Windows only: Need to make sure your instant message chats can't be intercepted or read by third parties? SimpLite, a free suite of encryption packages, allows for fully encrypted chats over AIM, MSN, Google/Jabber, or Yahoo-based clients. Grab the appropriate package for your chat program, create a secure encryption key, and have anyone you're talking to do the same. It's not quite as easy as GAIM/Pidgin's encryption plug-in, but it works on the most popular IM clients and with industry-standard protocols. SimpLite chat clients are free downloads for Windows systems only. Thanks Vince!

The Digital Inspiration blog suggests that Facebook's new browser-based chat system, which we stood up against Gmail's web chat yesterday, works well running inside a Firefox sidebar. To anchor it there, simply add this Facebook Chat popout URL from Bookmarks->Organize Bookmarks, and make sure "Load this bookmark in the sidebar" is checked. The intended two-column layout can make the sidebar a little intrusive into your actual browsing, but you can resize to a narrow strip and still get chat functionality, simply by clicking inside the sidebar to re-order things.

A few weeks ago Facebook promised to start slowly rolling out chat, and it just hit my account today. (If it's enabled for you, check it out in the lower right hand corner when you're logged into Facebook.) It reminds me of Gmail's built-in chat—it's on by default, your contacts populate your chat buddy list, and you can use it without downloading a separate client. (You can also "pop-out" the chat window to save a tab.) Facebook is much more about social networking than Gmail, which makes it ripe for chatting, but in the short time it's been in existence, Gmail chat's earned lots of loyal followers. When it comes to web-based chat, which do you prefer?

Windows only: For some time now, Google Talk has been more appealing as a web app than in its rarely updated desktop version. That changes, somewhat, with the release of Google Talk Labs Edition for Windows. The desktop client, which looks a lot like its web counterpart, includes the same group chat, emoticons and tabbed talking as the web, and puts pop-up notifications for Google Calendar, Gmail and Orkut events in the corner of your screen—which is a nice, consolidated way of getting that Outlook-like functionality. The big trade-off, however, is the lack of voice calling or file transfer through the Labs Edition, so if those are regular features, you'll likely want to stick with whatever version you're using now. Google Talk Labs Edition is a free download for Windows systems only.

On Tuesday we asked for your favourite instant messaging applications, and over 550 comments later, we've culled it down to the most popular five. From web-based chat to desktop clients to tools that combine IM, email, and social networking, your nominations spanned a wide range of instant messaging applications. Let's take a closer look at the five most voted-for apps, and face them off against each other in a final showdown to crown the ultimate favourite.

Once upon a time you needed a chat client running on your computer for each and every instant messaging service you used, and since different buddies used different IM protocols, you had run different programs at once to chat with all your peeps. But that's no longer the case. Nowadays advanced chat applications work across networks, and boast plug-ins and features that put IM apps of yesteryear to shame. For this week's Hive Five, we want to know: What's your favourite instant messenger client? Your choice can be desktop- or web-based—or anything, really—as long as it does chat. Hit the jump for details on how to cast your ballot.

Windows only: Freeware instant messaging application Digsby, which boasts integration not only across chat networks but also with your email and social networking web sites, has come out of private beta and added a few more spicy features. Among them, Digsby has added Twitter support, inline spell checking, and audio/video chat with TokBox, the same service Meebo is using to add A/V chat to their service. Aside from the perks that come with most cross-service chat apps (i.e., seamless connections to different IM services from one place), Digsby goes the extra mile by updating real-time newsfeeds from Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. The app is still freeware, Windows only, though they're still promising Mac and Linux versions.

Mac OS X only: Free, open source application AdiumBook acts as a bridge between your Adium IM contacts and your Address Book contacts to help you manage and keep all of your contacts in sync. You can add Adium contacts to Address book or update a contact's entry with Adium's information, as well as search across your Adium and Address Book contacts from one simple interface. If your contact data is spread across your traditional address book and IM contacts, AdiumBook might be just the tool to bring them together. AdiumBook is free, Mac OS X only.

Windows/Unix: Free, open source instant messaging application Pidgin has just released a significant new update, chock full of bug fixes and some snazzy new features—among them more file transfer support, interface improvements, and improved customisation. For more details on the changes, check out the official ChangeLog. Pidgin is free, open source, works on all Windows and Unix platforms. If you're new to Pidgin, check out the ten must-have Pidgin plug-ins to get even more out of the killer cross-platform app. If you're a die-hard Pidgin user, let's hear why you love Pidgin in the comments.