We have one beta invite for the Windows Live Suite beta (Live Messenger, Live Writer and Live Mail). Although the betas are in the public to download, if you want to be a part of the testing experience and guaranteed placing on the Windows Live Messenger 9.0 beta, then leave a comment below with your email address in the correct field and we’ll pick one out.

But to make things interesting - I’d like to know in your comment, reasons “why someone will never look at me the same way again”. These can be hilarious as a result - the best one gets the invite. Go!

LiveSide jumped on this story as soon as it broke, in the middle of the night UK time. Chris dude, please sleep. I do worry about your health at times. You’re a good bloke and I’ve known you for a good few years - please sleep once in a while

Windows Live Messenger 8.5
Nothing really new except this emoticon ““ which can be written as (’.') - oh, there seems to be some Windows Live Folders integration for when that’s out of beta, but that’s soon to come too, part of the Live Drive “cloud” of storage service. There’s a new theme as well, but that’s really all there is to it… there’s not even any added Aero support.
Download here or check out it’s beta web page.

Windows Live Mail
The new name for Windows Live Mail desktop, which will replace Outlook Express and Windows Mail in Windows Vista. It’s awfully confusing with all these mail applications that Microsoft have suddenly thrown at us all, but Windows Live Mail is meant to overtake everything that it’s previously made, allowing Hotmail accounts and Outlook accounts to be used in this new client.
Download here or check out it’s beta web page.

Windows Live Writer
The new way to blog to whichever blog site you have - whether it be Windows Live Spaces or Wordpress, you can add an entry with picture, map or video support. Fully extensible with plugins (some of the ones that Scott at LiveSide has made are brilliant), and it keeps everything in a nice tight-nit place.
Download here or check out it’s beta web page.

All of these products now have the same confluent theme, which I can only presume will eventually resonate throughout all the new versions of the Windows Live products which come out. They all have new installers which simply install and give no more than 2 shortcuts on your desktop, but they’re all new and exciting and I recommend anyone with some spare time to check them out.

We’ve seen pictures of the next version of Yahoo! Messenger, designed specifically for Windows Vista as it’s written purely in the Windows Presentation Foundation. Well, on10 has a video of it at some big conference event. What are you waiting for? Download!

 iPod
 PSP
 WMV (Low) 
 WMV (High)
 Zune

Some new statistics have come from Microsoft - only one piece of data, but since 4th February 2007, there were 249,852,209 users of the Messenger service (including MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Messenger).

Parents with kids who use Messenger like it’s some sort of life support system never fear - you will soon (very soon as a matter of fact) be able to choke your kids with the virtual rope of the Internet and the Windows Live Family Safety program - maybe not the most apt of descriptions but you see where I’m coming from.

To put this clearly - the parent’s Windows Live ID will oversee the child’s Windows Live ID (as the Family Safety product does anyway), but now parents will be able to approve and decline contacts to the child’s Windows Live Messenger view. Parents will be able to view information on the person who’s about to be added, view their Space, check ages etc.

How brilliant - this will really reduce the amount of abuse in Windows Live Messenger. Finally I can say, go Microsoft

Another beta goes, another one is in the works. Windows Live Messenger 8.1 has been around now for around 6 months and a few days, and now it’s time the doors were shut. There were 3,009 registered users on the beta, a total of 1,010 bugs and 456 suggestions in total spanning the 6 months the product was in beta, and the newsgroups had over 6,000 posts. That’s quite something.

There are no final prizes for testers this time round, and work on Windows Live Messenger 9.0 has already begun (there will be no more interim releases, or at least if there are, there won’t be any beta programs for it). Current testers of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 who have access to the Microsoft Connect pages will be automatically transferred to the next beta (9.0) so don’t you worry - plenty more to come.

Download the final Windows Live Messenger 8.1 here!

Abobe have recently released the latest version of Flash Player which will fix the random crashing problem in Windows Live Messenger 8.1 in Windows Vista RC2 and above, including the final RTM version.

Messenger would hang usually mid-coversation, use up loads of memory and get stuck into a loop (reported up to 600MB of memory if left to its own devices) then crashes for good. Make sure you’re running the 8.1.168 version of Messenger if you have it, and install the latest version of Flash Player.

Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1
Download Adobe Flash Player 9.0.28

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