Windows Live Messenger (formerly named MSN Messenger) is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Mobile. The client has been part of Microsoft's Windows Live set of online services since 2005. It connects to Microsoft's .NET Messenger Service. The client was first released as MSN Messenger on July 22, 1999, and as Windows Live Messenger on December 13, 2005. The service attracts over 330 million active users each month.
The major use of MSN Messenger is for instant messaging, although other features which now come as standard include support for voice conversations, webcams (MSN Messenger 7.0 and later feature full screen audio video conversations), transferring files, and built-in multi-user online games such as Tic Tac Toe. In a similar vein to many of MSN Messenger's competitors, MSN Messenger allows messages to be enlivened with graphical emoticons, sometimes called smileys, Flash animations called winks, animated display pictures, styled text, and many more with third-party add-ons.
Windows Live Messenger Features
- Sharing Folders - When a user wants to deliver a file to another person on his or her contact list, the "sharing folder" window appears, which is an individualized representation of all previously shared items.
- VOIP Service - Users can make free PC-to-PC calls and also low cost PC-to-Phone in the latest versions of the Live Messenger.
- Now Yahoo Messenger users and MSN Messenger users can talk to each other using only single client.
- Users can send offline messages to other users
- There are various games and applications available in Windows Live Messenger that can be accessed via the conversation window by clicking on the games icon, and challenging your friend or contact to a competition in a game, or inviting them to launch a shared external application.
- Windows Live Messenger is integrated in Xbox 360