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Tuesday, December 13 2005

Testing new Microsoft Messenger

Quote
Microsoft has started limited testing of Windows Live Messenger, an update that expands the consumer instant messaging software into areas such as Internet phone calling.

The revamp is essentially an expansion of MSN Messenger. It adds a number of features and continues the program's migration from a place to share short text messages into a manager for any number of modes of communication.

Various enthusiast sites, including Mess.be and BetaNews, reported that a private beta of Live Messenger is imminent, while another fan site, Messenger Blog, offered purported screenshots of the new software. Microsoft initially declined to comment on Monday, but the company had promised a beta version would come this month.

Microsoft showed a preview of the instant messaging program at its Live services kickoff early last month.

Late Monday, Microsoft confirmed its plans and offered more details on a joint effort with MCI to allow customers to place calls using Live Messenger. Microsoft said the MCI arrangement is not exclusive, and that the two companies are initially making the calling features available to customers in five countries--the United States, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Once signed up, though, customers will be able to call to and from more than 220 countries. During the beta period, customers will get one hour of free calling from MCI, with rates for more time starting at about 2 cents a minute for calls to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and western Europe during the beta testing period. Final pricing has yet to be determined.

"It's a very, very limited beta," said MSN Product Manager Karin Muskopf. "We're talking tens of thousands (of people)."

The software is expected to be available to more people and in more regions in the first half of next year.

Muskopf would not say when a publicly available test version would be available or when the final version would ship.

"We're going to see how this beta goes," she said.

msn

Thought:
- Everyone wants to follow the foot step of Skype. Even Yahoo is pushing the Internet Phone feature of their YM.

Last modified: 2008-12-02 07:46:26
Viewed: 218 times
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