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.

We’ve done it! 50 million people now use Messenger Plus! on a daily basis. 50 million! that’s just plain incredible. On some popular sites, Messenger Plus! is downloaded even more than software such as Acrobat Reader and Firefox. To celebrate in beauty, we’ve temporarily changed the logo on the site as well as the home page. We’re also putting the finishing touches on the skinning contest that will start in August.

In addition, I’ve also decided to respond to the overwhelming demand of tickets for the Fantasia movie of this year by distributing 20 tickets more than what was originally planned. We’ll meet and discuss what you want to see in the forthcoming version 4.70 of Messenger Plus!. See you soon :-)

After such a success last year (including a fake bomb threat, yes indeed), there was no way I could avoid repeating the experience… this year again, Messenger Plus! is proud to sponsor the Fantasia Festival of Montreal, North America’s Premier Genre Film Festival.

If you’re a resident of the province of Quebec, you simply have no choice but to go there and watch at least one of the 120 movies that have been selected for this year. The list has already been posted on Fantasia’s web site and the official program will be on sale next week. Like last year, people who get their hands on it will see a full page advertisement for their favourite add-on, only this time, a special surprise awaits you. Actually, it’s more a clue than a surprise so ladies and gentlemen, start your bets now!

Now, about the movie Messenger Plus! Live is sponsoring: No Mercy For The Rude. The debut feature from Korean director Park Cheol-hie, who’d previously worked under Lee Jang-wo and Jang Sun-woo is sure to go down in history as a major moment in the evolution of Asian pop cinema. There will be no mercy for any self-described fan of quirky Asian action-comedies who misses the chance to see this movie on the big screen. In other words: it’s going to kick ass!

If you love action and dark humour, then this movie is for you, and I have some good news for you…

Like last year, I’m inviting all of you to go see the movie and go grab a bite after the screening. This will all happen on July 14th, Monday evening at 7:15pm. I’m also offering 30 tickets for the movie as well as exclusive Messenger Plus! / Fantasia shirts. All you have to do to is wear the shirt the night of the screening and shout “install the sponsor!” in the streets (well, let’s say this requirement is optional :-p). Sounds interesting? send an email with the number of tickets you’re requesting, the shirt size you’d prefer, your full name and your postal address (edit: sorry, no more free tickets. You can still get some for a few bucks at Admission). If you already got a shirt last year, please mention that too, I’ll send you the tickets but I’ll keep the shirt for somebody else (except of course if you really want a new one).

Be quick! with more than 350,000 users in the province of Quebec alone, you can bet these tickets won’t have time to catch much dust on my desk. Of course, I’ll also be attending some other movies during the festival. If you see me, don’t be shy and come and say hi! Fantasia movies are best enjoyed when you’re with friends. Et si vous parlez français, c’est encore mieux, on se comprendra plus facilement ;-).

So, don’t miss No Mercy For The Rude this year and be sure to read more about it on the official web site which includes a link to a nice video trailer. A special Fantasia skin for Messenger is also available here, courtesy of Willz. See you at the movies!

There have been so many developments in the skinning world recently that I had to talk some more about it. Many new skins have been created and submitted to the official database. Among them you’ll find Indiana Jones, Batman, a Wii inspired skin and much more. Some people even created skins based on add-ons such as Messenger Discovery and Messenger Plus! itself.

To celebrate these achievements, a skinning contest will be organised during summer. You will all be invited to participate and showcase your talents and ideas. Special prizes will even be distributed to people who just use the skins and don’t create any. So, if you have ideas for a new cool skin the world may enjoy or if you were already planning on updating your existing creation, now is the perfect time to start working on it. The official documentation, guidelines and special tutorials can all be found in the resources for skin creators page.

All the details surrounding this contest will be posted on this site in June. People in Montreal, get ready for a new excellent Fantasia movie sponsored by your favourite add-on in July. Stay tuned!

Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 has been immensely popular since its release, daily installs have almost doubled since last December and many of you can’t seem to get enough of one of the main new features: skins.

More than 40 skins have already been submitted and accepted in the official skin database and many more are coming. Because contests are always a subject of joy, I’m happy to announce that sometime this year, a big skinning contest will be organised, benefiting both developers (prizes) and users (new, better skins). Details will be announced when appropriate but as of now, something new and cool has already been put in motion in the world of skins: Will Ingles, the creator of popular skins such as Ev0, as agreed to dedicate some of his time to the creation of new skins inspired by movies and music groups.

What do they looks like? here are two example of these skins. The first one is inspired by Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who, in theatres next week, and is already available as a download for all versions of Windows Live Messenger. The second one is based on the Iron Man movie that will be released in May and will demonstrate how much Messenger Plus! skins can change the look & feel of Messenger as a whole.

Not bad hum? New themed skins will be added on this site every month and will allow you to completely transform your Messenger windows to match your favourite movies, singers, and more. Your Messenger experience will never be the same, that’s guaranteed, and you’ll probably never want to go back to the original interface once you’ve tried a couple of skins either. Also, if you enjoy switching from one look to the other regularly, or, if you just don’t want to miss the release of a skin related to a movie that you’ve been waiting for, sign up to Messenger Plus! Skins Alerts to get instant notifications. Needless to say, all of this is free so enjoy the current skins as much as you can and be prepared to be amazed!