Multi-Messengers Keep Users In Touch

One of the most common issues PC instant messenger users encounter is having friends and business associates who use different services.

AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, ICQ and Jabber are some of the instant messengers in common use today. If you use separate applications to try and keep up with instant messaging across these applications, chances are you;s tie both yourself and your system up in virtual knots.

The best answer to this issue is to use a multi-messenger that combines features and buddy lists from several applications that allow users to keep in contact with others across several platforms.

On the PC side, the best application for doing so is also a free application – Trillian (www.trillian.cc).

Trillian combines the buddy lists of AOL/AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ and IRC into one convenient list. Different color icons help identify which service each contact is using.

Trillian supports standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms (on some services), buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support, encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings.

The basic version of Trillian is free, does not serve ads, and does not include any spyware or adware.

Trillian Pro adds support for video chat on multiple networks, as well as other multimedia features and messengers for $25. If you don't need those features, the free Trillian will likely suit your needs.

Another free Windows IM client offering compatible versions back to Windows 95 is Miranda IM (www.miranda-im.org). Miranda keys on using as limited system resources as possible.

Apple/Mac users also have options when it comes to multi-messengers.

Adium is a program that can handle AOL, Bonjour, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber, Google Talk, MSN, and IRC in a single interface. Unlike many areas where it's often tough to find good freeware programs for Macs, Adium is a free application (www.adiumx.com).

More and more messaging is done from mobile phones, and using a multi-messenger can offer advantages over text messaging in terms of cost and versatility.

For Palm and Windows Mobile phone users, the best choice I've found is Mundu Messenger (www.mundu.com).

Mundu Messenger combines AOL/AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, ICQ, Jabber and Google Talk! into a simple interface that is easy to use on mobile devices. It's not free, but its one-time $11 price is reasonable for its usability.

Mundu also plans to release a version for Symbian mobile phones, and a new iPhone program is also available.

Another multi-messenger for the iPhone is Heysan!, which offers IM services through AIM, MSN and ICQ in a free program at www.heysan.com.

Another multi-messenger program that is designed to work with iPhones, and other Web browsers, is Meebo (www.meebo.com).

Enter your AIM/AOL, Yahoo!, MSN and Google Talk! ID's into the browser screen, and Meebo creates a Web-based buddy list without having to download any added software.

Tom Meek is a computer and media consultant working with businesses and individuals on high-tech needs. Another Day In Cyberville is published weekly in print and online via The Gainesville Voice, a weekly publication of The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. You can reach Tom Meek at adayincyberville@gmail.com.