The successor to MSN Messenger is one of the first of Microsoft's burgeoning family of Windows Live services to move beyond the beta stage.Microsoft is expected to make available for download on June 19 the final version of its consumer instant messaging product, Windows Live Messenger (WLM).
WLM is one of the first of Microsoft's ever-expanding family of Windows Live services to make it beyond the beta phase.
The final Windows Live Messenger bits were not yet posted by the time this article was published to the Web. But Microsoft officials said to expect the final download to be available on the Windows Live site later today.
Microsoft released the first official beta build of WLM, the successor to MSN Messenger, in December 2005.
Among Windows Live Messenger's capabilities are free PC-to-PC calls with other Live Messenger users; paid PC-to-phone calls (via Verizon Web Calling and Windows Live Call services); video calling; and new built-in sharing folders.
Microsoft officials described Live Messenger "one of the first of more than 20 new Windows Live services to launch globally over the course of the year."
According to a posting on the Windows Live Messenger group blog, Microsoft will begin advising all Microsoft consumer messaging users to download Windows Live Messenger.
"MSN Messenger only lives on for people using operating systems older than Windows XP on which Windows Live Messenger is not supported," according to the posting. "Over then next few months, the number of people using Windows Live Messenger will multiply by more than 10 (and that's NOT binary)."
"The best new feature is the VOIP integration through Windows Live Call, which despite still only offering basic functionality, is something that Messenger has been lacking for a while," said Chris Overd from the LiveSide.Net site. "The most disappointing part about the release is the exclusion of the Yahoo-Microsoft interoperability, which was scheduled for Q2 2006 and looks unlikely to meet this target."
Windows Live Messenger is not Microsoft's only instant-messaging offering. The company also is promoting its Office Communicator product as its instant messaging for business offering.
Microsoft recently rolled out a final version of another Windows Live service, Windows Live OneCare, its subscription security/backup product.
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