- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Me, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: November 06, 2009
- Total Downloads: 38,703,689
- Downloads last week: 44,951
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 1551 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on August 20, 2009
More than three years in the making, Trillian is back with a slight name change and a slew of new features. It's keeping the beta code-name Astra as part of its official title, but more importantly it's been updated for the modern IM world. Skinnable but not modular, the chat client now supports Google, MySpace IM, Skype, and Facebook, as well as AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, and IRC. Both POP3 and IMAP e-mail checking see some love here, too.
Trillian now has deep hooks into Facebook and Twitter. It will automatically shorten URLs in your tweets, as well as allow direct messages, re-tweets, and replies. Twitter Trends can show up in your contact list, and you can get tweets to appear in tooltip form. Facebook features include news feed integration, Facebook Inbox checking, and synchronized message updating in addition to Facebook IM. Just on these features alone, Trillian Astra offers a bit more than its IM competitors.
Trillian Astra runs lighter than the previous version, too, and you're less likely to notice system slowdowns because of Trillian memory leaks. Video chat gets basic support, as does universal drag-and-drop file transfer. The paid upgrade gives you browser-based IM from Trillian.im, full-screen video and filters to colorize your vids, multiple simultaneous file transfer, and themes, as well as tech support. These features are available for the first 30 days you use the free version, then they deactivate. The biggest changes, besides the reskinned interface, are the long-needed performance improvements and support for a broad range of IM protocols. Longtime fans won't be disappointed.
Watch the CNET video review of Trillian Astra:
Publisher's description
From Cerulean Studios :Trillian is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports chatting on Windows Live, Yahoo!, MySpaceIM, AIM, Google, ICQ, Jabber, Skype, IRC, Facebook and others. It also helps manage your social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. It provides capabilities not possible with most original network clients, while supporting standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, plugins, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection, proxy support, encrypted messaging.
What's new in this version:
Addressing a recent change in the Facebook chat protocol.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 1551 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 4 of 4 user reviewsSee all 4 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Trillian Astra 4.0.0.119
"Trillian or Digsby ?? it's a toss up you choose"
Pros: see above.
Cons: Like I said before
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Version: Trillian Astra 4.0.0.119
"Trillian is the best messenger in the world."
Pros: I like the skin so much. Trillian has lots of emotions.
Cons: If you want to call with Trillian, you need Skype.
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Version: Trillian Astra 4.0.0.119
Pros: I like the one list for most im products
Cons: occasional glitches, usually when inviting for group chat
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Trillian Astra 4.0.0.119
"Complete junk - zero stars - run, run away!"
Pros: New version manages to run for 10 minutes without crashing... Believe me, this a record for the Trillian developers. The colors nearly match now, but not quite.
Cons: Crashes, crashes, crashes. When it crashes, it deletes all your configuration which is always nice for an application to do. Support is non-existent and consists mostly of a reply saying how great Trillian is and NOT actually fixing your problem.
Summary: Skip this garbage!!! There are other IM vendors of this product type that provide equal and MUCH better service. If you can find a copy of Trillian 3, that might be an okay option but that is not keeping up with the IM vendors. This might not matte... read more >>
- See all 4 user reviews Write review
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