Instant-messaging software has evolved into the latest weapon in a fierce battle among major Internet companies to reap revenues off whatever you do, wherever you go online.
On Monday, Yahoo Inc. launched Internet radio and other new services around its messaging software. Microsoft Corp., meanwhile, is leveraging IM as a subscription gaming hub, while America Online Inc. is packaging weather.
“They are becoming much more of a destination as opposed to just a communications front-end,” Rob Enderle, an independent analyst in San Jose, Calif., said of instant-messaging services. “They want to own the user experience.”
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