Enhanced YM is in the works

Yahoo launched Yahoo! Messenger 8.0 with Voice client after the final release of Windows Live Messenger. Yahoo included a new plug-in feature that gives their clients a customised chat experience.

The Yahoo Messenger 8's plug-in architecture was opened along with the API to support the development of ‘mini-applications'. Many companies have agreed initially to distribute third-party plug-ins with the beat such as 30 Boxes, NewsGater, eBay, Coupons, Inc., AmericanGreetings.com and Amazon.com.

Yahoo will provide plug-ins which connect to different company services like Yahoo! 360, Yahoo! Answers, Finance, Calendar, News, Music and Sports.

According to Brad Garlinghouse, Yahoo's senior vice president of Communications, Community and Front Doors, these new plug-ins will allow users to have a better communication experience by allowing them to personalise their IM service as well as their preferred Web features and services.

The plug-in allows users to include up to 1,000 people in their contact list. They can also add sound effects to voice conversations. File transfer limit also has increased to one gigabyte.

However, the function to connect Yahoo! Messenger to Windows Live Messenger is still unavailable. In October of last year, Yahoo and Microsoft first announced the plans to integrate their messaging networks. In early June, Microsoft announced it was testing Windows Live Messenger's version with Yahoo integration.

The localised version of YM 8.0 will be released in Australia, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, China, Canada en francais, Hong Kong, Korea, France, Italy, India, Mexico, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Taiwan, United States, Singapore, and Yahoo! en Espanol.