Windows Messenger Alerts
Published: January 28, 2002
By Barb Bowman, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist
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I've got instant access to the important “need to know” things in my life anytime I'm near a computer with Windows Messenger installed. If I'm not at my regular corporate computer using Outlook 2002, or if I'm not online using my IPAQ Pocket PC, as long as I'm at any computer connected to the Internet, I've got access to tasks, reminders, appointments, current stock prices, airline fares and schedules, gas prices and traffic advisories, and a whole lot more.
Windows Messenger is the Swiss Army knife of real-time communications and it's so much more than just another instant messaging application. It's a command center for real-time information, providing fast and easy access as the available data changes or is updated. Getting started is as easy as clicking the Windows Messenger Tools menu and then clicking Show Tabs.
All available providers will be listed in a menu, just select one of them and you're on your way. After selecting Microsoft .NET Alerts, the Alerts icon is displayed, and this item is shown as active on the Tabs menu when expanded (a check mark appears) as shown in the image below.
Click the Alerts icon on the tab, which then opens a mini-Web page within Windows Messenger. Click the Sign up now button on the page to begin configuration. Internet Explorer displays the Microsoft Alerts Welcome page, which is shown in the image below. To specify your preferences, select an alerts provider. I started with MSN Calendar.
Never Miss an Appointment or Reminder
Microsoft .NET Alerts MSN Calendar doesn't replace Outlook 2002 and its reminders, but when I travel, visit, or even work at one of the other computers on my home LAN without Outlook 2002, I can be sure that I won't miss important reminders or any of my appointments. All I had to do was export my Outlook data to a .csv (comma-separated value) file and import the information online into my MSN Calendar, which powers calendaring .NET Alerts. I'm hoping that a future version of Outlook will include automatic synchronization with MSN Calendar .NET Alerts, but for now, I'm exporting my calendar in two week chunks on a regular basis to insure my data is always accessible. Notifications pop up in my task tray reminding me of items on my list when they are first due, and then subsequently are displayed on the Windows Messenger Alerts tab.
Not too long ago, my refrigerator door resembled a colorful collage of notes and personal reminders, fastened in a disorderly fashion with magnets. Not very organized, to say the least, but now Alerts is bringing order to my life. I'd recently ordered a couple of replacement dinner plates, and since I don't normally open my Outlook Calendar on weekends, I was reminded on a Saturday morning while I was online that I needed to make a quick trip to the mall.
Tuned in to the Stock Market
MSN's Money Central has great, free online tools to help investors keep watch on the ups and downs of the financial markets. Securities that you enter in your online portfolio will automatically be displayed in the MSN Money Alerts tab. You can add securities, edit securities, and update the current price (20 minute delay from real-time) from this tab in Windows Messenger.
Note that MSN, MSN Messenger, MSN Money, and more share a common list of securities. If you add or remove symbols from any of the sites, your changes will be made and displayed in all three applications.
Additionally, you can specify custom alerts based on the dollar movement of an issue for specific hours of the day (such as opening and closing prices). By entering 4:30 PM ET (adjusting for your time zone), you can receive notifications when the closing price of an issue moves beyond the threshold you have established.
Awaiting Travel Bargains and Checking Flight Status
I'm always hunting for travel bargains and keeping and eye on airline schedules and fares. Expedia has great connections to Windows Messenger. I've set up three routes that I am watching in “My Trips” and I can now select a route within Windows Messenger to view expanded information on current fares and availability. I'm yearning to revisit London's West End and immerse myself in the newest shows and traditional theater—and will when the fare gets low enough.
I recently had a friend visit from New York City, and since I'm not big on sitting and waiting at airports, I was able to use the same Expedia tab to keep track of his flight status. Flight status is kept updated by the airlines, and since I'm just 10 minutes away from the airport, this is a real bonus for me.
Avoiding Traffic Jams and Construction Areas on the Road
Speaking of travel, Carpoint's tab in Windows Messenger is proving to be a valuable tool for checking driving delays and local gas prices. I'm about to leave on a trip to visit the Microsoft campus, so I've configured driving alerts for the Seattle area on Carpoint. Carpoint offers a free alert service for real-time alerts through Windows Messenger, e-mail, and mobile devices. I've configured alerts for the areas I'll be traveling through during my stay, and I'll be able to log on to Windows Messenger from any computer and receive updated information.
If you live and/or work in an area where there is price coverage, Prices in my ZIP code displays the lowest and highest. Click this link and a map opens, displaying the locations of many of the national brand gas stations. The addresses and actual gas prices, as well as the date prices were last checked, appear at the bottom of the Web page.
If you're an eBay customer, be sure to sign up to receive bid notifications through .NET Alerts. And be sure to check out McAfee.com Virus Alerts for up to the minute virus news and information.
Last, but not least, on the current .NET alerts list is the great entertainment alerts features supplied by FYE and MSN Music. For alerts on music, movies, games, and more, FYE offers information on top sellers, coming soon, and recommended titles within the genre you specify. Click one of these three categories to get started. MSN Music offers alerts about your favorite artists, including album previews and concert ticket availability.
Barb Bowman enjoys sharing her own experiences and insights into today's leading edge technologies. She is a product development manager for AT&T Broadband Internet Services, but her views here are strictly personal.
