Is Windows Messenger a threat to AOL?

[Jeff]

Microsoft announced a new, turbo-charged version of their popular MSN Messenger called Windows Messenger. It's being beta tested along with the beta version of their forthcoming Windows XP operating system, but it's not yet clear whether it will require Windows XP to run.

After an intial look at the information on their web site, it appears that Microsoft is basically integrating NetMeeting functionality directly into Windows Messenger. Not exactly earth-shattering news, since you can use MSN Messenger to initiate a NetMeeting sesssion today. They claim, however, to make it easier use and improve quality and performance of both video and audio.

So here's my question: Will you use Windows Messenger when it becomes available? What does this mean for AOL?

Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.com Moderator