Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit Gets Updated

At just a little over one month since Windows Live Messenger went live, Microsoft has introduced the first refresh to the solution. Performance improvements were among the changes delivered by the refresh, the Redmond company confirmed. Users will be able to notice that examples of the integration of Windows Live Messenger in websites have gotten a boost in speed. At the same time, the software giant has better tailored the Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit to previous versions of Internet Explorer, also offering users a more comprehensive sign in experience.

“We want to let you know that we have rolled out an update to the Messenger Web Toolkit. With this update, the Messenger Web Toolkit UI Controls should work better in IE6; we have changed the sign in text from “IM Here” to “Sign In” to make it more clear what it does; performance should be better when going from page to page,” revealed Keiji Kanazawa, program manager, Windows Live Messenger Contacts and Messenger Platform.

The Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit went live in mid-March 2009 at MIX09. Developers can use the toolkit and associated resources, in order to integrate instant messaging functionality into third-party websites. Microsoft made sure to emphasize that building Windows Live Messenger into online destinations will provide end users with an enhanced social networking experience, by allowing them to communicate via instant messaging even though an IM client is not installed on the computer.

The software giant itself has not been shy of leveraging Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit. The most massive implementation of Web IM into a Microsoft online property came earlier this month with the integration of Windows Live Messenger into Windows Live Hotmail. Of course, Hotmail is an excellent example of what third-party developers are able to do with Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit themselves. The update was also a chance for the Redmond giant to promise that there is more coming to the Messenger Web Toolkit. “We are also working on more exciting updates for the future,” Kanazawa added. Without revealing details on the refreshes.

Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) is available for download via this link.