Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Beta Released - Download Now

A Review of the Yahoo! Messenger Update for Vista

Approximately one year following its initial announcement, the revamped Yahoo! Messenger for Vista has arrived. The promise was a visually appealing application leveraging the Aero features of Windows Vista.

The new client certainly delivers on aesthetics, though its practical utility and overall functionality are debatable.

Enhanced Contact List

The contact list now boasts a modernized appearance. Users have the ability to adjust the size of individual contacts displayed within the buddy list.

Furthermore, contacts can be conveniently dragged and dropped onto the Vista Sidebar for quick status visibility. A simple click initiates a conversation within a standard chat window.

Emoticon Variety

An extensive collection of animated and bouncing smiley faces is included to cater to all your emoticon preferences.

Incoming messages are accompanied by brief animations before reverting to their standard size.

Customization Options

Clicking the icon located in the lower-right corner reveals an animated dialogue box. This allows selection from a range of colors, including a patterned option resembling grass.

Avatar Integration

Rather than static images, the application supports the use of new Yahoo avatars. Customizing these avatars, however, requires navigating numerous pages on the Yahoo website.

Preferences and Future Development

Locating the preferences menu proves somewhat challenging, as it's positioned between the Feedback button and the minimize button. Keyboard shortcuts are assigned to certain menu items.

Further feature additions are planned for the coming year. However, for those who infrequently utilize Yahoo Messenger, alternatives like Pidgin or Adium may remain preferable.

You can Download Yahoo Messenger for Windows Vista.