Yahoo! Messenger Goes to CES

What’s the telltale sign of a day spent at the Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas? Aching feet! CES is the world’s largest electronics show. The exhibits, gadgets, and booths go on for miles. My first stop was the Yahoo! tent, where I saw our own Josh Jacobson in action, demonstrating the new Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista application.We got a lot of “Oooh’s! and Aaah!’s” during the demo, which is always gratifying, but more than that, users seemed excited that Yahoo! Messenger is embracing the new Windows Vista operating system.

Then I crossed the street into the large exhibition halls, searching for electronics that Yahoo! Messenger users might find useful. It didn’t take me long. The Sony booth had some sleek Bluetooth headphones with a built-in microphone. If you use the voice feature in Yahoo! Messenger, these provide a truly hands-free, wireless calling experience. Sony also displayed its handheld Mylo (My Life Online) device, which comes preloaded with Yahoo! Messenger.

I also saw a nice trend emerging among monitor manufacturers: built-in cameras and microphones. In the Samsung booth, we checked out a prototype monitor due to ship in May or June that features a built-in, swiveling camera and a two-microphone array. The microphones pick up sound more effectively in places with lots of ambient noise (like workplaces). This kind of monitor will make video and voice conversations in Yahoo! Messenger a breeze. No more extra accessories and wires — just sit in front of your monitor and start communicating.

Logitech presented some new accessories for the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, including the QuickCam® Ultra Vision™ Special Edition webcam. It has some handy features like an activity light so you know when you’re “live” and a quick preview button so you can check yourself for a bad hair day before broadcasting. The webcam also includes Logitech’s RightLight 2 technology, which enhances your video picture even in low light condition. This new camera also works on Windows XP.

From what I saw at the show, 2007 promises to be a great year for Yahoo! Messenger users, with new versions, cool accessories, and other goodies. We’ll keep you posted!

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