Microsoft Hotmail News: New Web-based IM

The top three search engine giants always seem to follow each other, this time Microsoft has followed Google and Yahoo by adding the ability to hold instant-messaging conversations to its Web site. This means that Microsoft have added Web-based IM to Hotmail.

This new feature has already been added for users in a number of countries such as, France, Spain, Japan and the UK. Microsoft is not in the middle of adding the new service to users in Brazil, China, Germany, United States, and Canada.

Cnet News tells us that this cool new feature is available through Hotmail, as well as the people page that lists a Windows Live user’s contacts. Web-based IM are not as fast as instant-messaging software that runs natively on a PC, but there are a number of reasons why Web-based IM can be useful, just like they are for Web-based e-mail.

The positives are that you can use it from any machine; this includes the airport, a hotel computer or even your friends.