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Yahoo! Messenger with Voice 8.0

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Yahoo! Messenger with Voice - Free Instant Messaging Program

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice - Free Instant Messaging Program

Yahoo! Inc.

The Bottom Line

Yahoo! Messenger is a complete messaging solution that integrates text and high quality voice messages, webcam video, chat rooms and lots of fun (games, audibles, avatars, radio, and more). It's a pity you can't talk to non-Y! Messenger-users, and Yahoo! Messenger's filtering as well as archiving capabilities are limited.

Pros

  • Yahoo! Messenger with Voice integrates voice chat and webcam video with instant messaging
  • IMVironments, audibles, games, avatars and radio can add fun and spice to instant messaging
  • Yahoo! Messenger with Voice is easy to use, provides fast access to other Yahoo! features

Cons

  • Yahoo! Messenger with Voice connects only with Yahoo! and MSN Messenger users
  • Doesn't offer secure messaging, filters, per-contact settings and spim protection
  • The Yahoo! Messenger with Voice message history cannot be searched

Description

  • Yahoo! Messenger lets you communicate via text and voice messages and through webcam video.
  • You can also enter Yahoo! chat rooms from within Yahoo! Messenger and make phone calls.
  • Yahoo! Messenger "IMVironments" provide messaging environments with backgrounds, animations, games.
  • It's also easy to send, share and browse shared files and pictures with Yahoo! Messenger.
  • An automatic archive can collect all Yahoo! Messenger activity and optionally purge it periodically.
  • Yahoo! Messenger integrates with Yahoo! Mail and provides stock as well as calender alerts.
  • Using a black list, you can ignore certain user or everybody not on your list of contacts.
  • You can play Yahoo! Games together with friends in Yahoo! Messenger and create and share avatars.
  • An integrated LAUNCHcast radio player allows you to share the music you're currently listening to.
  • Yahoo! Messenger with Voice supports Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/3/XP.

Guide Review - Yahoo! Messenger with Voice 8.0

Yahoo! always comes in a somewhat pretty yet inconspicuous dress. Yahoo! Messenger with Voice is no exception. It doesn't look exciting, not at a first glance. But as you add friends and start buzzing them, you discover, step by step, that you're not limited to sending simple text messages.

No, it's easy to talk using high quality PC-to-PC or PC-to-phone calls, too, and you can even take a look at each other through webcam video. Or, if you want to add some spice to textual messages that reaches beyond graphical smileys, you can indulge in Yahoo! Messenger's "IMVironments", messaging interfaces that range from simple background images to talking cartoon figures and games.

Yahoo! Messenger also lets you send short audio snippets and create complex (well, sort of complex) and fun avatars. Of course, part of every personality is the preferred music. In Yahoo! Messenger, you can listen to LAUNCHcast stations and share the song you're currently listening to.

While Yahoo! Messenger provides easy access to many Yahoo! features, there's little you can do to customize alerts or settings per instant messaging contact. Unfortunately, Yahoo! Messenger also provides little filtering and spim — instant messaging spam — protection. An easy way to search the conversation history would be nice, and secure encrypted messaging (available in Yahoo! Business Messenger) would also make a welcome addition to Yahoo! Messenger.

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