What does Capt. Jack Sparrow have in common with 240 million people around the world? They’re all connected on the world’s largest instant messaging service and are about to receive a treasure chest of communications options with today’s launch of Windows Live™ Messenger.

Microsoft Corp. today released Windows Live Messenger, available at http://get.live.com/messenger/overview, one of the first of more than 20 new Windows Live services to launch globally over the course of the year. Windows Live Messenger goes beyond the traditional instant messaging (IM) service, enabling people to connect and share, with free PC-to-PC calls and inexpensive calls from a PC to phones around the world, video calling, easy sharing with Sharing Folders, and more.

And for those hearty souls who want to set sail with a ghostly crew, the new Windows Live Messenger offers a treasure map to a peek at exclusive scenes from Walt Disney Pictures’ upcoming film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” with exclusive access to “Dead Man’s Tale,” an interactive online adventure that allows users to earn a berth aboard Jack Sparrow’s ship, the Black Pearl.