The new version of Trillian, codenamed "
Astra", looks nice, but can it live up to the hype as well as loyal Trillian users' expectations? I got my hands on some exclusive Astra alpha screenshots, so I'll highlight some of the new features depicted in the screenshots.
Trillian Astra definately sports a brand new look. The whole new look is pretty much eye candy, and surprisingly the interface wasn't laggy. Load times did improve, as well.
When you start it, you'll see that you can register for an account online. This is part of their new "IM Anywhere" campaign, which will tie your Trillian account to a web interface, enabling you to talk with your friends from any web browser.
Meebo, meet your contender.
The main contact list window is a lot more sleek. The connection icons have moved to the bottom, and your avatar is centerpiece around some quick shortcut buttons. The way you organize and view your contacts has improved, as well, you can choose to sort by name, connection type, status, and more, and there are a few different display modes incorporating your buddys' avatars. The only thing I didn't notice was an icon or something to tell me what network I was communicating on wth my buddies. (The screenshots show a Google Talk connection, new in Astra, and free. The old Jabber plugin required Trillian Pro.)
Most other things didn't really change much (to keep the interface the same as the 3.x series), but I like how they have completely redesigned and recoded some aspects of the program. A few protocols have been added/changed (Google Talk and MySpaceIM integration are a couple examples), I noticed there was room for a new thing called "buddy widgets" or something to that effect, and they are heavily emphasizing the "Astra Profile".
All 12 screenshots below. Click an image for the full-size version.
