I was a huge fan of Trillian years ago - so much so that I got everyone within my old work environment on the platform. Once Google talk came out and the pro product was needed we all switched. I remember high hopes for Astra but only in private beta everyone moved on. Getting people to switch now is tough and the new UI seems like it could benefit from 5-10 users feedback immediately as you suggested (colors, light text, unreadable URLs, etc...) I really wanted to use Astra too, but now that I have other systems in place that have the "it works" feature I just cant switch. - Eric from FriendFeed MT Plugin

IMO, IM is practically dead, which renders Astra irrelevant. The only people I know who still use IM are those who work at a computer all day. Some use it for inter-office communication & file exchange. Instant messaging was effectially supplanted by (sms) text messages about two years ago. The prolification of cell phones (most people have them now) have replaced instant messaging for the common person. SMS messages are as fast as IMs, you can send pictures, videos & URLs and the SMS device (cell phone) is carried on the person throughout the day. Those who are left using IM are those who co-work remotely or, as said above, use it for inter-office communique. And as states by previous commenters, many of those working folks have already switched to other IM methods or tools, while Astra gives them little to no reason to switch back. The only remaining use for IM to the normal person is as a free alternative to the absurdly prices wireless providers charge for SMS messages (SMS is prebuilt into the wireless phone channel). However, many wireless phone providers do not make IM access available without an additional fee so they can scoop up the text mesage charge regardless of the transmission platform. So, in summary, Astra, after a three year development period will most likely find very few users who a) care about Astra at all, and b) even less of those users who would be willing to hand over money for an application that does not offer any killer features when compared to existing, free alternatives. Though a Mac user now, I used Trillian a great deal a few years ago and recommended it to friends. Today, those friends, and new friends, are using Digsby, Google Talk or Meebo. The glory days of Trillian are gone and Astra most likely will not be bringing users back in droves. Perhaps Cerulean Studios (do they still go by that?) should rethink their approach to IM and figure out a way to make Trillian revolutionary again, as it certainly was at one time. - Aaron from FriendFeed MT Plugin