Tag: msn

Gmail Chat

Post ImageFor years Hotmail and Yahoo Mail have showed the connection status of your Messenger buddies in the web mail interface. A simple icon depicts whether they are online or not, and a simple click can launch a chat window or do other things. Google has taken that idea one step further, enabling conversations to take place inside the browser itself:

Google on Monday was set to launch Gmail Chat, which will let users send instant messages with one click from their e-mail account, see when contacts are online and save the chat history like an e-mail message.

The application’s Quick Contacts list is synchronized with a user’s Google Talk friends list and automatically displays the people a user communicates with most frequently and shows their online status. Clicking on a contact listed as being online opens a chat window in the browsers.

I think this new Chat feature will be played up as “Google innovating in the email space yet again” when really, it’s a poor man’s version of MSN’s Web Messenger. I mean, when you cut through the crap (read: beta label) that’s all it is! And even then, a web messenger is really only useful if you’re on a public computer or something.

Considering I don’t use Google Talk, this new feature is pretty much useless for me.

Read: CNET News.com

The MsgPlus Petition

Post ImageI just got an alert in MSN Messenger saying that MsgPlus, the popular add-in which I have installed, needed my support. With my curiousity piqued, I clicked on the alert, and found myself at a petition page. From the explanation that precedes the actual petition letter:

In a recent update of Microsoft Anti-Spyware, the threat level of Messenger Plus! was lowered from 3/5 to 2/5, which was a good thing, however, the program itself, msgplus.exe, is now detected immediately at system startup or whenever run manually by the user, and the following message is displayed in bold red: “Warning, Messenger Plus! Software Bundler is trying to install!”. In addition to discouraging anybody in their right mind to click “Allow”, this message is, to put it simply, a lie. Messenger Plus! is not a “threat” and it certainly is not trying to “install itself on your computer”, it’s already been installed at this point and the program is just trying to run and do what the user expects it to do. Why is that important? because the main argument of Microsoft so far against this case has been “the policy of Microsoft Anti-Spyware is to flag all installers which bundle spyware/adware as being potentially dangerous”.

I really like MsgPlus, and I have been using it for a very long time. It is, in my opinion, one of the best software add-ins ever created, not just in terms of MSN Messenger, but in terms of all applications period. It integrates so smoothly and does exactly what you expect it to. I also really like Microsoft’s AntiSpyware. I used to be an Ad-Aware user, but I find AntiSpyware finds just as many threats, if not more, and integrates nicely into Windows XP. I also particularly like the warning messages and alerts that the program displays.

Having said all that, I can’t bring myself to sign the petition, and for a couple reasons. First off, MsgPlus does have the capability to install adware, so I don’t mind that AntiSpyware flags it as a potential threat. Secondly, I really don’t like how Patchou has positioned the petition as a “save MsgPlus” gimmick. I don’t believe for a second that AntiSpyware is enough of a problem to stop work on MsgPlus. Thirdly, and most importantly to me, I have run both applications side by side ever since AntiSpyware was released by Microsoft. The first time I ran a scan, it flagged MsgPlus, and I simply told AntiSpyware to always ignore it. I have never, ever encountered a problem, nor has MsgPlus ever been flagged again. I suppose another reason is that looking at this from Microsoft’s side, caving in to the demands of one developer could mean problems with other developers. Pretty soon all the effort is placed on appeasing developers instead of protecting consumers.

So that’s why I am not signing the petition. I am surprised to see that since August 17th, there have been 82,498 signatures. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Read: MsgPlus Petition

MSN Messenger 7.5

Post ImageThere’s a new version of MSN Messenger out, with a bunch of cool features! This latest release, version 7.5, is part of the new strategy to release three versions a year. Here are some of the new features:

  • The UI has been updated again. The login screen now “matches” the rest of the program, showing your display picture, and a better view of your login options.
  • Voice Clips! Basically you can record short 15 second clips of audio that get sent to your contact and automatically played.
  • Apparently the audio has been drastically improved, though I haven’t tested it yet.
  • Patching! In the future, you’ll only have to download small patches to update the client, instead of a complete new program. Very cool!

Go ahead and download it now. There’s also a much more comprehensive list of features here.

I’m looking forward to testing out the new voice improvements. Microsoft has an enormous installed base for MSN Messenger, an installed base which seems to download new versions extremely fast, so they could create a viable Skype competitor almost over-night. Certainly MSN Messenger is a better VOIP platform than Google Talk, at least in terms of the user experience.

Read: MSN Messenger

Google Talk

Post ImageGoogle has certainly been busy as of late. They launched another new program recently, this one called Google Talk:

They say talk is cheap. Google thinks it should be free. Google Talk enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free-anytime, anywhere in the world. Google Talk is in beta and requires a Gmail username and password.

Another instant messaging client? Last thing I need, let me tell you. But curious as I am, I downloaded it tonight and tried it out (Dickson did too, so I’d have someone to chat with). Interesting enough, and simple to install, but largely a waste of my time. Here’s why:

  • This has got to be the most basic IM client in the world! Dickson created a better one for his class project last year.
  • You can’t change anything. Not your display name, not your font, not your font color, nothing.
  • No emoticons! Just colored text instead.
  • The application looks and feels like a web page – no doubt by design.

The program also has voice chat, and that feature appeared to work quite well. Essentially what it boils down to though is that it’s not good enough for me to replace my main IM client. I use MSN Messenger (feel free to add me, mastermaq@hotmail.com, just don’t email me there). Google Talk is an interesting experiment, but it doesn’t come close to being good enough to replace MSN, nor does it look like it will anytime soon. Heck, Skype and Yahoo Messenger are both light years beyond Google Talk. And that’s to say nothing of the fact that all of my contacts would need to have Google Talk too.

I suspect the only reason this program was created is so that Google staff can talk to one another using their own network, nothing more. Unless the second beta looks amazing, you won’t find me on Google Talk anytime soon.

Read: Google Talk

New Messenger Plus! Released

A new version of the very popular MSN Messenger add-on Messenger Plus! was released yesterday. The new version definitely looks like it was made for version 7, with new icons all over the user interface. Here’s a few of the new changes:

  • A couple of optimizations have been made so that the contact list of Messenger 7 displays faster when Messenger Plus! is running (those of you with older computer will probably notice a big difference).
  • An important problem related to compatibility with MSN Messenger 7 has been found and fixed which is why a new version is released so soon.
  • The /sendfile command has been fixed for the final version of Messenger 7, however, no parameter is allowed for this command anymore (remember that you can use /dropfile too).
  • In several windows of Messenger Plus! (like the event viewer and the floating windows), the status icons now use the Messenger 7 style (in MSN Messenger 7 only).

There’s lots more to see in the program, and the full changelog is here. Go download it!

MSN Messenger 7 Released!

Microsoft released the final version of MSN Messenger 7 today – download it from here. Also released today, the final version of MSN Spaces.

UPDATE: Looks like the Customize feature of MSN Spaces has been greatly improved, otherwise, it looks the same to me at first glance. MSN Messenger on the other hand has a number of noticable changes…including display pictures on the contact list (can be turned off, or shown in small or large sizes), and a new “personal message”. You can either type text for this, or display the song you’re currently playing in Windows Media Player or iTunes. They little star displayed for MSN Spaces is different, and there is also a My Space button on the top panel. The other change, which I like, is that they brought back the old contact list icons – no more away symbol BESIDE the MSN guy! Oooh and there’s shared search.

UPDATE2: Far and away, my favorite new feature is the Personal Message, especially if you enable “What I’m Listening To”. Awesome, I love it!