
Google Talk
Google Talk always had the bonus of automated and readily accessible chat history through GMail, but that’s a bit of a double-edged sword. If you have GMail open in your browser, or the desktop program, you’ll end up doubling or tripling up on messages, which can get redundant. The latest update to Google Talk even allows you to save your chat history right onto your memory card. Also, rather than requiring you to make address book entries, Google Talk links your existing friends to your address book, so all their info is accessible through the app. All in all, a good choice if you need to keep track of your conversations.

JiveTalk
Moving into the multi-service clients, JiveTalk is one of the long-standing leaders for good reason. It has a lot of layout options, is easy to navigate between services and a bunch of great emoticons. There’s one feature in particular that’s worth noting: JiveTalk has icons for each of your ongoing conversations along the top of the screen. This makes for quick changing between chats very easy. Give JiveTalk a go if your especially busy and use a bunch of different instant messaging systems.


