Facebook Messenger embeds network into Windows

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

About this blog

ZD Staff

Mapping Babel

From datacentres down to USB keys, if it involves storage, I'll be looking at it.

Facebook has released software that embeds Facebook into the desktop of a Windows 7 computer, giving users another way to access the popular social network.

Facebook Messenger for Windows, released on Friday, is a desktop application that lets people chat with their contacts, receive notifications and access a slimmed-down news feed.

"We’re testing out a first version of the app with a small group of people," Facebook said. "During this trial period, we plan on rolling out changes to the app and expect outages and periods of instability as we make improvements."

The application requires computers with the Windows 7 operating system. It is available from the Facebook website.

The same privacy settings apply for Facebook's desktop application as for the normal website, the company said. The application will appear in the taskbar on the desktop.

Google ran a desktop application for several years called Google Desktop, but announced in September it would discontinue the product and its associated APIs by 14 September. The company hasn't made public any plans for a desktop application for its nascent social network, Google+.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

Andy Bolstridge

Performance isn't really the big thing at the moment - not when my ADSL connection will only provide a 8mbps bottleneck to the 3.5gbps speeds these...

19 minutes ago by Andy Bolstridge via Facebook on Next-generation 802.11ac routers
pjc158

So when is Amazon buying Waterstones?

2 hours ago by pjc158 on Waterstones to sell Kindles with in-store offers
J.A. Watson

@JoshArg - Well, I am writing this from my N150 Plus, running Ubuntu 12.04 and using a Bluetooth mouse (well, to be totally correct it is a...

2 hours ago by J.A. Watson on Samsung N150 Plus Netbook - Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04
J.A. Watson

@duncanjmurray - At least n the case of the specific system I put the SSD into, it is not the case. The boot time improvement is substantial, but...

2 hours ago by J.A. Watson on Netbook Upgrade - SSD IN, Windows OUT
archerthom

Sounds like only those who have bought their Kindle from Waterstones will be able to use them in-store - very disappointing. I have no intention...

4 hours ago by archerthom on Waterstones to sell Kindles with in-store offers
AndyPagin

From my mainframe operating days... 1) Play hoopla with write permit rings & a can of screen cleaner. 2) Make enormous paper chains (Christmas...

5 hours ago by AndyPagin on Ten IT jobs to save up for those rare lulls
61253

An OS X perspective Filenames beginning with a dot/period (.) should not be equated with HFS Plus resource forks; misunderstandings around ._ (dot...

5 hours ago by 61253 on SharePoint deployment: Pitfalls of a pioneer
ians1

There are many legal download sites for music at least that do not charge an arm and a leg like itunes or Napster. The "real" cost of an mp3 file...

7 hours ago by ians1 on The Pirate Bay infringes copyright, High Court decides
Jon Howells

@Crupal.. How does refusing your websites cookies help my privacy? A quick look at your page script reveals four sets of code provided by 3rd...

13 hours ago by Jon Howells via Facebook on Privacy watchdog to chase big companies over cookie law
Paul Carloss

There are hundreds, if not thousands of filesharing torrent sites, The Pirate Bay (TPB) is only one of them, while the TPB is blocked many more...

14 hours ago by Paul Carloss via Facebook on The Pirate Bay infringes copyright, High Court decides
Rebin Simpson

So could users DownGrade if the new OS didn't worked correctly ?

17 hours ago by Rebin Simpson on Sony delivers on Xperia Ice Cream Sandwich promise
duncanjmurray

Hmmm, I thought that with SSDs you could get to the mythical ubuntu 10 sec boot time? Is this not the case?

17 hours ago by duncanjmurray on Netbook Upgrade - SSD IN, Windows OUT
JoshArg

Thanks once again! I have installed Linux Mint 13 (Maya) everything runs well but.. bluetooh is not present, "there is no blueetooth adapter" do...

18 hours ago by JoshArg on Samsung N150 Plus Netbook - Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04
zdnetukuser

@JAW-- There’s a better-than-even chance that, had you made another choice of SSD, you would have noticed no improvement in battery life...

2 days ago by zdnetukuser on Netbook Upgrade - SSD IN, Windows OUT
Amb Rose

Please stop connecting the 'ATeam' to the UK Anonymous collective. Anonymous and the ATeam are not connected. The ATeam are not part of, affiliated...

2 days ago by Amb Rose via Facebook on UK Anonymous keeps up DDoS barrage on ICO
cpupal

Hi All I have looked into the cookie law today, there are a few solutions that these websites can use. Just add the widget and update your policy...

2 days ago by cpupal on Privacy watchdog to chase big companies over cookie law
dropz42

I read that many of the governments own websites are not yet compliant...shouldn't they sort that out before chasing others - slightly hypocritical !

2 days ago by dropz42 on Privacy watchdog to chase big companies over cookie law
Charles McLellan

@larrylisser Thanks for the feedback; you're quite right to surmise that the article's main point was to inform about developments in cloud-based...

2 days ago by Charles McLellan on VideoMeet: cloud-based video communication
J.A. Watson

@zdnetukuser - Thanks for pointing this out. I must admit that the relative power consumption of different manufacturers and models was something...

2 days ago by J.A. Watson on Netbook Upgrade - SSD IN, Windows OUT
J.A. Watson

@stevoparsons - You are absolutely right, I do expect a new system that is being connected to the Internet for the first time to pick up updates....

2 days ago by J.A. Watson on Windows Update Never Stops Sucking

Community highlights

manek

Passwords are here to stay: get used to it

Blog Post It's been mildly amusing to see, once more, a vendor of two-factor...

21 May, 2012 by manek
First Take

Next-generation 802.11ac routers

Blog Post A recent flurry of announcements from networking equipment vendors —...

21 May, 2012 by First Take
Jack Schofield

The three big questions about Facebook's IPO

Blog Post The three big questions about Facebook's stock exchange launch are: (1) Is it...

18 May, 2012 by Jack Schofield
Jack Schofield

Cardbox database goes from £299 to free

Blog Post Thirty years after Cardbox released its flat-file database of that name, the...

18 May, 2012 by Jack Schofield