Trillian 5 Review

excellent
key review info
application features
  • Multi protocol support
  • (5 more, see all...)

Developing a reliable, intuitive, and powerful instant messaging utility really boils down to coming up with a strong-featured pack of tools that meet the requirements of rookies and professionals alike.

Trillian started to be liked by so many people mainly because it combines ease of use with a rich set of functions for delivering the best results when it comes to online communication.

Its popularity among other notable IM apps (e.g. Miranda IM, Pidgin, Paltalk) is based upon its ability to bring all the major IM services and social networks running from a single interface and on different platforms.

The instant messaging programs and online social networks supported are: Google Talk, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Foursquare. Plus, it runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS, and web as well.

The version put to the test, Trillian 5.4, is a freeware but it’s ad-supported, so this may ruin the fun for some heavy chat users who prefer a clean layout without annoying popup advertisements.

The developers from Cerulean Studios clearly outline on their official website that the new build for Windows is not focused on embedding a new set of features and configurations, but it actually puts an emphasis upon stability and performance.

Hence, Trillian 5.4 for Windows brings several bug fixes and feature improvements for enhancing the Facebook chat and Twitter functionality, as well as guaranteeing a proper connection to an in-house server (self-signed TLS certificates are supported). Plus, the new build fixes mail-specific bugs and other issues related to message windows.

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Trillian can connect to your IMAP and POP3 email account and notify you when you receive a new email. It also provides complete synchronization between your desktops and phones, making it easier for you to follow your conversations wherever you are.

It offers support for a comprehensive license agreement which highlights the company’s efforts to make the data collection process as transparent to its customers as possible. This means that you are informed about how the company uses and protects your information.

Speaking of encryption capabilities, the Trillian network, AIM, Google Talk, Facebook Chat, Skype, and most XMPP connections use the TLS cryptographic protocol by default in order to provide communication security over the Internet. Plus, for offering an extra layer of security, it is mandatory to pick a password for your Trillian account that has more than eight characters.

Installation and Trillian registration

The installation process is carried out very quickly and the tweaking parameters included in this step allow you to add Trillian to the Start Menu, create a shortcut on desktop, and run the tool at Windows startup.

When run for the first time, the program asks you to register a new Trillian account or sing in using an existing one. Creating a brand new account is nothing but a child’s play, as the entire process is accomplished via the utility’s interface, so you don’t need to open your web browser for completing the task.

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It is important to mention that you may also edit proxy settings and select the preferred Internet protocol, namely SOCKS4, SOCKS5, HTTP, or you can simply follow Internet Explorer’s proxy settings.

Trillian lets you set up the authentication parameters for the desired instant messaging apps (e.g. Google Talk, ICQ) and social networks. The configuration process is not mandatory, as you may use your Trillian account for talking to your friends.

Intuitive interface

If you are a heavy chatter and already using an IM utility, the user interface should come as no surprise for you. Even if you are a rookie in the field of online communication, the clean feature lineup and easy-to-handle configuration settings enable you to gain control of the tool in no time.

The reason why so many users stick to Trillian and show brand loyalty is pretty understandable, as everything is kept as simple and clean as possible. Just by having a look at the “Preferences” panel, you are struck by its straightforward functionality that empowers you to choose the desired action.

A plethora of settings

The program comprises several features, which can be found in other similar IMs, for helping you customize your profile. You may set a displaying name, share a custom status with your friends or select a predefined one (e.g. Away, Invisible, Offline), pick an icon from various preset images or upload one from your computer (e.g. JPG, PNG, ICO), as well as sign out and switch to another Trillian account.

You can group contacts into different categories, appear offline and block the selected user, mark contacts as favorites, insert information about each contact that is stored on your computer but remains concealed to other users, as well set up notifications for showing popup alerts or messages, or playing a custom sound (WAV) when the selected user comes online, goes offline, or comes back from “Idle” or “Away.”

The chat window provides quick access to several useful functions developed to help you animate your communication with the aid of a wide range of emoticons, set the panel transparency, drag and drop photos into the chat pane, use zooming options for analyzing images, and select your privacy mode (online or offline).

What’s more, you can use your webcam for capturing snapshots, take screenshots by selecting the desired area of the screen, copy the written text to the clipboard, perform search operations for quickly identifying a contact in your list, as well as invite people to join conference rooms and turn on your webcam for creating video chats.

Trillian lets you activate the accounts you want to use, edit your current Trillian account, view information about the device from where Trillian runs (device type, IP address, name, and uptime), as well as set the current user “Away” based on mouse and keyboard usage, when the screensaver is turned on, or when a new instant message is sent. Plus, in your status you may also reveal the song you are currently listening to.

There are also several parameters for automatically triggering actions when you are away, such as mute all sounds, hide or show notification windows, group all messages received into a special “Away Container” panel, and respond to new messages with your “Away” status.

Chat activities

The Contact List layout can be tweaked in terms of simple, tile, or list viewing mode for contacts, news feeds, and emails, and you can also sort contacts by status, service, alphabetical order, or other criteria, group online or offline contacts, and display the number of online contacts in each group.

The tool features a bunch of other parameters that allow you to work with multi-tabbed windows, automatically hide a new panel and receive a blinking icon as a notification, as well enable the In-Game chat mode and create a list with applications that you want to block.

The In-Game feature proves to be particularly useful for passionate gamers who are able to use Trillian’s chat features during a video game session. When the chat window is not overlaid, you can notice a small toggle-able panel that informs you about the number of unread messages.

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Additionally, you can let other users see when you are typing, shake the window when someone buzzes, flash the chat window for a user-defined number of times when a new message arrives, show image preview for certain web links, keep the chat panel always on top of other windows, and automatically close a chat window if it’s been idle for a certain time.

Text messages can be customized in terms of font, font style, size, color, and background color, and you may insert timestamps and check your spelling, while the automatic correction mode remains optional. Needless to point out that the hotkey support makes the editing process even faster, so you can send a message, create or clear lines, and show the emoticon list with the aid of custom keyboard shortcuts.

A great feature bundled in this IM is a smart system that keeps all old messages in your chat windows even after you close them, so when you open a chat panel you can view your previous conversation.

Worth mentioning is the Chat History option, which allows you to record contacts, conferences, connections, text conversations, icon changes, and images. You can specify the saving directory and make the tool reveal a certain number of lines of conversation history in the chat windows, as well as synchronize images and chats in real time between devices.

The Chat History panel is definitely better organized and equipped with handy features than other chat panels found in similar instant messaging programs. For example, you can use the built-in calendar for checking the conversations for the current day, carry out search operations, view a summary, and sort data by conversations, files, or images.

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You can trigger several functions for scanning the transferred files with your preferred antivirus, resume file transfers, archive multiple files into ZIP items, and embed a new entry (“Send file”) in the context menu.

When it comes to video and audio settings, you are allowed to choose the camera, microphone, as well as set the broadcasting quality by using as much available bandwidth as possible. The audio and video stream manipulation feature really distinguishes this tool from its competitors, because it lets you record, pause, rewind, and fast forward live video and audio sessions. Plus, you may stream a song or video to other users in real time during video sessions.

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Trillian offers support for various default themes for helping you change its looks, different message styles (simple or bubbles), and preset sound notifications. Of course, there are also many skins developed for Trillian that can be downloaded from official websites.

The Good

Trillian’s main advantages that make it a powerful program are: interoperability, mail and social networking integration, and device synchronization. These features make it a strong build, but what sets this app apart from its competitors is the clean interface that allows you to add multiple chat and social networking clients without cluttering the layout.

Plus, you may group multiple contact entries for the same person into a single metacontact that definitely simplifies the structure of the contact list and gets rid of duplicate entries. The Chat History panel stands out by providing sorting options and an overall better manipulation of chat conversations.

The Bad

The advertisements don’t make a good impression and are a bit disappointing for many users who are pretty much confused about the company’s choices to introduce ads in the new build.

In order to get rid of the ads, you need to switch to the Pro version of the app, which can become yours for one year if you are willing to pay $20.00/€14.47 or use the product for lifetime for $60.00/€43.41.

Only the Pro version of the tool enables you to extend its functionally by installing additional plugins that may include weather and stock monitoring options, RSS feedreader, and games. However, you are still able to download earlier versions of Trillian, such as the 4.2 build which retains an ad-free experience. The Truth

Overall, Trillian has gained its reputation of one of the leading instant messaging solutions on the market, based on a rich and powerful feature package that is appealing to both home and work users. The wide variety of configuration settings enables power users to customize each function in detail, while rookies may stick to basic features.

user interface 5
features 5
ease of use 4
pricing / value 4


final rating 5
Editor's review
excellent
 
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Emoticons are included in the conversation window
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