Mainstream IM News
CelebSpleak For AIM & Live Messenger
Catering to the teens and their interest in pop culture,
Spleak Media Network has introduced CelebSpleak, a content distribution platform that offers short-form celebrity gossip content that users can easily share with others. CelebSpleak is available for both the AIM and MSN/Windows Live Messenger IM platforms, where users simply add CelebSpleak to their buddy list. It can also be used on social
networking sites like Piczo and MySpace as a widget.Spleak Media says that it plans to launch more Spleaks focused on other areas of high interest to teens in the coming year.
Windows Live Messenger 8.5 Final
Windows Live Messenger has been updated to version 8.5 Final (version 8.5.1302.1018) and is available as a part of the the full Windows Live
suite, which includes Windows Live Messenger 8.5; Windows Live Mail; Windows
Live Writer; Windows Live Photo Gallery; and Windows Live OneCare. Any of the
Live suits applications, including Live Messenger 8.5, can be found on the
Live Services Web site.
AIM 6.5 Refresh Beta Updated
AOL updated the AIM 6.5 Refresh Beta to Build 6.5.7.13. New in
the build are changes to the installation
process, which allows users to customize what's included in the install. A recommended
package is still available, but if you do choose to customize upon install you
get to choose which of the following features are installed, or not; AIM Tunes,
QQ Games plug-in, AIM Toolbar, AOL.com homepage, AOL Search, and more. Full
details can be found at the AOL Beta Center.
Miranda IM v0.7.3 Released
Also making the update/upgrade list this week is
Miranda IM, an IM client that offers
support for multiple protocols (AIM, Jabber, ICQ, IRC, MSN, Yahoo, Gadu-Gadu and
more), has been recently updated to version 0.7.3. The Miranda team says that
this release contains critical fixes for MSN and Jabber and recommends that all
Miranda IM users download the upgrade.
Web & Mobile IM News
IMS/SIP Access to Web-based IM Communities Demonstrated
During the GSM Mobile Asia Congress in Macau this past week, Germany-based
COMNEON and
TJAT demonstrated IMS/SIP access to Web-based instant
messaging services, such as ICQ and MSN. COMNEON used its COMNEON IMS
Device Framework running on a mobile terminal and the TJAT instant messaging
solution to demonstrate deployment in legacy
networks without an IMS server in place through emulation. The solution is IMS/
SIP compliant, making it ready for future IMS network enhancements already
planned by most network operators. According to the companies, their IMS/ SIP
products have already completed in-house testing and cross-platform interoperability checks.
NeuStar Announces iF Services
Directory services provider NeuStar has
recently launched its Interaction Framework (iF) services, which let mobile users
manage their identities, profiles, and social interactions from within a
single secure framework. NeuStar's iF services for mobile phone users provides a
central point for accessing all presence-enabled contacts from phone numbers to
e-mail addresses, instant messaging addresses and identities from various Web
and social networking sites). Additionally, mobile operators can use the
Interaction Framework to offer presence functionality and integrate existing
mobile services such as text, IM, social networking, and gaming, while
developers can integrate the framework into their services.
IM Security, Management & 2008 Predictions
Survey Says...
The results of the second annual AP-AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey,
conducted online by Knowledge Networks, has been released. The survey, which
examined instant messaging trends and usage habits among 1,246 IM users,
revealed that 25 percent of respondents send IMs from their cell phones,
including one in three teens. The survey also indicates that more than one in
four (27 percent) use instant messaging at work, where half responded that IM
makes them more productive. Also, 79 percent of the at-work IM users surveyed
said that they have used instant messaging in the office to take care of
personal matters.
2008 Spam and Security Predictions
MessageLabs, a provider of
messaging and Web security services to businesses has announced its security
predictions for 2008, warning of stormy weather ahead. The report says "2007 saw the introduction of some major new
players into the threat arena, including gangs which may be perceived as
inspirational to their more amateur peers. Responsible for one of the largest
botnets in the world, StormWorm, is an experienced and professional team which
MessageLabs predicts will have further impact in 2008, through its own
activities and the antics of new players attracted to the buoyant market."
The report also predicted an increase in IM attention in 2008, with the possibility of IM spam running like telemarketing. Similar IM spam, (spIM) warnings were issued
for 2007, however increased instant messaging spam threats did not run rampant. Lastly, the report says we can expect spammers to learn from the virus writers' targeted approach. As a result MessageLabs predicts that spam will increase in intelligence during 2008, with content being
more targeted and stickier, with the end goal of increasing the currently very
low conversion rate.
McAfee, Inc. Says IM = Instant Malware
In McAfee Inc.'s top ten
predictions for security threats in 2008 the company suggests that instant
messaging is ripe for malware, warning of the possibility of a 'flash' worm
scenario where the worm travels via instant messaging applications. In its
report McAfee said, "There has been malware that spreads via IM, but we have yet
to see such a self-executing threat. However, this may be closer than ever as
the number of vulnerabilities in popular instant messaging applications more
than doubled in 2007 compared to 2006. Additionally, the top IM virus families
of 2005 and 2006 were replaced with new active threats, signifying an out with
the old and in with the new milestone. Skype saw its first batch of worms in
2007. Many more are expected to follow."
Packeteer Offers New Plug-ins For Subscribers
Packeteer, a
provider of WAN application delivery has released its new application
classification plug-ins, Packeteer PacketShaper and iShaper, that let users
automatically identity, monitor and control several popular applications which
are known to consume enormous amounts of network bandwidth and negatively impact
the performance of the applications. The new plug-ins are downloadable
software modules that seamlessly integrate with Packeteer's application
classification architecture and include application visibility, monitoring and
control for: Xbox Live network downloads, MSN IM Video, and BitTorrent.
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