The new *Windows Live Messenger 2012* comes as part of the Windows Live
Essentials pack. It's an incremental development over Windows Live Messenger
2011, looking almost identical, while introducing a couple of changes. When
you install Windows Live Messenger, you have the option to install the rest
of the Essentials pack, including *Mail*, *Writer*, *Sync*, *Companion*,
*Family Safety*, *Photo Gallery* and *Movie Maker*. You can choose to connect
Windows Live Messenger 2012 to social networks *Facebook *and *LinkedIn*,
making the app your social hub in Windows, if you want. Facebook is still
much easier to use in your browser though, and integration into Windows Live
Messenger 2012 is only really useful if your Messenger contacts are still
really active and important to you. The *interface is almost unchanged*; so
if you were unhappy with the changes we saw in 2011, there is nothing here to
make you happier! When you open a chat, there is a new Video call icon, and
when you receive a video call, there is a new floating window, much like in
Skype. A neat feature of this is the option to answer without showing your
video feed - we're not always ready for a video call, after all! *Windows
Live Messenger 2012 is no revolution, slightly improving on its predecessor.
It's still a little bloated, and considering Hotmail's recent transformation
to Outlook.com, which features a great messenger service right from your
browser, it could be curtains for this venerable application.*Download
*Windows Live Messenger 2012 16.4.3503.0728* in Softonic
