IM+ for iPhone Will Keep You Connected At All Times on All Networks
By: Hillel Fuld
Every industry has its dominant companies. The auto industry has Ford and Toyota, the consumer electronics industry has Sony and Panasonic, the mobile industry has Apple and Nokia, and the mobile app development world has Shape Services. Shape have made a name for themselves as a market leader with their wide portfolio of killer apps, with the flagship one being IM+.
When I think instant messenger on a mobile device, I think IM+. I use the app on my BlackBerry as well as the iPhone version, and both are equally impressive. Before I get into the app and its million features, let me just say for the sake of transparency that I do have an ongoing relationship with the people at Shape, I have worked with them on previous articles, and continue to work with them regularly. As impressive as all of their apps are, the professionalism and care with which the apps are designed and created is equally praise worthy. As a company, Shape Services never rests, whether it is implementing the newest Twitter trend or adding a new iPhone push technology, they push out more updates than any company I have ever encountered.
As for IM+ for iPhone, it is your all in one instant messaging application, and it enables you to stay in touch with all of your contacts on almost any imaginable platform. So where do I start? Well let’s start with AIM, MSN, Gtalk, Yahoo, Facebook, ICQ, MySpace, Jabber, and Twitter, those are some of the networks supported by IM+. However, you are probably asking (if you are a geek like myself), what is that worth if I cannot run IM+ in the background? I will be notified when the app is open and once I close the app, I will lose communication with my contacts? Well, as for background app capability, or lack thereof, you have Apple to thank for that. However, Shape was one of the first companies to release an app that supports push notifications. So, from a user perspective, IM+ can run in the background, and use no battery in the process.
Besides the basic IM functionality, IM+ enables you to send your contacts audio as well as photos from your iPhone/iPod. That is not it. IM+ is now the ONLY iPhone app with speech recognition offering you the ability to dictate a message and the app will write it out and send it to your contact, I heard their next version will just read your mind (joke, just in case you did not get that).
The feature list just goes on and on. You can record an incoming Skype call, in addition to IMing with your Skype contacts, and play the audio back as a voice message. IM+ also functions as a full fledged Twitter client offering you the ability to update your timeline, view replies and DMs, retweet, update your location, and send pictures to your followers.
IM+ also comes with a built in Safari-based browser enabling you to open links from Twitter or IM, while never leaving the app. Other features include wallpapers, customized emoticons, Avatar support, copy/paste, multiple account on each network, landscape typing, and support for all languages recognized by the iPhone.
All in all, I think we can agree this is one feature-loaded app that gives you any and all features related to online communication (besides VOIP calling, but Shape has another app for that). In terms of performance, I have been using the app for quite a while, and the speed at which it launches (which I would expect and understand if it was long), has increased significantly, with the ability to start IMing in less than 15 seconds in my tests.
I found IM+ to be extremely customizable in every aspect of the app from the way your buddies appear to the way the push notifications are displayed. This is one of the only apps I would ever consider spending money on, even though there are free alternatives. I found IM+ to offer enough of an advantage over its free and non free competitors that it is well worth the $9.99 investment. However, I must warn you, with apps like this along with email, Facebook, and Twitter, it is becoming a lot harder to hide from someone you do not feel like talking to. With IM+ and push notifications enabled, you are available and accessible to your contacts around the clock, good thing or bad thing? That is your decision to make!
Our Rating: 5/5
Developer: Shape Services
