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A new skin preps you for Digsby on Windows 7.
(Credit: Digsby)On Wednesday, Digsby released a new version of the Digsby all-in-one instant messenger to all users.
Digsby 61 is a medium-size update that concentrates on bulking up Digsby's interaction with social networks. The first addition is a new dialog box that hooks into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace so that any status message set in Digsby can also broadcast to the others. Called the Global Status dialog, it folds in a URL shortener that makes it easier to share links in your status update. The link-shortener hasn't crossed over into the instant message windows; it's current realm is the status message only.
When you send a link, Digsby utilizes the same virtual toolbar metaphor that got some Digg users up in arms. But here's a tip: to send a straightforward link that ducks the Digsby "toolbar," add a dash (-) to the end of the URL.
You're also able to share pictures in the Global Status box thanks to integration with pic.im.
A significantly expanded MySpace newsfeed is a second change. Some back-end alterations have opened up the info box. Instead of just being able to view status updates, Digsby can now pull in your MySpace activity stream, letting you see the full newsfeed and flip through photos.
In addition to socializing, Digsby's latest uses OneRiot's real-time Web search engine to add Web search. Hit Control and F while in the buddy list view to begin.
In a nod to Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 7 operating system, Digsby has also added a new user-created skin option for the buddy list. You can select the light blue Windows 7 skin from the skins drop-down menu, and swap among it, the metallic look, and a tinted theme (our personal favorite).
You can download the new build; alternatively, existing users can wait for Digsby to push out the update.
Updated at 3:30 PM with a note on Digsby's methodology.
Ctrl+F gives you the search bar to summon Web search and contacts.
(Credit: CNET/Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt)Rising-star all-in-one IM app Digsby received an update to its beta on Wednesday, officially announcing feature additions that Digsby tested in an earlier alpha release we had reported on in April.
A boost to performance power reduces Digsby's CPU usage by 50 percent, the company said. That makes it a whopping 20 percent more efficient than Digsby claimed it was in April's alpha test. (Read note below.) Avid users can thank some back-end work with a coding language update and a move to a new compiler for this reduction in resources.
On the usability side, Digsby is sporting the new and enhanced features we saw in the alpha test. The best is a hidden search bar that pops up when you press Ctrl + F. In addition to summoning buddies when you type their names, it can also conduct Web searches on Google, Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube. This Web search aspect differentiates Digsby's search from those employed in other IM clients.
Digsby has added an option that will automatically keep new IM windows from popping up by default, instead letting the unread messages blink in the tray. In the message window, the company has added four additional emoticon packs, which you can enable one at a time via the Preferences menu (click "Conversations" and "Enable emoticons" next.)
The new beta build also lets you update your MySpace status. This rounds out its update services to top social networks--Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have long been supported. Digsby also improves the stability for file transfers for Windows Live Messenger (MSN), AIM, and ICQ, and can now give you an 'invisible' presence in Google Talk.
For those who have kept Digsby at arm's length until now, the faster, less demanding version of this app sweetens the deal. With instant messaging, social networking, e-mail access, and skin customizations under its belt, it's a must-try chat app for IM aficionados.
Note: Digsby shared a real-world methodology they used to arrive at the 50 percent CPU drop between betas. In a development environment, they installed the two versions of the Digsby IM client in two different locations, logging into the same account on both instances. Then they switched on the individual protocols that let you log in from more than one location--AIM, Google Talk, Facebook Chat, e-mail protocols, and Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Both ran for 24 hours to compare the CPU strain as buddies signed on and off, and as e-mails and notices poured in.
Since Digsby only allows one version of itself to launch at a time, this was not something we tested.
Keep an eye on the cutting-edge releases and you've got hints at what might make it into the stable version of the products you use. A new private alpha release of Digsby's all-in-one IM application for Windows looks like it's slashing some of the speed and CPU issues known to plague the slick-looking chat and uber-status-and-e-mail-update application, now in beta.
Alpha users can now set their status in MySpace.
(Credit: CNET/Screenshot by Daren Darrow)Some back-end work (specifically, an update to Python 2.6 coding language and a move to a new compiler) has reduced the CPU load by 30 percent, Digsby claimed in a blog post. In addition, Digsby did some work on stabilizing AOL IM and Windows Live Messenger (MSN) file transfers.
Other changes include new support for setting your MySpace status, and an option to flash new IM windows by default in the tray, instead of the current behavior that pops them up as they come in. Alpha testers will also be able to go invisible on Google Talk, and have a greater range of emoticons to share.
While most of us won't see these tweaks yet, Digsby die-hards can rest assured that improved performance, lower CPU usage, and more chatting niceties are likely on their way once the alpha testers conclude their bug-bashing.
If you use Yahoo Messenger 8 or 9 beta, you'll see this message in a few weeks.
(Credit: Yahoo Inc.)Sometimes, skipping a software update makes sense. Sticking to Windows XP instead of switching to the Vista operating system is a case in point. Yahoo Messenger 9 is not.
On Tuesday, Yahoo announced that it's time to grow up. Like it or not, in a few weeks, Windows users still chatting on Yahoo Messenger 8 and Yahoo Messenger 9 beta will see a window pop up at sign-in urging an upgrade to the latest version of the free chat client. While there's no indication that Yahoo will force you to change, it's a sure bet that nag screen will get old fast.
The question is, should you do it? From our end, there's no reason not to. Version 9, released last September, was a welcome update that made a few bold changes, many of them visual improvements. These include additions to skins, friend importing, in-window video and image embedding, and some additional antispam security. Those who weren't fans of the much more sprawling display can also retreat to the compact view familiar from Yahoo's previous IM model.
Meebo for Google Android is not a terrible instant-messaging application. But it isn't a very good representation of what IM clients for the Android platform can do, or even a good representation of what Meebo itself can do.
In this first release, the free Meebo mobile application lets you chat with friends on the major IM networks--Yahoo, Windows Live Messenger, AOL, ICQ, Jabber, and Google Talk. It also runs in the background while you work on other applications and scrolls message notifications across the status tray. So far, so good.
However, that about plays out Meebo's feature set on Google Android--a disappointment for a product making its world debut of a native application and a disappointment for a company that has recruited 40 million unique users into its Web-messaging niche.
(Credit:
Meebo)
Is it fair for me to hold Meebo to loftier standards? Absolutely. There are certain features common to competitive chat applications on any platform. Having an IM application save your log-in information is a must, and that goes double for a chat app that otherwise asks you to sign into six services every time you talk.
Notifications, simultaneous chats, emoticon support, and options are also must-haves. Of these, Meebo for Google Android has only notifications, and they're easily missed if you glance away from the screen. Though also limited, Meebo's iPhone-optimized site saves log-ins, supports some emoticons, and makes it easy to flip back to the buddy list.
Specific to this Androidized Meebo, I'd like to pick whether I get a buzz, a ding, or a text scroll to signal an incoming message. The organization of the buddy list should also be customizable, so I don't have to wear off the pad of my thumb scrolling through online and offline buddies from each service.
Meebo's team says the Android platform isn't holding back these features. They're just not ready yet. Of course, Meebo says, emoticons and log-in recall are coming 'round the bend. The company just wanted to get the application into users' hands quickly.
Meebo should have waited until there was more to offer.
As it is now, Meebo IM serves a purpose, but it isn't the only multinetwork IM application in the Android Market. Also free is IM+ All-in-One Instant Messenger, which provides a better multinetwork chatting experience on all counts--remembered log-ins, emoticon support, and incoming IM text that appears on the chat window.
Some users have complained about getting forced out of IM+ All-in-One Messenger, though that defect didn't plague my tests. Meebo's next attempt will hopefully bring it in line with this more competitive player.
Article updated 10/17/08 at 8:45 am PT to include more services.
Like most of you, I prefer to instant message with friends on all my networks for free. However, in a time when the instant-messaging applications preloaded on mobile phones are more about dividing and conquering than coming together, three IM-only add-on programs make a strong case for shelling out a few dollars. Stick around to read up on totally free chatting with two apps primarily targeted to VoIP users--Fring and EQO. In the meantime, we'll check out Mundu IM, BeejiveIM, and IM+ All-in-One-Messenger, all multinetwork-IM applications that have emerged as effective, stable, and surprisingly advanced options. Since no one application is consistently feature-rich or attractive across all mobile operating systems, it will take some sleuthing and analysis to determine which one's best for your smartphone.
Networks: AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MySpace, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo
Trial length: 7 days
Cost: $30-$40 lifetime license
Platforms: BlackBerry, iPhone and iPod Touch, J2ME, Palm, Symbian, Symbian UIQ, Windows Mobile Smartphone, and Pocket PC
IM+ All-in-One MobileMessenger on the BlackBerry.
(Credit: Shape Services)IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger has been around the longest and has demanded the highest price. It also has, for some platforms, the most advanced features. For all platforms, it supports emoticons, status messages, alerts, notifications, and multiple languages, has customizable settings, and is capable of running in the background. This list is also common to BeejiveIM and Mundu IM.
On BlackBerry, the latest version of IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger ($30) lets you take photos on the fly and IM them to friends. You can perform a similar trick with voice messages you record through the application. There's also a built-in translator and an SMS credit service, which sells text messages for 5 cents apiece to most countries; this will be a perk for some. Unfortunately, it lacks a way to bounce among open conversations; and the emoticons should be easily accessed from the chat window, not just the menu system.
The Windows Mobile versions look almost wholly unrelated to their BlackBerry cousin. There's a Today screen plug-in we like that summarizes your online status and unread messages, and support for tabbed conversation windows that makes tracking multiple conversations simple. The new capability for Windows Mobile phones to log onto IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger without the program logging you off any other running chat application is also commendable.
Here's All-in-One Mobile Messenger on a Nokia.
(Credit: Shape Services)However, the file transferring and multimedia messaging is absent. While there are understandably hardware and firmware limitations, the program strangely costs $10 more. The Nokia and Sony Ericsson versions of IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger are also $30 and add landscape mode and file transferring. The service offers basic, but solid, multinetwork chatting for the Palm operating system.
While there are arguably better value options for the Windows Mobile devices and Palm, IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger makes a convincing choice for BlackBerry, Symbian, and iPhone operating systems, the latter of which is currently completely free.
Networks: AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo
Trial length: 5 days
Cost: $11 lifetime license
Platforms: BlackBerry, Palm, Sony Ericsson, Windows Mobile Smartphone, and Pocket PC; iPhone-optimized site
Here is the Sony Ericsson version of Mundu IM.
(Credit: Geodesic)Mundu IM is the baby of the three, and also the least expensive, with an $11 lifetime license fee. It's also got the stingiest trial length (a mere 5 days), so don't try it unless you're feeling chatty. Like IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger, Mundu IM's offerings and visual appeal vary by operating system. Its look is bright and fun, while managing to maintain order.
Beyond the basic customizations, status messages, and emoticons, Mundu IM is the most impressive on Palm and on both Windows Mobile platforms.
On these devices, it boasts the capability to archive chats, ping you with e-mail notifications, transfer files and photos, and "conference" a group of pals into a single chat window. Sony Ericsson and BlackBerry users can conference chat, but cannot transfer media, receive e-mail alerts, or save their chat history. There is, however, a search bar to quickly select contacts from a long list. We're less excited about Mundu's penchant for stealthily advertising itself to buddies in chats they receive.
Mundu IM for iPhone (beta) is an optimized Web site, so don't attempt loading it from the App Store. It's restricted to integration with Yahoo, Windows Live Messenger, AIM, and Google Talk, and to basic chatting functions, but it looks great and is currently free.
At $11, Mundu offers the best deal of the three in chatting, though financial concerns aside, it's a better all-around application for Windows Mobile and iPhone users than it is for BlackBerry owners. It doesn't have the race won yet, though; BeejiveIM is also a tough contender.
Networks: AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MySpace, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo
Trial length: 30 days
Cost: $20 single-device; $30 lifetime license on BlackBerry; $16 for iPhone
Platforms: BlackBerry, iPhone and iPod Touch, Windows Mobile for Smartphones, and Pocket PC (beta)
And here is the BeejiveIM chat window on a BlackBerry.
(Credit: BeejiveIM)BeejiveIM (formerly JiveTalk) has a good range of features and a compelling format. In addition to multilanguage support, status updates, emoticons, and notifications, BeejiveIM can call, e-mail, and send BlackBerry PIN messages as the protocols allow. You can view chat history and, uniquely, mail it to yourself for safekeeping. Group chatting is supported, and there's limited file transferring on BlackBerry via AIM and Windows Live Messenger. So far, it'll only work on phones in the 8100, 8300, and 8800 series.
While BeejiveIM's BlackBerry application may not have all the bells and whistles of the others, it does have an intuitive format that's easy on the eye. For instance, you can click the icons floating at the top of the screen to switch among conversation windows, and in the preference window, you can select one of eight design treatments for your chat bubbles.
BeejiveIM for Windows Mobile phones is free at the moment, which is the good news. It's running a beta build, though, so some bugs are to be expected.
BeejiveIM's decision to charge $16 for the iPhone application is questionable. While the iPhone application is attractive, it doesn't yet support emoticons, group chatting, or full hyperlink support. In contrast, Palringo, MunduIM, and IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger are all free, and Palringo offers voice and picture messaging and drop-in emoticons.
Fring (and EQO) give away multinetwork IMing while selling cheap voice calls.
(Credit: Fring)As mentioned above, there is another way to chat with friends on multiple networks completely free. Fring and EQO are two VoIP-focused applications that sell cheap international calling, but they also throw in chatting for free among many networks, among them Windows Live Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk, Twitter, AIM, and Yahoo. Fring has also recently introduced file-sharing. Fring is not available yet for BlackBerry, but it is strong on most of the other devices, including Symbian, iPhone, Windows Mobile, and mass market phones.
EQO works similarly, giving away chatting and charging competitive rates for international calls. EQO includes Jabber in its chatting lineup and is also available on BlackBerry in addition to LGs, Nokias, Samsungs, and so on.
Hopefully Fring and EQO's free services will put the press on these other very good applications to lower prices or devise other revenue streams to support free chatting.
In the end, your choice comes down to which applications are compatible with your operating system and how involved a chatter (or talker) you intend to be. For instance, BlackBerry users will get more advanced features out of IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger, but if you're looking for chatting basics, MunduIM becomes the better deal, even Fring or EQO. However, if you're interested in a chat-only app, BeejiveIM's chatting logic and appealing interface may still keep it in the running, especially if you give yourself all 30 days of the trial period to get hooked. Give one or more of them a try, then let us know what you liked, loved, or hated.
Ready, chatters? Go!
(Credit:
CNET)
Popular Polish chat client Gadu-Gadu announced on Wednesday a new beta version of its instant messenger. The beta version boasts the same VoIP protocol that hosts Yahoo and AOL's free voice chats over the Internet. While Windows Live Messenger and Skype have also long enjoyed Internet telephony integrated with chat, these VoIP services will be a welcome addition for Gadu-Gadu's 6 million users.
This latest beta release also adds new skins, including two throwbacks to Gadu-Gadu's classic messenger, and lets you hide your avatar. In addition, the build improves stability and reduces program memory.
Be forewarned, the installation and setup is wholly Polish. Non-Polish speakers who'd like to try out the messenger, however, and who make it through the signup process, can connect with friends on Gadu-Gadu (without voice chatting) through multiprotocol IM clients Pidgin and Miranda IM.
AOL on Monday quietly released a brand-new version of its instant-messenger application for Mac users. Called "AIM for Mac beta 1," it's a replacement for version 4.7, which has remained untouched since February 2004.
Back then gas was a little over $1.50 a gallon.
Unlike the changes in oil prices, those four years have amounted to little more than what was offered in previous iterations of the program, or Apple's iChat application which comes pre-installed in every Mac computer. In the new version users can change emoticon sets and tweak background chat wallpapers--all things that you can't do with the current version of iChat. There's also tabbed browsing and contact search which the previous version did not have. Otherwise, it's largely playing catch-up to the PC version, which has received the most attention and is currently on version 6.8.
Also worth noting is how much the market has changed since the latest Mac release. iChat and third-party applications like Adium, Digsby, and Pidgin have the upper hand with compatibility for other protocols. AIM for Mac is currently limited to AOL and Yahoo contacts, while the others support things like Jabber, ICQ, and XMPP. In a more frequently fragmented market, with newcomers like Facebook and Google, these open platforms simply end up being more appealing.
AIM for Mac looks quite similar to iChat, although without the audio and video logos to let you know who is ready for media chatting.
(Credit: AOL Inc.)Updated on 9/24/08 at 12:00 pm with more details on the Pingbox feature. Updated on 9/23/08 at 5:40 pm to correct information on photo-sharing and Pingbox, and adds details about contact-importing.
Yahoo Messenger 9.0 became available on Tuesday for Windows XP--a week after Yahoo's target launch date and interestingly, a week after Microsoft released its beta update of Windows Live Messenger. Yahoo Messenger 9.0 as dramatic an update of its instant messenger as Windows Live beta is of Windows Live Messenger 8.5, and it introduces some pleasant improvements over version 8.1 that will satisfy Yahoo loyalists. Among them are a redesigned interface with more skins, more space, and the excellent ability to see scaled public images and videos in the chat window.
If you're familiar with the beta version of Yahoo Messenger 9.0, this final build adds more conspicuous spam alerts and the ability to chat with friends directly from their Web site or online profile page. We'll discuss both later on in this review.
Interface
A bolder, more spread-out display graces Yahoo Messenger 9.0, complete with larger avatar thumbnails and room to read a contact's status message. Also new, Yahoo now updates your status with your recent activity on Yahoo's Buzz, Avatars, 360, or MyBlogLog--for example, when you change your avatar's outfit. Those who can't get used to the new spacing can revert to the familiar compact view.
A visual picker makes previewing and switching skins nearly automatic.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Importing contacts by bulk from a wide array of services is another biggie feature that makes its debut in Yahoo Messenger 9.0. The importer, operated by TrueSwitch, scours your other IM, e-mail, and social networking accounts--including Gmail and Facebook--for friends that are also signed up on Yahoo IM. TrueSwitch will send requests on your behalf for friends to add you to their Messenger accounts, and you'll have the option of inviting your unaffiliated contacts to join up with Yahoo.
Other changes include new skins, including a dark theme, which you'll find by clicking the button to the right of the Messenger logo. Windows Live Messenger beta took skins a step further with themes that incorporate background images; while some Windows Live scenes are very nice, Yahoo's visual picker saves you an extra step when choosing a new look.
Like Windows Live Messenger beta, Yahoo Messenger's contact search bar finds buddies quickly by checking your IM list and your Yahoo address book. In another similarity, Yahoo Messenger's status field supports emoticons and links. Finally, Yahoo Messenger 9.0 highlights power users with an icon of a medal or crown placed next to their name (your choice) and rewards them with more avatar accessories and priority customer care.
Chat window
The Yahoo Messenger 9.0 chat window looks a little more airbrushed than in version 8.1, but the biggest difference is also the best--a feature that embeds scaled maps, images, video players, and public photos when you or a friend drops in a link ending in .jpg, .gif, .png, or .bmp.
Being able to comment on photos and watch YouTube videos without leaving the IM window is a treat, and something no other instant messaging client currently offers. While Windows Live Messenger beta can boast about its fun feature for mapping certain profile pictures to common emoticons (like happy, sad, and winking), being able to reference your IM window when you're chatting about a photo or video is more useful overall.
Yahoo Messenger 9.0 can embed videos and image URLs directly into the chat window.
(Credit: CNET Networks)If you're a fan of emoticons, Yahoo's new Messenger 9.0 adds six new expressions to version 8.1's gallery, including a smiling head giving a thumbs-up and a little guy rocking out. Yahoo has heeded the advice of beta testers and stopped using dime-size emoticons that, while easier to see, were also less defined around the edges. Although we also prefer the traditional smiley faces, as long as Yahoo has that gallery of larger images on hand, the emoticons' display size ought to be the user's choice. The behavior of Yahoo Messenger's IM window otherwise remains the same.
Spam control
IMers plagued with spam messages (also called spim) will appreciate some small alterations in 9.0. The warning message on a conversation window is bolder, for one, and Yahoo has added a button to the offline message window that lets you report the impostor message without having to leave Yahoo Messenger.
Pingbox is a Yahoo chat window embedded into a personal site or profile.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Yahoo Messenger Pingbox
Pingbox is a brand-new feature in Yahoo Messenger that lets Web site owners and visitors chat in real time. If you're a blogger, eBay seller, or social networking buff, you can embed a Yahoo Pingbox chat window into your page to chat with visitors to your site in real time. The visitor sees the chat window on your site and you see conversation windows when you're logged on to Yahoo Messenger. We can see how this could be beneficial for users who want to engage a Web site owner on the fly, especially if chatting means you're not waiting around for an e-mail. Thankfully, the service is opt-in for visitors, who need to make the first move before the Pingbox owner sees their presence.
On the owner's end, Pingboxes are highly customizable, with controls for the message window's look, for broadcasting a welcome message, and for shutting off any or all communication features if visitors' pings grow too overwhelming. While chatting with site visitors isn't new, Yahoo has definitely brought weight to the service with their online Pingbox creation wizard.
Yahoo Messenger 9.0 has one or two rough edges, the same niggles we've had about previous versions--the heavy advertising of other Yahoo services and the bundled Yahoo Toolbar. However, these are small complaints compared to the high quality of the chat app. The visual improvements and the ability to share multimedia within the chat screen are no-brainer reasons to upgrade.
That said, Yahoo Messenger 9.0 beta isn't the only chat application making inroads. You might also want to compare it with Windows Live Messenger beta, the biggest IM network threat to Yahoo's desktop messenger, or to Trillian, Digsby beta, or Pidgin--all competing desktop apps that also let you chat with friends on other networks.
Instant-messaging fiends awaiting Yahoo's first IM solution for iPhone are getting more than they bargained for with Yahoo OneConnect (download and rate). Whether you love or hate the new social-networking and address book features, Yahoo OneConnect does offer some innovations in iPhone chatting. See our pros and cons in this First Look video or read our full Yahoo OneConnect review.
