Super Smash Bros. to command Yahoo! Instant Messenger? It's true. Too bad we can't play the game online....

Buoyed by the growth of its instant messaging service -- and by the popularity of such services among wireless consumers worldwide -- Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO - news) has launched the next generation of Yahoo! Messenger. The company said its new IM software provides real-time communications with a variety of interactive, entertaining multimedia accents.

Yahoo!'s IMVironments (instant messaging environments) feature creative, personalized backgrounds for Yahoo! instant messaging (IM) conversations that appear in the messaging screen and are shared among users, taking IM beyond traditional text and video, the company said.

Yahoo! Messenger, which lets people send instant text and voice messages and make PC-to-phone calls anywhere in the world, is accessible from PCs and such wireless devices as PDAs (personal digital assistants), mobile phones and pagers.

Media Are the Message

People sending and receiving messages now can share images and animated graphics -- as well as video and music clips that appear directly on the screen -- without having to launch a new window or link to another site.

For instance, IMVironments with music themes -- such as one featuring the rock band Garbage -- let fans connect with their favorite bands by sharing and listening to the latest single, viewing a photomontage of an artist, watching the newest video and even purchasing CDs, Yahoo! said. The interactive game Yahoo! Fighter can be played directly by friends in real-time while they are holding a a text conversation.

"With the introduction of IMVironments, we are offering a truly interactive instant messaging experience and have created a new way to use Yahoo! Messenger as a complete viral marketing program," said Lisa Pollock, Yahoo! director of messaging products.

Cartoons, Games, Graphics

Among Yahoo!'s partners in this endeavor are celebrity content provider Ch@tAbles, cartoon character Dilbert, Garbage, Nintendo (news - web sites) of America, the Peanuts cartoon characters and Sanrio. These partners are providing customized IMVironments with marketing themes, interactive entertainment tools, multimedia effects and screen layout designs.

Nintendo screenshots of an upcoming game called Super Smash Bros. Melee can be previewed and sent through an IMVironment, and gaming fans also can turn themselves into any of Nintendo's 13 most popular characters -- including Mario and Pikachu -- when messaging their friends.

Other playful IMVironments graphics include romantic falling hearts, a Zen-like fish tank, a winter wonderland and a tribute to the American flag through which users may donate to the American Red Cross (news - web sites) or the Salvation Army. New IMVironments will be rolled out monthly, Yahoo! said.

5.5B Messages a Month

In launching the new "environments," Yahoo! announced that its instant messaging service handled 5.5 billion messages in September, representing a 115 percent increase in the past year.

Citing a Media Metrix report, the company said Yahoo! Messenger is the fastest growing instant messaging service, with total usage minutes increasing 43 percent over the past six months. Time spent per user is up 22 percent in that time period, Yahoo! said.