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Communications

You'll find all the latest e-mail software and chat clients at CNET Download.com, as well as e-mail utilities and spam filters, VoIP software, Web phones, Webcam applications, and everything else you'll need to reach out and touch someone. See all 149 products in this category. See all 149 products in this category.

for the week of: January 04Visits
  1. 1.
    Yahoo Mail

    E-mail Software592

  2. 2.
    MSN Hotmail

    E-mail Software318

  3. 3.
    Meebo

    E-mail Software276

  4. 4.
    eBuddy

    E-mail Software190

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    Intel(r) TBB for Mac OS* v1.1
    C++ library simplifies parallel programming for multi-core
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  6. 5.
    Imo.im

    E-mail Software84

  7. 6.
    Talkster Free World Dialing

    E-mail Software72

  8. 7.
    Yahoo Messenger for the Web

    E-mail Software50

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    Memeo Share
    Share photos and videos directly to the desktop.
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  10. 8.
    Jaxtr

    E-mail Software35

  11. 9.
    AIM Express

    E-mail Software16

  12. 10.
    Gmail

    E-mail Software14

See all most popular software

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    Search the Web, block pop-ups, get to your mail.
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Release date
  1. Radus Nov 12

    Chat

  2. AIM Express Aug 21

    E-mail Software

  3. Boredat Jul 07

    E-mail Software

  4. Identi.ca Jul 07

    E-mail Software

  5. TweetLater Jul 07

    E-mail Software

  6. Escaloop Jul 07

    E-mail Software

  7. iNeZha Jul 07

    E-mail Software

  8. Snackr Jul 07

    E-mail Software

  9. GroupCard Jun 10

    E-mail Software

  10. MeGlobe Jun 10

    E-mail Software

See all new releases

  1. 1.
    MSN Hotmail

    Send and receive personalized e-mail messages from any computer in the world.

  2. 2.
    Yahoo Mail

    Check for messages you get via Yahoo! mail.

  3. 3.
    eBuddy

    Chat with your MSN, AOL, and Yahoo buddies without any program or Java applet.

  4. 4.
    Meebo

    Chat with your friends in popular IM networks via Web-based interface.

  5. 5.
    Gmail

    Check for messages you get via Gmail.

  6. 6.
    Jaxtr

    Call and hear your online friends from your landline or mobile phone.

  7. 7.
    Imo.im

    Send instant messages to AIM, Google Talk, MSN, and Yahoo Messenger users.

  8. 8.
    Phonezoo

    Personalize your phone with custom ringtones created from music you own.

  9. 9.
    Yahoo Messenger for the Web

    Communicate with your friends in online mode.

  10. 10.
    Talkster Free World Dialing

    Make free international and long distance calls from your regular phone.

See all editor's picks

from the download blog

Palm's WebOS app strategy needs more details

Posted by Tom Krazit on Jan 08, 2009
It's obviously very early in the public life of Palm's new WebOS and Pre smartphone, but developers want to know how the company will manage applications for the device.

an introduction to Communications

The Internet is all about communication. From e-mail software to chat clients to the latest in VoIP software, Download.com's Communications category has everything you need to reach out and touch someone.

Of course you use e-mail, but which e-mail program should you use? A number of e-mail programs are free, from the venerable Microsoft Outlook Express to our current favorite, Mozilla Thunderbird. Thunderbird supports IMAP and POP mail protocols and can handle all your RSS feeds. It features cutting-edge antiphishing and spam filters in addition to advanced security features such as S/MIME, digital signing, and message encryption.

You'll also want to download all the latest e-mail extensions, such as spam filters and programs that notify you when e-mail is sent to your online accounts.

If you're too impatient for e-mail, chat software allows real-time communication between any two PCs. Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, MSN Messenger (soon to be Windows Live Messenger), and AOL Instant Messenger are the major players in the chat market, with ICQ still a popular choice among hard-core chat fans.

If your friends use different clients and you don't want to install them all, Trillian lets you chat with everyone regardless of chat platform, including IRC-based chat rooms.

Of course, why bother typing e-mails when you can just talk to someone over your PC? Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, allows you to turn your PC into a Web phone to call other Internet-connected PCs and talk as long as you want at no charge. Programs such as Skype, GloPhone, and BuddyTalk are painless to install and easy to use, and all three allow you to place calls to regular phones by signing up for a calling plan. For more information, check out the Download.com guide to Net Phones.

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