Daniel Feies

Windows Live Messenger Beta - Released

Get all the details on the official Windows Live Messenger blog:

http://spaces.msn.com/members/MessengerSays

MSN Developer Center is Live

The MSN Developer Center is live. Here you can find out how to develop applications for:

• MSN Search
• MSN Messenger
• MSN Virtual Earth
• MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search
• Extend Start.com with Gadgets

Also the new MSN Messenger API is now documented on MSDN here.

MSN Messenger Activity Helper Bot

The MSN Messenger Activity Helper Bot has been launched yesterday at the PDC. To use the bot add imapps@msn.com to your buddy list, start a conversation with the bot and type “menu” in the conversation window. This bot will give you information about the MSN Messenger Activity SDK, the contest, PDC, and other related materials.

MSN Messenger Activity API

MSN Activity API

On 9/12/2005 Microsoft will officially release the MSN Activity API at PDC during this session: COM301 - MSN Messenger: Extending MSN Messenger with Multi-Person Instant Messaging Applications.

This is not the SDK for MSN Messenger Server or for the MSN Messenger application itself. Here is an overview of the MSN Activity API as described in the SDK's help file:

MSN® Messenger Activity API allows developers to build applications that take advantage of the multiuser communication functionality provided by MSN Messenger. Developers can design applications using this simplified connection model.

The application in the Activity window is a Web page that interacts with MSN Messenger through the application programming interface that is defined in this software development kit. Your Web page can provide any functionality that can be present in a normal Web page.

You start an Activity from either the Games or Activities button that appears on the toolbar of the Conversation window in MSN Messenger version 7.0 (and later).

Download the SDK from http://msdn.microsoft.com/msn/messenger (direct link here).

If you have any coding questions or general info about the new API go to the Official Messenger APIs General Forum.

Along with the release of the SDK Microsoft also announces a contest for activities developers. There will be prizes :). Get all the details here: http://activity.msn.com.

MSN.com Home Page Beta

The MSN.com team has posted a glimpse of the future msn.com home page at http://beta.msn.com. It's a very early prototype, most of the links are pointing to msn.com but the main idea seems to be to keep it simple and clean. I'm not sure for how long the page is going to be up so I took a snapshot.

[Via Scobleizer]

MSN Messenger 7.5 Final (build 7.5.0299) just released

Get it now from http://messenger.msn.com

New features:

• New login user interface and infrastructure (using IDCRL)
• Improved audio conversation
• Vodafone Interop (only in some markets)
• Voice Clip - send audio recordings to other users of MSN Messenger 7.5
• msnim: protocol handler
• Dynamic Backgrounds in the conversation window (using flash)
• Pre-Installed Themes
• New connectivity troubleshooter
• Expanded security settings
• New audio video setup
• Patching improvements - now the updates are very small
• Setup changes - note that this version of messenger can be installed on Windows XP and greater.
• Various bug fixes and usability improvements

Leah has a lot more details about this new release.

MSN Messenger Car

A few days ago I found on a blog a picture of a car with MSN Messenger stickers on it. I posted the picture on my MSN Space and in a short time the mystery was solved. Thanks to all who contributed (especially Saras).

The picture was taken in Israel by Netanel Jacobsson who used to work for ICQ/AOL and now is working at Maxthon. So if you live in Israel you can buy a Chevrolet Aveo and get a discount if you agree to apply a few MSN stickers. Go to www.chevrolet.msn.co.il and try it yourself.

RSS feed - KB articles for MSN Messenger

If you want to keep up to date with the recent KB articles for MSN Messenger then subscribe to the this RSS feed. Click here if you are interested in KB articles for other Microsoft products.

http://www.kbalertz.com/ also provides a similar service.

MSN Messenger PMs on Their Favorite Features

Leah is a PM in the MSN Messenger and she's talking about her favorite features: PSM, Large Thumbnails and Video Conversation. Check out her blog, I know you'll like it.

Vlada is also a PM and she's talking about Video Conversation.

MSN Messenger 7 Final

Update 8/25/05: MSN Messenger 7.5 Final post is here: http://blogs.msdn.com/dfeies/archive/2005/08/23/455268.aspx

On April 7th, after 7 months in beta the MSN Messenger final build 7.0.0777 it's officially released to the world. Get it now it's only a 7MB download. And if you're wondering what's up with all those sevens, it's just a coincidence - we didn't plan it that way.

Check out the official press release.

What's new in 7.0?
- animated winks (inspired from 3 Degrees)
- dynamic display pictures - DDP
- download packs
- drag and drop backgrounds
- nudge
- shared search
- redesigned buddy list featuring new views
- personal status message - PSM
- music status message (with support for Windows Media Player and iTunes)
- handwriting
- contact cards
- MSN Spaces integration
- new MSN Today
- new games and activities (photo sharing)
- significant audio improvements
- security improvements to prevent IM viruses
- performance improvements (including sign-in)
- sign-in is more robust
- full screen PC to PC video conversation
- set status before login
- message history
- a lot of other cool stuff I can't remember right now

Also MSN Spaces officially "released to web" last night - Mike Torres has all the details.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

MSN Messenger Gotcha Competition

Gotcha is a promotion launched by MSN Messenger and Logitech in some European countries and it has four very funny webcam gotcha moments. US people can't participate but it's worth checking it out.

Passport Renaming - Changing the email address associated with an MSN Space or MSN Messenger account

If you want to change your email address associated with a Passport account then read Dare Obasanjo's post about Passport Renaming - Changing the email address associated with an MSN Space or MSN Messenger account.

Start.com News Blog

The team working on start.com prototypes (see /1 and /2) is blogging. And it looks like the development is shifting to /3 (the link is not working yet).

MSN Messenger on Wikipedia

Little blog has a post about Hotmail on Wikipedia - it's very interesting. But more interesting for me was a link to the MSN Messenger on Wikipedia article. It contains lots of useful links and facts about MSN Messenger, add-ons and competition.