Nowadays almost everybody is using MSN, ICQ, Google Talk or another IM service. Some of them, including me, want to go online with their mobile phone using Wi-Fi, 3G, HSPDA or GPRS everywhere. Shape Services is offering an application which puts seven IM services under one and the same umbrella. The supported services are: Google Talk, AOL, MSN, IQ, Yahoo, My Space and Jabber. I want to check how powerful Shape IM+ is.
Set Up:
First off all, you need to jump over to download or buy IM+. The trial version expires after 7 days and the full version costs $29.95. After downloading and installing the file you are almost ready. Now just open IM+ in the menu, go to Menu/Services and the service you want to use. Than just choose the suitable service, click Settings and type in your Login and Password, nothing more.
Going online:
To go online just click on ‘’Connect All’’ or on Services/ eg. MSN/Available/Connect.
IM+ will infrom you that it will make a connection with the internet now and it might charge your phone bill. Click ‘’Yes’’ and choose an access point.
Chatting:
Once you are online you have a bunch of different functions. You can change the view ( Contact list zoom, Dialog zoom, Enable/Disable groups, Show offline contacts/ Hide offline contacts and Multi level menu/ Two level menu), change your status ( Available/Connect, Do not Disturb, Away and Offline/Disconnect) and sent a broadcast message to all people you want. Of course you can chat with your contacts, sent them files, take pictures and sent them immediately and create voice messages and sent these as well. Unfortunately, the files, pictures and the voice messages aren’t submitted directly but uploaded to a server from where your contact can download the file. Anyway, another thing that bother me is the fact that I can’t see the pictures of my contacts or their personal message. Furthermore, I can’t add or change a picture or a personal message to my account as well.
Anyway, when you receive a new message, a little ”ticker” appears on top with your contact’s name and a part of his message. More over, you can see a little letter in front of his nickname. To reply him/her or to write with another person just click on the contact’s name and type in the message. When the person you’re chatting with is writing a message for you, you can see a little keyboard so that you know that the person is writing.
Verdict:
All in all, IM+ is a powerful application putting the most popular IM services under one umbrella. Of course you can find a lot freeware application which are offering the same service (like Slick or Ebuddy) but I think IM+ is the best of the bunch. However, if you just using one certain service like MSN you’ll find better solutions in the internet.
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