Live Messenger users can now chat with Yahoo! Messenger users and vice versa. You can sign on to your IM accounts using Meebo, eBuddy and other web-based IM clients. Again, you can use Trillian, Gaim, Miranda etc to chat / IM with most of the IM users. These, are the new innovations for IM and chat clients.
I found this article on digg. The author listed out six new ideas in chat. Here are the summary of it:
1. Interoperability
As I mentioned above, the use of Trillian, Gaim, Miranda etc is the idea of interoperability. This type of approach allows users to communicate across different protocols. So, you can chat with your friends who are using AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, Live Messenger etc.
2. In-Browser Chat
Meebo and eBuddy are using this approach. With in-browser chat capability, users can sign on to their IM accounts wherever they go without installing any software especially if they’re using public computers.
3. Location Based Chat
For this point, I think the only benefit would be finding friends that are located at the same location as you are.
4. Flexible Identities
You can have a few identities while chatting with different types of users.
5. Contextual Chat
You can embed some chat widgets on your blog’s sidebar so that your visitors can chat with you when you’re online.
6. Rich Media Chat
For services like Skype, you can chat with your friends using webcam and microphones. Other than that, you can even make calls to local phone numbers and mobile phone numbers. Of course, some of the services needs money.
4 comments so far
Also with the new 3.0 Skype beta version for Windows, there are Extras included, one of which can speak your Skype chats and translate them to other languages as well. More information Click Here
November 29th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Thanks for the info!
Personally I am a big fan of the ebuddy in-browser chat. I use ebuddy in the office or when I am travelling.
One aspect I missed in your post is the mobile chat service. Recently I logged on top ebuddy by entering http://mob.ebuddy.com in to the browser of my cell phone. It workes! I heard that it is also possible to use ebuddy on your PDA, PSP or Nintendo.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:20 pm
James > Yes, you are correct! Another big idea would be mobile chatting! Now we can stay contact with our buddies with our mobile devices (mobile phones, PDA, etc).
December 4th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
I’ve been using eBuddy as well, both the web and mobile version, both work fantastic!
I’m really impressed with how eBuddy has taken IM to the next level. I can see others following soon… but eBuddy remains my first choice.
December 6th, 2006 at 6:29 pm
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