14 DAY TRIAL // The next generation of Windows Live Messenger spans beyond the simple role of a rich desktop application and is designed to extend Internet Explorer. Users of Microsoft’s browser that also install the Beta of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 will notice that their copy of Internet Explorer will integrate a new plugin designed to take connectivity to the next level. Social networking is at the heart of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4’s evolution, there’s little doubt about this, but it is the Messenger Companion plugin that kicks it up a notch, by providing information from friends in the context of the browsing process.
“Messenger Companion is available to anyone using Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8. You can get it now by installing the Windows Live Essentials beta. We hope you enjoy sharing with your friends using Messenger Companion. We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback,” revealed Microsoft’s Mona Akmal.
Advanced connectivity is the key concept behind Messenger Companion. Microsoft is providing yet another medium for users to keep up to date with what they friends are doing on various top online destinations, such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn.
We want to make it easy for you to discover what your friends are sharing online, so if you have your Windows Live ID connected to your social networks, it doesn’t matter where a friend shares information. When you visit a website, Messenger Companion will let you know if your friends have shared any new links on that site by subtly flashing in the top right corner of your browser window,” Akmal added.
After the plugin is installed, users will notice that the Messenger Companion button will be featured in IE. It is through this button, when visiting specific websites, that users will be able to see what their friends have been up to. At the same time, the plugin features comprehensive communication capabilities. This means that users can easily join a conversation.
“The story wouldn’t be complete if there was no way for you to share interesting things you come across online. Not only can you use Messenger Companion to share with your friends, but Messenger Companion provides one-click sharing! When you a share a link through Messenger Companion, it will update your status in Messenger, and all your friends in Messenger will get an update from you about the link you shared. If you’ve connected your social networks to Windows Live, this shared link will also get posted to your profile on your social networks, so that friends on those networks can also see your link and comment back,” Akmal noted.
Messenger Companion is available for download along with the rest of the Windows Live Essentials Beta suite.
Read additional information about the new features of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 here.
Download Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 Beta and the rest of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 here.
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