It’s been a while since I regularly used my ICQ account for instant messenging but the prospect of a newly revamped, official app for it makes it all the more appealing.

As part of its 3.0 update, ICQ Messenger allows its users to chat with all their phone, ICQ, Facebook, GoogleTalk, AIM and Mail.ru contacts, all from the one app. All that’s needed is a mobile phone number to join and login. It even automatically finds phone contacts already in the network, making it all the easier to send free messages.

Threaded messaging and history support has been added meaning it’s as easy to consult what’s just been said as it is with any conventional SMS message. A new and easy to view contact list also ensures that ICQ feels integrated into the rest of the iOS experience making it an ideal way to chat with friends for free.

Easy to use, ICQ can be accessed simultaneously from any platform such as online, via PC or phone. Push notifications mean that the user is always available for chat if they so wish, plus there’s social feed updates available from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

For the ICQ user of old, this may well be an ideal entry point to the already busy world of messaging clients.

It’s out now and it’s a free app.

FREE!

ICQ – Free Calls and Messages

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-01-19 :: Category: Social Networking

If there is one thing that the rapid expansion of social networking has left in disarray, it has to be instant messaging services.  Using myself as a horrible example of this phenomenon, I have accounts through MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Facebook, Google Talk, and even Skype.  To make matters even more confusing, I have have some instances of several different sign-on names per service, as I attempt to segregate work and personal contacts.  Simply put, managing my social life has become nothing short of a nightmare.

Now try to wrap your brain around trying to operate a different application for each service that holds your digital identity.  Needless to say, something has to give.  That is why the new iPad release of IMO Instant Messenger was just what the doctor ordered.  Offering the ability to unite all of your messaging accounts and their management under a single application, suddenly makes keeping your life straight a bit more feasible.  Take at look at some of the awesome features that they are bragging about:

• Use of existing IM account logins, so no need to create a new account
• Your IM accounts can be Linked so you can login to all accounts at once
• Searchable chat history: search your past conversations on both our website and the app
• Flag your buddies as favorites so you can easily find them at the top of your buddy list
• Push notifications sent for 72 hours after you close the app
• Buddy icons that can optionally be displayed on the buddy list
• Links sent by your buddies open in our app instead of Safari
• The option to save passwords for quick sign-in without linking accounts

Just to prove that they are not just tooting their own horns, the team over at IMO.im has whipped up a trailer to help fill you in on using the application effectively.  Check it out below:

So they have manage to finally create the app that can help keep my life straight, while not breaking the bank in the process.  That’s right folks, the software will cost you absolutely nothing!  If you have an iPad and an instant messenger account of any variety, this should be an instant download.  Don’t worry, we will be in the queue right behind you!

FREE!

imo messenger for iPad

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-11-30 :: Category: Social Networking

Journalists are prone to hyperbole, but this title is almost euphemistic. SHAPE Services, creator of the popular IM+ client, are continuing to roll out feature after feature for their mass-market social networking application.

IM+ current supports Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN / Live, AIM (Mac users think iChat), ICQ, MySpace, Facebook, Jabber, Twitter and Skype chat. Outside of the seemingly endless list of clients, the application also provides an equally long list of push notification options, including e-mail arrival notifications from popular clients such as Hotmail, Yahoo! and Google Mail.

In addition to the application being universally built for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, IM+ also features an in-built browser for those who don’t have the ability to multitask – a welcome addition for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch users who are unable to avail of Apple’s much-awaited feature.

The latest update – 4.3 – brings with it a number of new themes and wallpapers, high resolution graphics for iPhone 4 users and VoiceOver support, allowing for speech recognition to be enabled. This last feature will set users back 99c a month.

There’s no doubt that SHAPE Services developers are trying to appeal to everyone. From customizable sounds and animated emoticons to geo-location support and retina display graphics, IM+ is becoming the client of choice for social networking users. It remains one of the top grossing applications for Social Networking – not bad at all for a $9.99 application with almost 4 000 competitors. And to top it all off, there’s a free version too.

$4.99

$9.99

IM+ Pro

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2008-11-14 :: Category: Social Networking

FREE!

IM+ Instant Messenger

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2008-08-27 :: Category: Social Networking

We adored Beejive IM for iPhone when we last looked at it back in November, giving it a 5/5 star rating. And rightly so—Beejive is a premium chat app with a gigantic suite of features, touting everything from a slick interface to push notifications to support for multiple accounts and services. It was even selected as one of the top apps by Apple in the iTunes Rewind 2009 feature.

Now, the folks at Beejive, Inc have released an iPad-native version of their award-winning iPhone app. BeejiveIM for iPad is very similar to the iPhone app, but with the interface overhauled to support the iPad’s larger screen. It’s designed to work best in landscape view, in which your buddy list, current chat, and open chats each appear in their own column on-screen. Portrait view is still functional, of course; your buddy list simply slides off-screen, to be accessed by a button tap when needed, leaving you with your current chat and a list of your open chats.

Of course, all of the features which have earned Beejive its accolades are still present; you can juggle multiple accounts, take advantage of push notifications, and connect to services ranging from AIM to Google Talk to Jabber. The lovely giant-image background can either be taken from Beejive’s built-in library or from your own camera roll.

This new app comes at a cost, of course. Beejive has always been a premium IM app, and the iPad version will set you back by $9.99, regardless of if you already own the iPhone version. If you’re willing to pay for quality, however, consider it an investment. Beejive already rules the iPhone IM arena for good reason; now, we’ll likely see it dominating the iPad, too.