keys to help you to identify which IMVironment comes with what feature/s..
means it comes with a specific Buzz, like how Snow had the spat and Hearts had the kiss
comes with music
comes with it's own smileys
for video


Nintendo - Super Mario World™
is the latest one off the Yahoo shelf.. Mario fans should get a big kick out of this one. I'm not a big fan as I've never had a lot to do with Nintendo so you won't hear all the oooohh's and aahhh's coming out of me but that's not to say the IMV isn't cool and rest assured the "youth" in my life have informed me that it's "way cool" so the thumbs up from them. The buzz adds a nice touch and I hear it's "the best".. throwing a turtle shell is is apparently the in thing to do.... so buzz, buzz, buzz till you're wee turtle throwing heart is content :-) It's got a direct link (top right hand corner) through to [Super Mario World] which is a great site.. you do need to have [macromedia flash] installed though :-)

Enrique Iglesias™
must say that this one makes a nice change from the lunchbox lids...he's ummmm.. not bad eyecandy if I do say so myself ;-) Being on two tin cans a piece of string (dialup) I wasn't expecting a great deal from it when I listened to the promo of his latest single Escape.. I was well prepared for the usual jerky, cut in and out, bad mobile phone connection rendition that sends me scrambling to locate the stop button faster than a rat up a drain pipe but I was more than a little surprised when it shot through clear as bell... I also had no problems with the photo montage either which was nice so if you're on a dialup don't be put off but the features ("listen to escape" and "watch") which are available.
If, after previewing and playing with the IMV you want more then hit the "enrique" graphic (top left of your IMV) and you'll be taken to [enriqueiglesias.com] where the photos alone are enough to make you smack your browsers favourites button faster than a bolt of lightning! Drool aside.. the IMV is a thumbs up for clarity, not cluttering up the IM window with a barrage of in your face graphics and hard to read text backgrounds... and don't worry about your imv converstation covering the photo montage going on to the right because it doesn't... I spend a good 15 mintues chatting to one of my friends in stilted conversations before I asked her if there was a problem... her reply "oh no everything is just wonderful *dribble*.. I just didn't want to cover his body with our talking..."



Precious Moments™
Is another "lunchbox lid" IMV for the sweet at heart... for those of us hanging out for something that's tailored more for the "mature" audience.. out wait continues ;-)
There is an active link (top left hand corner of the IMV) that takes you directly through to [www.preciousmoments.com] where you land at the front door of the Precious Moments Chapel... its a nice site with an [online gift shop] that will allow you to cute yourself up one side and down the other till your wee heart is content ;-) but back to the IMV....
it uses the standard Yahoo Messenger smileys but does have a customized Buzz feature (ctrl+z) which is a sound wav of a childs giggle.. cute factor 10/10. Now the image showing in the IMV is scrollable (as such) in that you can switch between 5 preinstalled pics each with a title to express your mood at the time I guess.. anyway the selections are..
Good Friends are Forever
Friendship Hits the Spot
Love One Another
Love is Kind
Make a Joyful Noise
so if you're looking for a warm fuzzy moment to share with your friend this will be a must have for you... but If your allergic to "cute" this is one IMV to stay well away from!

Garfield IMVironment™
Woohoo! Finally we have Garfield and Odie in a IMV.. and based on the amount of mail we've received since Yahoo gave us the IMV's there is going to be a lot of very happy people around. Thank You Yahoo for catering to the needs of Garfield fans everywhere :-)

The snow flakes drifting down the IMV window should help to put those of you that get to experience a white Christmas in the festive mood.. for those of us that don't have snow we'll just have to keep dreaming... and I'll keep hounding Scott to keep sending me more pics of snow with his webcam ;-)

Your IM notification is the Garfield popping up out of the Snowman.. perfect expression on his face.. so Garfield! and Buzz (ctrl+g) is pretty cool too as Garfield pops up and Odie comes out from behing the tree... also a perfect Odie expression!

There are two active links, one to [GarfieldGames.com] (dialup users take note this can take a while to load) and the other to [Garfield.com] which is a regular haunt of mine.. check out the [Garfield Screensavers] and the [Garfield Backgrounds and Icons] which has fab desktop wallpaper.. a must have for any Garfield fan!

While you're at [Garfield.com] you must check out [Bean Me] which has the BEST Garfield expressions you'd ever find..

Sony AIBO IMVironment™
Kinda cute for a "shopping" IMV... I guess. It has a nice clean no fuzz pic and movement is really smooth through the "smileys" which are expressed through AIBO as well as having the std yahoo ones showing in the IM window.. you can either use your std keystokes, the smiley drop down or hit on the emotions Joy, Fear, Anger, Play, Sit that run across the top of the window. Some examples of the smileys matching to motions are...
:) or :D matches to joy
:O or :( matches to fear
X-( or [-( or :(( matches to anger
;) or :o) or :p or :x matches to play
also included is a BUZZ (ctrl+g) which has a dinky sound.
Via the IM you have access to the [AIBO] website for info about the new AIBO craze or if you're hooked already you can scoot directly off to [SonyStyle] to buy one for yourself. I'm sure AIBO is guaranteed not to steal your cordless mouse, lick your best pants, stick his tongue in your coffee when your not looking or slobber on any bit of bare skin but for me personally I'm sticking to the lug that does all that an more... if AIBO came with a tree, power poll or car tyre I might be tempted to keep the IMV and the real dog but alas this IMV doesn't ;-)
Update: submitted by Michelle - thank you :-)
The user can give Aibo commands by typing words.
Type "sit", and watch AIBO sit.
Type "fetch", and watch AIBO fetch a ball.
Type "play", "good dog", "bad dog", and similar
doggy-terminology.
The only thing I've noticed is that the word commands
don't seem to work if you're using the Color Effects
option for your fonts.


Holiday Gift Wizard IMVironment™
Shopping in your IMV is something that will take a bit of getting use to for me but for those of you who can shop in a tiny square without feeling that your missing out on something grab yourself the GiftWizard and add him to your friends list for easy reach. Simply load the IMV and work your way through the questions.. who you are shopping for, their relationship to you ("My psychic reception is a bit fuzzy. What exactly is this person's relationship to you?"), their age ("The Gift Wizard has found it dangerous to try to guess a woman's age. Please type your daughter's age below") and finally ("Oh yes, The Gift Wizard does have a way with the ladies. What kind of lady are we talking about here?") choose from a preset list which personality best describes them ("Home & Garden Guru, True Romantic, Pampered Princess, Athletic Dynamo, Fashionista, Gadget Goddess").. once you've done that you're presented with 3 gifts to choose from (with miniture graphic and price details), or you can browse through a full selection at [http://shopping.yahoo.com - Holiday Promotions]

World AIDS Day IMVironment ™
IAVI (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) is looking for people to sign their petition encouraging world leaders to get a wriggle on with regard to a preventive AIDS vaccine and to ensure that it's available for all... the statics on their site will certainly give you cause to think.. you can access [The IAVI] website via the IMV, simply click on the red ribbon (lower right hand side of the IMV) or the text "Imagine a world without AIDS. Sign to support vaccines at www.iavi.org/callforaction"
Note: you need [Macromedia flash] to use this IMV


Links...
[Yahoo! Messenger - IMVironments™] (Yahoo! Site)