Wrenpage

With most instant messengers, you can transfer images and share a photo view, but you can't do much more with your pictures. If you need to illustrate something while chatting with a friend or coworker, Wrenpage can make your life easier. It is a lightweight instant messenger with enhanced image sharing capabilities. You can take screenshots and append them to your messages instantly and draw on the same whiteboard with your contact.

Wrenpage is offered free of charge and it takes only a few clicks to install it. The application requires .NET Framework 4.0. If you don't have it installed on your computer, the setup wizard will offer to install it for you. You also have to create an online account when you launch the application for the first time, but it takes only a few seconds.

The software displays your contacts in a list, just like other instant messengers, but its user interface has a cleaner design. It displays only a few options, so you can master Wrenpage's controls in no time. You can search for a friend in your contacts list by typing his name in a search box. If you wish to add new contacts to the list, you only need to type an email address and click a Send button, located in the lower region of the interface.

Pending invitations and special options are listed on different tabs, on the same user interface. The special options can be used to edit the user profile, import contacts from Yahoo or Google and view a series of tips. Wrenpage's chat windows come with several snapshot options. You can capture a specific region of the screen, with a rectangle or elliptical grabber, capture a window or one of its components or the entire screen.

When you take a screenshot, the application will display it on the right half of the chat window, where you can make a few annotations. If you wish to send the screenshot to your contact, you must tick the Append option, located on the same window, and send a message. Sent and received screenshots are displayed as thumbnails, in the lower region of the chat window and you can select them if you wish to view them in the preview area. It is also possible to send the entire conversation, along with the screenshots, to your mailbox, just by clicking a button.