Windows Live Messenger version 2009 aka Windows Live Messenger 9 (WLM9) beta version has been leaked out for quite some time. Anyone been using it? It is actually quite nice. Microsoft is determined to give WLM a new look with every version, and this time is no different.

There's actually a few version of WLM9 Beta and the latest offering a lot new features.

Let's talk about the old WLM9 first.

This is how WLM9 build 9.0.1407, which was released last November, looks like.

Signature.

Nothing much has changed for the contact list.

Conversation box, too doesnt have any changes worth noticing.

New animated picture added for your choice of display picture.

New feature: Contact signature sound - choose the sound you want your contact list to hear when you come online, though it only works for people using WLM 9 and not the previous.

New feature: Sign into the same account from 4 different computers!

And that's basically it, WLM9 build 9.0.1407.

Now, the latest leaked version.

Currently the latest version of WLM9 is WLM9 build 14.0.5027.908 and this time, changes are not just so-so.

Signature.

Fully new design for the WLM9 contact list.

New design: The design has been updated with lots of new shiny and glossy effects (such as glowing text, fade effects and so on) added to the interfaces. You are actually able to choose the size for the contact list display picture! The one you see there is the smallest and so it didnt display any pictures but just a small square box.

Also, the previous version of WLM9 and even older versions of MSN has different status available to choose such as 'Out To Lunch, On The Phone' while this new WLM9 has only 4 which are 'Available, Busy, Away, Appear Offline'.

The contact list display picture border will even change colour to indicate different status, green for available, yellow for away and red for busy, unlike the previous version which display no entry icon and sort.

New feature: Favorite contacts. This is another new feature that allows you go group your most frequent contacts together for easy access. These contacts are shown before all others in the list.

New feature: Groups. A "Group" allows for a group conversation with multiple people where you can share photos, documents and other files with everyone else. You can even set a custom Display Picture and message for that group, making it a great feature for networked collaboration between Messenger users.

The new conversation box.

Display Pictures have been moved to the left side of the conversation window and sent messages now have bullet points next to them to make them more distinguishable. Other controls in the chat window have also been moved around and the message typing indicator now shows an animated speech bubble which is quite cool.

The emoticon and wink buttons have been moved to the bottom of the text entry area. The add and modify emoticon windows have also been updated to include the new Vista look, making them look better. No new hidden or secret smileys can be found in this version though.

Other miscellaneous changes since WLM9 include the removal of Shared folders and add-ins. Chat bots (or agents) also have a new robot icon to differentiate them from your human contacts. The font used in the Messenger interface has also been changed.

Supposedly you get to download this latest version here but it says that "Due to a request from Microsoft, this download has been removed temporarily."

Though, you may download this WLM9 build 14.03921.717 which offers pretty much what you see from the latest one up there and apparently after installation, you will get to update it to the latest version. Download it here. Its in RAR format and file size is 18.5MB.

*This is a self-written post and is not sponsored.