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Chat, Phone, and IM Clients and Utilities  

sunbather Warning: The dangers of Internet cyberstalking and hacking are very, very real and more dangerous than most people realize. Visit Cyberangels at www.cyberangels.org/ for more information, and if you're an Internet forum member, blogger, or chat maven, prepare to be shaken up. More information can be had at www.angelfire.com/ga/random/internetstalking.html, www.madcapps.com/writings/faqabout.htm, and other sites easily located by an Internet search on the phrase "internet stalking." Read about the strange and unnerving case of "Billiam" at www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zd4169/is_200207/ai_n9517939 for a truly eye-opening look at the lengths some Internet denizens will go to wreak havoc with their fellows.

America Online's AOL Instant Messenger 5.1, also known as AIM, lets you communicate with others over the Internet the same way that AOL users use Instant Messages (and other users use ICQ or MSN Messenger) to communicate with each other within AOL itself. It's free from www.aol.com/aim/home.html. The latest version offers a news ticker, buddy icons, and automatic log-on for those of us who get thrown off unexpectedly, as well as support for photo, image, sound, and animation transmissions, and even telephony support for live voice conversations. Microsoft is challenging both ICQ and AIM with its own MSN Messenger Service; Netscape is bundling AIM with its new versions of Communicator. Critics are charging that AOL is being a market bully by refusing to let other IM clients interact with its own IM utility; of all companies, Microsoft is the one who is cooperating well with other, lesser IM clients like PowWow and iCast. AOL IM is now being bundled with Netscape 6. Note: AIM is earning a reputation as being very easy for hackers to crack.

AIM Ad Remover 4.4 permanently removes the ads from AIM. Free from www.necrocosm.com/.

AIM Gradient 1.0 gives your text a cool gradient effect. Free from www.thirdgeek.com/tools/aimgradient.shtml.

AIM Translator 1.0 translates messages between the major European languages. Free from www.smartlinkcorp.com/index.html.

Bantu is an alternative to AOL/ICQ and Microsoft's chat software. Free from bantu.com, Bantu is a Java applet that works with almost any Web browser on any OS, and works with the Yahoo!, AOL/ICQ, and MSN networks.

BitWise Chat 0.1.7.6 is a direct connect messenger program designed with minimal server interaction. It offers a completely server-free mode, text macros, offline messaging, offline message forwarding to email, invisible mode, custom away messages and more. Good for chatting in a more private environment, and free from www.bitwisechat.com/.

Brutesoft 2000 1.11 is a freebie for ICQ users that backs up bookmarks, buddy lists, and user information. Works with both 99a and 2000b versions. Get it from www.brutesoft.homepage.com.

Cahoots 1.5 is the latest entrant in the live chat wars. Like ICQ and others, Cahoots lets users establish private chat networks, send and receive IMs, get lists of other users, etc. Cahoots also lets users talk via voice, get live assistance from Cahoots tech support, and other neato capabilities. Again, this is one of those programs that businesses are finding more and more useful. Free from www.cahoots.com/hpage.html.

Call Center 3.9.0 is a superb fax, telephone and voicemail program, but does not support ISDN or cable modems. Free from www.v3inc.com/freecc.htm.

ChatAbles 3.0 is an IM that is apparently focused towards pre-teen and teen users. Free from chatables.net/site/.

Colorize ICQ 3.0 is a freebie for ICQ users to modify and save different color schemes. Check it out at come.to/icqcolor.

DeadAIM 3.2.1 works with AIM to provide a number of neato features. Free from www.jdennis.net/.

dMSN is a Java-based Instant Messaging program for the MSN protocol. Much like MSN Messenger, only with more functions. Free from www.dmsn.nl/.

DropChute Pro, from www.hilgraeve.com/dropchute.html, allows you to send files to others over the Net, or just chat with them, much like ICQ. Try it for 60 days; pony up $99 to keep it. ICQ is free, by the way....

EasyDTMF v1.0 is a free utility that emulates the beeps and boops of a touch-tone phone's dialing facility. Okay, you can use this to play tones into a receiver and dial out without touching a pad, but how necessary is this, really? You decide. If it trips your trigger, dial up www.altreal.com/en/ and see for yourself.

EFax.com provides online fax forwarding to registered users for free. It reformats all incoming faxes and sends them along as e-mail attachments, and even converts from one file format to another as required. The downside is that, to support themselves, EFax puts big splashy ads on each forwarded fax. Get the lowdown from www.efax.com/. Currently there are two versions available: eFax Free, which is ad-supported, and eFax Plus, which is $5/month.

Extreme Messenger (for AIM) 1.6.1 is a program that provides lots of extra features for AOL Instant Messenger. It enhances the organization and appearance of your IM and chat room windows, adds color to your chat and IM conversations, provides automatic conversation logging and accessible options from the IM and chat window, and other features. $13 from www.extrememessenger.com/.

Eyeball Chat isn't just a chat client per se, but adds optimizing that cleans up and boosts video chat signals. It's DirectX based, and purports to work even with slow dial-up connections. Free from www.eyeball.com/.

eVoicemail is a Web-based alternative to Ma Bell's pricey voice mail offerings. It's reported to work well, and it's free. And the ads (you know it's ad-based) aren't even that intrusive. Find out more from www.evoice.com.

Eyeball Chat LE 1.21 is a videoconferencing chat client that requires a Webcam. It has a few minor glitches, but is still worthy of note. Free from www.eyeball.com/.

ezWebcar 2.0 gives you and your Net buddies a place to chat and share files while browsing. Free from www.ezwebcar.com/.

Fass 0.8 lets you write messages for posting in forums. The kicker here is that you write them in Fass first, which replicates the forum environment and even lets you automate some replies. No more glitches before posting. Free from www.pawsoft.com/.

FaxSav Internet Suite of Services is a free software package that lets you send and receive faxes from your PC for 15 cents a page within the US. Their Web site is at www.bemar.net/faxsav/faxsav.e/
faxsavinternet/html/welcome.html.

FaxWizard 2000 5.0 is a $50 goodie that gives you a powerful fax capability from your PC. The home site, www.multisource.com/, doesn't give you access to a free trial demo, but trial versions are available on most shareware sites.

Gaim 0.6.1 is a free, open-source chat client that works with AIM, MSN, and Yahoo clients. Check it out at gaim.sourceforge.net/.

Genius IRC Services 0.6 is a package of IRC client utilities useful for both administrators and users. Free from www.necrocosm.com/.

GPhone 1.50e lets you phone folks over the Internet for free; also allows for text chatting, file transfers, and more. Free from www.gtony.com/gphone.htm.

Habbo Hotel is a virtual hotel for chatters who want to play with the form a bit. Free to use at www.habbohotel.com/.

Hey Anita, available at www.heyanita.com/, is a free, ad-supported voice portal service that lets you get information and invoke operations entirely through spoken commands. You dial 800-44-ANITA from any telephone -- not just Web-enabled phones -- and a speech recognition engine directs your commands to hear stock quotes, weather forecasts, traffic reports, spots scores, news headlines, soap opera updates, movie reviews, and show times. It'll also have a personal information management suite that includes addresses, to-do list, calendar, and Web-mail.

HydraIRC 0.348 is an IRC (Internet relay chat) program like ICQ, Bersirc, Klient, Trillian, and Xircon. The program's site explains how Hydra differs from the aforementioned clients and the features it includes. Hydra supposedly functions better and allows you to connect to as many servers as your computer and Internet connection can handle. Free from hydrairc.sourceforge.net/.

iConnectHere.com PC-to-Phone allows you to make free PC-to-PC calls, and gives you an hour of free PC-to-phone calls within the United States. After the hour of free calls is exhausted, you pre-purchase your long distance, much like using a calling card, at (currently) 1.9 cents/minute. Free from www.iconnecthere.com/.

ICQ Pro 2003a is an amazing little cross-platform chat program from www.icq.com/ that is being used by more and more businesses for free e-conferencing as well as by legions of chat fans. Many chatters use ICQ as a supplement to their main chat clients, but ICQ has recently opened topical chat rooms of its own. It even enables file transfers and shared Web surfing, and will launch most telephony programs such as AOL's Instant Messaging and Netscape's NetMeeting and CoolTalk even if one or more users are behind firewalls. Drawbacks include occasionally overloaded servers, a frustrating vulnerability to hackers, and a constant round of bogus virus reports that regularly send panic through the ICQ community like the Wave at the Superdome. Being recently bought by AOL doesn't seem to have crushed the ICQ community as yet, although some veteran ICQers are disturbed by AOL's attempts to turn ICQ into a desktop portal, while others don't like the wads of new goodies. Hint: use ICQ in Advanced mode. It's no harder than Simple mode, you just get access to more features (unless you don't like the new features). Gripes or not, still one of the absolute best freeware programs out there. For the security-conscious ICQ users, check out www.icq.com/features/security/security-tutorial.html for info about spam-blocking, avoiding viruses and Trojan horses, and keeping your personal info off the wires. ICQ now offers links to Net2Phone, which gives low-cost PC-to-phone access; ideal for calling your uncle in Swaziland without having to leave the computer. ICQ provides versions for Windows, Mac, PowerPC, Java, and Palm operating systems, and now offers a no-frills Lite version.

ICQ Backup 2.10 backs up your ICQ data in case of a system or drive crash. Free from www.jvde.demon.nl/JVDE_Software/.

ICQ Color Picker 0.90 lets ICQ users add hundreds of available colors to their message color settings, as well as gives them access to preset schemes and full formatting customization. Free from http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/pcsft/index.html.

ICUII 5.6 is a full-featured video conferencing utility, allowing you to exchange audio, video, and/or text with other users. $40 from www.icuii.com/.

iKena 1.1 is an IM client that plugs in to your browser, and lets you chat with other iKena users. Free from www.ikena.com/.

IMSpeak! 3.8 adds speech and personality to incoming messages from your favorite Instant Message program. $24 from www.eastbaytech.com/im.htm.

Imici Messenger 2.1 is an instant messenging client compatible with AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo. Free from www.imici.com/.

IMPChat 1.00 is a free instant messaging client, similar to ICQ and AOL's AIM, that bills itself as more flexible, more secure, more business-friendly, and easier to use than the competition. See for yourself from www.impchat.com/.

Instant Messenger SpellCheck 1.31 works with MSN, Odigo, ICQ, and Yahoo to spellcheck your entries. The program is in the process of undergoing a major revamp; the new version will include AIM and Trillian, among other enhancements. $15 from www.interactivegt.com/.

instan-t 1.0.287 is a chat client that allows interaction with both ICQ and instan-t users. Free from www.instan-t.com/.

Internet Answering Machine 1.01 is a free alternative to a second phone line. This little goodie warns you when a call is coming through on the line you're using to surf the Web. Callers get a brief message, while you get an immediate alert that someone is calling. Find it at www.callwave.com/. One problem with this guy is that it stays on your desktop and flashes ads when not in use. You might prefer Call Catcher from www.pagoo.com/, but it costs $30 for 6 months of use and $48 for a year; a new utility, BuzMe, at www.buzme.com/ may be cheaper. You also may get migraines trying to work with your phone company on setting up call forwarding with any of these utilities.

Internet Intercom is a $35 utility from Objective Voice www.objectivevoice.com/iicom.html that allows users to talk back and forth over their PCs with only an Internet connection and a microphone. Both users need to have Internet Intercom, of course.

Internet Phone Release 5 supports both PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone transmissions, and offers a global directory called Community Browser that helps users locate and contact one another by name or special interests. $50 from www.vocaltec.com/.

IRCFerret hunts down chatters' IRC addresses from the Net. No longer supported by FerretSoft, but still available on many shareware sites.

IRCXpro Messenger 1.0 is an IRC/IRCX client that looks exactly like an Instant Messenger. It supports all common IRC client functionality from full color support to DCC Send/Resume and DCC Chat. In addition, it offers its own Contacts List where you can add your buddies and see when they are online/offline. Free from www.ircxpro.com/.

Jabber Instant Messenger 1.10.0.6 combines chat abilities with ICQ, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger users, along with other JIM users. Interoperability doesn't come easy, but it does work. Free from www.jabber.com/index.shtml.

JConnect is an online fax service (formerly called JFax) that automatically sends faxes to your e-mail box for free. Check it out at www.j2.com/.

LingoWare 1.0 is a language plugin for ICQ2000 that translates GUI information into 11+ different languages. Free from www.lingoware.com/.

Logitech IM Video Companion 1.01.1184 is an add-on for AIM and MSN clients that allows users to send live video feed from their webcam with to their contacts. No one else needs to install special software to view the live video. The program is optimized for Logitech cameras but will work with any compatible capture device. Free from companion.logitech.com/companion/index.html.

MaxxChat 1.1.4e is a powerful, flexible chat client that not only lets you chat with IRC, AIM, ICQ, and othes, it gives you access to lots of Web-based info, including news, stock tickers, Net radio/TV, etc., along with video-conferencing capability and more. Free from www.maxxchat.com/.

MECA Messenger 4.0 lets you access the most popular services in one skinnable interface. This IM client lets you communicate with your friends and colleagues who are on AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ, and MECA's own network. Free from www.meca.com/.

MediaRing Talk lets you call from your PC to any regular phone worldwide, for less than phone-company international and long-distance rates. Free from www.mediaring.com/.

Messenger Plus 2 is a MSN Messenger add-on that gives lots of nice additions. Free from www.msgplus.net/.

Microsoft NetMeeting 3.01 is a utility that comes free with Win 98 and 2K, and includes a full range of Internet communication tools: PC-to-PC voice and videoconferencing, app sharing, and chat. Win 95 users can download it free from www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting, and other users can go to that site for support. Get plenty of info about NetMeeting from www.netmeet.net.

Microsoft/MSN Messenger Service 4.6, a freebie from messenger.msn.com/, is a direct challenger of both AOL's Instant Messenger service and ICQ. Originally MSN wanted to buck its own history and make its utility compatible with AIM -- maybe the first step towards a unified instant messenger protocol -- but when AOL reacted badly to Microsoft's attempts to hack into AOL's system, Microsoft reconsidered. (Can't Microsoft do anything aboveboard?) Earlier versions of MSN Messenger didn't have all the functions of AIM or ICQ, and required that users have an active Hotmail account; the current version requires a Passport account, which works through Hotmail. It also sports several file-sharing and voice chat upgrades that put it within striking distance of the ICQ/AOL standards. Veteran Messenger users need to download the newest version right now, to avoid being nailed by a big security hole that lets anyone with access to your computer discover your Hotmail password while you're feeding the dog. On the other hand, MSN Messenger provides free PC-to-PC phone access, if you don't mind onscreen ads while you're talking. To use Messenger, you have to sign up for a free MSN Passport account. Note: if you have MSN Messenger, Outlook, or other Microsoft programs on your machine, you may be inundated with reminders to sign up for unwanted products and programs. Win 9x/ME users can find out more about how to free yourself from this nagging at messenger.microsoft.com/support/helphome.asp, while XP users should visit support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?ID=FH;rid;WinMsgr. As with most Microsoft products, you need to keep up with the security patches; for Messenger, you can surf to www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?
url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-022.asp.

mIRC 6.03 is the latest version of the venerable Internet Relay Chat client. Scarf it up for free (the fancy version costs $20) from www.mirc.co.uk/, and find out how to use it at www.irchelp.org/.

MPNews 1.0 allows you to create your own newsgroup. Good way to set up a private forum without the hassles of the great Internet unwashed showing up at your door with their usual baggage of insults and porn links. Free from www.mutantpenguin.co.uk/utils/mpnews.html

MSN Chat Kicker 4.0 allows hosts or owners of MSN chat rooms to boot misbehaving chatters out of their room. Faster and more efficient that MSN's built-in boot utility, and free from www.computerkb.co.uk/kicker/.

MSN Messenger Plus Extension 1.02 adds some useful goodies to MSN Messenger. Free from www.patchou.com/msgplus/.

Net2Gether provides a new Web experience -- "buddy surfing." If both you and your Web pal have N2G installed, you can contact that buddy and invite him or her to "beam in" to the site you're surfing. Then you have public and private communication channels open as you surf together. The program's currently in beta for MSIE only, but a Netscape-savvy version is in the works as well. Free for private users from www.net2gether.com/.

No Ads blocks or changes the ads in Yahoo Messenger. You can even set the ad windows to show your own JPEG images. Free from www.freddys-utilities.co.uk/noads.php.

NTSend 1.3.3 is a LAN popup message interface that automatically discovers and lists all users, machines, groups and domains on the network and lets you select them as recipients for your message. In addition, you can save your lists of recipients for later use and broadcast a message to all the members of an existing network group. Works with XP/2K/NT 4 only. Free from www.ntsend.freeserve.co.uk/.

Odigo 3.1 is another instant messaging client competing for your attention with (and compatible with) ICQ, MSN, AIM, and Yahoo! Messenger. Aside from normal chat facilities, Odigo works with your browsing by telling you if any other Odigo users are currently visiting the same site you are and offering to link you up. You can choose a graphic to represent yourself while chatting; whether you use a picture of yourself or of Godzilla is your choice. Enhanced HTML and streaming media capabilities are featured in the new version. Free from www.odigo.com/. Note: Prodigy users who access Prodigy Instant Messaging are using a version of Odigo that won't connect to other IM clients.

The Palace isn't a utility, it's an avatar-driven chat community of over a million subscribers. Some very high-tech chatting is going on here. Horn in on the discussion at www.thepalace.com/.

Phone Plus 3.3 is a utility that allows you to perform phone tasks from your PC. $15 from www.aros.net/~impulse/.

PhoneFerret gives you white pages access from your desktop. No longer supported by FerretSoft, but still available on many shareware sites.

PhonePlus 4.4 dials your phone calls, keeps phone logs, and more. $25 from www.imptec.com/phoneplus.htm.

Chat fiends who love AOL's Instant Messenger have probably noticed that the screen can get cluttered fast with windows from different chat buddies. Use PowerAIM to organize and de-clutter your screen. This $15 program integrates with IM and keeps your Buddy List, along with a tabbed display of all your IM's, in a single window. Check it out at www.bpssoft.com/PowerAIM/index.html.

PowWow is a free instant-messaging client along the lines of ICQ or AOL's IM, but unlike the others, it can intermingle other chat clients along with its own proprietory software. ICQ, AOL, MSN Messenger, and PowWow users can all talk comfortably without worrying about plugins and jealous providers, as well as set up chat groups. The PowWow chat window is also a mini-browser, with a search tool and tabs that deliver Web-based info. The program was discontinued, but has resurfaced at jazy.net/powwow.

Red 5 Chat 1.3 is a $13 chat client that promises functionality over frills. Check out more at www.red5chat.com/.

Repliance is a Web site that lets friends make, and stay in, contact with each other by simply visiting www.repliance.com/ and going to the proper page. Good for quickly contacting everyone in your group without sending yea dozen e-mails or burning up phone lines. The next trick is getting everyone you know to start visiting Repliance.

Roger Wilco Mark I.d rev 3 is a voice-based chat system that works with other Wilco users or ICQ folks. Lots of features, and free to boot, from rogerwilco.gamespy.com/.

Socket is a Web goodie that bills itself as a "collaborative computing tool." Think Web community; this one allows you to chat, have audio conferences, and IM other members, all while playing a multiplayer game if you like. Free access and download from www.getsocket.com/.

Speak Freely 7.2 is a no-frills PC-to-PC utility that provides excellent voice quality for its connections, and even provides the source code. Free from www.speakfreely.org/.

Spell Catcher Plus 2.0 is a useful little spellchecking utility that works for most IM clients. $30 from www.spellcatcher.com/win/default.html.

SponkUA 2.0 is a little free program that tells you, in your own recorded voice or the default voice file, what time it is. Simple and light on system resources. Try it from home.knuut.de/sponk/eng/apps.htm.

Sprint Instant Message is an IM client that works with ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Bantu chatters. Free from www.sprintbiz.com/icc/index.html.

Talk City is a moderated network of chat sites that "farms" itself out to other sites, providing chat protocols to Amazon.com, MSN.com, NBC.com, and so on. Businesses can hire Talk City to run online focus groups and conduct research. Find out more at www.talkcity.com/.

Tijit 1.1 Beta is a chat/file transfer client that lets you, along with the other Tijit users, send and receive files and programs through the Tijit network. Free from www.onsystems.com/.

Trillian 0.74 is a chat client that connects to ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and IRC along with its own network of chatters. Skinnable, and free (they ask for donations, but unobtrusively) from www.trillian.cc/. The new Pro version, for those heavily into IM'ing, costs $25.

Ulinkit 1.0 Beta is a freebie that lets you interact with other users of this utility to see what they think are the best sites for various subjects. You can create your own topics and post your own opinions into the mix. Get it at www.ulinkit.com/.

VoiceContact is a free utility allowing you to talk to others over the Internet using your own sound card, mic, and speakers. Your targets will need to download small browser plug-ins from the site (www.hearme.com/), and have recent versions of Netscape or MSIE, but other than that, it's easy to use. Simpler and less full-featured than MS NetMeeting, but easier to use, and leaves a smaller footprint on your PC.

WebICQ is an online utility that lets you send ICQ messages from this site, using your own UIN. No charge for usage; check it out at www.webicq.com/.

WillowPhone 1.00.027 is a neat phone-emulation program, letting you use your PC as a telephone. Requires a voice-capable modem. Free from www.willowpond.com/willowpond/willowphone.shtml (note: WillowPond no longer supports this utility).

WinFax Pro 10.0 is a venerable fax utility that sends high-quality batches of faxes, and gives you plenty of ways to log and categorize them. Not cheap at $120, but you can try a free trial version from www.symantec.com/winfax/index.html.

WinSqueeze 2.0 is a network-aware version of the popular utility, which gives users a "sticky note" capability, sychronizes their PC clocks with an Internet-based atomic clock, and sends e-mail notifications. The new version lets WinSqueeze users send each other notes over the Net. $32 to keep from www.winsqueeze.com/us/.

WinToday 2.0 is a $15 goodie that lets you know whose birthday is today, what important events, etc. happened on a particular day, etc. Add your own date info, and visit the Web site for updates, additions, and themes (history, motorcycle racing, Led Zeppelin, etc.) to the basic program: gregorysoft.com/wintoday/.

Worlds 3D Chat 1875 gives you a wide, wide range of 3D and avatar-based chat options. For those who just don't find text chat thrilling enough. Free from www.worlds.com/.

Yahoo! Messenger 5.6 is another entrant in the IM sweepstakes; the latest version is much more fully featured than the rather disappointing early versions, with the new version adding emoticons and "Super Webcam" access. You can download a free copy from messenger.yahoo.com/.

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