New Windows Messenger on October 25th
Along with the official Windows XP presentation on October 25, 2001 in New York, Microsoft will also release a first function update for the Windows Messenger contained therein for download. An update will also be released for MSN Messenger on this day.
The new Windows Messenger, which is version 4.5, will offer a further improved user interface and many new functions that have been added to the Program have been integrated. The most important innovation here is the ability to use Voice over IP (VoIP) to make phone calls over the Internet with any telephone. Callserve, dialpad or company Net2Phone are available as providers, which are then used for billing. Similar to prepaid cards, you will be able to purchase telephone contingents here, which you can then make calls. For example, Dailpad wants to charge a call from the USA to Europe at around 10 pfennigs per minute. This would of course be much cheaper than a classic phone. However, since e.g. Dailpad only acts as a provider in the USA, the question remains who will offer this service for German users of Windows Messenger, because I am sure that not everyone wants to turn a local call into a transatlantic call in this way . Because the voice would have to be sent in digital form to the provider Dailpad, which in turn would set up a telephone connection to Europe, which would not only be expensive but also slow due to the long distances in between
