icq posts

Adam's Favorite Windows Apps: Trillian

by Adam Maras Oct 16th 2008

I've blogged about it before, and I'll blog about it again.

Back when I was just a wee lad of the Internet, I found a most wonderful concept: instant messaging! At the time, I thought MSN Messenger was the coolest thing since the automatic bread slicer. Of course, my best friend preferred Yahoo! Messenger, and the majority of everyone else I knew would use nothing but AOL Instant Messenger. So, I had two choices: have three relatively bloated instant messaging running simultaneously on my computer, or lose electronic touch with the rest of the world. That is, until I found Trillian.

Trillian, like Digsby or Adium, aggregates multiple different instant messaging services into one relatively light-weight application. The Basic (free) version supports AIM, ICQ, Windows Live, and Yahoo! service as well as IRC chat. The Pro version throws in support for Jabber (Google Talk and soon Facebook), Novell GroupWise, and Bonjour (formerly Rendezvous). Also, if you shell out the $25 for the Pro version, you'll get video chat support for the networks that support it.

Tags: aim, facebook, favorite-apps, icq, instant messaging, InstantMessaging, trillian, wlm, yahoomessenger

Filed under: Symbian, Productivity, VoIP

Fring adds Yahoo! and AIM support, FWD connectivity

by Jason Harris Dec 27th 2007

We introduced you to Fring earlier this year, and now it has become even more useful. You've always been able to use Fring with Skype, Google Talk, Twitter, ICQ, and MSN Messenger; but now the application has the added ability to use AIM and Yahoo! Messenger.

Fring doesn't support voice calls on the new services, but does allow for IM conversations. You can, however, use Fring to make VoIP calls on Google Talk and Skype, along with Fring to Fring calls. With the new service additions, Fring is now a premier universal IM client for the mobile platform.

To use AIM or Yahoo!, simply load up Fring on your cellphone and go to settings -> services and add your AIM and/or Yahoo credentials to hop on those networks. No update to the Fring application is required.

In other Fring news, you can now connect with Free World Dialup (FWD) users using Fring.

Because Fring supports SIP, FWD can easily be used to connect via VoIP to your FWD friends. Details are a little sketchy on how to make mobile FWD calls, but details can be found on FWD's website. You will need to have a supported handset and your FWD# and password.

Note: you must have a Symbian or UIQ handset to utilize Yahoo/AIM.

Tags: AIM, fring, fwd, ICQ, MSN, telephony, voip

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Linux, Open Source

Pidgin 2.2 flies the coop

by Brad Linder Sep 16th 2007

Multi-protocol instant messaging client Pidgin has hit version 2.2. And when they say multi-protocol, they mean it. Pidgin supports AIM, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, Groupwise, ICQ, IRC, MSN, MySpaceIM, QQ, SILC, SIMPLE, Sametime, XMPP, Yahoo!, and Zephyr.

In other words, there's a good chance this open-source program is the only instant messaging client you'll ever need to install on your Windows or Linux PC. There are a bunch of updates since the last release. One of our favorites is the return of optional protocol icons which make it easy to tell which of your friends are using MSN Messenger, and which are using AIM (and so on). Here are some of the other changes:

Yahoo! Chat is fixed
AIM file transfer issues fixed
Properly restore idle status time for AIM and ICQ accounts that reconnect after being disconnected
Remember "enable sounds" setting for a conversation

If you've got friends and family using 17 different instant messaging applications, Pidgin is a great way to keep in touch with everyone without installing 17 different programs. And the best thing is when you turn it off, they all go away. You know, unless they e-mail, call, or stop by your house for a visit.
[via Digg]

Tags: aim, chat-client, gaim, icq, instant-messaging, msn-messenger, multi-protocol, pidgin, pidgin-2.2

Filed under: Internet, Productivity, Social Software, iPhone

Pimp My iPhone: #3: Full instant messaging

by Nik Fletcher Jul 4th 2007

On Friday, we wrote about the iPhoneChat application that allowed you to do AOL Instant Messaging from the iPhone. Today, however, we can go one better: AIM, Jabber (GTalk), MSN, Yahoo! and even ICQ for your iPhone.

Meebo offers an IM-aggregation service via the web, however what's great about this apparently new service is that you don't need to be registered with Meebo to be able to sign in. You simply visit the site, enter your sign-in details, and Meebo will log you in to the relevant service. Whilst the service isn't specifically for the iPhone, it works just fine (and once you've opened a chat window, you can simply take advantage of the zooming and enlarge the chat window) thanks to the iPhone's Safari browser.

Meebo have been around quite a while (we featured them way back in 2005), and with emoticons, messages shown in the browser title bar - as you can see in the screenshot above - and multiple services supported, this looks to be the best way to IM with your data plan until such a time that Apple puts in place an application of their own.

[via]

Tags: AIM, GMail, GTalk, ICQ, InstantMessage, iphone, MSN, webapp, Yahoo

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Utilities, Windows, Office, Productivity, Freeware, VoIP

AudioID - Skype voice caller ID

by Jason Clarke Oct 16th 2006

Back in the day, and I mean WAY back in the day when ICQ was the only instant messaging platform around, I remember setting up voice recordings of all of my contact's names so that when I received messages from a contact, rather than hearing the ubiquitous "uh-oh" sound (admit it, you remember the "uh-oh"!), I would hear the person's name announced that was trying to get my attention. This was so that I wouldn't be consumed with curiosity if I was sitting across the room when I heard the message arrive - I could know exactly who's trying to get my attention. You know, a poor-man's caller ID. And it actually worked quite well. By the way, if you're looking for a way to make voice files of each of your contact's names, this AT&T demo site works wonderfully.

If you're a heavy user of Skype, you may find that there are times that you need to leave Skype running, but that you can't be sitting at your computer all the time. Or maybe you are at your computer, but you're consumed in some important work and don't want to have to be pulled out of your concentration to see who's trying to call you all the time. If this describes you, you might want to check out AudioID for Skype.

AudioID allows you to set up exactly the same scenario that I described having done above with ICQ. As callers call you, their names are announced so you know whether you want to interrupt whatever it is you're doing to take the call. The cool thing here is that rather than having to create audio files for each contact, AudioID will actually simply use a text-to-speech engine to read the name to you. This can result in some funny pronunciations, but is still totally usable. To me this actually seems like a feature all instant-messaging clients (be them audio or old-fashioned text) should have built in.

Tags: audio caller ID, audio ID, AudioCallerId, AudioId, caller ID, CallerId, ICQ, IM, IM clients, ImClients, Instant Messengers, InstantMessengers, skype

Filed under: Internet, Google

Google acquires Meetro, absolutely totally definitely doing IM now

by Jordan Running Aug 9th 2005

People have been talking about Google releasing their own IM software since, I think, the beginning of time, but internetnews.com is reporting that it's got to be what they're up to now. You see, this week Google is expected to announce its acquisition of Meetroduction, the company which makes Meetro, which is some sort of IM client that supports multiple protocols (e.g. AIM, Jabber, ICQ) and uses wi-fi mojo to find new buddies for you based on your physical location.

I can't help but wonder if something more is going on here, though. If Google just wanted an IM client, why wouldn't they have just started with Jabber or even Gaim? Meetro seems like an odd purchase, unless they've got something special in mind for that wi-fi mojo, and I sincerely hope they do. If anybody can make an IM client with a difference and actually get people to use it, it's Google.

Tags: aim, google, icq, im, instant+messaging, InstantMessaging, jabber, meetro

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