* Sleek new design: New buttons, new layout, new color, new brand! Tell us what you think of our shiny gold look and the new layout.
* Profiles, profiles, profiles: Connect with your buddies like never before. Customize your profile, get updates from other social networks, and more. Now, you'll never miss an update on AIM.
o If you had an AIM Profile, we're migrating Profiles over to Bebo; if you never set one up, it's easy. Just select Edit > My Profile to get started.
o Never miss a friend request! Get notified of new Bebo friend requests at the top of your Buddy List®.
o Get pop up notifications when Bebo friends add comments and photos. Be sure to test the preference under notifications to manage their display.
o Seamlessly add a buddy to Bebo when you add them to AIM.
+ Select Add Buddy from the Buddy List Set Up icon at the top of your Buddy List.
+ Add a screen name -- you have to tab out or select another field before the add as a Bebo friend will display (the fade in feature is temporary).
+ Save your updates and your friend request will be auto-magically sent.
o Access your buddy's profile by hovering over them on the Buddy List. If your buddy has a profile, "View profile..." will be available.
o Don't forget to check out functionality to send friend requests and view profiles available by right mouse clicking on a buddy's screen name.
* Status messages in the IM: Check out the enhanced status/away in the IM form. We've cleaned up the noise and now display status/away messages in the IM history.
o Green is online, yellow is away, grey is offline, blue is mobile.
o You'll see similar color updates made when you change your own state from the Buddy List and on Buddy Info.
* :) Emoticons: You asked, we answered... Finally, an option to display emoticons as text instead of images. Test the preference under Edit > Settings > Expressions.
* AIM Blast: IM your friends, coworkers, or customers all at once, and all from the convenience of your Buddy List.
o Select "Create Blast Group..." under your View menu to set up a group and get started.
o To manage changes to that group, highlight the group on your Buddy List and select "Manage Blast Group..." under the same menu.
* Never miss a new Beta: Check the preference under Edit > Settings > Notifications, and you'll receive an update on your Buddy List the next time we have new Beta software to test.
* Plugins: We've added a helpful tip about the plugin feature we added with AIM 6.8.
o Look for it at the bottom of your Buddy List the second time you log in.
o It will fade in after a delay, so be patient.
* All the good stuff from AIM 6.9 Betas 1 and 2: Sign in as invisible, Ctrl + F to search your Buddy List, Search the web from the IM window. Please continue to test these features.