Kudos to some great applications

Ever since moving from Mac back to Windows there are two applications I've missed more than any other; NetNewsWire and Adium.  Fortunately, the Windows alternatives are getting better.  I still miss the Mac, but here are some apps that ease the pain.

• Pidgin was recently released as the "uber" IM client for Windows (replacing Gaim), enabling connectivity with almost all the major IM services (except Skype and Gizmo) via a single client.  It's still way behind Adium in terms of functionality and add-ins, but it is getting there.  And, it's free.
• NewsGator (the folks who own NetNewsWire) recently introduced a major update to FeedDemon, IMHO the best Windows RSS reader on the market.
• Ecto - the best OS X blogging tool IMHO recently updated their Windows version, it still lacks some of the features of the OS X release, but I've found it to be the best Windows-based blogging tool out there.

Finally, I'd like to give a shout out to the folks at GrandCentral who keep adding goodies to one of the most interesting applications to emerge this year.  The idea behind Grand Central is to separate your phone number from your service, much like e-mail alias services.  Grand Central gives you a phone number and a web-based management capability to control what happens when someone calls that number.  You can route incoming calls to a number of different services or devices (with simultaneous ring capabilities).  They also provide some fairly sophisticated voice mail features (my favorite is the ability to send incoming calls to voicemail, but listen in on the voicemail and take the call if you change your mind).  They recently added the capability to manage your voicemail from your mobile device.   It's in beta, so expect the occasional bug, but it is free right now as well.