Yahoo! Inc. introduced a new beta
version of its leading instant messaging (IM) service with a new
friend-centric design and features such as an in-line media player, unlimited
file transfer, and personalization tools to help people grow their
friendships. The new Yahoo!(R) Messenger 9.0 (http://ca.messenger.yahoo.com)
is helping to connect people around the world by extending its reach and
launching in localized languages in six new markets including the Philippines,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India (in Hindi), and Vietnam, expanding Yahoo!
Messenger to a total of 25 international markets.
“We’ve punched up Yahoo! Messenger to make keeping in touch with friends
and family even more fun, with features like the in-line media player that
helps people easily share their favourite videos, images and photos right in
the IM window,” said Naomi Lipowski, head of communications products, Yahoo!
Canada. “Redesigned from the ground-up, Yahoo! Messenger puts friends front
and center by giving people the choice to stay connected wherever their
friends are using IM, voice, or SMS.”
The new version of Yahoo! Messenger has been re-designed to better
connect users to their friends and family. Enhancements released with the beta
version include:
– Re-designed Friends List: New main window redesign with more vertical
real estate for friends (you can see the online presence indicator,
the display image, and the status in a glimpse) – and with just one-
click, users can connect immediately through instant messages, voice,
or text messages to mobile phones.
– In-line Media Player: Send URLs of images, videos, maps and more to
your friends and family. The linked content appears right in the
conversation for both users to see and share.
– Unlimited File Transfer: Safely send files, ultra-large and small,
directly from your IM conversation with unlimited file transfer and
automatic anti-virus scanning, as supported by Symantec Norton
AntiVirus 2007.
– Call Forwarding: People can stay connected even when they are not at
their computers with the option to send calls from Yahoo! Messenger to
a mobile phone or landline as a voicemail. Additionally, voicemails
are now sent to any email account as MP3 file attachments.
– Creative Enhancements: People can now add their personal touch and
express their passions with seven new skin designs, allowing people to
change the colour of Yahoo! Messenger. Six new emoticons selected from
the July 2007 Emoticontest submissions will also be released including
“thumbs up,” “thumbs down,” and “rock on.”
– Flickr Photo-Sharing: People can now share their Flickr photosets with
friends and family in real-time.
