IM+ Pro

IM+ v3.2 Posted in Social Networking on 13 Nov 2008

Reviewed by Allison Wahl

User’s rating: (30 votes, average: 3.63 out of 5)  Loading ...

Editor’s rating:

If you thought you were connected before, think again. IM+ gives a whole new meaning to social networking.

Upon opening IM+, you are immediately presented with the extensive list of accounts IM+ supports: Skype, AIM, Facebook and Twitter are just the tip of the iceberg. You can enter as many accounts as you own and talk on them simultaneously. An inbox notifies you of how many messages you have received. In the inbox are all the open conversations you’re engaging in, listed by the name of the person you’re talking to. Each time your friend writes something new, a red circle will pop up by his/her name as a numbered indicator. You can talk to as many people as you want at one time, but heed my warning: unless you have unnaturally quick fingers, keeping up with too many conversations is quite overwhelming.

A contacts list shows you all the buddy lists from every account you’ve added in one cohesive list, complete with the groups you’ve designated within the accounts. You can also choose your status, customized or standard, that will be displayed to all buddy lists. A cool new feature is the “I am here” status which shows your exact geographical location (on a map) to all your friends.

Speaking of cool features, you can share photos, voice recordings, and geographical location through your conversations. You can even choose cool wallpapers to make your chats that much more fun and visually appealing! Another highlight is the option to keep IM sessions open. This means that, for the specified period of time, even if IM+ is not open, say if you get a call or want to open another application, you will still be online and you can still join in the same conversations you’ve been having when you reopen IM+. You can also choose Push mode, to receive PUSH notifications. With IM+ 3.2, the Push mode also allows you to see how many new messages you have, updated in real time on the application screen, even when the application is closed.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, how is IM+ really that different than other mobile IM applications? If you hit “More” you will see that you can access the Browser. This is another huge reason why IM+ crushes the competition. You can access the web while talking to people without having to continuously close and open applications. This eliminates halted conversations if you are a fan of simultaneous chatting and surfing, and also allows you to access any links a friend sends without closing IM+. In short, you can Tweet, IM, and browse all at the same time in one application; who else lets you do that???

The merits of IM+ are endless, so you will just have to check it out for yourself. Unless you’re antisocial, IM+ is a must-have. I personally would want an iPhone just so I could have IM+. Be careful though, it can be very addictive and distracting, so avoid it when you need to be a functional member of society. You will never see social networking or the phone the same way again.