New MSN Instant-Messaging Client to Go Beta Next Week

MSN is preparing to release to testers the first beta of its MSN Messenger 7 instant-messaging (IM) client next week.

Testers in the U.S., U.K., France, Spain, Korea and Netherlands are on the tester list.

MSN is planning a broader beta to go out later this year. The target date for the final is early 2005, company officials said.

With MSN Messenger 7, Microsoft will be integrating some of the from its threedegrees IM product. The threedegrees team has been laboring for a couple of years on an IM product catering to the teen — or as Microsoft has characterized it, the "NetGen" — market. The threedegrees product has been in beta for more than a year.

The NeoWin Windows enthusiast site reported on Wednesday some of the features expected to debut in next week's MSN Messenger beta. Among these are the "winks" and "nudges" Microsoft pioneered with threedegrees. Winks and nudges are animations that help grab other IM users' attention.

MSN also said to expect other IM personalization features to debut in the MSN Messenger 7 release, including:

Contact cards (which sound somewhat like the electronic business cards that are featured in the MSN Office Interconnect service that Microsoft recently introduced in Japan);

New "Display Pictures" capabilities: MSN Messenger 7 users will be able to display pictures in more areas of their IM windows;

The ability to set status before log-on, allowing users to choose how they "appear" before signing on to IM. One new option will be the ability to log in, but appear to be offline.

MSN is touting other new features for its next IM client release, as well, including tighter integration with MSN Search. A search bar will be included at the bottom of each IM client. Users also will be able to search within an IM conversation by highlighting a word and right clicking on it.

MSN also plans to add more "value-added transactional services," such as avatars and emoticon packs for more markets. Currently, MSN has introduced these kinds of features in Korea and the U.K. With MSN Messenger 7, MSN will add the U.S. and France to the list of supported countries, and add new, purchasable background and display picture offerings, too.

"The limited Messenger beta is designed to help MSN test some key features and scenarios, including greater ability for customers to personalize their IM experience, integrate with other MSN services like MSN Search and have access to transactional services including emoticons, backgrounds and display pictures," said a Microsoft spokeswoman, via a statement. " The MSN Messenger limited beta is just the first step towards the future release of more robust communications services from MSN. "

MSN launched MSN Messenger 6.2 in April. Concurrent with that release, MSN added a number of new subscription games to its IM offering.

Posted by Mary Jo Foley on September 30, 2004 4:55 PM

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