Windows Live Messenger 8.1

Windows Live Messenger combines the ability to chat with one or more friends online for fun, work, or both with voice calling, video conference, gaming, and mailing functions.

The core of the program has not changed much from the previous versions, but adds a great array of new features that the user can surely benefit from. With Windows Live Messenger, users can add users to their contact list and communicate with them in a one-to-one fashion or a conference instantly. They can express their moods with a great array of emoticons and animations, which can be customized. Users can also send short voice messages with only one click. If you get tired of seeing a white screen with only text and animations on it, you can start a video call and start talking face to face with your contact - add a headset and you have a video chat call.

Other great features include remote assistance, which allows another user to control your PC temporarily to help you fix a software problem, carry out a complicated task, or just to have fun; the whiteboard, which allows to write using the mouse as your pen; and application sharing, which lets you share your applications.

Users will also appreciate the new features of the version 8.1. For instance, now it's possible to send SMS to phone numbers right from the program window, sign out from the status menu and use the "Roaming identity" feature, that makes your display name, display picture and personal message follow you to any place you sign up.