Microsoft is offering a collection of 30 new emoticons designed to integrate seamlessly with the company's Windows Live Messenger. Of course that Microsoft's instant messaging client would simply not be the same without the adjacent emoticons. But just in case you are tired of the offerings that ship by default with the product, and do not trust alternatives offered by third-parties, the Redmond company has made available for download a consistent assortment of emoticons for Windows Live Messenger. You should have no problems integrating the set into your copy of the Microsoft IM client.

The Redmond company has made it as far as Windows Live Messenger version 8.5. The first beta build went live on May 31, 2007, and is still available for download. There is no official word out yet as to the next milestone in the product's development, or the final release date. However, the main aspect of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 is the fact that it has been optimized for Microsoft's latest operating system Windows Vista. One of the first details that you will be able to observe is the overhauled graphical user interface of Windows Live Messenger, tailor fitted on the Windows Aero in Vista.

Yahoo promised at the beginning of the year to also deliver a version of its popular instant messaging application created especially for Windows Vista. Although the initial stages of the Yahoo instant messaging client looked promising, the project went dead, and eight months later, there is still no trace of the product. Since January, Yahoo has posted "Coming soon" as a clue to the final release date of Yahoo Messenger for Windows Vista. Soon is obviously a period of time longer than eight months for Yahoo.

However, there are also other alternatives to both Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger, and they involve mainly web based solutions. In the shadow of the IM alliance between Yahoo and Microsoft, there are solutions such as Meebo and Google Talk.