Microsoft’s Hotmail website now has the functionality to hold instant messaging conversations.  Although this capability was available on Hotmail accounts in Japan, Mexico and much of Europe, it is now being added to accounts in the United States, Brazil, China and additional European countries.   Google and Yahoo have offered similar capabilities for some time.

The web based IM offers the accessibility many users desire as it is usable from any machine.   It provides the advantage of central storage of IM chats.  Hotmail IM works with Hotmail IM.  Unfortunately although there are IM web chat tools available from Yahoo, Google and AOL, and now Microsoft none of them are compatible with each other.

Related Link:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10223894-2.html