(Credit:
CNET Networks)
If you insist on chatting with Facebook and Gmail buddies outside a browser window, then it's worth taking Gabtastik for a spin, though as far as instant messaging applications go, the most interesting thing about Gabtastik is the technology.
As a Site Specific Browser (SSB) app based on Mozilla's Prism project, Gabtastik, which released a Windows beta this week, tethers the Web chat ecosystem to a desktop application. From this standpoint, Gabtastik is a success. The Facebook chat and Google Talk GUIs are spot-on. The essential problem is that the chatting isn't very interesting, and the program doesn't do much beyond keeping each site's proprietary chat actions and experience intact as is its nature as an specific, no-frills mini browser app. But good luck multichatting with contacts from both Facebook and Google--you'll have to switch between the two interfaces each time, an either/or prospectus that doesn't lend itself well to an unobstructed workflow and is worsened by the weak message notification system.
If Gabtastik can manage to create a unified interface with tabbed chatting, intuitive notification, and program preferences, and then integrate that with Meebo, Yahoo Messenger online, and Trillian Astra--whenever that comes out--it'll at least have a shot at gaining traction as a niche multinetwork Web chat client.
Gastastik for Mac has also been reviewed.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
The other day we told you how to get Facebook chat in your browser's sidebar, but what about if you want to run it as a standalone desktop application? If you're a Mac user you're in luck with Gabtastik from Mesa Dynamics. It lets you run Facebook chat, and several popular Web chat services on your desktop without having to open your browser.
Besides Facebook, it supports the Google Talk, and Meebo, which means you can jack into all of the major chat networks such as Yahoo, MSN, and AIM. You can also tweak the opacity to blend into the background when you're not using it--a great feature for people with small desktop real estate who like to keep several windows open.
I gave it a brief spin earlier, and it essentially opens up a mini browser to get your credentials then resizes. You also can only use one iteration of each service at a time, which might quell the usefulness for folks who want to run two or more of the services at the same time.
Chat with your Facebook friends on your desktop without opening up a browser using Gabtastik.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
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