Do you want to have a chat with your friends, schoolmates or families over the Internet in real time? Do you want to have a long-distance telephone call low expenses? There is a good news for us! With Windows Live Messenger, this IM and video phone software which was published by Microsoft Corp, we can take our dreams into realism.

Windows Live Messenger, previously known as MSN Messenger, was renamed as part of Microsoft move towards the Live online community. So far, the most popular IM app in the world had already gone through a bunch of updates, but this new name also meant important changes that would somehow start a new period in Messenger history. Windows Live Messenger is the next generation of MSN Messenger. It supports video chats, phone-to-phone, phone-to-PC calls and conventional text chats with full support for emoticons, font formatting and more. Windows Live Messenger integrates support for Yahoo!, enabling us to chat with our Yahoo! buddies from the same application. With Windows Live Messenger we can chat online instantly in real time with friends, family and colleagues. It is faster than e-mail, more discreet than a phone call.

The key features and functions of Windows Live Messenger include: Talk to our Yahoo! Friends. With Windows Live Messenger, we can now connect with our Yahoo! friends. Forget about using multiple accounts to talk to our friends. We can do it all directly from Windows Live Messenger. The world largest IM network has just gotten bigger¡ªand better. PC-to-PC Calling. Speak our mind: Have a high-quality voice conversation using PC-to-PC Calling. Even better video conversations. Those old science fiction movies with TV phones? That is what the new Messenger will give us, only better: live, full-screen (640x480) video. Sharing Folders. Drag a file onto a contact name. We have just created a Sharing Folder. Now we and our contact can get to all the files in the folder any time, even if one of us is offline. Text message their phones. See a little mobile icon next to a friend name? Just right click to send a text message. Our two-way, super-powered address book. With Windows Live Contacts, whenever our contacts update their information, it will also be changed in our Messenger address book. Instantly. (Our Windows Live Mail address book will be updated, too.) Windows Live Alerts. Headlines, sports scores, traffic, or just about anything else we want to keep up with¡ªget pop-up notifications of things as they happen.

The requirement of this IM and video phone software is very low, such as: Computer and processor: Multimedia PC Pentium 233 MHz process (500 MHz recommended). Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista. Memory: Minimum 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended). Hard disk: Up to 50 MB of hard disk space for installation, 15 MB to run the program. Display: Minimum 800 x 600 screen resolution. Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 SP1 or later must be installed on our computer, though it does not need to be our default browser. Internet connection: Internet functionality requires dial-up or broadband Internet access (provided separately). Local or long-distance charges may apply.

Overall, Windows Live Messenger is a very nice, easy to use and full-functions IM and video phone system. The developer of this software wanted to ensure ease of use for the average home user with its simple, clean, great looking interface, but included features for even the most demanding, experienced users. It is an ideal solution for us to have a chat ro have a video phone.

Windows Live Messenger is the world's largest free Instant Messaging service, with more than 294m accounts worldwide. This is an active audience - Messenger users worldwide send more than 8.2b messages each day. But it's not all about conversations, as approximately 16.1m people play games every month. The Messenger audience is at it's most engaged when interacting with games, with each session with Games on Windows Live Messenger lasting on average 2.4 mins. You can be part of their social game play with our Games on Windows Live Messenger advertising opportunities.

Windows Live Messenger is the next generation of MSN Messenger. It supports video chats, phone-to-phone, phone-to-PC calls and conventional text chats with full support for emoticons, font formatting and more. Windows Live Messenger integrates support for Yahoo!, enabling you to chat with your Yahoo! buddies from the same application. Other features include file sharing, SMS messaging, Live Contacts address book and more. This version offers many improvements over the old MSN Messenger, and the video chat produces high quality, full motion video, even in full-screen.

A completely new look and also new feature turn Windows Live Messenger into a real competitor for Yahoo! Messenger.
You can, of course, send an instant message, call a computer, call a phone number, send a mobile message or send an e-mail. You can edit your status display and start a video chat with your friends.
Customizable skins and new emoticons are only a few of the new features included in Windows Live Messenger. During the installation process, you are also prompted to install the Rhapsody Music Service which allows you to discover, play and share music from the Rhapsody catalog.

1. Pluses: You can create custom emoticons by selecting an image on your computer which will be automatically resized. Now, you can send messages to offline contacts so that they will receive them as soon as they log in, but this feature need to be improved.
2. Other exciting features of Microsoft Live Messenger are the Whiteboard, Remote Assistance and Application Sharing. These features, only available with Microsoft Live Messenger give chatters the opportunity to share data or be part in a remote assistance session with partial all complete control of the target workstation.
3. Drawbacks / flaws: In case you receive a file, it will be saved in the default directory instead of prompting you to choose the location yourself. Of course, the received files directory can be chosen from the options menu. The Web Calling service is available for long distance calls to only a few countries, but the list is growing. The offline messages feature is not working at all; so far, after signing in, I didnt receive any offline messages.
4. In conclusion: Finally a true instant messenger coming from Microsoft. Worth downloading and installing, but still it needs some improvements.
5. The public beta release of Windows Live Messenger has a fresh look and feel - it is easy to personalize and features a toolbar that provides one-click access to customers - favorite services. Some features include the following:
6. Windows Live Call with Verizon Web Calling service. With one click, users can go directly to the Windows Live Call feature and, through the Verizon Web Calling service, place affordable outbound local voice calls and domestic or international long-distance voice calls over the Internet. Service is already offered to Messenger customers in five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain. As of next week, this calling service will be available in localized languages and currencies for six new markets Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands giving more customers more ways to communicate with the people that matter most to them.
7. Cordless phones designed exclusively for Windows Live Messenger. Beginning today, customers will be able to purchase phones from Uniden Corp. and in the coming weeks from Philips that make Windows Live Call available through the handset, which can be used to make landline and Internet phone calls. Consumers can use their cordless phones from anywhere in the home, even while away from the PC.
8. Windows Live Contacts. Contact information is always current with Windows Live Contacts in Windows Live Messenger; users choose which contacts they want updated automatically. Windows Live Contacts are integrated and accessible across Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail and MSN Spaces.
9. Unified contacts. Customers now have the ability to see and search all their contacts with the unified contact list accessible through Windows Live Messenger. Users can have up to 600 contacts, and easily search using the word wheel feature, which automatically sorts the contact list.
10. Sharing Folders. By simply dragging and dropping their files and personal photos of any size to their Windows Live Messenger window, customers can share them with family, friends and colleagues.
11. Offline instant message (IM). Customers can now send an IM to their offline contacts, who will receive the IM the next time they log in.
12. Video conversation. The free synchronized audio and video service in Windows Live Messenger, powered by Logitech International SA, allows customers to view and talk to their friends through their PCs in full-screen video with one push of a button using the webcams and broadband Internet connections.

The license of this software is Freeware, you can free download and free use this instant messenger software.