Windows Live Messenger linked to Facebook chat

Windows Live brings together the most important news from the social networks in one central location. This is the basic idea behind linking Windows Live with Facebook and other platforms, according to a Microsoft press release. The advantage of this is that Windows Live serves as a hub for the social web, where all updates from Facebook, YouTube, Netlog, Flickr or Xing are visible together on one interface. When logging in, the user sees status messages, photos or videos from friends at a glance. Entries from friends can also be commented on directly from Windows Live.

A new feature is the direct integration of Facebook chat into Messenger 2011. Messages are sent from Messenger and appear in the conventional chat window on Facebook. Chat contacts do not need to be connected to Windows Live for this. The Facebook connection offers basic functions such as standard emoticons, input display or notification when friends log in. The integration exists in the Messenger client, in the web application or in mobile applications. Messenger 2011 also offers video chats in HD quality and optimized mobile access: in addition to connections for Windows Phone 7, Windows Live can be accessed via almost all Internet-enabled smartphones. An app for the iPhone is available to download from the App Store.

Just a few months after the launch in the USA, the UK, Germany and ten other countries, Windows Live and Facebook users have already had over 400 million chat conversations with each other, which equates to around 3 billion minutes.