Several new and improved features have been added to Yahoo Messenger 10. The following list contains some of these features. It has been directly taken from the blog post that announced the final version of Yahoo Messenger 10:

High-quality video calls
We’ve completely redesigned our 1:1 webcam feature (under the hood too). Now you can make a high-quality video call to a friend with synched audio, right in the IM window. Features include the ability to swap video windows, position the video windows side-by-side, mute the call or place it on hold. You can even go full-screen with your video call. To get started, click the new “Video Call” button in the IM window (your friend also needs to be on Yahoo! Messenger 10).

New “Y! Updates” view of your contact list
People are busy these days, doing all sorts of interesting things online. To help you keep up with your friends, we added an alternate view of your contact list that shows a real-time stream of their updates, including Messenger status message changes. If they’ve opted-in to share their updates via Yahoo!, you’ll be able to see what they’re saying on Twitter, reading on Yahoo! Buzz, listening to on last.fm, and more.

We also added additional features for how and when you see your friends’ updates. When a new update comes in, a “toast” alert will pop up in the lower right corner of your screen. If you want to disable these, go to Messenger > Preferences > Yahoo! Updates. You can turn alerts on and off and even update preferences by contact or by type of update.

Find more to chat about
Within the new “Yahoo! Updates” view, you’re sure to find more to talk about with your friends. To make it easy, we added a hover menu that lets you quickly IM a friend about their update. When you do, the update appears inline in the conversation window, so when you start your IM with “I can’t believe you like this song!”, your friend will know what you’re talking about. Note that your friend needs to also be on Yahoo! Messenger 10 to see the update inline.

Change your language easily
If you use the U.S. version but wish it could be in your local language, you’re in luck. When you start up Yahoo! Messenger 10, you’ll notice a new language menu on the sign-in screen. Choose from 16 different languages and the buttons, menus and various parts of the interface will change to that language. If you’re already signed in, you can also change your language under Messenger > Preferences > Language (you’ll have to restart Yahoo! Messenger for it to take effect).

The default Yahoo Messenger 10 download will download a so called web installer which is a small setup file that will try to download the remaining data from the Internet during installation. This requires an active Internet connection. Users who prefer a direct download can download the Yahoo Messenger 10 Windows offline installer here. It is either way recommended to do a custom installation in the instant messenger itself to avoid installing components like the Yahoo Toolbar to the computer system.

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Registered users can ask questions from several popular Instant Messaging clients such as Google Talk, Windows Live, AIM or Twitter, practically all email clients (no matter if they are online or desktop clients) and the Aardvark website. One major component is the friend network that user’s can utilize to have their questions answered. When posting a question Aardvark will analyze that question and try to find the best possible friends who can answer that question. Questions will also be directed to friends of friends, co-workers, people living in the same location and people who are topical experts.

Answers will be either send to an Instant Messenger of choice if the user who asked the question is online at that time or to the email account if the user is offline in the client. The time it takes to get a response depends largely on the question, the time the question is asked and the friends of the user. All questions that have been asked during tests (with only 1 offline friend present at that time) were answered by dedicated users of the service in less than five minutes.

The concept itself is pretty amazing and users can contribute by answering questions. The main benefits of Aardvark over similar services like Yahoo Answers are that the answers (seem to be) more professional, that questions can be asked from Instant Messengers, Email or the website, that the answers arrive in less than five minutes on average and that the community does not seem to be spammed by webmasters promoting their own services.

Aardvark offers a great alternative to Yahoo Answers, similar services and doing research on the Internet.

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The Yahoo Messenger Archive Decoder has been created for exactly that purpose. The program can read Yahoo Messenger dat files and convert their content to txt or rtf file formats so that they can be accessed directly without needing the messenger at all. The user does need to locate the data file manually using the built in file browser.

Pretty much everything else is handled by the application afterwards. It will try to automatically detect the username using either the file path, file name or Windows Registry. Conversations can be displayed with date, time and username. There is no password needed to display the information.

It is possible to save all dat files of a directory as txt or rtf or only selected ones. The Yahoo Messenger Archive Decoder (via Techie Buzz) is a handy program for users who need to access .dat files without being able to go online or having the password needed to access them.

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Here is a great tip on how to add Google Talk contacts as shortcuts to the Windows desktop. This makes it possible to quickly reach a bunch of important Google Talk contacts faster and more comfortably. It should also work to integrate those contacts with application launchers like Launchy to make it even more comfortable.

To add a contact in Google Talk as a shortcut do the following. Right-click the computer desktop and select New > Shortcut. Enter the following string as the location of the item: gtalk:chat?jid=<name>@email.com.

Change username@email.com to the email address of the contact in Google Talk. Click on the Next button and add a descriptive name for the shortcut. If everything worked out well clicking on the shortcut will open the chat window with that contact in Google Talk immediately even if Google Talk is not running at that time. It will launch Google Talk and display the chat window after the login procedure in this case.

Update: You can also replace chat with call to be able to instantly call someone in Google Talk.

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The new skin for Windows Live Messenger can be downloaded here. It is supplied as a .plsk file that can be double-clicked to add it to Windows Live Messenger. The new Windows Live Messenger skin adds many customization options to Windows Live Messenger. These changes can be divided into changes to the interface itself and to the visual display of Windows Live Messenger.

The Messenger skin provides the means to hide many of the buttons that are displayed in Windows Live messenger like the games, video call or voice clip button. It can furthermore move selected toolbars or buttons to a new location or align them differently in the instant messenger.

The second group of changes can be made to the visual appearance of Windows Live Messenger. It is possible to select different kinds of backgrounds for several windows including the logon, contact list anc chat window. Then different fonts and colors can be selected for various textual displays in Windows Live Messenger.

The skin provides the means to change the look and feels of Windows Live Messenger. It lists all the options in one window to make them easier accessible.

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It can be quite frustrating to discover the root of the problem especially when the user wants a clean uninstall to install a newer version of the product again. Keith over at Techie Buzz discovered the Zap Messenger application which can completely uninstall MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Messenger from a computer system.

It solves all kind of problems that prevent the uninstallation of those products and is not limited to the ones mentioned in the first paragraph. Zap Messenger is a portable application that does require the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0.

The author is not listing the operating systems the software program is compatible with but it seems that it should run fine on Windows XP and Windows Vista.

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It would be possible to use two different clients, for example MSN Messenger and Meebo to connect with two different user IDs but that would mean to cope with two different applications. A more straightforward way is offered by the MSN Messenger tool Polygamy (via Technobuzz) which patches MSN Messenger so that it can be run in multiple instances.

The software is able to patch various versions of MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger including the latest official releases and several beta versions of the Instant Messenger clients.

The MSN Messenger patch comes basically with two switches, one for enabling multiple logins and one to disable the feature again. All the user needs to do is to make the selection and click on the Patch button to patch the file.

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The major changes in this release are again memory optimizations claiming memory reduction by up to 75%. The default Digsby client is using a little bit more than 10 Megabytes of computer memory which is 5 Megabyte less than the last version according to Joshua’s screenshots of the last release.

Other notable changes include more than 3000 code revisions since the last release, performance increases, connectivity improvements, LinkedIn support and full newsfeeds.

• RAM Usage: We optimized from the ground up and fixed memory leaks to lower RAM usage by almost 75%. This has been the number one complaint since our launch and we are proud to introduce this massive improvement.
• Performance: User interface elements draw twice as fast for better performance. We have made changes to the architecture that will improve GUI responsiveness and CPU utilization across the board.
• Connectivity: Every IM protocol automatically tries multiple connection methods and ports to improve the odds of getting through restrictive firewalls and proxy servers.
• LinkedIn: Digsby now supports LinkedIn in addition to the other social networks. Functionality includes a full newsfeed, alerts when new messages arrive, and the ability to set status right from Digsby.
• Bug Fixes: We have fixed hundreds of bugs, making Digsby more stable than ever. There have been almost 3,000 revisions in our codebase since the last release so there are too many fixes to list in our changelog.

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Windows Live Messenger 9 displays advertisements that is changing frequently in the main program interface. This can be quite irritating at times. There is no obvious way to disable the advertisement from withing the Instant Messenger which means that the only way to get rid of it is to use third party tools.

Some tools patch the Windows Live Messenger 9 files directly which will be a problem when updating to a newer version. A far better solution is to leave the Messenger files would be one that would not tamper with the Windows Live Messenger 9 files itself and that is what Live Advert Removal (via Technix) does.

Above is a screenshot of Windows Live Messenger 9 with ads enabled. Live Advert Removal manipulates the Windows host file so that the advertisements cannot be loaded. It still means that a static Windows Live Messenger logo will be displayed at the exact same position but it means that no advertisement will be loaded from the Internet and that there will be no rotation.

The second screenshot displays the results of the host file addition. Using the Live Advert Removal software program is straightforward. It comes as a zip file that contains files to remove and to enable ads in Windows Live Messenger 9.

Experienced users can manipulate the host file manually for the same result. The host file can be found in system32/drivers/etc. The following line has to be added to get the same result: 0.0.0.0 rad.msn.com

Make sure to enable the option in Windows to see hidden and system files to be able to locate the host file.

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Torchat utilizes the power of the Tor network to create a peer to peer instant messaging system, effectively a secure anonymous and encrypted instant messenger that runs right of the box. The software program is fully portable and can be run from external drives or local hard drives.

One limitation of the current version is that the listening port cannot be changed unless the user is doing it in the source which would mean that it would have to be compiled again. The author promised to add a configuration option to change the listening port of the application in a later version.

Once started the user is greeted with a window similar to the one on the above screenshot with the difference that no other contacts are added obviously. To add users one needs their Torchat ID which is a series of random chars, a nickname to identify the person and a initial message. The easiest way to exchange these would be by email, website, phone or other Instant Messengers. Paranoids will probably exchange them during a real-life meeting.

The author has some plans for his Instant Messenger. He plans multi-user chats, file transfers, customization options and block lists among other things. One to look out for.

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It usually means that he can perform all actions to some of his contacts, like talking to them, while the rest thinks that he is not at his computer.

Buddy Spy is a software program for Yahoo! Messenger. It can detect if a buddy is indeed offline or invisible. The software can also check if the user is currently broadcasting with his webcam, if he is in any chat room and if he is on an alias profile or default profile.

Buddy Spy requires the creation of a new Yahoo! Messenger account, usage of the default account would interfere with Yahoo! Messenger and cause errors. After the account has been created the user can use various scans to detect if a buddy is online but invisible.

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The Imo.im team was rather busy since my last review of the service and has added two additional services. The first is the addition of Skype. The user can login using his Skype user data and will see a tab with his buddies and their status. He can chat with his buddies and even call them without difficulties. That feature is both available in the web client and the local software program that is downloaded to the computer.

The only restriction is currently that outbound calls are not supported. The second addition is that of MySypace IM. If I’m honest I did not even know that something like MySpace IM existed until I found the reference at the Imo.im website.

It looks like Skype with a MySpace plugin. Still, if anyone uses that he can also use that at Imo.im. I really like the Skype addition, mainly because Skype is the only service that I use regularly from the ones that are supported. Could be handy to use it to make a quick call or write a message to a friend.

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The client Coccinella takes the second path by adding new features like a whiteboard to the Instant Messenger. It can connect to any Jabber/XMPP messaging server (including MSN, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and Google Talk). But first the basics. The client has all the usual standard features like client lists, group chat, file transfers, avatars, emoticons and secure connections.

Besides that Coccinella supports Voice over IP connections and the previously mentioned whiteboard. Take a look at the screenshot below to get an understanding of how the chat whiteboard works.

That feature comes in pretty handy if you want to visualize information or just draw a nice heart to your loved one. The chat client comes with installers for Windows (Windows 98 to Windows XP, no Vista support yet), Apple Macintosh and Linux. The source is also available at the download page of the website.

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Given the growing number of social networks, chat addresses and email accounts I had I found it a brilliant solution to keeping it all under check. I also liked the simple but effective design and of course there was that warm early adopter glow of being there to support a growing service from the very beginning.

6 months later and I started to use Pidgin.

This wasn’t a deliberate choice at first, I started dual booting Ubuntu and of course Pidgin is the default chat client. I was immediately impressed by what I saw, it was fast, a lot faster then Digsby and supported a whole lot more chat networks while additionally having some great plugins available.

While Digsby is great in the way it keeps track of social networks like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter the reality is I wasn’t actually using those features very much at all. When I did use them it was through Flock. It did have the very real advantage of Facebook Chat integration which I did use a lot, however I quickly discovered that Pidgin also had a plugin available to achieve this.

Also I found Pidgin had support for IRC Chat which is something I have begun to use a  fair bit lately.

The fact was I was using Digsby, a IM client which was way too resources heavy and susceptible to RAM spikes when Pidgin would do the job better.

I felt a little guilty, but I’m not writing Digsby off at all. I still think it’s great and I really like the direction it’s going in, but I just found a better alternative for my needs at this point in time. Digsby is still a very young client and has a lot of potential. A promised update is coming up to address lots of performance issues and hopefully introduce some new features and I’m looking forward to that.

For now however Pidgin is my stop-gap.

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It’s still a beta product but significant changes have been made over the last few months including new features, optimisation and bug fixes. It’s not perfect but it’s very usable. If you’re a fan of MSN for all the ‘nudge’ and ‘wink’ type features then this isn’t for you. If you like the sparse chat style of Gtalk then this is, at the moment Digsby is pretty simple when it comes to chat features.

One great thing about Digsby is that you can chat to people on Facebook Chat through the client, a unique feature for Digsby till a few weeks ago when some other clients began to get it as well. Another great thing about Digsby is the ability to combine contacts different accounts all into one by merging and creating a alias, makes it much easier keeping track of people.It’s also very customizable and you can get various skins and change the layout around to how you like. By creating a Digsby account you can synchronize it across multiple locations and computers and keep all your settings. A very promising application and worth checking out!

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One of the reasons why I never bothered to use Instant Messengers was the “spammy” connotation of them. There have been many services on the Internet that offered add-ons, smileys and other gimmicks for Instant Messengers that turned out to infect the user’s computer with malicious software or use the information entered by the user to spam him into oblivion.

HiYo seems to be different. The add-on for MSN Messenger comes without adware, spyware and other malicious software. It adds a new toolbar to the compose window that provides access to new content that can be added to posts like images and animations.

• HiYo is loaded with tons of free animated Emoticons
• Send the most hilarious Audibles to your friends on MSN Messenger
• Find any Emoticon, Wink, Animation, Sound Effect, Audible or Nudge easily
• Send HiYo’s crazy Winks to move and shake your buddy’s conversation window
• Replace your old Display Pictures with cool animated slideshows

One interesting aspect is that content gets suggested by HiYo which is great for the flow of conversation because it does not usually take ages to find the right image for the current situation.

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One solution that works surprisingly well is to use a service that creates an url pointing to the text that the user wanted to post. It’s an additional step for the recipients though who have to open the url to read the message but it’s a practical solution, something like Tiny URL for texts, Tiny Texts so to speak.

The one service that I can recommend the most is Text Snip. The advantage of Text Snip is that it can display the text in various forms including CSS or HTML source code, plain text and several other programming languages.

The service offers two main functions to create an URL that points to the text: Quick and Custom Snip. The difference is the URL that is created in the end. Custom Snip provides several URL possibilities while Quick Snip creates one without giving the user the choice.

The service is easy to use and does not require an account at all, uncomplicated and nice. Users can create an account if they like which has the effect that they can keep track of the texts that they converted into URLs.

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AIM Express tries to change that for users of the AOL Instant Messenger. It’s a web service that is offering AIM users a way to send and receive messages without the AIM client. That comes pretty handy if you are at a library or at work and want to send your friends a short message.

The only requirement of AIM Express is Adobe Flash 9.0 that has to be installed on the computer so that the service can be started. All that needs to be done is signing in with the username or email and password and you get access to the AIM Express client that opens in a popup window.

Make sure you don’t block the popup. The client offers a basic functionality, you see all your buddies, may chat with one or several of them, may add new buddies and may change your online status.

It’s a nice web application for everyone who is using AIM and needs access to it on computers that are not his own. Just pray that the system admin did not disable access to either Flash or the AIM Express website.

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The Pidgin Encryption plugin adds encryption to Pidgin by generating a public and private key during activation. Let me give you a short rundown on that encryption scheme. The public keys are accessible by all of your contacts which can use them to encrypt their messages. The only person who can decrypt those messages is the one with the private key that builds a pair with that public key. It comes down to swapping the public keys so that messages can be encrypted and decrypted on the fly.

Thankfully Pidgin does most of that automatically. There is no need, like in other applications, to transfer the public key on a different way to the other users. The keys are automatically created and the public key is automatically transferred to all contacts. There is however the possibility to exchange the keys using different way to increase the security. Meet your friend at a secret location and hand him the self destructing disk with your public key..

You obviously need Pidgin for that and the Pidgin Encryption Plugin. You can regenerate your key in the preferences and change the default size of 1024 bits to a value between 512 and 4096 bits. Make sure that both “Automatically Encrypt” boxes are checked. A list of the public keys of your buddies is also available in the preferences.

By default the conversations take place unencrypted. A user needs to press the TX button to encrypt the messages. If the user on the other end is not using the plugin he will see a notification that the message is encrypted and that he needs the plugin. If that is the case the TX button will show to be secure while the RX button will be plain. (I guess TX stands for Transmit while RX for Receive)

To always use encryption when chatting with a specific user you need to right-click that user and select Turn Auto-Encrypt On. To avoid man in the middle attacks you need to compare keys with your buddy. This can be done in the Pidgin preferences. I suggest another way of communication to compare the keys. (phone, irc, voip)

A last tip. If you use multiple computers you probably want to make sure that all use the same keys. You can do that by moving the keys from .pidgin directory in *nix or in the application data directory in Windows to the new computer. The keys are stored in the three files:

• id.priv (private keys)
• id (public keys)
• known_keys

Each line of the files represents one key which means that you can also copy only selected keys to the other machine.

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Still, MSN Repair 2 (Italian) fixes problems and common errors in Windows Live Messenger and MSN Messenger. Valention kept the user interface simply which is really the best design for repair applications in my opinion. First, there is the button repair which repairs Registry settings, program libraries and files that have been altered since installation of MSN Messenger or Windows Live Messenger.

The second option is to correct specific errors by clicking on the Select Errors link in the program window. In total 13 common errors can be selected from the list which will then be repaired by MSN Repair 2.

Here is the list of errors that are fixed:

• Error 81000314
• Error 800b0001
• Error 81000370
• Error 80040111
• Error 800401f3
• Error 80048820
• Error 80048883
• Error 80072ee6
• Error 80072efd
• Unable to send / receive sounds (Plus)
• Incorporates Windows Messenger (version already installed on Windows)
• Not accessed but not by errors
• Unable to add contacts

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