Microsoft Corp. today released Windows Live Messenger, one of the first of more than 20 new Windows Live services to launch globally over the course of the year. Windows Live Messenger goes beyond the traditional instant messaging (IM) service, enabling people to connect and share, with free PC-to-PC calls and inexpensive calls from a PC to phones around the world, video calling, easy sharing with Sharing Folders, and more.

And for those hearty souls who want to set sail with a ghostly crew, the new Windows Live Messenger offers a treasure map to a peek at exclusive scenes from Walt Disney Pictures’ upcoming film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,�? with exclusive access to “Dead Man’s Tale,�? an interactive online adventure that allows users to earn a berth aboard Jack Sparrow’s ship, the Black Pearl.

Features of Windows Live Messenger include the following:

• Video Call. The free, synchronized audio and video service in Windows Live Messenger, powered by Logitech International SA, allows users to view and talk to their friends through their PCs in full-screen video with one click of a mouse.
• Windows Live Call with Verizon Web Calling service. Windows Live Messenger connects people beyond the PC. Users can go directly to the Windows Live Call feature and, through the Verizon Web Calling service, place affordable outbound local voice calls to almost anywhere in the world over the Internet.
• Cordless phones designed exclusively for Windows Live Messenger. Uniden America Corp. and Philips recently introduced phones that make the Windows Live Call feature for Windows Live Messenger available in North America and Europe through a convenient and familiar handset in North America and Europe, respectively, that can be used to make land-line and Internet phone calls from anywhere in the home working cordlessly away from the PC. Motorola Inc. also recently announced its plans to retail Windows-Live compatible cordless phones later this year.
• Microsoft LifeCams optimized for Windows Live Messenger. Microsoft Hardware and the Windows Live services group announced last week a line of webcams that are designed for use with Windows Live Messenger to make sharing experiences with friends and family easier than ever before.
• Sharing Folders. Now sharing is as easy as dragging and dropping a file. With a new, intuitive user interface, customers can more easily share their files and personal photos with family, friends and colleagues on their Windows Live Messenger Contact List.
• Windows Live Contacts. Contact information is always current with Windows Live Contacts in Windows Live Messenger. The feature enables users to easily share their contact information with whom they want to share it and lets them subscribe to their friends’ contacts so they always have their latest contact information. Windows Live Contacts are integrated and accessible across Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail and MSN Spaces.
• Integration with Windows Live services. Customers using Windows Live Messenger benefit from its integration with other Windows Live services such as Windows Live Search, Windows Live Local, Windows Live Mail and MSN Spaces.