The next major update to the Windows Phone operating system currently known as Mango will have a few more enhanced features that haven’t been officially revealed by Microsoft just yet. Much like the previous unofficial announcement, this news is also coming from the Windows Phone Dev Podcast. We can expect some substantial changes to the Windows Phone 7 operating system including support for Facebook Chat that’s built right in.

The folks at Messenger Plus, one of the most popular add-ons for Windows Live Messenger has announced that their userbase has now exceed the 60 million mark. Conciding with this feat is the release of the latest version of their add-on, bringing several new features which are social in nature. Messenger Plus has been download more »

Microsoft has announced that users in five countries will be blocked from using Windows Live Messenger. The popular instant messaging service is now off limits to people living in Syria, North Korea, Iran, Sudan and Cuba. All of those countries have U.S sanctions against them and are continued to be hostile or threatening to our national interests.

Microsoft declined to say why it had suddenly decided to shut down service now or exactly how many users would be affected. All they would say is they do not do business in those countries. Users in those countries who attempt to log in will be greeted with the error message “810003c1: We were unable to sign you in to the .NET Messenger Service.” Users who research the error will find this explanation in the Messenger Support Space:

RIM maybe a tad late when it comes to bringing the Windows Live Messenger onto their BlackBerry handsets, but it still maybe worth the wait after all, and for some it will be a welcome addition to the BlackBerry’s already useful functionality. Utilizing push technology for receiving e-mails and messages, the Windows Live Messenger features more »

I like using Instant Messaging, but I rarely use the emoticons that are associated with them. Of course, we live an age where some refuse to communicate with anything but emoticons.

If you are one of those people, and are not satisfied with the Mr. Happy Face look of most emoticons, you can now program your own look. Thanks to a program known as Minimise-Me, a user can customize an emoticon with an interface that is very reminiscent of Nintendo’s Mii Creator.