Digital Effects for MSN Messenger - Create Special Effects for Webcam Chat

Digital Effects, a plug-in for MSN Messenger (Windows Live Messenger) video chatting, allows you to create special effects for video communication.

While the plug-in loads, users can select 3-D costumes or other digital effects in a pop-up window, and those effects will be applied to a selected photograph. Users also can blur the background of photos to help protect privacy.

Download Digital Effects for MSN Messenger

Microsoft Kills MSN Web Messenger on June 30, 2009

On June 30, 2009 (tomorrow) Microsoft has decided to put an end to MSN Web Messenger. MSN Web Messenger service launched back service 5 years ago, and was an alternative for those who didn't want to, or weren’t able to use the downloadable Windows Live Messenger client. The replacement is the Messenger service that is integrated into Windows Live Hotmail. With the web-based integration of instant messaging client right from the Windows Live People page in Hotmail, you can now chat right from Hotmail.

Here is the statement from a Microsoft spokesperson : "We made the decision to retire MSN Web Messenger as part of our overall investment in updating and re-aligning our online services under the Windows Live brand. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause our customers."

MSN Web Messenger will be officially retired on June 30, 2009 (this Tuesday). If you want to access Windows Lİve Messenger on the web you'll need to use the new Hotmail (or Live profile) option, or use a web based client."

via BigBlueBall

AIM For iPhone Brings Push Notification

AOL’s new AIM app for the iPhone brings Push Notification feature that allows you get all your IM messages even if your iPhone AIM is not active.

It means that when you receive an IM, no matter what you're doing, the iPhone pops up an alert message and a cue to open the AIM application to reply. Just the way text messages show up on the iPhone.

Most people will still probably stick with the text messaging plan they're paying for today. But it could eventually mean cheaper text messages for everyone.

Push Notification works with both the free (App Store Link) and paid version (App Store Link) of the application.

Ring2Skype - Receive Calls on Skype from Landlines and Phone Networks

Ring2Skype allows you to receive calls on Skype from landlines and phone networks for free. Once you sign up, you get an online phone number and a private extension which lets you answer all calls from your Skype, no matter where you are in the world. You just need to be logged in to your Skype. Ring2Skype provides numbers in more than 40 countries.

"Skype In" charges you for the service but Ring2Skype service is free. Another difference is that Ring2Skype for Skype provides numbers in more than 40 countries, while "Skype In" only in 20.

Mundu Messenger Now Available for Android Phones

Geodesic Limited announced the launch of Mundu IM, a multi-protocol instant messenger, for Android mobile phones. Mundu is already supporting by Windows Mobile Pocket PC, Symbian 9.x, Windows Mobile SmartPhone, Palm OS, Blackberry, Sony Ericsson and iPhone platforms.

The application will be available as a download through the phone from http://mundu.com/products/mundu-im.

Mundu Messenger allows you to view and chat with all your contacts across AIM, Yahoo, MSN, GTalk, ICQ and Jabber within a single interface.

Mundu Messenger Features :

Conferencing, File Transfer / Photo Sharing, Smart Group Management, Background Mode Support, Message Archiving and Chat History, Manage your online presence, Scroll the conversation, Quick text messaging, Direct Calling & Browsing, Customized Alerts

BeejiveIM for Apple iPhone ve iPod Touch

BeejiveIM is a multi-protocol mobile IM application for Apple iPhone or iPod Touch. It works with AIM/iChat/MobileMe, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo!, Facebook, MySpace, GoogleTalk, ICQ and Jabber.

BeejiveIM Features :

* Automatically reconnects in case of data service disruption, including phone calls & loss of cell coverage.
* WIFI connections supported.
* Manage your buddy list, including add/remove, nicknames, groups, & blocking
* Set custom status messages, be invisible, set an auto-away status, & change privacy controls.
* Buddy icon support for AIM®, Yahoo®, Gtalk®, MSN®, & Jabber.
* Customizable sound, vibrate, & LED settings and an optional global popup on new messages.
* Real-time chats: quick switch between multiple simultaneous chats.
* Push email alerts for incoming chats.
* Customizable chat skins & emoticon support.
* Click to browse, call, or send an email directly from the chat screen.
* Full Unicode support, chat in any language supported by your iPhone.
* Email yor chats.
* All account information (usernames & passwords) are stored locally on your iPhone and not kept on our servers.

Download BeejiveIM from iPhone App Store

NoneTube Messenger - Simpe Instant Messaging Client

NonTube Messenger is a simple instant-messaging utility. You can search and add your friends to your list.

NonTube Messenger detects if your friends are online or offline. Users can also see other user's profiles.

Download NonTube Messenger from Softpedia

MSN Recorder Max - Record WLM Video Chat and Conversations

MSN Recorder Max allow you to capture your Windows Live Messenger (MSN) buddy's webcam video or save conversation easily and instantly. It's compatible with Windows 2000, XP and Vista OS.

MSN Recorder Max Features :

Record MSN video : Your favorite chatmate's webcam video can be easily recorded with MSN Recorder Max.

Capture MSN messenger : The whole MSN conversation window also can be recorded in real time while chatting on a video call.

Easy to record and save : Needless to select a region on screen, just click "record" button to easily record the videos. The saved video files are high-quality with a really small size.

Try MSN Recorder Max

via messenger.es

SworIM - Google Talk Client for iPhone

SworIM is a native Gtalk client for Apple iPhone. It supports connections to Google Talk servers as well as other Jabber servers.

SworIM is different from other IM clients on the iphone because it's a full native XMPP (Jabber) client on the phone. You do not need to make an account on some weird website, your password and chat logs are not transmitted to some third party and you can connect to private chat servers (e.g. corporate jabber server) over VPN.

Some SworIM Features : : add/remove buddies, custom status messages, visible/invisible mode, vibration, SSL support,custom port and servers, VPN support, Unicode support for chatting in any language, Chat logs

Download SworIM from Apple App Store

CenterIM - Multi-protocol Lightweight Instant Messenger for Linux

CenterIM is an extremely lightweight but full-featured IM/chat client for your old Linux box. It's a text mode but user friendly menu and window-driven instant messaging interface that supports major chat protocols like ICQ, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber, and many others.

The chat window is basically divided into three parts: On the left side is the list of contacts. At the bottom-right part you will see the status messages. At the top-right corner is the chat area where you can send and receive messages.

There is a built-in RSS reader on CenterIM. It's quite handy if you want to keep up to date with the latest news.

CenterIM is GPL and opensource, so feel free to contribute.

Download CenterIM

Shrink Pic - Compress Photos Before Sharing on WLM and Skype

Shrink Pic allows you to automatically resize the photos you send via email, posting to your blog or share through Windows Live Messenger or Skype. A photo that took minutes to send will go in a few seconds.

It automatically detects when you're sending large photo files and compresses them in the background and sends it instead. It gives you a notice message, so you'll know the photo you sent was resized. Of course, the original photo doesn't change, only the temporary copy.

You can control how Shrink Pic resizes your photos. Select between three automatic resize levels or enter your own custom sizes. Shrink Pic also recognizes rotated photos (portrait layout) and resizes them.

Try Shrink Pic

How to Use Blackberry Messenger

...The best part about BlackBerry Messenger is that it comes preloaded on your BlackBerry. All you have to do is find the icon for BBM. It will look different depending on the theme you use, but in general it should look like the BlackBerry logo inside a dialog bubble. Kinda like the image to the right.

Unless you deleted BBM, your phone should have it already loaded. If not, there are a couple of things you can do. Normally I’d recommend going to http://www.blackberry.com/messenger/ to download it. Unfortunately, that site appears to have been removed. The other way to reload BBM is to connect your BlackBerry to a PC and run BlackBerry Desktop Manager. You’ll then run Application Loader, where you’ll check the box for BlackBerry Messenger, then hit Next until you get to Finish...

Continue reading : The definitive guide to BlackBerry Messenger

Posted by Joe @ bbgeeks

IM+ Mobile Messenger for Skype

IM+ for Skype allows you to call and chat with your Skype contacts, call to any landline or mobile number at low Skype rates.

IM+ for Skype Features :

# Call Skype users to their PCs.
# See who is online and chat with Skype users
# Make cost-effective calls to any destination at cheap Skype rates.
# Network Independence
# Fully mobile solution
# Intuitive interface, easy to use
# Any Mobile Device support: iPhone/iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, J2ME.
# One Time Fee / Subscription.
# Free technical support

Try IM+ for Skype

How to Translate WLM Messages Automatically Using Microsoft’s TBot

"If you’re marketing a product or a service, there’s no better way to connect with users than speaking their language. Also, in this age of web freelancing and social networking, we are likely to have non-English speaking contacts. As Saikat described before, you can try to learn the lingo using LiveMocha. You can also use any of the Top 4 Online Translation Services that Maria reviewed, when you want to translate published content. But what about real-time translation?

At the outset, let me confess that machine translation usually sucks. You’re much better off with human translators any day. But what do you do for real-time chat? Till now, one had to use a different IM client like MeGlobe, to chat in a foreign language. Now, you can use Microsoft’s TBot..."

Continue reading : Translation For MSN: Auto Translates Messages While Chatting

Posted by Mahendra Palsule @ makeuseof

Skype Call Button - Use Skype with Windows Live Call Button on Microsoft Handsets and Webcams

"Like a lot of people reading this, I’ve invested in various Microsoft headsets and webcams (some pretty good, some disappointing) but one thing in common with all of them is that they have a Windows Live Call button.

Out of the box and the software installed, pressing the button with bring up Windows Live Messenger’s contact list so you can start a call with your contacts. Which is great for some people, but for me, the vast majority of my calls are made and received on Skype nowadays and the button has remained unused.

I created Skype Call Button. Skype Call Button remaps the Windows Live Call button to operate with Skype or any other application you choose. Additionally, when you receive a call in Skype, you can answer the call by just pressing the button..."

Continue reading : Using the Windows Live Call button with Skype and other applications

Download Skype Call Button

Posted by Jonathan Kay @ MessengerGeek

Search Dictionary Words From Your Instant Messaging Client - Lookup Bot

Lookup Bot is an instant messagging bot that allows you to query dictionary for words through instant messaging services.

To start using the Lookup bot from your instant messengers, add the contacts given below to your IM account :

Google Talk/Jabber – lookup@bot.im
AIM - tblookupbot@aim.com
Windows Live Messenger - lookupbot@live.com
Yahoo Messenger - lookupbot@yahoo.com

Once you have added the bot to your IM network, start a conversation with it. To lookup dictionary for words, just type this message into the conversation window: dict word

Palringo IM for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch

Palringo IM works by integrating with several popular messaging services like AOL's AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, Gadu Gadu, ICQ, Jabber and Windows Live Messenger. It's now available for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.

Palringo presents an iPhone user's IM contacts in a single, combined, presence-aware list, whichever IM service their contacts are using. This eliminates any need to switch between different IM applications in order to send a message to different contacts. Sending a voice, picture or text-based message are single-click operations.

Palringo for the iPhone is free, and is easy to download and install from Apple's new App Store. There are no hidden costs, catches or other charges.

Download Palringo from the App Store

Top 50 Skype Features

"With every technological innovation, the world has another opportunity to become more close-knit. With Skype, this opportunity is more apparent than any invention since the telephone. The latest edition, Skype 4, recently became available with new features. It’s uses are vast, ranging from keeping in touch across the oceans to international business relations. Best of all, it is free to download and, all charges are reasonable and worthwhile. Items 1-45 are all free tips, and we will also show you how to save money with additional Skype features at the end of the document..."

Continue reading : 50 Ways Skype Can Connect You with the World

Posted by Alyssa Choiniere @ TestFreaks Blog

How to Minimize Windows Live Messenger to the System Tray Windows 7

If you have re­cent­ly down­load­ed Win­dows 7 Re­lease Can­di­date 1 and in­stalled Win­dows Live Es­sen­tials on it, es­pe­cial­ly Mes­sen­ger, you might no­tice that it re­acts dif­fer­ent­ly from pre­vi­ous ver­sions of Win­dows when you min­i­mize its main win­dow, that is, the Con­tact list. In­stead of mov­ing the Mes­sen­ger icon to the no­ti­fi­ca­tion area like in Win­dows XP and Vista, it just min­i­mizes to the taskbar—fol­low­ing the guide­lines the Win­dows team has set up, in order to keep the no­ti­fi­ca­tion area clean and tiny.



How­ev­er, if you are run­ning Mes­sen­ger quite fre­quent­ly, per­haps even per­ma­nent­ly, the rather big Mes­sen­ger icon in the “nor­mal” taskbar might get into your way rather quick­ly. How would it be to force Mes­sen­ger to act like in pre­vi­ous ver­sions of Win­dows—that is, to “min­i­mize to tray”? Here is how you can...

Continue reading : How-to: Minimize Messenger to the system notification area in Windows 7

Posted @ mynetx

TinyChat Adds Video Chat Support

Tinychat, a free service that allows you to create a free disposable chat room, now has free video chat which supports up to 12 concurrent broadcasters and unlimited viewers.

Tinychat is completely browser and OS independent, so it works on anything that supports flash. It also has desktop sharing, recording, passwording and HD video upgrades.

You can set a broadcast password to do a live show, and only those who know the pass can go on audio/video. Everyone else can only do text chat.

Try Tinychat

SAPO Messenger for Mac - Free Jabber/XMPP Client

SAPO Messenger for Mac is a free Jabber/XMPP client for the Mac OS X platform, developed at SAPO and released under a GNU GPL2 license.

SAPO Messenger Features :

# XMPP-compliant client, based on the robust
# clean Mac OS X experience;
# multi-contact support;
# WebKit-based chat windows;
# Standards-based file transfer;
# Uniform roster across multiple accounts, with filtering search of contacts;
# Message center to manage offline messages and headline-type messages;
# Support for MSN transport on any account;
# SMS integration (requires SAPO account);
# Growl support;
# Sparkle-based updates.

Download SAPO Messenger for Mac