Skype is great for making free or cheaper calls from your computer. But what if you're out and about and want to speak to your Skype contacts on the move? Then you need iSkoot.

iSkoot is a free program that puts Skype on your Pocket PC. As a result, you can make calls to people, chat via IM and even receive Skype calls to your mobile. You can also use iSkoot to make cheaper international calls using the SkypeOut service.

Setting up iSkoot is a painless procedure. You just need to select your model, download the installer and enter your Skype ID and password once the client is installed (you can create a new account if you need to). Your Skype contacts are automatically displayed and you can start calling right away by clicking on the name. Anyone familiar with Skype will be able to pick it up straight away, but there is a handy online help section if you need some assistance.

Call quality in iSkoot is generally excellent, and data connection speeds aren't really an issue, due to the way the system works. iSkoot basically connects you to a server which is in turn connected to the voice network via a regular mobile call. The only problem with this method is that it means you may get hit with long distance call charges, since you don't know what the number will be until the iSkoot server makes the call. The upshot of this is that if you're using your phone abroad you could end up racking up a large bill calling home as you will get hit with roaming charges. For making Skype calls in your own country though, the service is great as you bypass the need to pay call charges.

Provided you're only using it close to home, iSkoot offers a great way to chat cheaply on your mobile.

Download iSkoot 1.1 in Softonic

With society pushing us to be online and available in our every waking moment, it is hardly surprising that there are a plethora of instant messaging programs available for PDAs and mobile phones. IM+ offers connection to a wide range of networks without becoming too bloated or over-complex. The first thing we noticed after installing IM+ was the simplicity of its user interface. As soon as the program opens, you can get to work configuring your accounts. IM+ lets you access the popular MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, AOL (AIM), Jabber and Google Talk networks, meaning that whoever you need to stay in touch with, IM+ will be able to help you out.

On Windows applications featuring such a range of connectivity, it’s normal to see a complex list of options when the configuration process starts. IM+ simplifies the process of setting up your accounts, and beyond message alerts, contains practically no options to configure. This may put off more advanced users who enjoy tinkering with their accounts but we thought it was a good move on the part of Shape Services (IM+’s creators). The only problem we noticed when setting up our account details was that the ‘backspace’ key on our device’s touch screen keyboard didn’t work. This is of course a small issue, but it slowed us down when we made a mistake.

The contact list display (or ‘Roster’) in IM+ should be immediately recognisable to anyone who’s used an instant messenger service before. Giving you the choice of whether to view all your contacts or just those online, IM+ also sorts your contacts by groups if requested. Selecting an online contact immediately initiates a chat with them, while the holding your stylus on the contact will provide some limited options referring to that contact, such as ‘rename’, ‘delete’ and ‘info’. We were disappointed that ‘info’ didn’t try to display a contact’s full profile rather than just their email address. We thought that a more full extract of the contact’s online profile would have been useful, at least including their birthday, homepage and interests.

Entering the text for sending messages was simple enough. As usual, we found the Transcriber feature to be the easiest and most accurate method of text entry, but this is very much a matter of personal preference for the individual user. IM+ also allows you to copy and paste text from other applications into your chat window; particularly useful if you’re using the program to collaborate on a work project, or even just to send your friend a link. IM+ also supports the most popular emoticons for instant messaging, for those times when words just can’t convey your feelings.

Up against some stiff competition, IM+ is an excellent chat program for your Pocket PC. While it has a couple of small issues and omissions, it is easy to use, relatively small and very stable. In other words, an excellent way of staying in contact even when you’ve got a good excuse not to!

Download IM+ (IMPlus) 5.3 in Softonic

Agile Messenger is the world's premier mobile MSN®, ICQ®, AIM®, and Yahoo!® instant messaging client. Innovative features include our patent pending Push to Talk technology which enables users to send voice messages from mobile to mobile and mobile to PC.

Agile Messenger features include:

• sending and receiving instant messages
• Unicode and BIG5 support for international characters
• split screen messaging interface
• separate tabs for each conversation
• conversation history
• smiley support
• automatic download and updating of the contact list
• contact status information and presence management
• adding, removing, renaming contacts
• data usage counter
• auto update downloader and installer
• picture messaging with camera support
• "Today" plug-in

Download Agile Messenger 3.74 in Softonic

Keep in touch with all your yahoo needs with the latest version of Yahoo! Go. The all-in-one app hosts everything from news, chat, sport, maps and local information. It all comes in a sleek new scroll bar and perhaps best of all will keep track of all the data you want to know about. So if you have some shares you hope to see accelerating on the stock market, Yahoo! Go will watch them for you.

Similarly with news and sport. If you want the news from the BBC, Yahoo! Go will allow you to add BBC News to your Yahoo! Go news widget. Plus the software stays in sync with your email account so you don't lose all those contacts and email addresses if you misplace your mobile. It's a comprehensive new package from the Yahoo team which should fit all needs and sizes.

Yahoo! Go packs a raft of web content into one easy to use program. Recommended.

Download Yahoo! Go 2.0.51 in Softonic

mChat, is an ICQ/Jabber/Mail.ru Agent client with Cyrillic language support, with many cool chatting functions. It contains support for storing chat history, changing the chat icons, supports VGA devices, HTTP/Socks5 proxy connections, contacts in 2 column, additional status messages, and changing password options, amongst many options.

Download mChat 2.3.0.1 in Softonic

imov Messenger gives you the ability to instantly and securely communicate with family and friends using the Internet. The Jabber platform's extensibility allows imov Messenger to be compatible with multiple messaging systems including AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! and MSN Messengers! Available for the Microsoft PocketPC, HandheldPC and Smartphone platforms.

Key features of imov Messenger include:

• Communicate with Google Talk™, AOL™, ICQ™, MSN™, Yahoo! Messenger™ and Jabber™ users!
• Easy setup and use
• Wireless capable
• Encrypted communications (SSL) support
• Support for most Windows CE devices-including the PocketPC and Microsoft Windows Powered Smartphones!
• Automatic new version notifications
• Offline message queuing
• SOCKS5 proxy server support
• Seamless offline/online operation
• Location Based Services support

Download imov Messenger 2.14.3 in Softonic

PocketCHAT is free-distribution IRC client for use on your Windows Mobile device.

If you have used a standard IRC client in the past, then this will be pretty easy to use as its user interface is based on popular PC clients.

Easy to use, free IRC client for Pocket PCs.

Download PocketCHAT 1.1.8 in Softonic

One of the pillars of the IM scene, Yahoo! Messenger is also available on Pocket PC as a simple application to chat with your friends and check your favourite news. The program offers a simple user interface and the different sections like News, Sports, Stock Prices and Weather are divided in tabs at the bottom of the screen. The messaging client has all the Yahoo! Emoticons and you can start chatting right away by using the keyboard in the Pocket PC touch screen.

Compared to other IM applications on Windows Mobile, we expected Yahoo! Messenger to be a bit better equipped. The preferences menu only allows you to configure the connection settings and lets you choose from only 4 different sound alerts. Your contact list can be updated but you can only change the name and nickname given to your friends.

Yahoo! Messenger has the bare necessities to get you started chatting on your Pocket PC. Thanks to its tabbed interface you’ll be able to follow up the news on the fly. However it lacks the advanced features and extended customization to fight off competition of excellent alternatives like IM+ or Agile Messenger.

Download Yahoo! Messenger for Pocket PC 1.0 in Softonic

Webmessenger Mobile Instant Messenger for Windows Mobile 5.0 is a Wireless Instant Messaging application for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices and phones. The application allows you to chat with buddies on all Public IM Networks (AOL, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk and Jabber) and see their online status. Once you login with WebMessenger, you will be logged automatically into all of the IM Networks you have selected.

Key Features & Benefits

• Provides multi-network access in a single client. You can simultaneously chat with your buddies from AOL, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk and Jabber simply and conveniently from a single application on your handheld
• Runs simultaneous with the phone and email applications on your device
• Can send and receive extended presence information (online, busy, away, and not available) as well as recognize the device of origin (desktop or mobile user)
• Import contacts from your public IM networks contact lists
• Manage (add, drop, edit) Contacts can be done from the device
• Organize Contacts into personalized groups for easy recognition and access
• Display message history with timestamps
• Supports shortcuts for quick navigation, show/hide offline buddies, show/hide groups
• 3DES encryption of the communication (user selectable)
• Enterprise version available (interoperability with IBM Lotus Sametime, Microsoft LCS, Reuters Messaging, and Jabber XCP)

Download Mobile Instant Messaging (WM 5.0) 2.6 in Softonic

This is a security update for your Pocket PC's version of MSN Messenger, provided by Microsoft.

If you receive this error message ("Logon to the Messenger Service failed because the service is not compatible with this version of the program.") when trying to connect to the MSN Messenger service, then you should install this update.

Be sure to have your Pocket PC connected to your desktop when you run this update!

Download MSN Messenger Update in Softonic

Bluetooth Chat is a tool designed to allow you to communicate, via text and Bluetooth connections, with other devices.

A simple display showing connected users and listing messages by username (just like any other chat program) allows for ease of use. You can also export conversations as .TXT files.

Chat via Bluetooth with unlimited contacts.

Download Bluetooth Chat 0.5b in Softonic

One of the best known and most used instant messaging programs is MSN Messenger from Microsoft.

MSN Messenger allows you to check if your friends are connected, send and receive instant messages, talk with multiple friends at the same time and control who can see you and who can connect with you.

Also, MSN Messenger allows you to connect with other people who are using the AOL IM or ICQ services, which use similar protocols. For free!

MSN Messenger will help you stay in continuous contact with your friends online. It's an indisputable internet standard.

Download MSN Messenger 1.00 in Softonic