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  MSN Messenger 7.0 Beta Preview

  Aalaap Ghag, Dec 26, 2004 0000 hrs IST

  Instant messaging has come a really long way. From basic text-based chat to graphical emoticons replacing text substitutions to video and audio conferencing

  

Page 1 - Winks & Nudges Page 2 - 7.0 o'clock & not all is worse

Handwriting
Does it seem like natural evolution? Text chatter at first, then graphics, then audio and video and now actual handwriting? Not to me, it doesn't. If you are the Internet generation, you know how strange it feels to hold a pen and write on paper these days. We are so used to typing that it actually hurts when trying to scribble in the old way, even if it's a small paragraph. And what could be stranger than writing using a pen? Writing using a mouse! Messenger 7.0's handwriting feature lets you script your messages in the small window using a mouse and trust me when I say that the mouse was never designed for writing.

The only use I could think of for this feature was drawing driving directions or something similar, however, I'd much rather prefer drawing a bigger, more clear map in MS Paint and sending it instead.

7.0 o'clock and not all is worse!
Thankfully there's more than just flagrant feature duplication happening with the new version 7.0. A few miscellaneous changes here and there do contribute a bit to my good book, like the new borderless contact list window that also shows your own display picture (hey, it's like a mirror - it's useful!). Also contact names that contain graphic emoticons and status icons appearing beside the buddy icons, as opposed to right on top. The preferences window has also been rearranged a little to look spacious, but it does end up looking more empty than roomy. Perhaps it will be tightened a bit before the final release. Your display pictures in a conversation window can be shown at full size and the remote one can be shown at a smaller size, which I think is a fairly functional addition. The emoticons window has had an overhaul as well and this time for the better. In the full view, each and every emoticon supported by MSN Messenger is displayed, along with appropriate shortcuts. Now this, I like!

But just a rounded contact list, in McNealean terms, is not enough to warrant a 10-odd Megabyte "hairball" upgrade to MSN Messenger. I'm not a huge fan of Yahoo's Audibles or IMvironments, so naturally I'll be staying away from Messenger's Winks. Besides, there's such a nice long list of nifty things you can do using plug-ins like oversize display pictures and emoticons and much more informative notifications, for e.g. when the user opens or closes the chat window. These plug-ins are not (yet) compatible with the new Messenger and oversize pictures will never get implemented owing to a technical reason. Still, if you're impatient like I usually am (this article was written using OpenOffice.org 2.0 beta), then go and grab a copy of the new public beta here. But keep in mind that it can get unstable and crash often.

Click here to download the beta.




Note: This preview is intended only for informative purposes and as such should not be termed as an indicator of the final product quality. Specifications and features are subject to change at any time.

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