Trillian, one of the most popular multi-protocol IM clients, is set to receive a very nice upgrade in a near future.

This new version, entitled Astra, is aiming to pack a pig punch. Not only does it add support for even more IM clients, but also a great adds a great number of features that many users requested. Bigblueball put together a nice list of the main changes:

Performance

• Loads skins up to 100% faster than Trillian 3.1
• Uses 5 MB less memory
• Faster redraw times (important if you have lots of contacts)

Interoperability

• A dedicated Google Talk plug-in, separating it from the Jabber plug-in for improved Google Talk support
• MySpace IM connectivity — by popular request
• Enhanced file transfers, including easier multiple file transfers
• More complete status message compatibility

New Astra Features

• ‘Portable’ contact list. Your contacts are downloaded from the server, meaning you can run Trillian Astra from any computer and your contact list will always be complete and up-to-date
• One account, multiple networks. Hand-out a unified Trillian Astra account and people can contact you on any of the networks you use

Web

• Like MeeboMe, Trillian Astra provides a web client for ‘no-download’ access to IM.
• Like Meetro, Trillian Astra allows you to share your geo-location information — fun for mobile users looking to find friends nearby.
• Online status indicator. Share your status with anyone on your blog, at MySpace or in a forum signature, regardless of which IM network(s) you use.
• Widgets - share your Flickr photostream, or your current playing song, or get the weather for your contacts.

Message Windows

• Improved image sharing
• “Buzz” compatibility (for those of you who live that feature on WLM and Yahoo! Messenger).
• Handwriting support for Tablet PCs
• Local time zone info for your contacts

Contact List

• New ways of viewing your contacts
• Dynamic list height — your contact list can be configured to automatically expand to show all visible contacts

Right now the program isn’t available publicly, but for the first time ever, I’m actually excited over an new IM release. We’ll keep you posted on more news regarding Trillian Astra, as they arrive.