Most people begin using instant messaging on a PC, but there's a bunch of great cell phones and dedicated devices that will let you tap away anywhere you like.

Hassle-Free PC By Rick Broida , Jan 26, 2011 1:27 pm PST Sure, text messaging is all the rage nowadays, but for my money, the best communication tool is instant messaging.

Instant-messaging software is so 20th-century. These days, the IM action happens on the Web, as evidenced by browser-based services like Meebo and the IM capabilities offered by Google and Yahoo.

Come Dec. 15, the 20-year-old AOL Instant Messenger service will be no more. All of its features — Buddy Lists, images and files — will be deleted. Here are a few options for universal … ...

They can’t do so from their messenger of choice. And, oddly, imo didn’t seem to recognize contacts by name once I added them to a group: Instead, it identified them with a long string of numbers.

Instant messaging (IM) conjures up images of bored teenagers using a software-based gossiping tool. Most IM programs are free, and few competing products can talk to one another, making skeptics ...

If deploying your own instant messaging server isn't an option, however, you can and should shop around for an instant messaging application that is built with security in mind.

Instant messaging is unique among computer-based messaging systems because it is not based on the sort of store-and-forward message handling mechanism used by e-mail.