June 20, 2007 on 10:58 am | In Mobile | 35 Comments
This week, we launched a new Beta version of Yahoo! Messenger for Mobile (WAP version). This new version improves on both features and performance. Here’s a quick summary of the improvements:
- Full conversation view which allows for a running conversation rather than the back and forth “SMS” style exchanges in the old version.
- A more appealing look to the application that now includes status icons (busy, idle), Avatars and display images.
- New lighter version that speeds performance.
- Support for more devices. If you couldn’t use Yahoo! Messenger on your mobile phone previously, be sure to try this new Beta version.
The application also offers some handy customization features for your contact list. You can display your friends by most recently contacted, those that are online, or all (offline and online). If you like to see your contacts sorted by groups you’ve created, just click the “Show Groups” link.
A handy search box also makes it easy to find a friend on your list without scrolling through multiple screens. You can also add contacts right from your phone. Don’t want to be contacted? Click the “Go Invisible” link to enter stealth mode.
To try the new Yahoo! Messenger for Mobile Beta, go to http://yahoo.com on your mobile phone (or http://m.yahoo.com if it doesn’t redirect automatically), and then click the “Messenger (Beta)” link.
Check out this earlier blog post for more information on mobile features for Yahoo! Messenger.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
June 18, 2007 on 2:03 pm | In News | 20 Comments
Today, CNET announced that Yahoo! Messenger is a Webware 100 Award winner in the Communications category.
Yahoo! Mail is also a winner in the same category.
The “Webware 100″ Awards recognizes the best Web 2.0 sites, services, and applications that are leading the next wave of innovation. Webware.com editors received and reviewed thousands of entries. Finalists were selected and featured in an online voting poll, where users voted and ultimately selected 100 winners in 10 categories. See the complete list of WebWare 100 winners.
Thanks to all the Yahoo! Messenger users and CNET readers that voted for us!
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
June 12, 2007 on 7:42 am | In Features | 35 Comments
When you install Yahoo! Messenger, you also have the option of installing Yahoo! Toolbar along with it. I know, I know – you may groan when you see additional software offered during an installation. But there’s a reason - there are some very handy Messenger features integrated right into Toolbar, giving you access to your online friends no matter where you are on the internet.
Once you’ve installed Yahoo! Toolbar, it automatically appears near the top of your web browser. Depending on whether you’re signed in to the Yahoo! network, you may or may not see the Yahoo! Messenger button. To add it, click on the toolbar’s “Settings” button and select “Add/Edit Buttons”. Locate the Messenger smiley in the button name list and click “Add this Button”. (Note that the Messenger button is only available for Yahoo! Toolbar for Internet Explorer.)
The Yahoo! Messenger toolbar button offers some handy features when you’re signed in. It shows you what friends are online and organizes them into the same groups you have in your contact list in Messenger (it can also show offline contacts). Just select a friend from the list to start an IM, even if your Messenger window is closed. There’s also one-click access to your Messenger conversation archive.
You can also change your status message from the Messenger button, and even set your status to display the URL of the web page you’re currently on (I use this a lot when I find a good story in the Odd News section of Yahoo! News). You can also choose “Send this page” from the menu to IM the URL of the page you’re on to a friend.
The Messenger toolbar button also offers a Sidebar option that when selected, opens up a Sidebar on the left side of your browser that displays your list of contacts (see screenshot). This makes it really easy to see who comes off and online, and quickly IM friends while you’re surfing the web. There’s even a little “Send Current Web Link” button next to each friend.
In addition to the Messenger button, you can customize your Yahoo! Toolbar with feature-filled buttons from other favorite Yahoo! services including News, Maps, My Yahoo!, Sports, Groups and more.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
June 8, 2007 on 6:02 pm | In News | 53 Comments
An important security update is now available for users of Yahoo! Messenger on Windows. It is strongly suggested that all users download and install the latest version.
Even if you installed Yahoo! Messenger as recently as June 7th, 2007 you may not have the very latest version.
You can check which version you have by clicking the ‘Help’ menu option, at the top right of your Yahoo! Messenger window, and then clicking ‘About Yahoo! Messenger’. If the Yahoo! Messenger version number is 8.1.0.401 (or higher) then you have the latest and do not need to take any immediate action. If you are running anything lower than 8.1.0.401 then please upgrade to the latest version.
If you choose not to take action right now, you will receive a Security Update notification. We very strongly suggest that you click the ‘Update Now’ button and follow the instructions provided.
After you have upgraded to the latest version of Yahoo! Messenger, as a general rule, we recommend that, even if you know and trust the sender, you always take caution when receiving files from other Yahoo! Messenger users, clicking links, etc.
June 7, 2007 on 4:42 pm | In Features | 13 Comments
I listen to music most of the day while I’m working, so the iTunes plug-in is a personal favorite. Once installed, it lets me control iTunes remotely from Yahoo! Messenger. It shows me what track is playing along with artist and album, and even allows me to toggle the shuffle feature on or off. The interface also includes forward and back buttons, a volume slider and a pause/play button.
One of my favorite features is that when a new track begins, the iTunes plug-in briefly displays the album artwork, and then drops it into the center of the spinning record seen on the left side of the plug-in.
The iTunes plug-in is available for download free from the Yahoo! Messenger plug-in gallery (along with hundreds of others!). Note that plug-ins are only available for the Windows version of Yahoo! Messenger (8.1).
There is also an iTunes integration in the Yahoo! Messenger for Mac Beta. You can share the iTunes track you’re listening to in your status message. Once iTunes is running on your Mac, click on the status menu in Messenger to change it to display the current song.
Sarah Bacon
Yahoo! Messenger
« Previous Page Next Page »
