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 Three two-player Messenger games added to our launcher
Three two-player Messenger games added to our launcher

dwergs says ( 24 Feb 2007 ):

 

Utterly bored and nothing to do this weekend? Then have a ball with these three new games I've just added to Mess.be's exclusive launcher:

- BrainBattle, a mash-up of Trivial Pursuit and Live Search. The smartest player wins!
- Stack 'Em, a mash-up of The Sims and Bejeweled. The quickest player wins!
- Movin' It, a mash-up of McDonald's and Dance Dance Revolution. The funkiest player wins!

BrainBattle Stack 'Em Movin' It

>> Launch Messenger Games via Mess.be.



 Give your Messenger a Windows Vista makeover
Give your Messenger a Windows Vista makeover

dwergs says ( 23 Feb 2007 ):

 

Windows Vista Messenger is a full Windows Live Messenger skin by Nuno Peralta that gives the software's backgrounds, buttons and overall look the typical Windows Vista style treatment. It might take a few minutes to get used to because some buttons were reorganized, while extra shortcuts have been added. Among the bonus features are status changing from within the conversation window, disabled ads, selectable nicknames, display picture thumbnails in the contact list , and more.

Windows Vista Messenger needs to be installed over the final version of Windows Live Messenger (8.1.0178). Here's how:

1) Shutdown Windows Live Messenger COMPLETELY.
2) Go to Start > Run and execute %programfiles%/MSN Messenger or go to your MSN Messenger directory.
3) Rename msgsres.dll to msgsres.bak.
4) Rename newemail.wma, nudge.wma, online.wma and type.wma all to *.bak
5) Unzip the files inside the archive into your Messenger directory.
6) Start Windows Live Messenger again.
NOTE: To uninstall, just rename the *.bak files to their original extensions.

windows vista messenger skin for windows live messenger


>> Download Windows Vista Messenger 8.1.0178 (v1.2).

>> Discuss Windows Vista Messenger on our forum.

UPDATE: Credit where credit is due! This is not the first skin to inject a bit of Vista into Messenger. Back in September last year, Stianu89 and Blue_Eyes delivered Vista Live Messenger for the then actual 8.0.0782 build. It would be disrespectful not to mention and display their original ideas in relation to this just released skin.

It's a hard job to keep full skins current with every new build of Messenger, but I would definitely encourage the effort (and the official submission afterwards). (To be continued...)



 Microsoft removes porn bot from Messenger network
Microsoft removes porn bot from Messenger network

dwergs says ( 21 Feb 2007 ):

 

Microsoft was forced to remove a Dutch bot called Kylie from its Messenger network after it was reported to spread pornographic material. In addition to random dirty talk, the bot also linked to a handful of explicit videos at partner sites. Since the launch of Kylie on Monday, at least 7000 people added "her" address to their contact lists before the bot was killed off by Microsoft on Tuesday at noon.

messenger mood seksehArnout Hemel, responsible for the MSN Messenger/Windows Live Platform at Microsoft Netherlands, told Emerce that they were unaware of the bot, that it wasn't licensed (it technically by-passed the allow list limit) and that it had to be removed because the company doesn't allow distribution of pornography, hatred and discrimination on its network. Hemel also stressed the presence of the "Report abuse" option under the software's Help menu, which helps Microsoft identify similar cases.

However, the bot's homepage (WARNING: nudity) already mentions a new address which, I just checked (hey, it's business, no pleasure!), is currently active. I feel a game of cat and mouse coming up...

UPDATE: After the closure of the bot's second account, its creator decided to move away from Messenger and concentrate solely on a web-based interface. In his statement regarding the matter, he accuses MSN Netherlands of being too naive when it comes to sex on their network.



 Conclusion: Spyware installer removed from Messenger ad banner
Conclusion: Spyware installer removed from Messenger ad banner

dwergs says ( 21 Feb 2007 ):

 

In response to the malware fiasco we unveiled last Friday, Microsoft today sent out an official statement in which they apologize for the trouble and promise to do all things necessary to prevent the spyware popups from appearing again:

"Microsoft was notified of malware that was being served through ads placed in Windows Live Messenger banners. As a result of this notification Microsoft immediately investigated the reports and removed the offending ads, as this is a violation of Microsoft's ad serving policy. Microsoft can confirm that the ads are no longer being served by any Microsoft system.

Microsoft apologizes for the inconvenience and is reviewing Microsoft's ad approval process to reduce the chance of an occurrence such as this happening again. To help customers protect their PCs from malware threats, Microsoft recommends customers follow our Protect your PC guidance at www.microsoft.com/protect.
"

We haven't received any further reports of the issue since the weekend.

On a funnier note, serial entrepreneur Morten Lund caught Microsoft promoting breast implants in a Danish conversation window ad. I prefer these over nasty spyware infiltration but still I bet lots of concerned parents wouldn't want their IM'ing daughters to look into this sort of thing, would they?

Found a silly or shocking Messenger ad yourself? Take a screenshot and send it this way.



 Spleak gets voice and it's not robotic
Spleak gets voice and it's not robotic

dwergs says ( 21 Feb 2007 ):

 

I stumbled upon Spleak's blog today and was surprised to see that the virtual persona's latest post was no regular text, but a genuine voice message. It must be the first time a Messenger bot is given a voice and not in a Microsoft Sam (text-to-spleakspeech) kinda way but a real, human voice.

So now that Spleak has a voice, what could be next? Her answers through Voice clips or maybe even a voice conversation? Or wait, since she has expanded beyond Windows Live Messenger (a blog, an AIM address, a MySpace account...) perhaps her first hit single?

>> Add spleak@hotmail.com to your contact list.



 Forced 8.1 Beta to Final update
Forced 8.1 Beta to Final update

dwergs says ( 21 Feb 2007 ):

 

Contrary to the optional upgrade at the beginning of the month, users of the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta are now obliged to download the final version of the software if they want to be able to sign. The upgrade dialog still links to an out of date "What's New" page but at least it doesn't mention a new "Beta" any longer.

forced windows live messenger 8.1 upgrade

We might soon see an official statement regarding the hidden hidden i'm emoticon emoticon now that version 8.1.0178 is being forced upon users.

>> Download Mess Patch for Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0178 to get rid of bloat and make it fit your needs.

>> Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Final in the following languages (thanks to MenthiX): Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish & Ukrainian.



 Updated: Adium X 1.0.1
Updated: Adium X 1.0.1

dwergs says ( 20 Feb 2007 ):

 

Probably the most popular third-party Messenger client for Mac OS X, Adium X, has been updated already two weeks after its milestone 1.0 release. The changelog can be found here and includes a fixed memory leak when initialising MSN, and accepting custom MSN emoticons by default.

>> Download Adium X 1.0.1.



 Twitter + Messenger = Twessenger, for remote status updates
Twitter + Messenger = Twessenger, for remote status updates

dwergs says ( 19 Feb 2007 ):

 

twessenger, a Twitter add-in for windows live messengerHere's something cool for the 24/7 Messer, something I've been waiting for to be developed since a couple of weeks. If you're anything like me and stay logged in continuously for days and days -even when you're out- you sometimes read instant messages like "Are you there?" or "Where are you going tonight?" only when you return. Not everyone's always strict with his or her Messenger status, you see. But what if you could alter your Personal Status Message from any remote location with the use of your mobile phone? Enter: Twessenger, an add-in for Windows Live Messenger written by Kunal Kundaje.

Twessenger makes use of the popular Twitter service, which allows its users to let others know what exactly they're up to. So all you need to do is sign up for an account at Twitter, make sure the "Protect my updates" box in your profile account is unticked and find your Twitter ID (it's the six digit number in your Flash badge code or at the end of the Favorites URL).

Then download and install Twessenger, add the add-in to Windows Live Messenger, and enter your Twitter ID in its settings (refer to the README.TXT inside the ZIP-file for all you need to know, really). Finally, when you enable it you'll see your Personal Status Message turn into your latest "Tweet" (updates appear in about a minute). You can add Tweets from your phone's browser, or if you do not have a data subscription you can text them to a UK or US-based phone number.

You can use this for realtime presence management, current location indication or just for sharing random thoughts and impressions with your contacts.

>> Sign up for a free Twitter account.

>> Download Twessenger (run the included .reg file to enable the add-ins menu).



 Follow-up: Spyware installer hides in Messenger ad banner
Follow-up: Spyware installer hides in Messenger ad banner

dwergs says ( 18 Feb 2007 ):

 

Since I posted about the spyware invasion in Messenger ads last Friday, I have received a dozen of confirmations of the horror story. MenthiX voluntarily hunted down the ad and made us some more screenshots. The man also pointed me to a more elaborate post on the issue by Sandi "Spyware Sucks" Hardmeier.

The Microsoft MVP writes that Microsoft has been extremely responsive and that they're working on the problem. In an update to her original post, she says that she's been "cycling through rad.msn.com advertisements for a couple of hours now, and all three featured advertisements seem to be gone". But she also adds that "if the bad guys behind Winfixer can get in once, they'll continue to do so - they are sneaky, and dishonest, and know every trick in the book to slip in under the radar."

While this would be an excellent opportunity to promote our Mess Patch for its ad-removal option, it is unfortunately no cure against the automated pop-up. Sandi recommends that MSN/Windows Live Messenger users download and install Mike Burgess's HOSTS file to help block Winfixer and other scum.



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