ICQ Upgrades

filed under Instant Messaging · 43 comments in the original

AOL has released a new version of it's ICQ instant messenger. Although ICQ has been around for some time, it's always had a strange suite of features that seemed to attract one group and irk the other.

I've used ICQ for years now and only keep it running (via Trillain, of course) to keep in touch with the very few contacts I've had on it since i started using it. This new release hopes to change this level of committment and involvement it seems.

Clearly aimed at the developer market, the new version attempts to introduce a programming interface that will allow the messaging window to serve as a IM Platform, as opposed to the plain-jane Client.

As CNET notes:

The update features ICQ Xtraz software, which is targeted at developers. The software, which comes with an open API, lets programmers build features separately from the core ICQ client. That will allow developers to deliver new services without forcing them to download a new client.

Instant messaging services from Internet service providers like Yahoo and MSN have emerged as a popular means of communication among Net users globally. ICQ said it has 180 million registered users.

"With our new Xtraz technology, we can instantly extend our personal communications platform to any number of new partners who can provide content and services our users need," Orey Gilliam, general manager of ICQ, said in a statement.

Source: News.com, "ICQ offers add-ons for developers"