The most useful feature an instant messaging program can offer is ubiquity; if you want to chat to a contact you don’t really want to worry about what network they’re on and whether they’re going to be contactable with your set up. There are numerous multi-network applications available, but what gives Palringo the edge is that it’s fully cross platform.

There are versions available for Windows and Mac and if you’re a Linux user the Windows version runs fine under WINE. In itself, this isn’t unique, but once you add in versions for iOS and Android, you can see that Palringo is made to use on the go.

Once you install and connect via Palringo, you can add your various network accounts. There are also chat rooms and other forums on Palringo’s own network. By setting up an account, you can connect with each of your existing networks through a single log on.

You can sign out of individual services if necessary so you don’t have to be connected to all networks at once if you don’t want to.

On mobiles that support location services, the groups feature enables you to view group members nearby. You can also create Palringo groups based on location and view nearby members in case you want to interact on a face to face basis.