In all the talk about Google Talk many missed Microsoft's release of MSN 7.5.

If you use MSN it is time to upgrade. Leah, the program manager for MSN messenger introduces it here and writes a letter to Google Talk here. I think Leah knows how to use a blog!

Net net, the new MS MSN 7.5 is impressive at least under the hood. It is like an old car that has been hotrodded with a new motor and at the same time they've upgraded the suspension without fixing the seats or interior. However they did stick in the new boombox. The control interfaces remain so yesteryear. Still it now kicks ass in the Voice - audio quality - and Video - department. Here it is very impressive. So real improvements and radical upgrades are under the hood. Even Leah contrasts usability with Google Talk, where she writes "I will improve my usability. Maybe your straightforward interface will bring people into the IM markets who have been intimidated out of it by the more complex clients."

Effectively we now have a defacto audio standard emerging with GIPS codec driven clients (Skype, MSN, GoogleTalk, Gizmo etc.)perhaps tuned differently, while anything else remains inferior. Even so none of these conversation clients talk to each other yet.

Thus MS now has a platform in place to build on. The next generation will be very competitive. It will need to get off the PC to be really exciting. It's also limited to Windows XP at this time. Where is that multi-platform?

So why am I not that excited?

It is not just the lack of messenger buddies I have. I can see this version will keep hardcore MSN Messenger fans happy. So if your life revolves around MSN Messenger then it's a nice step forward. I'm going to brush over some of the contact enhancements and tie-ins with Spaces etc. They are worth looking at, also don't fix it for voice users.

Biggest complaint from a "voice" user.

I said the control mechanisms were screwy. I've made a big thing in the past about "computers are connecting" "accept this conversation" and that's where this client still feels very dated. The modes eg "in a call", even how you start a call and hang up a call are not obvious. At least version 7.5 rings. Then strange things like wanting to go from "voice" to "video" force you to drop the call and reconnect. I can't explain that.

Also on the voice side there are no conference calls and no capability to interconnect into the PSTN or even other SIP clients.

Some Pluses:

On the plus side there are all sorts of new goodies enabling new ways to express yourself. Most intriging to me is what MSN calls "voice clip". This is similar to push to talk and enable clips of up to 15 seconds. This is an innovative way of providing this feature. It remains in the chat client where you can also replay it. Note pressing it during a voice call only results in your comments being recorded. So we lack call recording.

Like Google Talk, MSN 7.5 is peer to peer just using a central directory to set up the original connection. Like Google neither of these are providing a safe encrypted service. That's a starting point for Skype and I think an important one.

I like how Leah is writing about her product. It's personalising the experience. It's a great bloggy example. I'd also be interested to hear her thoughts on Skype. Then I believe Microsoft is very busy with their "Skype strategy".

It’s crazy how two IM clients like us can be so similar yet so different. You are so dedicated to your primary functions, that you have a chance at really mastering them. I love the way you concatenate messages from the same person, and that I can choose the names for my buddies. Your call connection time is very fast, and your sound effects are pleasant too. I, on the other hand, spend my energy in many different directions at once. I value chat and voice, but I also get a kick out of video and personal customization. I love helping people to share files, and stay engaged with whiteboard, P4 apps, and games. I like the silliness and vibrancy that winks and emoticons and dynamic display pictures can bring to an otherwise static interaction. I have users with such a wide variety of interests and it’s important to me to keep all these things going so they can pick and choose. I admit, though, that concentrating on so much at once sometimes makes it tough to give each feature the spotlight it deserves.(In some cases, impossible – providing simplicity and extensive choice can be mutually exclusive). Leah - "I'm Just a Messenger"

Where does Skype fit in?

I think it remains materially ahead of both MSN Messenger 7.5, Google Talk and all the rest as defining the role of a "conversation client". The IM clients are learning how to imitate aspects. None have begun to integrate modes of voice operation with headsets and handsets. None of them have released API's. None yet have an announced embedded strategy. For the most part PSTN interconnects aren't there and they aren't cross-platform. Still the combination of what's invented in these communication clients is developing as the replacement for telephony.

While I mull over how a client can have so much potential and so many flaws I start to think about what I might do given MS resources. I think I'd start comtemplating a "range of communication clients" --- launching MSN in different formats with different skins to cater to different audiences. It appears stupid for both MSN and Yahoo to continue developing just one chat client. Why not broaden the range?

Could the real winner turn out to be GIPS (Global IP sound). The stream of announcements they have strung up since Skype launched becomes more important by the day.

“Microsoft’s adoption of GIPS technology for MSN and RTC is a major validation of our solutions and their ability to provide the best possible voice quality over the Internet,” said Gary P. Hermansen, President and CEO of GIPS. “There are over 200 million downloads of our software currently in market today, and the addition of Microsoft users further enforces our leadership as a provider of high quality VoIP software.” Global IP Sound

Joins a stream of recent wins.

“The Company continues to show solid growth performance with 13 new OEM license agreements that include Avcon, V2Tech, Netease, BICOM, Finarea, Ecton, Talk Free, Pingtel, nanoCom, Santa Cruz Networks and three Tier 1 Internet Service Providers. Global IP Sound