need help, so it's a good thing to get that contact list growing!

It's funny how, at the moment this report got published, the exact same topic came up when talking to fellow invitees after the Windows Live Session event last week. An event which was on its own an example of how using the Internet and its communication tools expanded my personal social network. I guess these researchers are absolutely right then, and we got ourselves an academically accepted excuse to remain hooked on MSN Messenger.

>> Read The Strength of Internet Ties (PDF).

PS: The "geek" Display Picture next to this post is part of the first Jellitons pack by Apothix, available for free through CustoMess for MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger)



 IEDP 2 gets Firefox 1.5 support
IEDP 2 gets Firefox 1.5 support

timothy says ( 30 Jan 2006 ):

 

While still in beta phase (it shows set as display picture with non-images), we have just released the IEDP 2 Firefox 1.5 extension. IEDP 2 is compatible with all recent versions of Windows (down to 98), MSN Messenger 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 7.0, 7.5, Windows Live Messenger, Internet Explorer (5.5 and higher) and Firefox (0.7 and higher).

>> Download IEDP 2 with Firefox 1.5 extension.

Note: the Firefox 1.5 extension will work on earlier versions of Firefox, but we advise you to use the Firefox 1.0 extension if you are using Firefox 1.0 or lower.



 BlackBerry adds Google Talk, third parties offer MSN Messenger
BlackBerry adds Google Talk, third parties offer MSN Messenger

dwergs says ( 30 Jan 2006 ):

 

Read on eWeek that BlackBerry maker Research In Motion announced a new relationship with Google through which users of the wireless communications devices can access the search giant's IM, along with its local search and geographic mapping tools. Google Talk for BlackBerry, due sometime in Spring 2006, will be a customized version of the search provider's online IM client software designed specifically for use on RIM's handhelds.

I do not own a BlackBerry device, but this news made me wonder if there's an MSN Messenger solution available for Messers out there. I found several, of which a shareware application and an ad-supported version seemed best. Check the FAQ Can I use MSN Messenger with my BlackBerry?. If something much better for BlackBerry is missing from that page, let me know and let me know why. Your comprehensive reviews are always helpful.



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