Yahoo! Messenger

Yahoo! Messenger

 

 

Developer(s)	Yahoo!
Initial release	March 9, 1998; 15 years ago
Stable release	Windows: 11.5.0.228 / March 13, 2012; 15 months ago Mac: 3.0.1 / July 20, 2011; 22 months ago Linux: 1.0.6 / September 2003; 9 years ago SunOS 5.7: 0.99.17-1 / September 2003; 9 years ago Solaris 8: 1.0.4 / September 2003; 9 years ago FreeBSD 4/5: 1.0.4 / September 2003; 9 years ago iOS: 2.2.6/ July 12, 2012; 11 months ago
Preview release	Mac: 3.0.1 Beta build 35554 / July 20, 2011; 22 months ago
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, Symbian, iOS and UNIX/Linux/FreeBSD/Solaris (no longer supported)
Type	Instant messaging client and Internet phone
License	Proprietary adware
Website	messenger.yahoo.com

 

Yahoo! Messenger (sometimes abbreviated Y!M or YM) is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Messenger is provided free of charge and can be downloaded and used with a generic "Yahoo! ID" which also allows access to other Yahoo! services, such as Yahoo! Mail, where users can be automatically notified when they receive new email. Yahoo! also offers PC-PC, PC-Phone and Phone-to-PC service, file transfers, webcam hosting, text messaging service, and chat rooms in various categories.
Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the name Yahoo! Pager on March 9, 1998.
In addition to instant messaging features similar to those offered by ICQ, it also offers (on Microsoft Windows) features such as: IMVironments (customizing the look of Instant Message windows, some of which include authorized themes of famous cartoons such as Garfield or Dilbert), address-book integration and Custom Status Messages. It was also the first major IM client to feature BUZZing and music-status. Another recently added feature is customized avatars. Yahoo! Messenger also allows users to access Yahoo! Chat Rooms.
As of December 14, 2012, all public chat rooms on Yahoo! Messenger have been shut down as part of a series of features being changed/added/deleted.

Voicemail and file sharing

Yahoo! added voicemail and file sending capabilities to anyone. File-sharing of sizes up to 2GB was added to Yahoo Messenger.

Plug-ins

As of 8.0, Yahoo! Messenger has added the ability for users to create plug-ins (via the use of the freely available Yahoo! Messenger Plug-in SDK), which are then hosted and showcased on the Yahoo! Plug-in gallery. Yahoo now no longer provides plugin development SDK.

Yahoo! Music Radio

Main article: Yahoo! Music Radio

Yahoo! Messenger users can listen to free and paid Internet radio services, using the official Yahoo! Music Radio plug-in from within the messenger window. The plug-in also player functionality, such as play, pause, skip and rate this song.

Webcam

Yahoo's software now allows users with the most current updated versions (messenger 8 through 10) to utilize its webcam service. This option enables users from distances all over the world to view others who have installed a webcam on their end. The service is free with provided speeds averaging from a range in between 1 to 2 frames per second. The resolution of the images can be seen starting at 320 x 240 pixels or 160 x 120.

URI scheme

Yahoo! Messenger's installation process automatically installs an extra URI scheme ("protocol") handler into some web browsers, so that URIs beginning "ymsgr:" can open a new Yahoo! Messenger window with specified parameters. This is similar in function to the mailto: URI scheme, which creates a new e-mail message using the system's default mail program. For instance, a web page might include a link like the following in its HTML source to open a window for sending a message to the YIM user notarealuser:

<a href="ymsgr:sendim?notarealuser">Send Message</a>

To specify a message body, the m parameter is used, so that the link location might look like this:

ymsgr:sendim?notarealuser&m=This+is+my+message

Other commands are:

• ymsgr:sendim?yahooid
• ymsgr:addfriend?yahooid
• ymsgr:sendfile?yahooid
• ymsgr:call?yahooid
• ymsgr:callPhone?phonenumber
• ymsgr:chat - opens chat room list
• ymsgr:im - opens the "Send an IM" window
• ymsgr:customstatus?A+custom+status - changes the status message
• ymsgr:getimv?imvname - loads an IMVironment (example: ymsgr:getimv?doodle, ymsgr:getimv?yfighter)

Interoperability

On October 13, 2005, Yahoo! and Microsoft announced plans to introduce interoperability between their two messengers, creating the second-largest real-time communications service userbase worldwide: 40 percent of all users (AIM currently holds 56 percent). The announcement comes after years of third-party interoperability success (most notably, Trillian, Pidgin) and criticisms that the major real-time communications services were locking their networks. Microsoft has also had talks with AOL in an attempt to introduce further interoperability, but so far, AOL seems unwilling to participate.
Interoperability between Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger was launched July 12, 2006. This allows Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger users to chat to each other without the need to create an account on the other service, provided both contacts use the latest versions of the clients. It wasn't possible to talk using the voice service among both messengers.
As of December 14, 2012, the interoperability between Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger ceased to exist. The Live Messenger contacts will appear as greyed out and it will not be possible to send instant messages to them.

Games

There are various games and applications available that can be accessed via the conversation window by clicking the games icon and challenging your current contact. It requires Java to work.

Yahoo! Chat (1998–2012)

Yahoo! Chat was a free online chat room service provided exclusively for Yahoo! Users. Yahoo! Chat was first announced on January 7, 1997, as it was confirmed to be a feature on the very first release of Yahoo! Messenger. On March 9, 1998, the first public version of Yahoo! Messenger was released, which included Yahoo! Chat as one of its features. It allowed Yahoo! Users to create public chat rooms, send private messages, and use emoticons.
In June 2005, with no advance warning, Yahoo! disabled users' ability to create their own chat rooms. The move came after KPRC-TV in Houston, Texas reported that many of the user-created rooms were geared toward pedophilia. The story prompted several advertisers, including Pepsi and Georgia-Pacific, to pull their ads from Yahoo!.
On November 30, 2012, Yahoo announced that among other changes that the public chat rooms would be discontinued as of December 14, 2012. quoting "This will enable us to refocus our efforts on modernizing our core Yahoo! products experiences and of course, create new ones."
Until the chat rooms became unavailable on December 14, 2012, all versions of Yahoo! Messenger could access Yahoo! chat rooms.
Yahoo! has since closed down the chat.yahoo.com site (which is now a redirect to a section of the Yahoo! Messenger page) because the great majority of chat users accessed it through Messenger. The company is still working on a way to allow users to create their own rooms while providing safeguards against abuse. A greyed-out option to "create a room" was available until the release of version 11.
A recently added feature in Yahoo! Messenger allows users to connect with their Facebook friends through the messenger.

SPIM

Yahoo! Messenger users are subject to unsolicited messages (SPIM). Yahoo's primary solution to the issue involves deleting such messages and placing the senders on an Ignore List.
As of 2007, it was estimated that at least 75% of all users who used Yahoo chat rooms were bots. Yahoo introduced a CAPTCHA system to help filter out bots from joining chat rooms, but such systems generally do little to prevent abuse by spammers.

Release history

Main article: Yahoo! Messenger version history

• Windows - 11.5.0.228 - March 13, 2012
• Mac OS X - 3.0.1 Beta (build 35554) - January 10, 2011
• Unix - 1.0.4 - September 2003. It can still be downloaded from Softpedia.
  • Version 1.0.6 can be downloaded from the Unix Beta page: http://public.yahoo.com/~mmk/

Yahoo! released a preview version of Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista. It had been designed to exploit the new design elements of Vista's Windows Presentation Foundation and introduced a new user interface and features. It lacked some basic functions such as webcam support. It has since been discontinued.

 

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ChatON

ChatON

Developer(s)	Samsung Electronics
Initial release	October 14, 2011; 19 months ago
Stable release	Android 2.1.3 (March 15, 2013; 2 months ago) Android Tablet 2.0.1 (March 15, 2013; 2 months ago) iOS 2.1.1 (March 21, 2013; 2 months ago) BlackBerry OS 1.9.0 (April 4, 2013; 2 months ago) bada 1.9.0 (October 26, 2012; 7 months ago) Windows Phone 1.5 (June 27, 2012; 11 months ago) Web 2.0.3 (February 22, 2013; 3 months ago)
Development status	Active
Operating system	Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, bada, Windows Mobile, Web page
Available in	63 languages
Type	Instant messaging
License	Proprietary freeware
Website	www.chaton.com

ChatON is global mobile communication service introduced by Samsung Electronics in September 2011.ChatON officially serves more than 237 countries in 63 languages. ChatON is currently available on Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone (Samsung Zone), Windows Mobile (Korea), and bada smartphones. Additionally, a web client is offered for access to the service via web browsers. Users can invite and register friends via Facebook and Twitter as well as share ChatON content on Facebook. Among ChatON's unique features are allowing users to create Animation messages which the recipient can watch, Broadcast to send personal notices in a group chat room, and the Trunk which stores media files shared in chats.

History

ChatON was introduced at IFA on August 29, 2011, in Berlin, Germany, with initial service for iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Samsung features phones. Support has since been expanded to include Android tablets, Windows Phone, and Samsung bada phones. The ChatON mobile application can be downloaded from Samsung Apps & Google Play for Android, Apple AppStore for iOS, App World for Blackberry, and Microsoft Market for Windows Mobile.

Features

 

ChatON has basic features which are auto friends registration, text chat, & multimedia deliver, and put new features which are My Page, voice/video chat, & translate.
The main function of ChatON is divided into Multimedia, Group Chat, Trunk, and Animation Message. ChatON can send text, picture, video, & audio as multimedia. Users use the personal profile into My Page. They can create group chat rooms just by selecting more than 2 buddies. All the contents that have been shared in each chat is saved into each trunk. Animation Message turns some simple drawing and stamping into short moving videos.

Web version

ChatON offers a website client to enable users without a supported smartphone platform to chat via desktop and mobile web browsers. Usage of the web client is tied to a Samsung account instead of a phone number, and buddy lists from mobile accounts can be imported to the web client.

 

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Kik Messenger

Kik Messenger

 

 

The Official Kik Logo

Developer(s)	Kik Interactive
Initial release	October 19, 2010
Stable release	6.2
Development status	Active
Operating system	iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry, Symbian
Available in	English
Type	Instant Messaging Client
Website	www.kik.com

Kik Messenger is an instant messaging application for mobile devices. The app is available on most iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Symbian operating systems at no cost.

 Kik Messenger is similar to BlackBerry's Messenger, and iPhone's iMessage. Kik uses a smartphone's data plan or Wi-Fi to transmit and receive messages, a feature that appeals to individuals looking to avoid text messaging rates set by phone service providers. Kik offers fast text messaging service and also allows users to share photos, sketches, voice messages, and other content. Kik Messenger uses a username instead of a phone number, allowing for more privacy than other forms of text messaging. Kik is well received among users and has an average rating of 4.4 (out of 5) on the Google Play application store.

History

Founded in 2009, Kik Interactive is the work of a group of students from the University of Waterloo who wished to create new technologies to be used on mobile smartphones, which they believe are the future of computing and communication. Kik Messenger is the first app developed by Kik. A beta version of Kik Messenger came out in April 2010. Kik Messenger was released on October 19, 2010 by Kik Interactive. It took only 15 days for Kik Messenger to reach one million user registrations, with Twitter being credited as a catalyst for the new application's popularity.
On November 24, 2010, Research In Motion removed Kik Messenger from BlackBerry App World and limited the functionality of the software for its users.
On March 7, 2011, Kik announced $8 million in Series A funding by three venture capital firms – RRE Ventures, Spark Capital, and Union Square Ventures. It also announced that Fred Wilson of USV and Adam Ludwin of RRE Ventures would join the company's board of directors. Early 2012 saw a great increase in the number of Kik users, with 450,000 people downloading the app in a single day. Another landmark was reached in April 2012 with Kik users reaching the 10 million mark. Kik Messenger became the top-downloaded free social app in iTunes in the United States in July 2012. As of November 29, 2012, there were a total of 30 million unique users registered.

Features

• Free messaging across different operating systems
• Individual or group chat
• Picture mail
• Allows users to see if a message is sent, delivered, or read
• No messaging fees
• Offline messages
• Customizable notification options
• Ad-free
• Sketch Content Message
• Youtube Content Messages
• Image Search Content Messages
• External API
• Have up to 13 people in a conversation including you

                          


   

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Meebo

Meebo

 

Meebo Logo
Meebo's homepage as of December 2011.
Web address	meebo.com
Slogan	"Together is Better" (September 2007- November 2011) "More of What You Love" (November 2011-present)
Commercial?	Yes
Type of site	Social networking service
Registration	Optional
Available language(s)	Multilingual
Owner	Google Inc.
Created by	Sandy Jen Seth Sternberg Elaine Wherry
Launched	September 2005
Alexa rank	25,800 (April 2013)
Current status	Acquired by Google as a companion to Google+. All products have been discontinued except Meebo Bar which is generally seen as a nuisance on third party websites.

Meebo was an advertising-supported embedded social media platform. It began in 2005 as a browser based instant messaging program which supported multiple IM services, including Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AIM, ICQ, MySpaceIM, Facebook Chat, Google Talk, CafeMom, Zorpia, and others.
Meebo was founded in September 2005 by Sandy Jen, Seth Sternberg and Elaine Wherry, and is based in Mountain View, California.
Meebo also developed a version of Meebo for use on the iPhone and a native application that runs on Android mobile phones.
In June 2012, Google Inc. acquired Meebo as a companion to Google+. Meebo's sole remaining product, the Meebo Bar, is generally seen as a nuisance on third party websites.

Timeline

Meebo received funding from Sequoia Capital on December 15, 2005. Meebo includes features such as invisible sign on (to prevent others from knowing when a user connects) and simultaneous connections to multiple IM services.Early angel investors in Meebo include Auren Hoffman and Marc Andreessen.
On August 2, 2006, Meebo launched the "meebo me" widget, which allows users to embed a version of Meebo on their personal website. Additionally, on October 11, 2006, they announced a partnership with Amie Street to include the "meebo me" widget on each Amie Street user page.
Meebo allows some people who are behind firewalled networks (networks that block the various instant messaging protocols but have not blocked the meebo.com domain name) to connect to instant messaging services due to the fact the user connects to only port 443 (HTTPS) and the Meebo service itself then connects to the various instant messaging protocols.

• As of 14 May 2007, Meebo incorporated "Meebo Rooms". Users of Meebo can connect to chat rooms or host their own for which multiple friends can join and chat. Meebo Rooms also grants a degree of control to the user with invite and ban authority. Classic Meebo was updated to reflect the release prior to Meebo Rooms to allow users with outdated browsers to continue to use meebo.

• On 10 September 2007, Meebo announced support for file transfers between users.

• In late 2007, Meebo was included as a web app with gOS, a Linux distribution.

• In April 2008, Meebo secured $25M in venture capital funding.

• In November 2008, Meebo launched Meebo for Android.

• In December 2008, Meebo added support for two new IM networks, Myspace IM and Facebook Chat.

• In December 2009, Meebo launched Meebo Bar, a gadget that let visitors use Meebo from the bottom of a webpage. It replaces Community IM.

• In February 2010, Meebo launched Meebo for iPhone and iPod Touch.

• In May 2010, the original Meebo Rooms service was discontinued as Meebo believed that it no longer fit their core mission of connecting users with their closest friends. The old public rooms remained online, but could only be accessed by users who added the room to their friends list before the service was discontinued. User responses to the change have been overwhelmingly negative, with many describing the rooms as places that allowed them to create meaningful friendships or as the primary reason that they used Meebo. Since the change, the service, which previously featured several active communities, has fallen into disuse. Users can still create private rooms which are password-protected, non-searchable, and require them to invite their friends.
• In September 2010, Meebo launched Meebo for BlackBerry.

• In December 2010, Meebo secured another $27.5M in venture capital funding. This brings their total funding amount to around $70M.

• In August 2011, Meebo announced that all rooms would cease to be available in October 2011. No explanation for the cancellation was given, and user response was overwhelmingly negative.

• In November 2011, Meebo announced it reached 250 million monthly global visitors.

• In November 2011, Meebo went through major changes including new features and a new logo.

• On June 4, 2012 Meebo announced through Meebo Blog that they "have entered into an agreement to be acquired by Google".

• On July 11, 2012, all of Meebo's products, except for the Meebo Bar, were discontinued. 

• On June 6, 2013, the Meebo Bar was discontinued.

Recognition

In 2009, Meebo received a Think Social Award from the ThinkSocial team.
In 2010, Meebo was recognized as one of 69 "Hottest Silicon Valley Companies" by Lead411.

Social integration

Meebo has been integrated into many Social Networking sites for IM features between users. The Meebo look will have changed and be replaced by the site's branding, but still uses Meebo's API's.

Bebo

Main article: Bebo#Bebo Chat

Bebo Chat, which allows users to chat to other users via Meebo's IM bar, was launched in 2011. Users can also update their 'Saying' and show their availability status, as well as have access to other links to Bebo's pages, and special offers. It also provides a link for users to visit Bebo's fan page on Facebook, where they can 'Like' their page and receive updates.

 

      

  

 

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