It was only released a week ago, but already 1 million people have downloaded Microsoft’s new Windows Live Messenger software for the iPhone.  This has got to make it one of, if not the, fastest moving software in the iPhone app store. In a statement for Microsoft, Michael Chang, Group Product manager for Windows Live [...]

Categories: Apple, iPhone, Microsoft

First we had a look at how you all use your browser, then how you listen to music and watch videos, now it’s time to find out about instant messaging! With all the IM apps out there you could be using any one, or any combination, from web based, to desktop based, from one service, [...]

Categories: ask the readers

There are plenty of IM networks available but most must connect to a remote server, something which is unnecessary for a business, school or home network and lowers the network’s performance. It also makes IM impractical on networks not connected online for security reasons. Some IM networks can easily be adapted to run on a [...]

Categories: Software

Windows Live Messenger 9 is the latest installment of the Microsoft Instant Messenger. It can be downloaded freely from Microsoft. Installation should not pose a problem either as long as you select only the applications that are offered that you would use anyway. Windows Live Messenger 9 displays advertisements that is changing frequently in the [...]

Categories: Software, Windows

Coccinella is an interesting chat client that brings new features and lots of customization to the table. If you want to compete in the Instant Messenger market you either need backing of a major player or provide users with features that they cannot find elsewhere. The client Coccinella takes the second path by adding new [...]

Categories: Software, The Web

You might have come upon the term Spicebird if you are following tech blogs or are a regular Digg and Del.icio.us user. Spicebird is an open-source platform for collaboration, it features an integrated email client, calendar and instant messenger in the first stage but will have additional features that are planned for Spicebird 1.0.

Categories: Email, Software

The beta version of Yahoo Messenger 9 has been released yesterday and can be downloaded from the official Yahoo Messenger Beta website. The new Instant Messenger supports Windows XP and Windows Vista only and should be more or less bug free. Changing to the new version is only advised if you know what you are doing, a backup of the settings would be advised as well.

Categories: Software, The Web, Tools

Instantbird plans to be for Instant Messengers what Firefox is for web browsers. The first version with the number 0.1 does show a lot of promise but naturally lacks the stability of a software that has been developed for years. It uses the Mozilla rendering engine to render IMs and the Pidgin libpurple to connect to the various networks.

Categories: Software, Tools

I never got used to install and run Instant Messaging clients, maybe because I always had other ways to chat with friends and contacts. Instead of using Instant Messengers I used Internet Relay Chat, Skype, Teamspeak or forums. Still, a lot of users do use IMs heavily and those that use Pidgin, which is a client that connects to many networks, can now encrypt their messages with Pidgin Encryption.

Categories: Security, Software, The Web