Happy Halloween!

If you’ve been using the latest beta version of Windows Live Messenger lately, I have some good news: Messenger Plus! is now fully compatible with it! Although I don’t like releasing anything that’s not “final”, the growing popularity of this new Messenger made it clear something had to be done on my side. For that reason, Messenger Plus! Live 4.79 has been added to the Download section and the Change Log has been updated accordingly.

Keep in mind that this is beta material so no support will be given for it. Some of the improvements (display pictures in notification popups for instance) are global to all Messenger versions so if you like what’s fresh and new, this beta is for you. Also, while you have fun with this new release, get prepared for a very special promotion coming your way for Christmas. Those of you who like action figures and collectibles (yes, you read correctly) are in for a shock :-).

The results are in! After a careful review of all the skins we received during the contest, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the winners:

Deformity Category

1st Place: Crystal Lab by ZOiD  winner of a Cintiq 12WX.

2nd Place: SilverGlazz by LuckyMe  winner of an Intuos3 6*8.

Originality Category

1st Place: Stormless Messenger by mynetx  winner of a Cintiq 12WX.

2nd Place: Beaver and Steve by aNILEator  winner of an Intuos3 6*8.

Functionality Category

1st Place: Wii Messenger by Ethan Li  winner of a Cintiq 12WX.

2nd Place: Windows Live Messenger 2009 by roflmao456  winner of an Intuos3 6*8.

…and the big winner of this contest, all categories considered is…

Top Place: Oil Slick by Volv who wins the Cintiq 20WSX!

Congratulations to all of you and a big round of applause (queue /sapplause) to every other contestant. 20 million skin packages have been downloaded since last year on this site alone, you can bet your work was certainely not in vain. Enjoy the rest while you can, a new version of Messenger Plus! will soon be released to let you update your skins for the new Messenge 9 Beta. More about that probably next week… :-).

Over all the Skin Packs that were received during the contest, 41 were validated and are now in the process of being judged. I am happy to say that the official skin database has now more than a hundred different skins for all of you to enjoy. More about that will be said when the winners are announced, on the 26th of September.

On a side note, I’d like to apologize for the problems you may have experienced with the Emotion Sounds feature of Messenger Plus! lately. Microsoft is not the only company who has suffered from server issues in the past few weeks (I wish I could spend time buying a new pair of shoes too). We’re currently in the process of putting everything back together, you can expect service to be back to normal by tomorrow. Thank you for your patience and your understanding.

Be quick! As mentioned in the previous news post, the Skinning Contest ends on September 14th. It means that you only have one week left to submit this great skin of yours you’ve been working on or thinking about in the past couple of weeks. If you already submitted a skin, you can still use the extra time to polish your work some more, add new options, make sure it works like a charm on all your contacts’ computers, etc… testing is always an important part of any development project and those who overlook it often pay a higher price in time later (and in this case, possibly lose a 2,000$ graphic tablet).

In the many skins that have been received already, several are already must-see/must-use creations (no, I won’t say which ones yet :). Take a look in the Skins Database and download whatever fits you best! One skin I’d like to mention in particular is Windows Live Messenger 2009. For those of you who heard about the latest beta version of Messenger but don’t want to be bothered to download and install a buggy, unfinished version of Messenger, this skin will at the very least let you keep your head up when your geeky friends show off and tell you about it. Also, in case you’d wonder, there is currently no plan to release a compatible version of Messenger Plus! for the leaked beta. Just be a little more patient and we’ll all be able to enjoy a reliable version of a cool new Messenger. Let the testers at Microsoft do their work and I’ll do mine in time too, as always :-).

Keep up the good work on those skins! Have a great weekend.

The update of the summer is here! It’s been a while but Messenger Plus! Live is now reliable enough to be left alone without the need of too many updates, nobody likes bloatware. Scripts and skins are still being added every week so if you like ever-changing things, you know you have the right add-on :-). Nevertheless, Messenger Plus! Live 4.70 can now be downloaded and features a couple of interesting new things, including one in particular: auto-updates for all your scripts and skins!

Most of us will download a skin or a script once and will never bother to check for updates later-on. For that reason, the many improvements that are then added by the developers are never seen by most the people who use their work. Fortunately, it is now a thing of the past as the new Messenger Plus! searches for updates of all its components in the official database and will notify you when needed. The new auto-update feature is designed to be as non-intrusive as possible so don’t worry, you’ll never be forced to install anything if for some reason you like your Messenger the way it already is :-). If you’re a script or a skin developer, please review the excellent FAQ made by MenthiX on the forum to make sure your users can benefit completely from this new feature.

Now, let’s talk about skins: some time ago, I talked about a contest… time for less talk and more action! Similar to the scripting contest that happened two years ago, this year’s Skinning Contest is opened to all the skin developers ready to face this challenge: to be the best skinner this world has ever seen!… well, maybe not the “world” but at least the Messenger community. And be sure my friends that the prizes are worth it, but first, here is how it’s going to work: starting today, you have 5 weeks to create the most outstanding skin imaginable. The deadline is September 14th at 23:59:59, Greenwich Mean Time. To participate, all you need to do is submit a skin to the official database (the contest is open worldwide), updates of existing skins are accepted. All the skins will be tested in the current most popular version of Messenger, Windows Live Messenger 8.5 (no need to make them work in the outdated Messenger 9 Beta from last winter).

Creating a skin requires a certain degree of technical skills. You need to be able to create appealing graphics as well as do some basic coding (in XML, a syntax similar to HTML). Fortunately, a lot of help is already available, whether it is on this site, on the forum or on specialized sites such as Design Evolved. Of course, you need to start with the official documentation and once you’ve been through it, take a look at the “Useful Software” part of this site’s skinning section to have the tools of the best skinner in town. The process of creating new skins can be very simple and get very complicated depending on what you want to do and what you want to see. This is a trial and error process but if you persist long enough, your creations will be admired by thousands if not millions of people. And for the next 5 weeks, you have a couple of extra reasons to do it…

Not 1 but 7 Wacom Tablets will be distributed to the winners of this contest. Your skin(s) will be judged and placed into three different categories: originality (something never done before), deformity (shaped windows), and functionality (improved user interface). The first prize for each category is an excellent Cintiq 12WX (check out the video on their site), a 12.1″ TFT screen that acts like a second monitor for your computer and lets you draw directly on the pictures you want to edit with incredible precision. The second prize for each category is a very respectable Intuos3 6*8 with 1,024 pressure levels and professional software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements. And finally, the creator of the one best skin, all categories considered, will get rewarded for his efforts with a magnificent Cintiq 20WXS. This dream-come-true for any graphic designer features a 20.1″ wide screen with a resolution of 1680*1050, has 14 customizable hard keys, 2 touch strips, a special rotating stand so that you can use the tablet like a big sheet of paper, anti-glare and friction coating to simulate the texture of paper and a wide viewing angle. Nothing can compare to this tablet and it’s the most recent and best model offered by the entire Wacom company. You’ll find all the information you need about those three gems on Wacom’s web site but for the 20WSX, you’ll want to take a look at the video in the 21UX section as none exists for the latest model yet.

I hope these prizes will get you going, we’ll now be waiting for your skins! Remember to try to submit your work early-on to ensure that all the basic requirements are met. Only the final version of your skin will be considered for the contest and thanks to the new auto-update feature, you can freely distribute previews of your work if you want. Note that this will also help guarantee that you’re recognized as being the first one distributing this particular skin with this particular idea to avoid possible rip-offs. If needed, more information will be posted about this contest on the forum so stay alert! And finally, if you’re not a skin developer and you’re wondering “that’s sweet but what about me?”, well, you can already be glad to know that your Messenger will truly look like never before once this contest is over. Secondly, I promise to be back with another contest that’s more user-centered with lots of other cool prizes to win, probably by the end of the year :-).

Take care everyone and enjoy the last bits of summer while it lasts. Good luck for the contest!