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Get social over the long-established, well-rounded chat and VoIP client Yahoo Messenger and you'll find drag-and-drop capabilities and contact importing from friends other IM, e-mail, and social-networking accounts who are also on Yahoo chat. Another favorite trick is the ability to see images and videos displayed inside the chat window when you or a pal drops in a public URL.

Yahoo Messenger 10 adds some visual enhancements that call out VoIP and video chats on the conversation window. Tweaks in the buddy list showcase an updates tab that operates as a newsfeed for friends' status messages. Other visual refreshes … Read more

Yahoo Messenger 10 beta is no more. At least not the "beta" part. This week, Yahoo gave the version 10 beta its stamp of approval, pulling away the "beta" marker and replacing Yahoo Messenger 9 with Yahoo Messenger 10 on Yahoo's download page.

For those using version 9 or below, Yahoo Messenger 10 adds a slew of design enhancements that draw out the chat app's social-networking side and video calls. If you're already using Yahoo Messenger 10 beta, you should be prompted to download a fresh version of Yahoo Messenger 10, but you … Read more

It seems as if it were just yesterday that Yahoo's Messenger team rolled out version 9 (it was a little less than a year ago, in fact.) The upgrade was so dramatic and overdue that it's a little surprising Yahoo has already tweaked its chat client, now parading Yahoo Messenger 10 beta to testers and curious chatters. We're glad they did. Even though the changes may not please everyone uniformly, nor should they incite ire. The features build off Yahoo Messenger 9, emphasize social networking, and improved video calling.

You'll be able to learn more about … Read more

UPDATED 11:45 a.m., June 24, 2009: As I just found out via Twitter, what worked yesterday won't work today. If you've updated your client with the new version, but used the IP address below to fix Yahoo IM in the previous version, you must delete that IP from the Pager Server in Pidgin or the Login Server in Adium and restart the client.

Instant-messaging stalwarts Pidgin for Windows and Adium for Mac have updated to correct a Yahoo Instant Messenger connection error. Yahoo announced earlier this month that it was going to phase out support for … Read more

Sometimes, skipping a software update makes sense. Sticking to Windows XP instead of switching to the Vista operating system is a case in point. Yahoo Messenger 9 is not.

On Tuesday, Yahoo announced that it's time to grow up. Like it or not, in a few weeks, Windows users still chatting on Yahoo Messenger 8 and Yahoo Messenger 9 beta will see a window pop up at sign-in urging an upgrade to the latest version of the free chat client. While there's no indication that Yahoo will force you to change, it's a sure bet that nag … Read more

Although my personal tastes run toward open-source, multiprotocol support when choosing a messaging app, there's a lot to be said for Yahoo Messenger 9. For one thing, if most or all of your friends are on YIM, then there's no reason to forgo the benefits of using the main client.

YIM 9 retains all the voice, chat, and drag-and-drop capabilities of its predecessors, and adds a lot more visual pizazz and some key functionality. One is contact importing, which scours your other IM, e-mail, and social-networking accounts for friends who are also signed up on Yahoo IM. You … Read more

Updated on 9/24/08 at 12:00 pm with more details on the Pingbox feature. Updated on 9/23/08 at 5:40 pm to correct information on photo-sharing and Pingbox, and adds details about contact-importing.

Yahoo Messenger 9.0 became available on Tuesday for Windows XP--a week after Yahoo's target launch date and interestingly, a week after Microsoft released its beta update of Windows Live Messenger. Yahoo Messenger 9.0 as dramatic an update of its instant messenger as Windows Live beta is of Windows Live Messenger 8.5, and it introduces some pleasant improvements over version … Read more

After months of incubation as a mere preview download, Yahoo Messenger for Vista is now a full-fledged...beta. No matter, let the feedback loop continue with this dark and gleaming desktop chat application that elevates certain aspects of the instant messaging experience while falling a step behind in others. The new look and feel is certainly impressive, and beloved avatar and emoticons take center stage alongside the tinted display. But the multiprotocol IM client Digsby is snapping up a loyal following, and its adoption of Facebook chat adds strength to strength. Is Yahoo's effort strong enough to win back … Read more