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 Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta leaked
Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta leaked

dwergs says ( 08 Sep 2006 ):

 

Ah, boys will be boys. The Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta build (8.1.0064) released earlier today has been spotted at numerous download locations (eg. here with thousands of downloads even before we posted UPDATE: Working mirror).

PS: Don't shoot the messenger! This is an unsupported Beta version and we do not recommend installing it.

UPDATE: In order to sign in with this Beta fix error 810003cc you can try to register for the Yahoo! Interop Beta first. Oh, and Messenger Plus! Live currently doesn't support 8.1.

UPDATE #2: With his keen eye Messer vaccination spotted another change in this build: a sign-out option in the status menu.



 Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta started (+ screenshots)
Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta started (+ screenshots)

dwergs says ( 08 Sep 2006 ):

 

Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0064 Beta was made available to accepted Beta testers via Microsoft Connect tonight.

According to this forum post new features are:

- Improved Vista compatibility,
- New Personal Expressions UI (menus for Winks, Emoticons, etc.),
- New Personal Status Message options (eg. Show your location, screenshot #1 and #2!),
- New look for Contact Cards.
- A new branding platform,
- Improved re-authentication at sign in,
- Roaming Display Pictures (following you wherever you go),
- New platform architecture in key areas such as automatic updates and object store (where your personalized data is kept on your computer).

[Reported by: Huuf, xsictransitx, Uncle Sam, Jase, loopyroo & Beau Giles]



 ABN Amro introduces Messenger Saldo
ABN Amro introduces Messenger Saldo

dwergs says ( 07 Sep 2006 ):

 

As of today ABN Amro clients can check their account's money balance anywhere anytime via Windows Live Messenger. In pursuit of the Messenger tab launched by SNS Bank last year, it is the second bank in The Netherlands (and probably in the whole world) allowing its clients to access their accounts via Microsoft's popular IM software.

The Messenger Saldo service works differently though: once activated, the user will just have to send the command "saldo" followed by the last four numbers of his bank account number to an ABN Amro bot in order to receive his current balance.

While the service was beta-tested among 1000 students, they checked their balance on average five times a week around lunch/dinner or after 10 PM. Though 100 per cent correct, the bot's reply probably wasn't always satisfying...

[Reported by: Schizi] [Source: nu.nl (Dutch)]



 Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta, are you in yet?
Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta, are you in yet?

dwergs says ( 07 Sep 2006 ):

 

Two weeks ago Microsoft started building its army of Beta-testers for the next Windows Live Messenger release. Since then, 1689 lucky people have been accepted, of which 1502 in the past 7 days. This number includes personally invited Beta butterflies and active testers for a previous version of the software (eg. for the Yahoo! interoperability).

In the likely case that your application is still pending (check connect.microsoft.com) it's time to start praying to just about any god you believe in!



 Funambol pays developers $1000 for Messenger plug-in
Funambol pays developers $1000 for Messenger plug-in

dwergs says ( 06 Sep 2006 ):

 

Mobile open source software company, Funambol, today announced it will pay up to $2,000 to open source community members who develop specific open source connectors and plug-ins that extend the mobile functionality of the community's most desired applications. The Funambol Community Code Sniper Program will focus development efforts on the most desired projects stated by the mobile open source community, broaden interoperability of the Funambol code base and reward developers who do the work.

One of the projects on their "Hit List" is a PIM plug-in for MSN Messenger (though I'm sure they meant Windows Live Messenger). If coders reading this are interested in the $1000 reward, I suggest they check out all the details here.



 Conceiving an Eccky now free!
Conceiving an Eccky now free!

dwergs says ( 06 Sep 2006 ):

 

As announced in July, the Dutch Eccky activity for Messenger has now become completely free of charge whereas it used to cost €1.50 per virtual baby. Media Republic believes enough revenue will come from sponsors and the sale of extra items inside the game. The famous H&M brand for instance has recently made their actual fashion line available via Eccky's virtual clothing shop.

Furthermore, Postbank clients can now put their Eccky on their personalized bank cards, giving them eternal life on plastic.

Mess.be got a hold of some free Eccky credits you can spend on extra stuff. Eccky codes can only be used once so first comes first served.

0f6721274f824664a3014dd0cd2902b0
4e5034647c5f410598dfb2afd316226a
096c63ff4df943d5a70bca3489c54abe
db683364f7694902a2400f9f37de011c
074753d6524649ae828f763052ca48f0


>> Launch the Eccky game via our Games Launcher. Only a Dutch version is available at this time, but other markets are being considered.



 Careless Messaging Costs Lives! Join the Communication Evolution
Careless Messaging Costs Lives! Join the Communication Evolution

dwergs says ( 05 Sep 2006 ):

 

"We've all seen the headlines: "Eight Hospitalized In Messaging Inferno" and "My File Sharing Emergency Transplant Hell". Now imagine a world of the future, where the number of fatalities from interacting with friends and colleagues was a big fat zero. Call us a bunch of crazy dreamers, but that's just what we've been doing."

The same agency behind the mysterious The Way News Spreads site, comes with another and, if you ask me, far more inspired campaign promoting Windows Live Messenger. "Say YES to Painfree Messaging," the campaign's microsite reads, and it links to a pair of viral videos showing traditional forms of communication gone horribly wrong in an office environment. I've embedded the funniest below, the other one can be found over here.


The third and final clip, which we strongly believe will feature indoor smoke signals, can be expected next Monday. No need to memorize, we will post it here.

[Thanks Kris!]



 Messenger users mourn death of The Crocodile Hunter
Messenger users mourn death of The Crocodile Hunter

dwergs says ( 04 Sep 2006 ):

 

steve irwin display pictureMany of you will have probably already heard about the unforseen death of Australian TV personality Steve Irwin after being struck in the chest by a stingray's barb. Fans of "The Crocodile Hunter" have added a (tu) prefix (the turtle emoticon) to their Messenger names in memorial of the naturalist who has a species of turtle named after him: Elseya Irwini.

TIP: The image next to this post can also be dragged & dropped onto your current Display Picture for instant use.

UPDATE: It might be hard to believe, but we actually found the two people who started this whole "Messenger chain nickname" thing. It were longtime Messer Laser_iCE and his buddy anth who sent the original message to 20-30 of their contacts, only to come back eight hours later and find over 100 of their contacts had added the prefix. Viral IM at full power! Laser_iCE told us in a chat that he wasn't even aware of the turtle species named after Mr. Irwin, "it just was the closest thing to a reptile that the emoticons had! It was either that or a sheep, haha."

[Reported by: TSTORMS]



 Goodbye MSN Chat #2: For real and forever
Goodbye MSN Chat #2: For real and forever

dwergs says ( 04 Sep 2006 ):

 

Microsoft announced it will be closing remaining MSN branded chat rooms on 18 October 2006 (US EST time). The announcement which comes three years after the previous scale-back, appeared at the top of the US MSN chat page. This was reported to us by Messers Blade_Aussie & Brendan Bolen.

According to Blade_Aussie, "all remaining chat rooms on the US, Canadian, Japanese and Brazilian servers are expected to deleted and those with MSN subscriptions will not be able to claim refunds under their Terms and Conditions Of Use contracts, although those with existing monthly-billing cycles will be able to cancel.

Although an official announcement is pending, it is believed that Microsoft will also be removing the chat feature from their MSN Groups service. An official group announcement is expected to appear on the MSN Groups homepage.

Rumors are spreading in the chat rooms like wildfire. It is widely believed that MSN is closing this service due to severe abuse of the servers by a small minority, and because the current subscription based service is proving to be unprofitable.
".



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