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Yahoo! and Microsoft Test IM Compatibility
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Sunnyvale, California - (Website Hosting Directory) - July 13, 2006 - Yahoo! Inc. and Microsoft Corp. will begin limited public beta testing of interoperability between their instant messaging (IM) services that enable users of Windows Live Messenger, the next generation of MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice, to connect with each other.
The interoperability, according to the companies, the first of its kind between two distinct, global consumer IM providers, is anticipated to form the world's largest consumer IM community, approaching 350 million accounts. Consumers worldwide from Microsoft and Yahoo! will be able to take advantage of IM interoperability and join the limited public beta program. They will be among the first to exchange instant messages across the free services as well as view online presence, personal status messages, share select emoticons, view offline messages and add new contacts from either service at no cost. Yahoo! and Microsoft plan to make the interoperability between their respective IM services broadly available to consumers in the coming months.
Blake Irving, Corporate Vice President of Windows Live Platform at Microsoft commented, ''This first-of-its-kind interoperability between consumer IM leaders Microsoft and Yahoo! gives our customers tremendous control, convenience and freedom in their Web communication experiences with Windows Live. We're proud to deliver this latest advancement in IM services that empower people to communicate with virtually whomever they want, wherever they want and whenever they want.''
Brad Garlinghouse, Senior Vice President of Communications at Community and Front Doors of Yahoo! added, ''Interoperability between IM services has consistently topped our users' wish lists, and through the collaborative efforts between Yahoo! and Microsoft we are delighted to provide our combined global users with the ultimate IM experience. A new era for staying connected with friends and family is here, and the bridge between Yahoo!'s and Microsoft's IM communities is bringing people around the world closer together.''
Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice users in the U.S. and more than 15 international markets, can register to participate in the IM interoperability beta by visiting Yahoo! at http://messenger.yahoo.com or Microsoft at http://ideas.live.com.
The new beta program will be available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada (English and French, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States (English and Spanish).
According to the company, Yahoo! Messenger is one of the most popular instant messaging services on the Internet, available worldwide in 19 localized versions. Yahoo! Messenger with Voice was the first to introduce an interactive and shared experience with IMVironments, and the first to introduce animated emoticons. Yahoo! Messenger with Voice continues to lead the marketplace by integrating with leading Yahoo! services including games, music, photos and search, and providing the greatest choice for consumers to stay connected to one another through text IM, PC-based calling, voice calling, e-mail, video or mobile messaging.
Windows Live Messenger, is a free instant messaging service that allows people to connect with others in real time and is available in 60 countries worldwide. According to the company, it is used by more than 240 million active accounts each month, and is the largest consumer IM service. The only IM service to offer full-screen video and the first to offer virtually unlimited file sharing, Windows Live Messenger provides customers with a window into their contacts -- enabling them to chat with friends, family and colleagues online via text, voice, mobile phone or video conversation; express themselves with winks and dynamic display pictures; and share photos, files, searches and more instantly. Windows Live Messenger features tight integration with other Windows Live and MSN communication services including Windows Live Mail, MSN Hotmail and MSN Spaces.
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users' lives, and offers a full range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
To learn more about Windows Live Messenger, please visit: http://messenger.live.com.
For more information about interoperability, please visit: http://messenger.yahoo.com.
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