MSN Messenger Joins "Windows Live" Family

Lately it seems that Microsoft products get renamed more often than sports stadiums do. The latest example is the MSN Messenger instant-messaging client, which today is rechristened Windows Live Messenger.

The Windows Live Messenger beta is available by invitation only. Apply for the beta program here. For more on Windows Live, go here.

As I listened last week to a Microsoft executive talk about the new features in the new version, I struggled to separate the marketing hype from the real news. What's in a name?

Microsoft hopes the change will signify a closer link between its IM client and the other Web-based services in its Live contingent. A quick look at the Windows Live Messenger beta indicates that apart from the new Sharing Folders feature and a revamped voice platform, the changes from MSN Messenger are cosmetic.

That's not to say those two features won't be welcomed by the millions of current MSN Messenger users, particularly those who combine text messages with voice calls to their contacts. Windows Live Messenger now uses the more-robust Microsoft Real-Time Collaboration system for voice messages, which should result in clearer reception and fewer dropped connections.

And while it has never been particularly difficult to send files to your MSN Messenger contacts, the new Sharing Folders option updates the files you're sharing automatically, and it provides a visual cue when a file has been updated. You can also access the files in Sharing Folders when you're not connected to the Internet.

Even with these enhancements, Windows Live Messenger is much more like a point release than a completely new version of the IM client. Whether or not the program becomes an integral component of a soup-to-nuts Web services strategy from Microsoft is yet to be seen.