Subscribe in a readerYou can install Skype, Messenger, Pidgin, Digsby, Google Talk, Thunderbird, Trillian, AIM, Yahoo! using the web installer
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger includes support for the im Initiative! Every time you start a conversation using im, Microsoft shares a portion of the program’s advertising revenue with some of the world’s most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. So any time you have an im conversation using Windows Live Messenger, you help address the issues you feel most passionate about. It’s simple. All you have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation.
Key Features: Call your friends’ PC (free), mobile or landline phones. Calls require a microphone and speakers or a headset and broadband connection. Make calls for less than $.02 a minute to most places around the world with Verizon Web Calling. Start a video conversation within minutes with a webcam. Drop in photos and other stuff for friends in a Sharing Folder, as many as your computer can handle. With Windows Live Messenger you can now connect with your Yahoo! IM contacts.
Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo Messenger is a free service that allows you to see when friends come online and to send them instant messages. It also can alert you to new e-mail in your Yahoo Mail or Yahoo Personals accounts, or when you have upcoming events recorded in your Yahoo Calendar. Yahoo Messenger offers firewall support, a standby mode that minimizes the program until an Internet connection is made, the ability to save and print your conversations, and a tabbed interface that provides quick access to your favorite stocks, news, and sports scores.
Other features include the ability to create a chat room automatically, stock price alerts, the ability to send messages to friends (even if they’re not online when you are), a Quick Compact mode that hides the Messenger tools to maximize your viewing area, Messenger Themes, and voice chat, which allows you to talk for free to anybody else on the Internet. It also includes Launchcast Radio, Yahoo Games, and Yahoo Audibles. Using a Webcam, you can see who you’re chatting with or view the Webcam of any Yahoo member who has granted you access.
Paltalk Messenger
Paltalk allows you to video chat, send IMs and join chat rooms with anyone in the world for free. Browse or search thousands of free chat rooms, or create your own. Paltalk works with AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Facebook, GTalk and ICQ so you can chat with all your buddies using a single program. With Paltalk’s SuperIM feature, you can webcam chat with up to 10 people at once with rich video, audio and text – free. Plus, get a customizable SuperIM URL (http://superim.me/johnsmith) where your friends and family can reach you any time, from any browser – no download required. Paltalk’s rich feature set includes: SuperIM URL–free personalized links (ie, http://superim.me/johnsmith) that allow video chat with up to 10 people anywhere on the Web–no need for your friends to download software. Webcam Chat–voice and video chat free. Thousands of Free Chat Rooms–Every member within Paltalk is able to create their own chat room and invite anyone to join them. Top room categories include politics, karaoke, sports and religion. A bot-free and Friendly Environment–Paltalk is a place for real people to connect in a friendly, trusted environment. Utilizing proprietary technology, Paltalk has created a “no-bot zone,” free of chatterbots or virtual chat partners. PC-To-Phone–Call phones and cell phones for low rates via Paltalk. PalTube (new)–the ability to share and watch YouTube videos in a SuperIM chat. Virtual Gifts–fun animations that can be sent to other members of a chat room. Unicode Text Support (new)–Added support for Latin and non-Latin accented characters.
mIRC
mIRC is a full featured Internet Relay Chat client for Windows that can be used to communicate, share, play or work with others on IRC networks around the world, either in multi-user group conferences or in one-to-one private discussions. It has a clean, practical interface that is highly configurable and supports features such as buddy lists, file transfers, multi-server connections, IPv6, SSL encryption, proxy support, UTF-8 display, UPnP, customizable sounds, spoken messages, tray notifications, message logging, and more.
ooVoo
ooVoo is changing the way people communicate and connect online with its high-quality video and audio and multi-user capabilities that allow up to six people to talk face-to-face with each other at the same time. Using ooVoo is easy and fun, all consumers need is a computer, a broadband connection and a Web camera. In addition, ooVoo offers video messaging to an email or another ooVoo account, text messaging, and file sharing.
Camfrog Video Chat
Camfrog Video Chat allows you to join real streaming video chat rooms where you can hear, see, and chat with many people at a time. Instant message a user to get to know them before you Webcam chat, and add them to your contact list. This videoconferencing software also works behind most firewalls and routers. Camfrog Video Chat allows multi-user videoconferencing where you can join a room with up to 1000 users and just click a user name to begin seeing someone. Press the ‘talk’ button to talk to the entire room with audio. The video chat rooms are hosted by broadband users who are running the Camfrog Video Chat Room Server software so any user can set up their own multi-user video conference for other users to join.
Skype
Skype is software that enables you to make free calls anywhere in the world. Skype uses P2P (peer-to-peer) technology to connect you with other users. It offers several features, including SkypeOut calling from Skype to regular and mobile phones worldwide, conference calling, and secure file transferring. You can also now share your screen with other users. Skype calls focus on video and audio quality, and secure the calls with end-to-end encryption.
In new version: Group video calling (beta), Skype Home, Integration with Facebook, Offline instant messaging, New contact search and improved contact adding, Enhanced call quality experience, User interface refresh.
AIM
AIM connects you with your friends and family instantly. The new Lifestream feature lets you stay on top of what your AIM buddies are doing by allowing you to add a variety of accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. With AIM, you can follow your friends, post photos and status messages to stay connected in real time. With a great new look and feel, it’s faster and lighter than ever. AIM is available on Windows and Mac, your favorite mobile phones like iPhone and Windows mobile, or try it out on the web using AIM Express.