Palringo and BeejiveIM are some of the best if not the best two instant messenger chat apps available for your iPhone. The two apps are very similar in many respects but very different in others.
Both programs allow you to connect to the following IM chat accounts:
- MSN
- AIM
- ICQ
- Google Talk
- Yahoo
- iChat
- plus a couple others
Here is a look at Palringo:
The things I like about Palringo is the fact that it is free. The other good thing about it is the fact that you remain signed into whatever account if you do not sign out before closing the program. This has some advantages. But the main problem remains that there is no push notification so remaining signed in is kind of pointless. When you first load up Palringo, you will have to create a free Palringo account which can also be used for chat, but, you probably won’t be using this account.
Here is a look at BeeJiveIM:
First of all, the price of BeeJiveIM is crazy. They are charging $15.99. No joke. Is it worth that much? Hardly. Why do I even buy it you ask? Well, I wanted to try it out (used USA iTunes gift card account), plus it does have some semi-push functions. Basically if you have MobileMe or use Microsoft exchange, you get semi-push notifications. You do remain signed into whatever account after closing the program if you don’t sign out beforehand. What the program will do is email your MobileMe or exchange account when you receive a message. So in fact it is push. But not the real push since the program itself doesn’t tell you a message has arrived.
Hopefully with 2.2 firmware we will have push notifications for all programs that want or need to utilize it. This would definitely improve the functionality of the iPhone.
There are a few other programs out there which do similar things. One is IM+ and another is MobileChat. Both are similar to Palringo but I think Palringo is a little better and is free. IM+ is free and MobileChat is $2.99. MobileChat has had terrible reviews in the App Store. Another option would be to use a web app IM program like BeeJive or Meebo which also work quite well.
Verdicts:
Palringo - decent and basic
BeeJiveIM - If you have 16 bucks to spare, hell, why not. Otherwise, save your money, wait for real push.
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September 30th, 2008 at 7:10 am
I’ve been using Parlingo for a few weeks now. It’s ok. I think it’s a little buggy at times and decides to quit when trying to add my gmail account on occasion. I bypass the parlingo account and never use it as you mentioned.
The BIGGEST caveat I have with Parlingo is that it cuts off your sentence when you send a message if it exceeds the one line. I had to shorten my nickname so that I can have an extra 10 or so characters. Silly really.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:17 am
hope beejive will be on sale.. I would pay 4.99$ for this, not more..
September 30th, 2008 at 9:56 am
My buddy uses Palringo, but I’m not a fan of it. I prefer IM+, another free IM, but a lot better. All the basic features you need, and like the others no push.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I like palringo because it supports voice IM like mobile MSN does on windows mobile devices. Great feature while driving haha
September 30th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Holy sh*t Beejive really impressed me. Yes I spent $16 for the app but its worth it. The service of emailing you messages when you exit the app really helps. And finally I get a bigger keyboard by typling in landscape mode. I have never written an official iTunes review but will do so now to help on-the-fence buyers about this app. Given its high price, the service it gives really makes up for it. Im surprised about the app not crashing (yet?) and compared to palringo and aim’s bugs this has little if none at all!
Hmm… downsides… keyboard is a little laggy sometimes and i see a letter left out from what i typed. Also for your friends that like to cut sentences into multiple chat bubbles, it makes it hard to review old sentences when a new one comea along. It scrolls immediately to the bottom even if your not finished… but I never had that problem because Palringo would just crash anyway!
So i really like this app i hope they use my 16 bucks wisely an spend it on improvements. Its a good one to start with nonetheless.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I have been using Palringo for 2 weeks and it’s great. I also tried IM+ which is also free but I don’t like the GUI of that program.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I think the latest palringo update fixed the line limit problem because I don’t have that problem anymore