Adium X is a free instant messaging application for Mac OS X that allows user to connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber (including Google Talk), Yahoo Messenger, Bonjour (compatible with iChat), Gadu-Gadu, Novell Groupwise and Lotus Sametime. If you think that's a lot of chattime, this freeware is also available in Brazilian, Portuguese, Canadian English, Australian English, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Spanish and Swedish! No wonder Adium X was voted on of the top ten freeware for the Mac OS!

Anyways, the good people behind Adium X has updated it to v.1.0b3 and its changelog includes:

• Fixed a crash when closing message windows
• Fixed connecting to AIM on non-default port settings
• Fixed MSN HTTP connect method
• Fixed a rare crash involving invalid idle times
• Fixed a crash when connecting with a SOCKS4 proxy over AIM
• Fixed a crash when connecting to gadu-gadu
• Fixed the Run Applescript action (#4456)
• Fixed a crash in the log viewer on OS X 10.3

However, this is still a beta and things may not always work properly. But if you still want to go give it a try you can download it right here at QJ. Adium X requires Mac OS X 10.2.7 ("Jaguar") or later; Mac OS X 10.4 ("Tiger") or Mac OS X 10.3.9 ("Panther") is recommended. Adium X 0.88 and later are Universal applications which run natively on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macintosh computers.

Download [Adium X v1.0b3]

We have been covering the Adium X for quite some time now. It has been mentioned as one of the top 10 free Mac Apps around and it has became a factor on why some people choose to switch to Mac. Anyways, the people behind Adium has released a new beta version -- the Adium X 1.0b1, which is all for the improvement of communication and instant messaging.

In case you are in the dark about Adium, it is a multi-chat account client with tons of customizable options, which is such a joy if you IM a lot. This one can connect to MSN Messenger, AIM, Jabber, Yahoo and the likes. With that said, if you have this app installed in your Mac, you won't have to travel from one window to another since this baby gets you covered.

Before you download this one the Adium guys just want to remind you that "backing up a copy of the folder ~/Library/Application Support/Adium 2.0/ before using betas or alphas is probably a good idea." Here are some things that are new in this version:

* Major AIM, ICQ and .Mac improvements. This includes working File Transfer, and faster sign on.
* Improvements to the default look and feel of Adium.
* iTunes integration is much faster, and updates as soon as the song changes.
* Added global user profile and buddy icon settings. (Personal Preferences)
* General Account improvements. Accounts can now be disabled when not in in use, and friends can now sign on from your Adium without saving their information.
* Added an Xtras manager to better handle browsing and removing Xtras.
* Major improvements in privacy settings.
* Redesigned Previous Chat (Log) Viewer
* Requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later (Universal Binary)

Since this is still a beta version, there are still some issues in v1.0b1. The bugs list includes some problems receiving some ICQ messages and an irregular crash on mac OS X 10.3.9 in the log viewer. This latest version also has a large download size, but it's all for the good - size is due to the inclusion of debugging info.

Download: [Adium X 1.0b1]

The world's most advanced operating system, according to its developer Apple, has been updated to Mac OS X Update 10.4.7 Intel. The updated version of the Tiger roars with 200+ new features all designed to make finding and accessing anything inside the Mac easier than ever. Whether it's Intel or PowerPC-based "youÂ?ll enjoy 21st century innovations before anyone else."

The updated Tiger is said to sport a breakthrough search technology, stunning graphics and media, unparalleled connectivity, an intuitive user interface and a virtual toolbox chock full of cleverly integrated features, and a rock-solid UNIX foundation. The result is the "most innovative, stable and compatible desktop operating system on the planet. Period." Which is possible if you're from Earth. If you're reading this from another planet, feel free to disagree.

Anyways, the best OS on this planet includes the Spotlight (Stop looking. Start finding.) where you can find anything from emails, contacts, images, and others on your computer as quickly as you type. Also in is a new Dashboard that checks the time, watches the weather, tracks flights, views stock prices and finds a local restaurant in an instant with a single click. The Safari RSS, which delivers all the latest news, information and articles from thousands of websites in one simple-to-read, searchable article has been squeezed in the update as well.

The 10.4.7 Update is recommended for all users and includes various fixes for:

• Preventing AFP deadlocks and dropped connections
• Saving Adobe and Quark documents to AFP mounted volumes
• Bluetooth file transfers, pairing and connecting to a Bluetooth mouse, and syncing to mobile phones
• Audio playback in QuickTime, iTunes, Final Cut Pro, and Soundtrack Pro applications
• Ensuring icons are spaced correctly when viewed on desktop
• Determining the space required to burn folders
• iChat audio and video connectivity, creating chat rooms when using AIM
• Importing files into Keynote 3
• PDF workflows when using iCal and iPhoto
• Reliable use of Automator actions within workflows
• Importing and removing fonts in Font Book
• Syncing addresses, bookmarks, calendar events and files to .Mac
• Compatibility with third party applications and devices
• Previous standalone security updates

You can get the Mac OS X Update v10.4.7 on Intel for $129 at The Apple Store.

We've written a few days ago that previous reports hinted at Mac OS X 10.4.7 Tiger update. Now Apple Insider delivers news saying that the Mac OS X Tiger operating system will be getting that (minor) facelift we've all been hearing about in a matter of days.

The update will result to audio enhancements for several of the company's applications. Fixes for audio playback in iTunes, Soundtrack, Final Cut Pro and QuickTime will included. You should also expect improvement in mobile phone syncing, Bluetooth file transfers and mouse pairings, according to people who claim to have tested these pre-release builds of the  Mac OS X 10.4.7 update.

Apple is said to have implemented fixes into this update for saving Quark and Adobe documents to AFP mounted volumes, syncing files and date to .Mac, using iChat to create chatrooms over AIM protocol. Other enhancements will be targeting PDF workflows in apps like iPhoto and iCal, ensuring correctly-spaced icons on the desktop, importing files into Keynote 3, and removing and importing fonts in Apple's Font Book application.

The Delta update form for the Mac OS X 10.4.7 build 8J2133 (Intel) and for the Mac OS X 10.4.7 build 8J133 (Power PC) requiring at least a Mac OS X 10.4.6 will weigh in at 130MB and 64MB. According to sources, Apple has already completed the documentation for the Mac OS X 10.4.7 so we should expect it to be released in a few days.

Meetro has been out for more than a year (it was launched in June 1, 2005). Meetro is an instant messaging service that works as a standalone client and also integrates with other IM services. With Meetro, you need to only run one messenger to chat with your friends from your AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger, and YM friends list. It automatically determines where you are located and also shows you other Meetro users near you - a fun way to know if any of your friends are within your vicinity.

Now, Mac users can see what Windows users have been enjoying for the past months. Create personalized groups and custom profile pages and photos with this location-based service.

Registration is simple and the download only takes up around 3MB of space. Visit the Meetro site to sign-up and see what you think of their service.