Yahoo on Friday launched out of beta the next version of its instant messaging service, adding new plug-in functionality that allows for a customized chat experience. The company says more than 180 plug-ins have been created for the client by developers.

Yahoo! Messenger 8.0 with Voice also brings compatibility with Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger. Through a limited beta program, users from one service can communicate with individuals on the other. Yahoo says the interoperability deal has created the world's largest IM community comprised of 350 million accounts.

Amazon.com, AmericanGreetings.com, Coupons, Inc., eBay, NewsGater, and 30 Boxes are among those companies building plug-ins, or "mini applications," using an API that Yahoo made available last month. Yahoo itself is offering plug-ins that connect to various company services, including Yahoo! Answers, Calendar, Finance, Music, News, Sports, and Yahoo! 360.

Along with promoting Messenger as a development platform like AOL has done with AIM Triton, Yahoo has added a few new features in version 8.0 as well. Users can now have a contact list of up to 1,000 people, add sound effects into voice conversations, and the file transfer limit has increased to one gigabyte.

Free avatars have additionally been added in the final release of Yahoo! Messenger 8.0. Users can interact with their avatars, change the avatar's mood, and customize the background with images from Yahoo! Search.

Download Yahoo! Messenger 8.0 with Voice now from FileForum.