Yahoo! has launched a public beta of Yahoo! Messenger 9. The update includes a bunch of boring but important updates like localized versions for more countries including Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India (Hindi), and Vietnam. But the big news is that you can embed videos, images, and maps in a chat window.

                If you copy and paste a YouTube URL into a message, a video window will pop up. You can also add a Flickr slideshow or drag and drop images from your desktop.

                The new IM client also has a redesigned contact list. When you hover over a friend, options pop up for sending an IM message, SMS text message, or starting a voice call. You can also customize the look with new skins, and you can add emoticons to your status message. Here’s a brief video that demonstrates the new features of Yahoo! Messenger 9.0:

                Yahoo! Messenger 9 beta is available for Windows XP and Vista. There are other versions available for Mac, Linux/Unix, mobile, or web chat. Download Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta