Recently I was told Microsoft has launched a public beta for WLM 9. So I decided to check it out and see what had changed.

And as far as I am aware, Microsoft has generally concentrated on the interface (at long last) and has made some massive improvements.

Here are some of my favourites:

• You can now post links on your personal message.
• You can now add a theme to your conversation windows specific to you.
• You can now make a custom sound that people hear when you sign in.
• The What’s New footer shows what people have recently done on their accounts.
• You can now sign in on multiple computers without affecting users (this feature can be disallowed if preferred)
• You can now edit your personal message whilst what you are listening to is showing.

If you haven’t tried it yet, download the beta at http://download.live.com/messenger