iPhone Instant Messaging Clients Test
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Instant Messaging (IM) has always been one of the most popular applications on the internet. Initially made popular on the computer, this form of real time communication has found an obvious wide audience in the mobile world. Here we will discuss the chat clients that can be found in Apple’s AppStore.
AIM
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was born 11 years ago and is mainly popular in the States (over 100 million users). The iPhone version is substantially different from the one you’ve probably seen on a computer, but it does the job and lets you chat with other AIM users.
You can view your buddy list and rearrange the entries in groups or separate them as favorites. Unfortunately, you cannot manage a friend request. The parts of your profile which can be edited are the picture, the text which appears under your name and the status (available, not available, invisible). We liked the way the messages arrange during a conversation; in contrast to the PC version, here if write a few lines, they will be under one name. There’s no option to send sounds or images, which is quite annoying, because this feature is available on other phones. Overall, we recommend trying some of the other multifunctional clients mentioned below in the article, due to the limited capabilities of the official AIM app.
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AIM | |||
oneConnect!
If you are looking for a program that connects to not only Yahoo! Messenger but also various other social networks, you’ll love oneConnect!. It will allow you to keep an eye on your Facebook, Flickr, Last.fm, Twitter, Bebo, Dopplr, MySpace and YouTube accounts. Information from all accounts are found on the same home screen, and in order to edit your profile, you have to logon to the site of the account. This means closing the chat client though, which is very annoying.
As an IM client, oneConnect! performs satisfactory. The chat window looks good and lets you add emoticons (a big variety),pictures and links. The last ones are opened with Safari, closing the IM application at the same time, which is quite inconvenient but required since the iPhone does not allow anything but music to run in the background. A wonderful extra is the detailed log of the conversations. The contacts are divided by the first letter, and there’s a search feature as well. Despite handling other social networking accounts, oneConnect! can only be used for chat via Yahoo! Messenger.
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oneConnect! | |||
IM+
If you are using many chat clients IM+ is a likely client for you. It supports AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Google Talk, Jabber, ICQ and MySpace. Here however, the quality has suffered, because of the multiple messengers, making IM+ one of the worst IM clients for iPhone. There’s no search for the contacts and we were frustrated by having to rummage through all of them. The chat window is very clear but doesn’t offer any extras like avatars or the ability to send pictures.
You could still live with all that if you need that many different clients, but the application itself is not stable with frequent blockings and self-terminations. Despite the myriad of client support, these annoying drawbacks lead us to not recommend IM+.
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IM+ | |||
Palringo
This is another multifunctional IM client supporting MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Gadu-Gadu, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk, iChat, as its own service Palringo, for which registration is mandatory. It’s done very quickly and afterwards you will be able to chat with the funny bot Samantha.
The application is very user-friendly with one tab for the account and change of the nick/status and others for the contacts and groups. The chat window offers emoticons, voice messages and pictures, which in case that your collocutor is using the same client appear directly on the screen (otherwise as a link). Palringo lets you open web pages without having to close it first, which is an excellent extra. Taking advantage of the iPhones powerful and fluid graphics, if you are engaged in multiple conversations you can jump between them by swiping your finger across the screen. We like Parlingo very much and we consider it one of the best and most convenient client, which is available at the App Store-a.
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Palringo | |||
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27 Comments
1. (unregistered) posted on 20 Oct 2010, 01:42 0 0
so now we discuss app for IM ? seriously phone arena, your infatuation with a device so lame as the y phone is an insult to this sites purpose. lets talk about NEW and INNOVATIVE apps and devices for a change, not a app that people have had on their BASIC handsets for years now. lame as usual.
14. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 19:17 0 0
This is getting ridiculous now. Stop clicking the iPhone articles please! Didn't you guys read the headline before clicking the link? Or did you guys come to the forum just to rant? I swear that there is more people who come to every iPhone forum to whine than those who actually have the iPhone. I just want to read an article and comments without having to listen to all this ranting. I really want to know why you guys keep complaining. I know most of you guys don't like the iPhone but what's the point with the constant complaints?do you guys think that complaining about the iPhone is going to make someone not buy it? Complaining won't make any difference at all to apple and their profits and how many people buy the phone. So why keep complaining?
2. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 09:24 0 0
seriously... this is getting ridiculous... next, theyll talk about the phone app... which doesnt work as good as most dumbphones... or, what about the google maps app, which is also available on most phones... this isnt iphoneapps.com... every week, you guys spew out this filth, and why i keep returning to a site that is supposed to be about NEW phones and applications is beyond me... oh well, phonescoop has always been pretty good, as well as boygeniusreport... maybe ill shoot on over to engadgets mobile page... i just know im going to stop coming here, caz all the breaking news is related to iphone apps that are out for EVERY OTHER PHONE!!!
3. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 09:53 0 0
LOL... Stop hattin' on da Iphone. Next time they gonna talk about your crappy bb storm. What mess this 1 has been so far. Fan-boys.
5. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 11:56 0 0
mess? really seems as though we're completely sold out and most consumers seem to love the device. i cant tell you how many people ive ported from other carriers (mostly att). so how about you stop hatin on "da" storm because this has nothing to do with the storm...its just annoying that phonearena is steadily posting crap "news" about apps that are available on 90% of devices out there but make it seem as though its exclusive to the iPhone. nobody said the iPhone was a bad phone. are you sure youre not a faboy?
6. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 12:06 0 0
the storm is horrible... worse than the iphone... but this "news" is garbage... you guys at phonearena needing a reason to hold on to your precious iphone? so you continuously spew this hot garbage and call it news, or better yet, a review on the plethora of apps available for the iphone... im not saying its a bad phone... bad coverage, yeah... but the phones ok... but id rather see some breaking news on newer handsets, NEW applications for other phones/OS (BB, winmo, simbian), new services, or new policies and plans...
4. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 09:53 0 0
cool more iPhone news. if the iPhone takes a shit its reported on here. jesus
7. Maarek Stele posted on 03 Dec 2008, 12:21 0 0
This is why the iPhone SUCKS! You cannot run multiple applications and have to wait for loading times. I'd rather charge up my old Palm and use that rather than the iPhone. Android and Mimo work better by far.
8. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 13:21 0 0
If you're dumb enough to not jailbreak it you are correct. Anyone who truly loves the iPhone has it jailbroken so they can do WHATEVER they want, including run multiple apps. Get your facts straight before you start talking.
9. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 13:23 0 0
It's amazing how there's people who have such a problem with iPhone news. If you don't want to read it or hear about it, it's pretty easy to not click on it am I wrong? If you find you aren't getting the news you want go to a different site and stop making the forums garbage here with your constant bitching like a bunch of little school girls. If I don't like a song on the radio I change stations, not take the time to bitch about it, MOVE ON YOU LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10. The Commissioner (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 14:18 0 0
iPhoneArena.com has seriously fallen off. Stop making headlines out of deadlines!
11. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 15:32 0 0
Stop beating a dead horse you moron. Don't like it? LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 18:58 0 0
@11 STFU, he has a point this site is firmly attached to apples balls. the phones not all that and apps that are avail on virtually every other phone are not news worthy just because this particular one is for the godly iphone
20. (unregistered) posted on 04 Dec 2008, 10:31 0 0
You are the biggest loser alive obviously. if you have such a problem stay out of the articles. It's retarded how much you people bitch about this site yet continue to come back and have diarrhea of the mouth about it. Get a f'ing life and maybe a job to give yourself less time to do the dumbest shit.
13. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 19:10 0 0
there is a lot of stupid FAN-BOYZ in here. F.Y.I phonearena ain't the only one reporting that so get a LIFE...like # 11 said if u don't like it LEAVE or DON'T click on the article. none of u FAN-BOYZ complains when they drop an article or a news about the '' 5.5 review of the storm'' OUCH! is not they fault your crappy phone the '' bb storm'' don't get that much coverage. the NYTIMES, phonescoop, newsday etc... all of them gave bb storm a tumbs down. so get overyaselves because phonearena ONLY doing their job by informing us. by the way STOP sucking on verBLOWzon balls with the FAKE NIKE check on it.
16. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 22:29 0 0
....thumbs down from the nytimes, phonescoop, newsday "etc" hmmm make things up much?
21. (unregistered) posted on 04 Dec 2008, 10:32 0 0
If you don't believe him see for yourself. Go to their sites and see it for your own eyes moron.
15. (unregistered) posted on 03 Dec 2008, 19:46 0 0
I am a iphone user and I got to aggree with everyone what are you thinking phonearena seriously there are websites around who all they do is talk about iphone apps and review those apps etc.
17. (unregistered) posted on 04 Dec 2008, 06:36 0 0
yep, the storm is SUCKS! The bold is way better phone And I love the Iphone so whatever u fan-boys says don't faze me, AT&T or Apple. someone is ready to buying it right now as u read my message. Keep singing....... '' I hate the Iphone'' u moron!
18. (unregistered) posted on 04 Dec 2008, 06:39 0 0
#17... Can also check it urself if don't believe me. Don't get mad. Ha....Ha lol..:::l
