Hi, Yahoo Messenger fans, I have exciting news for you! No, it's not the Vista version of the instant messaging client, it's only Yahoo Messenger 9.0 Beta, a brand new version of the application designed to work on Windows XP and Vista. Besides the support for the latest version of Microsoft's operating system, Yahoo Messenger 9.0 Beta is available in six new countries, allowing the local consumers to use the program in their native language: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India (Hindi), and Vietnam. Now let me introduce you to the new features:

First of all, you'll notice the new design, which is pretty attractive… with a few exceptions. Although you can choose from several color themes, I found at least one element which annoys me every time the contact window is opened: a communication bar which appears under a contact name, requiring you to choose from instant messaging, VoIP chat or SMS. The Sunnyvale company didn't say a thing on whether the bar can be disabled or not, or at least if we can set one of the options as default, because some of the consumers who use only instant messaging might find it useless.

The avatars are now displayed next to the contact names, while the status messages can be placed under them. You can choose between a detailed list view and a compact one, depending on your preferences. Besides these interface improvements, Yahoo Messenger 9.0 beta is fully compatible with video and photo sharing technologies such as YouTube, Yahoo Video or Flickr, allowing you to share pictures and clips in a matter of seconds. For example, to share a clip to your contact, all you need to do is type the link of the video.

Now, the juicy part: Yahoo Messenger 9.0 beta comes with some new skins and emoticons which I'm sure you'll like. Sarah Bacon, Product Manager, said that some of the emoticons were inspired by the Emoticontest and by your votes.

Yahoo Messenger 9.0 is now available on Softpedia; so if you want to test it, here's the link.