im Archive

  • Windows Live Messenger comes to iPhone

    Windows Live Messenger comes to iPhone

    Posted on June 22, 2010 | No Comments
    It's certainly not the first app Microsoft has crafted for the iPhone -- the Bing app has been alive and well for a while now, among others -- but you could argue that this is a pretty important one. Windows Live Messenger has just launched for iOS, and it's quite a bit more than your basic IM app with support for some manner of social service aggregation, media-rich status messages, Hotmail integration, and even built-in photo effects. Many folks will want an IM client that can span a bunch of services at once -- but if you're a Windows Live fanatic stuck in an iPhone world, this should be just what the doctor ordered. Let's hope the experience is just as good on Windows Phone 7, right?

    [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

    Windows Live Messenger comes to iPhone originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Microsoft prepping Yahoo, AIM, and Windows Live Messenger support for Kin?

    Microsoft prepping Yahoo, AIM, and Windows Live Messenger support for Kin?

    Posted on June 16, 2010 | No Comments
    The list of conspicuously missing features on Microsoft's Kin devices is a lengthy one, but considering the target demographic, there's at least one particularly egregious omission: instant messaging. Well-established ROM spelunker Conflipper is now reporting that Microsoft intends to add IM support in the future, though -- a belief he's presumably gleaned from looking through the latest firmware. Specifically, he mentions support for Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and AIM, a three-pack that would come close to covering the main services most of the Kin-owning world cares about; Google Talk would be nice, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if Microsoft went without -- especially considering that they're starting from zilch.

    Microsoft prepping Yahoo, AIM, and Windows Live Messenger support for Kin? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia and Yahoo announce ‘worldwide strategic alliance’ on email, IM, maps, and more

    Nokia and Yahoo announce ‘worldwide strategic alliance’ on email, IM, maps, and more

    Posted on May 24, 2010 | No Comments
    Carol Bartz and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEOs of Yahoo! and Nokia, respectively, are on stage right now announcing a "strategic relationship" between the two companies on some of their core services. Nokia will be using Yahoo to power its Ovi email and IM services, while Yahoo will be using Nokia / NAVTEQ's competencies for its mapping and navigation services. Both companies see it as a way to grow their respective userbases, with Yahoo hoping to grab onto the 9 million Ovi users out there, while Nokia hopes that Yahoo could provide it a bit of a USA mojo. Interestingly, Olli-Pekka confronted the US problem head on: "We are an unusual global company in the sense that we are clearly a global leader in our industry, and yet we do not lead in the US." Carol was similarly forthcoming, saying that Yahoo had "lost its focus on maps a couple years ago," then correcting herself, saying that they "chose to focus on other areas." The first merged services should launch in the second half of this year.

    During Q&A the big answer to everything seemed to be "scale," but we also heard Carol toss in "downstream" at an opportune moment. When asked how this relates to Android, iPhone and so forth, Carol clarified that this doesn't change anything they're doing on those fronts. "It's not exclusive from that point." Each service will be branded as "powered by Yahoo" or "powered by Ovi." Yahoo will be announcing some "social-like" services for its mail and IM soon, but it's unclear if that's specifically related to this announcement. Neither company is talking financial specifics, but Olli-Pekka did make it very clear that a Yahoo-branded device wasn't forthcoming.

    Nokia and Yahoo announce 'worldwide strategic alliance' on email, IM, maps, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • IM+ 3.4 to support Speech Recognition for Twitter and IM (for a price)

    IM+ 3.4 to support Speech Recognition for Twitter and IM (for a price)

    Posted on August 30, 2009 | No Comments
    Unlike some people around these parts, I loves me some Twitter (psst, follow me.) Thing is, just about every time I get a chance to tweet, I can't. Maybe my hands are covered in grease as I'm stuffing my face with a delicious burger; maybe I just don't want to come home from a long day of blogging and have to squeeze my thoughts into 140 characters with my iPhone's made-for-babies keyboard. Voice recognition Twitter apps are intriguing, but none of the major Twitter clients have it yet (as far as I know), and I'm just not hardcore enough to drop money on any apps that might offer voice-tweeting as its sole functionality. Fortunately, an already worthwhile app has come along and solved all my problems via upgrade.

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