Main/News >> News Archives > The week of March 04 (2007) (you are here)

 Trillian aims for your browser

dwergs says ( 10 Mar 2007 ):

Watch out Meebo and eBuddy because the most popular multi-protocol instant messaging client, Trillian, is moving into the the world of web-based IM! From the developer's blog: "With it, we can access the system tray, task bar, the local filesystem, dock the contact list, etc. The goal of this project is to emulate 99% of common Trillian functionality in something incredibly lightweight and easy to grab on-the-go. While we won't likely be doing anything incredibly advanced here (that’s what Trillian “regular” is for), we will strive to do enough to make it worth your while. This is currently internal technology and not available yet to anyone. It will be made available to our team of testers as soon as its ready, but at this point your feedback and suggestions would be great!" >> More info + a video at the source.

 Transform your PDA into a webcam for Messenger

dwergs says ( 09 Mar 2007 ):

Last week we posted a video showing you how to use standard mp3 earpods as a microphone for Messenger voice conversations. Today we'll tell you how to turn your PDA or Smartphone into a high-resolution webcam. Unfortunately, it requires a shareware program priced at $20 (US) but that's still less than a decent webcam and you don't have to drag along an extra piece of hardware on the road. It's WebCamera Plus by Ateksoft that does the trick. This software, which was recently updated to version 1.05, will turn the built-in (front or back) webcam of most modern PDAs and Smartphones into a webcam for use within many IM programs including, of course, MSN/Windows Live Messenger. It'll work via USB (ActiveSync) but also via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LAN or GPRS/EDGE/3G where available. I installed the trial version, which only allows you to use the webcam for a limited time, and less than two minutes later I was video chatting over Messenger. It would be a welcome improvement to see support for a PDA's built-in mic as well, but I've read it's on their to-do list. And due to a hardware limitation (at least according to Ateksoft) the orientation of my video was wrong and I ended up with huge black borders alongside my output. But apart from that, it's worth checking out if you already own a suitable PDA and don't want to invest in a webcam. >> Download the WebCamera Plus trial. >> More info on WebCamera Plus.

 Code: Windows Live Messenger Events Agent

dwergs says ( 08 Mar 2007 ):

Pulled this out of Channel 9's Sandbox: "This Coding4Fun shows how to build a Windows Live Messenger Add-in that connects to Windows Sharepoint Services using VB or C#" >> Download the sample code here and be inspired. >> More about building Windows Live Messenger Add-ins here. >> Tell me about your own Add-ins via this form.

 Updated: Twessenger 1.0.0.1

dwergs says ( 07 Mar 2007 ):

Kunal just informed us of an update to his Twitter add-in for Windows Live Messenger. A few bugs have been fixed and error logging has been implemented for troubleshooting. Make sure you terminate Windows Live Messenger completely and uninstall the previous version of Twessenger before you install this update. >> What is Twessenger? >> Download Twessenger 1.0.0.1.

 Gizmo Project promises VoIP interoperability, succeeds partially

dwergs says ( 06 Mar 2007 ):

Web-phone app Gizmo Project has been around for quite a few years, but its 3.0 release from last week caught my attention because it adds free calls to Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger users. With this move, its creators claim that their software allows users "to call four of the most popular Voice and IM networks with one client for the first time." Curious about how they achieved this high level of interoperability, I was a bit disappointed that it's just a simple implementation of the GTalk2VoIP gateway we reported about last year. No ground for complaint, but then the fact that you can only call @hotmail.com addresses is. >> Download Gizmo Project 3.0 from its homepage (Windows only, Macintosh & Linux versions expected this month).

 Updated: StuffPlug 3.0.387 Beta

dwergs says ( 04 Mar 2007 ):

The leak of an internal Beta by one of the addon's translators drove TB to officially release the next Beta-version of StuffPlug. Version 3.0.387 seems to come with most of the changes announced earlier this week but take a look here for the complete list. >> Download StuffPlug 3 Beta (v3.0.387). [Reported by: sherb, Kangie & GiveItDeath]

 Voulez-vous un free Messenger goodie?

dwergs says ( 04 Mar 2007 ):

MSN France has recently made available a free, auto-installable pack full of animated emoticons for Windows Live Messenger. It contains thirty high-quality and universally usable smileys, although a few of them come with "zome French wordz" written over them. I suggest you use them to add a bit of international flair or "panache" to the ongoing conversation. There's one tiny catch, especially for the non-French: you have to untick two boxes during the installation to avoid ending up with a Camembert-scented browser homepage and a Bordeaux-intoxicated default search engine, if you know what I mean. To avoid surprises, check out this instructional animation to see which buttons to click. >> Go here and click the big, orange button. [Merci à Romain for zis tip]

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