Gnome 3 style messaging
 

I was looking at the GNOME 3 and I'm impressed by the way the notifications are handled, specifically IM notifications and responding. I get tired of the HUGE window I have to switch too or dedicate a large portion of a workspace too.

I'm looking for a messenger that allows me to respond in the notification or something more minimal. I'm using Empathy that came with Ubuntu 10.04. All the other IM applications seem the same in GUI.

Any suggestions? Widget? another IM?