//beconfused

(Installation part of ICQ.)

I’ve download the latest version of ICQ, at version number 5.1. Nafcom is right to point out the significant feature addition. I think this is perhaps the best attempt to play catching up.

(Log in screen in ICQ 5.1 now allows you to choose your status before you log in.)

The installation prompt you to install ICQ toolbar to search and surf without popups. The thing is that Microsoft Internet Explorer already has a pop up blocker so the toolbar is kinda redundant. As for the search part, it uses Google but displays a thumbnail of how the page looks like. Thumbnails are supplied by Girafa. Personally, I would prefer to go to Google or Yahoo to do my searches straight from there.

The log in screen allows you to choose your status before you log in. It’s like the way Live Messenger (previously known as MSN Messenger) implemented it. And when you log in, the train sound is still there.

(Online notification in ICQ.)

And there is a notification when your contacts pops online. It’s similar to Live Messenger’s toaster pop ups. It’s quite useful and ICQ’s notification is not distracting to me. I would be better if the pop up is smaller though.

(And ICQ has a new set of emoticons, orange this time.)

ICQ has these orange emoticons now, perhaps it’s cuter, I’m not sure. It’s not really too my liking. Live Messenger has yellow one, and ICQ has orange ones. You can change your emoticon set back to the older one though.

(ICQ’s messaging windows. I still dislike the advertisement.)

The default messaging window is too cluttered. I just see too many extra buttons. After I use Google Talk, I became a fan of things simple and uncluttered. Speaking of which, Live Messenger is adding more features and it’s becoming more cluttered now.

(ICQ has something similar to Live Messenger’s winks.)

ICQ 5.1 introduces tZers which is similar to Live Messenger’s Winks. I don’t really use tZers or Winks much but I do know that they are quite popular among the secondary school kids. ICQ’s tZers look nicer than Live Messenger’s Winks. Most of the nicer Live Messenger winks require you to purchase them. ICQ, however, comes with a beautiful set of tZers.

(There is always something for the Boyz and Girlz.)

Oh yes, last but not least. Skins. I don’t need to explain this right?

ICQ 5.1 is about 5.8 MB as opposed to Live Messenger being a ridiculous 15 MB. I don’t understand how Live Messenger grew to 15 MB, it’s probably the folder sharing and Live calling tools. You can download ICQ 5.1 here.

Microsoft announced that Windows Live Messenger Beta is now available broadly to consumers for download (read press release). You can download it from Windows Live Ideas page under Windows Live Messenger portion.

Noteable new features are:

* Windows Live Call with Verizon Web Calling service. With one click, users can go directly to the Windows Live Call feature and, through the Verizon Web Calling service, place affordable outbound local voice calls and domestic or international long-distance voice calls over the Internet. Service is already offered to Messenger customers in five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain. As of next week, this calling service will be available in localized languages and currencies for six new markets â?? Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands â?? giving more customers more ways to communicate with the people that matter most to them.
* Cordless phones designed exclusively for Windows Live Messenger. Beginning today, customers will be able to purchase phones from companies such as Uniden Corp. and Philips that make Windows Live Call available through the handset, which can be used to make landline and Internet phone calls. Consumers can use their cordless phones from anywhere in the home, even while away from the PC.
* Windows Live Contacts. Contact information is always current with Windows Live Contacts in Windows Live Messenger; users choose which contacts they want updated automatically. Windows Live Contacts are integrated and accessible across Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail and MSN Spaces.
* Unified contacts. Customers now have the ability to see and search all their contacts with the unified contact list accessible through Windows Live Messenger. Users can have up to 600 contacts, and easily search using the word wheel feature, which automatically sorts the contact list.
* Sharing Folders. By simply dragging and dropping their files and personal photos of any size to their Windows Live Messenger window, customers can share them with family, friends and colleagues.
* Offline instant message (IM). Customers can now send an IM to their offline contacts, who will receive the IM the next time they log in.
* Video conversation. The free synchronized audio and video service in Windows Live Messenger, powered by Logitech International SA, allows customers to view and talk to their friends through their PCs in full-screen video with one push of a button using the webcams and broadband Internet connections.

Source: Microsoft PressPass

The feature most needed is offline instant message! It’s here, and it works similar to ICQ’s.

Also to note is ICQ 5.1 has been released! You can check it out. Nafcom has information. I just installed it but haven’t really tried it much. It seems to be trying to target more teens this time, like what MSN Messenger did with all the cute emoticons and silly winks.

We ought to embrace our local chat language more. The local chatting language is an ultra-sophisticated form of language that only the youngsters understand. We don’t use much afk, lmao, imho or l33t5p34k. We just have lots of lars, lors, hees, mahs and absurd abbreviations and a bunch of misspelt words.

I don’t know how that come about; it probably evolved from Singlish and got mixed with the modern internet lingo. I recently watched this show in Channel U, a Chinese television channel, that got a bunch of people debating on the whole Singapore internet lingo thingy.

The whole segment was… bullcrap. I disagree with most of what they discussed. They went to discuss about internet lingo with Chinese language. Oh comeon, no one chats in Mandarin in MSN Messenger in Singapore. It’s all English, Singlish and Chinese words depicted in Han Yu Pin Yin (still English).

I just don’t connect with the show segment you know. The argument is that teenagers are increasingly getting into this - what is widely touted online as - cool lingo and the parents all don’t damn understand what they mean.

The parents are naturally annoyed, upset and displeased when teenagers type words through MSN with strange spellings. Grandparents are upset too. But the segment just went on showcasing the various scenarios where frustrations set in on strange chat lingo that parents face.

Yes, it is a problem but it’s one with no solution. Teenagers love the lingo, if you use it, it’s like you’re part of the club kinda thing. I wasn’t really one of those who use such language excessively as I didn’t start chatting with local people. So my exposure is those American type of lingo. It took me a month to get used to how all my friends speak online.

If parents are really interested, just go to some teenager chat room and start talking to the teenagers, I’m sure it won’t take long to learn that anyway. I don’t see what’s the fuss too. I just think teenagers have absolute right to chat in a language that is common to themselves. If parents don’t understand, just learn. If you can’t learn, just don’t.

I just don’t see the importance of learning the Singapore chat lingo anyway. And when they can’t learn, they got frustrated that their children and go to some talk show and lament about it. Get real, that’s really childish in my opinion. If your child decides to speak French to his clique of French language student friends, are you going to go to a talk show and complain? Just start a blog and complain lar, like me lor.

Have you ever felt bored thinking there is nothing to do at home? Recently, I went around asking what do my friends do at home when there is just nothing to do.

And they told me that they usually watch television or anime in the computer, listen to his iPod playlist while lazing on the bed. One guy told me that when he has nothing to do, he is usually reading forwarded emails and forwarding them to his pals including me. [Okay, they explains why my Gmail is nearly 300 MB full now.]

_(Romeo and Juliet met online in a chat room. But their relationship ended tragically when Juliet’s hard drive died.)_

Another told me that he chats. He chats with this girl online and they grew quite close. But they haven’t met. So I asked him, why haven’t you two met. And he answers that he is not confident of himself. He spends time waiting for the girl and surfing around websites as he waits.

One guy confesses he watch porn videos when he has nothing to do.

Most of these things require electricity. What if one day we just have a power shortage that’s really bad it last for a day or two. What would we be doing, I wonder.

Really, it didn’t quite make sense to me why they’re closing support. Apparent, ICQ has closed it support forums. Frankly I am against the idea. Just when Google and Microsoft is trying to move closer to the public, ICQ seems to be moving away. The Google guys blog in their official Google blog. The Microsoft guys have newsgroups, feedback forms, forums and even blogs to get user’s criticism. Those are right moves in my opinion.

Why’s ICQ moving away. ICQ just closed its ICQ Focus Group forums. And worse - seemed to have killed it’s Ticket Center support. So if you want support with ICQ, you probably have to send them an email.

Now Nafcom’s asking you guys to send them a complaint via our traditional mail. You can send a mail to Israel or to the U.S.A. Their addresses are:

ICQ LTD.
Mr. Orey Gilliam
General Manager
Kiryat Atidim, Bldg.7, 4 floor
P.O.Box: 58161
61580 Tel Aviv
ISRAEL

ICQ, Inc.
22000 AOL Way
Dulles, VA 20166
USA

_(Screenshot of the Windows Live Messenger 8 Beta build 566.)_

*The great Windows Live Messenger 8 Beta invite giveaway*

Okay, I have 70 invites for Windows Live Messenger 8 Beta to give away! If you’re invited, you can start using Windows Live Messenger 8. Comment here with your MSN address to tell me you want an invite. (more…)

I don’t know if you guys have heard about it, but the new version of MSN Messenger will be known as Windows Live Messenger 8. So there’ll be no more MSN Messenger 8 of course. Numerous MSN products would be rebranded as ‘Live’ products in future. And Windows Live Messenger is one of the first few to be released.

_(Screen of Windows Live Messenger 8’s main screen.)_�

Microsoft needs people to test out Windows Live Messenger 8. So if you are interested, I can invite up to 8 people to test out this Windows Live Messenger 8 beta. Note that this is just a beta product so if anything doesn’t work right, don’t scream.

_(Screenshot of Windows Live Messenger 8 chat screen.)_

I attached some screens to show you how Windows Live Messenger 8 (WLM8) looks like. As you� can� see, WLM8 has undergone a facelift. I don’t� know if you guys would like the new look better. I think it looks neater by a little?� If you are interested in testing, you can either leave a comment or contact me directly. Thanks.