The BEST Messaging Client Is...

Review :: The BEST Messaging Client Is... Author: Eric Roberts Manage All IM From One Piece of SoftwareI use Instant Messaging (IM) all the time. I use IM to speak with collegues and contractors in different time zones and different countries. My biggest problem is that there is no "one" standard for instant messaging. There are services from Yahoo!, MSN, and AOL not to mention the more generic ICQ. I got tired of having all those instant messaging clients open and operating all the time. I got tired of having to update all 4 clients to the latest versions, etc. Then I had an inspiration! I was looking at my personal printer in my office - it's one of those all-in-one appliances. You know the kind: it acts as a printer, a copier, a scanner and fax machine all in one physical device. Using an all-in-one has helped me to save a great deal: Saves money. There is only one brand of toner or ink to buy Saves money. I didn't have to waste money buying 4 different kinds of machines Saves space. Who has the space to have all those specialized machines? Saves time. I can print the document, put it in the scanner, fax and file the paper copy within 30 seconds. Saves frustration. I don't have to deal with 4 different sets of drivers, 4 different manufacturers, 4 of anything! I wondered if there was something like that for chat? It turns out - there is! There is one product that can organize all of your chat protocols under a single program. Best of all - it's FREE. "OK - what is it?" you're asking. It's a program called "Trillian." After discovering this really fantastic product - I was leary of downloading it. Why? Because it's free and I didn't want to be slammed with a virus, worms, spyware, adware or any of the dozens of "malware" that can wreak havoc on my computer. Luckily, I have a spare computer that has sacrificed itself to test these kinds of things out. The maker of the software claims that there is no adware or spyware - but I wanted to see for myself. After some exhaustive testing - they were right - NO spyware, NO adware, NO malware whatsoever! Once I was up and running - it was easy to import all my MSN, AIM and Yahoo contacts into Trillian. I could even import my ICQ contacts as well! Setup was easy, importing was easy - now there was just one other thing I wanted to know - would it really work? The answer is YES, it works extremely well. When you launch the program, you can tell it what service(s) you want it to log into on startup, and then it shows a list of your buddies by service type. You can expand lists by service type, add new buddies with a couple of clicks. When you receive a message from someone - that message appears in a tabbed window by servcie name. For example, if I got a message from someone on AIM, it would appear in an "AIM" window with the name of the buddy in a tab. That way if more than one AIM person wanted to chat with me, I don't have lots of different windows open at the same time - just a single window with multiple chat sessions going. Simple idea, but BRILLIANT. If you don't like the way the program looks - you can download free "skins" for it. A "skin" is a different set of graphics that changes the look and feel of the program. There are a couple of dozen to choose from - allowing you to give your application a look to match your personality and the way you like to work. On TOP of all this functionality - trillian even provides for video chat (free), audio chat (free), keeps a history of your chats, has different plug-ins that allow you to link music weather and more to a contact, and more. I know what you're thinking - "OK - but how much is it?" FREE. Nothing. Nada. There is a "Pro" version that is $25 that allows you to get 1 year tech support, 1 year of upgrade protection (you get all versions free), access to patches and fixes, and a member-only forum. You should TRY it out for free to see if you like it - and if you don't want or need the extra features in the "Pro" version - then stick with the free version until you do. You can upgrade at any time. On Eric's scale of 1 to 5 (5 being best) Trillian and Trillian Pro definately score a 5 out of 5! If you use IM, you NEED this program! You can download your free copy from: http://www.trillian.cc Reprinted with permission from ActiveAuthors.com

Protect Your PC with these Top Free Software Programs

This is a dangerous world for a computer user- threats multiply by the hour designed to swipe your data, cripple your network, steal your identity and in general- wreck havoc. Fortunately you can arm yourself to battle these menaces with several top software programs. And the best part is that these applications are free. So strap on your seatbelt and let¡¯s get started!

The first weapon in your arsenal should be anti-virus protection. Many of the popular and expensive programs tend to slow down PC performance and require an annual paid subscription. My impression is that they work no better than their ¡°freeware¡± cousins. A good recommendation/alternative is AVG Free Edition from Grisoft. This program may not feature every single bell and whistle offered by some of the more commercially available apps, but it does provide rock-solid protection with all the tools needed to keep your system free of viruses, worms and Trojans.

Next in line: the firewall. A firewall is essential in preventing others from breaking into your machine. These hackers will steal your data, destroy your system or attempt to convert your computer into a ¡°spam zombie¡± (remotely using your computer to send spam email) so using an effective firewall is a must. Owners of Windows XP (Home or Professional Edition) may be familiar with its built in firewall, however many options abound. While there are numerous offerings in this category, the Zone Alarm Free Firewall is a sure bet.

Now that we have anti-virus and firewall protection, let¡¯s address a topic I hear more and more frequently: what to do with all of those pesky passwords? Luckily there is a stellar new program, CyberScrub KeyChain designed specifically to address this perplexing problem. Distributed free, KeyChain stores not only your user names and passwords, but all of your addresses and credit card details. All passwords and sensitive data are stored under a single master pass phrase, eliminating the need to recall scores of unique access combinations. You simply highlight and click a password protected website from a small browser toolbar and KeyChain fills in and submits your log in details. As powerful web-based form filler, the long and tedious process of typing in your credit card and address info is a click away, making shopping a snap. All data is protected with strong encryption for your safety.

Of course no discussion of computer protection would be complete without discussing the scrounge of spyware. Every bit as insidious as a computer virus, spyware seems to multiply exponentially with new forms of malware limited only by the creative schemes of the evil geniuses that produce them. Spyware can easily take control of your machine, opening and closing your CD bay, serving objectionable browser ads, hijacking your homepage, logging your keystrokes to steal your passwords and more. So if you don¡¯t have protection against this menace, take action now. Lavasoft offers a very good program, Ad-Aware SE Personal.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it will provide the essentials to protect your PC and data. So don¡¯t delay- your computer needs you!

Reprinted with permission from ActiveAuthors.com