Digsby is a multi-protocol chat and social networking client that lets you update your Facebook, MySpace and Twitter status or chat with your AIM, Windows Live, Google Talk, or Yahoo! Messenger. Overall, it's a pretty awesome little utility if you'd rather use one application to track all of your accounts at once. But it's historically been a bit of a resource hog.

Now there's a new alpha version that reduces the CPU use by about 30 percent, improves file transfers for AIM and Windows Live users, and lets you set the status updates on MySpace accounts. There are also new emoticon boxes.

Probably the best part is that it just feels a bit faster. In the past, Digsby had a tendency to make my computer lock up for a second or two before displaying incoming IM messages. Now it doesn't.

You can find out how to join Digsby's group of Alpha testers at the Digsby blog. Bear in mind, once you become an Alpha tester you're signing up to receive less stable versions of the software and you could experience some bugs.

[via WebWare]