eBuddy for iPhone is a Solid and Free Contender

By: Hillel Fuld

One of the most talked about advantages of the iPhone platform is its tremendous number of available apps. One can argue that they prefer Android’s openness or BlackBerry’s email integration, but there is no ignoring the iPhone’s edge over the other platforms, which comes in the form of 100,000 apps and counting.  But a question many people are now asking is “why does anyone need 100,000 apps for their phone”?

Many people will claim that they use a maximum ten apps on their mobile phone and those ten apps are available on all the platforms, so the 100,000 apps in the App Store does nothing for them. They would be wrong! I am not going to give you a lesson in economics, but I am pretty sure you know the consequences of healthy competition and an open market. Not only did those 100,000 apps bring iPhone app prices to an all time low, with leading apps that might cost $40 on BlackBerry being sold for 99 cents, but the quality of the apps is also being effected.

The apps in the App Store are just getting better and cheaper as the total number continues to grow. Not only that, but practically any premium app on the app store has its free alternative that might not have all the bells and whistles that the paid app has, but it comes pretty close, and your wallet is not involved in the installation process. eBuddy is the perfect example. The multi protocol IM market is a busy one, with apps like IM+ and Trillian selling like hot cakes, but eBuddy definitely offers those among us that would rather not spend money, a solid alternative.

Don’t get me wrong, if you are very picky about your IM and enjoy having endless features such as a landscape keyboard, eBuddy is not for you. However, if you just want an app that enables you to chat with your friends on all the major networks, eBuddy is a must have. eBuddy actually managed to incorporate some of the cutting edge features of the newest iPhone software including push notifications when turning off the app, which is pleasantly surprising since it is after all a free app.

eBuddy supports all the major protocols such as AIM, MSN, Gtalk, Facebook Chat,  Yahoo and ICQ, but is missing some that you can find on the paid apps. These include Skype, Jabber,  Twitter, a a few others. The eBuddy interface is simple and includes most of the features one would need in an IM client. It even offers you the option to turn off Auto Correction, but I am not sure why someone would do that.

The main screen that displays your buddy list has five tabs along the bottom: Buddies, Chats, Accounts, Settings, and More. Each one of the tabs is designed well and makes the app easy and pleasant to use. The buddy list has a search bar on top to easily find anyone on your list, which is a common and useful feature for IM clients. You can also easily add a buddy on any network directly from the buddy list screen, something that usually requires you to go to Settings.

The Chats screen shows all your open conversations in a list with the logo of the network next to the name. When you have one conversation open, simply swipe your finger left or right to move to the next chat, pretty neat feature. The design of the chats themselves are not customizable like they are in some premium apps, but again, you need to decide if that is really important to you, it is not to me.

The Accounts tab lets you select which accounts you want to use and create an eBuddy account, which keeps your settings for you. It is very easy to add new accounts or delete one, something I found to be a more complicated task in the premium IM apps. At the bottom of the Accounts screen, there is a Sign in All Accounts button enabling you to launch all your IM networks in one press, also pretty useful.

The Settings available on eBuddy are minimal, but include the important options. There is the ability to have the app sign out after a predefined time slot starting from immediately to after an hour. You can set to view your buddy list by account, name, or group, something that was missing from other apps I have used. I found this to be very useful and important, since some people have one network for personal use and one for work, and it is easier to use when separated by account.  You can also set to hide offline contacts, which is a must have feature, no one wants to see all their offline Facebook contacts in their buddy list.

Other settings include enabling/disabling sounds, text correction, new message alerts, and more. Pretty basic, but covers all the major bases. The final tab includes an FAQ, a feedback tab, and an About Us.

There you have it, the entire interface of eBuddy. Now, I know it might seem too basic, and I agree that IM+ and others like it offer some goodies, but if you are not looking to spend your hard earned money to IM your friends, eBuddy is a very solid and easy to use alternative.

Our Rating: 4/5

Download Link

Developer: eBuddy