Microsoft Corporation is releasing a preview version of its newest instant-messaging service, which can now support video and allows users to send photos or play games against one another.
The beta of MSN Messenger 6.0 also lets users personalise their messages and their screen backgrounds more by adding animated smileys and other ”emoticons,” creating their own images and sending photos to friends.
The new service, which is free to download, will also offer additional features for a fee, said Blake Irving, an MSN vice president.
The features help Microsoft target the prime users of instant messaging -the 13-25 year-old age group, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm based in Kirkland, Washington. – Sapa-AP