MSN releases new version of IM
C|Net | at | by Mike
Microsoft on Thursday launched a new version of its instant chat software MSN Messenger, which offers parental controls and other features only for paid subscribers of MSN 8. The Redmond, Wash.-based company made the upgrade of MSN Messenger 5 widely available on Friday. The free version includes such features as a new member directory, customizable news, and spam-blocking controls. As previously reported, for MSN 8 subscribers, the tool lets parents monitor and regulate children's IM use and enables people using different computers to surf the Web together.
The new IM software coincides with Microsoft's marketing push for MSN 8, an upgrade to its proprietary Web software that was introduced publicly Thursday. The company is spending $300 million to advertise the revamped technology in heated competition with AOL Time Warner's America Online unit, which debuted its newest software, AOL 8.0, last week.