Yahoo message window with much masala

Nisha Kurian

With so many live chatting services in the air like, ICQ, mIRC, chattersonline.com, Yahoo!Chat, TaoChat, PalTalk, MSN messenger, chatterbox, AOL Instant Messenger, Excite Online Chat etc, every other day these instant messaging service comes up with innovative features and updates that infact dupe the chatter with its frills and laces.

Now it is the turn of Yahoo!Messenger to make much noise with its IMVironments. They are "interactive, themed backgrounds" for Yahoo!Messenger conversations that appear directly in the instant messaging window. Thirteen downloads of IMVironments are available at the window - Dilbert, Garbage, Nintendo-Super Smash Bros. Melee, Hello Kitty, Snoopy, Ch@tAbles, Last shot, Yahoo!Fighter, Magic Crystall Ball, Fishtank, Snowflakes, Falling Hearts, Stars and Strips.

Fishtank, Snowflakes and Falling Hearts are the IMVironmens available in the chatting window by default. The remaining have to be downloaded from the IMVironment Gallery available in the messenger. What is the feel of the environment or IMV? If one selects Fishtank as the chatting atmosphere, you will find colorful fishes swimming around effortlessly in your chatting window. Now if you opt for Snowflakes (though you may not feel any chill) the window will have snowflakes fall in the background. Select the Falling Heart IMVironment to blow a kiss to your friend with the Buzz Friend Command (Ctrl-G).

Similarly use the Buzz Friend Command when you are in Snowflakes to throw snowball at your friend. Currently these are the only two interactive IMVs at hand. 

Let's have a ride through all the IMVs. In `Dilbert' the message will appear inside Dilbert's and officemate Wally's chat balloon. If you are in `Garbage', while chatting you can listen to Garbage's newest single, "Androgyny", directly from the messenger window. There is also the facility to buy Garbage's newest CD from within the IMV window. Apart from screenshots of the upcoming game, `Super Smash Bros Melee', the gaming fans can also become any of Nintendo's 13 most popular characters including Mario and Pikachu when instant messaging their friends. With 'Hello Kitty' you can replace the classic emoticons with exclusive Hello Kitty, Thomas the Bear, Joey the Mouse and Fifi the Sheep characters. Nothing so funny about `Snoopy'. Watch Snoopy type along with you as the messages are being composed. The background is Hollywood when you opt for Ch@tAbles with humorous sayings by celebrity Will Smith accompanied by dozens of animated emoticons. People can also share music clips, video celebrity interviews and movie trailers all within the window of this
IMV.

If your choice is `Last Shot' watch the instant messages unfold panel by panel from this popular comic series. Yahoo!Fighter is not a chatting zone but a turn-based fighting game. It is based on the ancient game of rock, paper, scissors brought to the IM window with a graphical twist. `Magic crystal ball' possesses mystical powers. Believe dat! Put before him questions with a `yes' or `no' answer and get matching and mismatching answers. `Stars and Stripes' IMV has been especially designed to show your sympathy and support for America by donating to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army all through this window.

Another feature with Yahoo!Messenger though not a big one is the hidden emoticons which are not available in the tool bar.

Here you can illustrate a cow, rose, alien, skull, pig, monkey, light bulb and American flag.

If you wish to create an IMVironment, note that the chatable IMV only works with MSIE 5.0 and later versions only.