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Derrick is a fan of instant messaging applications, just as I’m sure most of you are. Each of us has our own preference when it comes to an all-in-one program. Some may love Adium while others swear that Pidgin is the only way to go. However, Derrick feels strongly that the newest version of Trillian will make you want to leave other IM clients behind.

Derrick admits that he was never a fan of Trillian 3 or Trillian Astra. He feels that #3 was lacking in nearly every way… and that Astra had the same shortcomings with an interface that was seriously overdone. He says it was too busy and over-crowded, and I have to agree.

The beta for Trillian 5 was recently released into the wild, and it has been seriously improved. The first thing you’ll notice is how quickly it starts up – and how much it looks as though it was made for Windows 7. That is likely because it was designed for the newest OS from the Microsoft campus. The interface was carefully designed to integrate with your operating system.

The client is more comprehensive, with more types of feeds – including Facebook events and Twitter searches. It’s flexible and will store feeds in your contact list or system tray. Instant updates to all of your services are just one click away, which is likely why Derrick feels this is the fastest IM client he’s ever used.

Links and pictures are expanded automatically so that you don’t ever have to open a web browser if you don’t want to. You can also view things such as “likes” directly within the client, as well as being able to read and write comments.

In past versions of this IM client, users had issues receiving files coming from friends using different clients, and not being able to video conference with people who weren’t also using Trillian. With this new version, that is no longer an issue. Derrick reports that he was easily able to video conference with a friend of his who was using Digsby.

Trillian can connect you to AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo, Google Chat, Facebook Chat, Jabber, Skype and more. It even has support for Foursquare and LinkedIn! There’s a comprehensive library of plugins, skins and skin packs. This lets you customize Trillian in whatever way suits you best.

Going by what Derrick has shown us, this Alpha release is definitely worth a try – and one to watch grow into full release. I have a feeling many of you will be making a switch (or upgrade) to this as soon as it’s available.

Thanks, Derrick, for a fantastic screencast.

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Trillian 5 for Instant Messaging

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What do you use for your default instant messenger? There are so many options out there, it’s hard to choose since everyone is on different clients. That’s when you should check out an all-in-one. There are several of them out there that work well. Some people prefer Trillian. I use Adium on OS X. There’s one for Windows called Digsby that I can’t stand… but hey, others like it!

There’s a new cross-platform all-in-one instant messaging client available though. Instantbird works quite well on all three main operating systems out there. Best of all, it runs off the Mozilla engine!! Nice, eh?

With Instantbird, you can chat on several different IM environments all at once: Yahoo, AIM, MSN, Google Talk, Gadu-Gadu, ICQ, IRC, QQ and XMPP! Yep… IRC. That means you can come chat with us in our live chat room right from within Instantbird!

Did I mention that this client is free as well? The interface is unobtrusive… and very clean. It’s there to let you instant message, and that’s about it. I like that. I get so tired of clients that try to make themselves “look good”… and see them fail miserably.

Download Instantbird and check it out for yourself today. You might just find yourself making a permanent switch.

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What All-in-one Instant Messenger Should You Use?

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I’m using my iPhone to IM with a friend of mine, via MSN. I’m also chatting it up with people on AOL, Yahoo and ICQ. Heck, I can even chat using MySpace, Facebook and Google Talk! This iPhone App has over 1000 positive reviews! Beejive is $16.00, yes. You may be wondering why you’d pay that much for an instant messaging App, when there are free ones available. However, in this case, you definitely get what you pay for! Those free Apps have a lot of limitations on them, and they don’t always work so well. Read the negative reviews on them for yourself, and then read the 4+ star rating reviews on Beejive. You be the judge.

BeejiveIM is the most reliable and user-friendly mobile IM application on the market for your iPhone or iPod Touch, featuring desktop-like instant messaging and always-on efficient networking.

Some of the awesome features included are:

• Uses your existing data plan: No SMS charges.
• Works with multiple IM networks & multiple accounts per network.
• Manage your buddy list, including add/remove, nicknames, groups, & blocking.
• Set custom status messages, be invisible, set an auto-away status, & change privacy controls.
• Customizable sound, vibrate, & LED settings and an optional global popup on new messages.
• Real-time chats: quick switch between multiple simultaneous chats.
• Customizable chat skins & emoticon support.
• Click to browse, call, or send an email directly from the chat screen.

This App works amazingly well… it’s a quality instant messaging experience on your iPhone!

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How to Use MSN, Yahoo, AIM, MySpace, Google Talk