• by April 29, 2005

America Online began beta testing an overhaul of its instant messaging system. The online media company hopes to add new features to its popular IM product including PC-to-PC voice and streaming video messaging capabilities, and file transfers.

AOL's IM beta will eventually allow users to access real-time video, swap files, images, and other content, as well as play games. The client also features something called "IM Catcher," which groups messages into a single interface, allowing users to organize IM chats.

Dubbed "Triton," the new IM client is available through AOL's public beta test site. AOL expects to make the official version available later this year; it will replace earlier IM versions. AOL boasts 20 million users of its IM product.

On another matter:

In response to yesterday's Minute, a loyal reader from MSNBC.com pointed out that Yahoo! isn't the only place that features an "odd" news section. (Yahoo! News sports a redesign, in case you hadn't heard and we pointed out our favorite feature so far). MSNBC.com collects oddball news in a place called "Peculiar Postings," which is found by clicking on the "News" header along the left margin.

Readers will see a flyout with a list of headers, one of which is "Peculiar Postings." The section even has its own front page. We were sorry we missed that. In general, though, we miss a lot of good stuff on MSNBC.com because the flyouts are so densely packed. Often, our mouse skitters by so quickly and haphazardly, we miss something.

Speaking of online news and portals - the Minute likes the way news, tips, quizzes, pop culture trends, and trivia are played on the MSN home page. The teasers, copy, and headlines are tantalizing enough that we often click further to keep reading and stay informed. MSN has done a wonderful job of refreshing content, keeping things moving, and generally, being accessible. From the home page to MSNBC.com is like wandering into a vast ocean of news, entertainment, sports, and information - stacked headlines for as far as the eye can see. Video is there for the taking. But we aren't sure the flyouts, as stacked as they've become, are so reader-friendly. The place is brimming with news and information that you might miss at first pass.

MSNBC.com has also stepped up original reporting. Editor-in-Chief Dean Wright has focused resources on three key areas - Crime & Punishment, Terrorism & Security, and a forthcoming area of focus - Values & Beliefs. It's worth taking a look.

Back to the screwball stuff - a few headlines on yesterday's "Peculiar Postings": "Hungry crows may be behind exploding toads," (AP), and our favorite, from Pikesville, Md., a suburb of Baltimore where the Minute's family lives: "Where the buffalo roam? Suburbia." Apparently, a herd of buffalo wandered into a neighborhood, alarmed residents, and caused police to shut down a portion of the Baltimore Beltway.