The world's largest web-messenger service, Meebo now provides a free iPhone application for its users. Those who own one of Apple's mobile phones can now use their web messenger conveniently while they are on the go.

Some of the features included within the app are:

• Access to all your buddies (AIM, Gmail, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, Facebook, Myspace, etc)
• Receive push notifications when you get a new IM, even when the app is closed
• Flick between multiple conversation windows
• Type in landscape and portrait mode
• Manage your chat sessions as you switch back and forth between the Meebo iPhone app and meebo.com
• Synchronized chat history between your iPhone and meebo.com

The Meebo for iPhone app now competes with the great success of eBuddy for the iPhone, which is currently one of the most popular apps within Apple's store.



View Meebo for the iPhone

Since the eBuddy app for the iPhone and iPod Touch was released back in July it has been a commercial success and is now one of the most popular apps to ever hit Apple's monopolistic mobile applications store. With over 4 million downloads the eBuddy team have been working hard to add new features in a timely fashion.


Pro users can now customise the app with themes

Pro users have the ability to customise their mobile eBuddy with themes, an important new feature within the update. As eBuddy supports push notifications it is desirable to constantly have the client running, even when you may be away. The new auto-away feature allows users to set their status to away after a specific time interval.

The new build also boasts several bug fixes and added customisation over the use of push notifications. All in all the eBuddy team have provided a solid update and users should update to receive the full benefit. If you're new to eBuddy for iPhone download the app from the store (for free) today.

Source: eBuddy blog - eBuddy for iPhone update

Technology website Neowin has revealed sources that point to active development on an official set of iPhone applications for Microsoft products, specifically targeted at Bing and Windows Live Messenger. While specifics on the Messenger app are not currently known, a timescale of Spring 2010 has been put on the program's release date:



In what may seem a bold move by Microsoft to release products for a strong competitor's device, there is a strong sense of growing support for Apple's products in Microsoft's software applications. This of course should be celebrated as it gives more to the end user. Nevertheless, with the vast array of IM apps for the iPhone that already do a fantastic job one could question whether Microsoft is too late to join this game?

Neowin also teased at knowing the future UI for Windows Live Messenger 2010, which it claimed would be revealed later this week.

Source: Neowin - Microsoft planning Bing and Messenger iPhone apps

After over two years of development, the popular new IM re-birth of Trillian known as Trillian Astra has come to the iPhone in a notable way. However, one may question whether it stands out from its competitors, particularly over cost.

Although other iPhone web messengers are available and do a great job, Trillian Astra has a layer of polish that is both engaging and fun for the end user. The interface is beautiful, feature packed and its simplicity over integration should be noted. Trillian for the iPhone is rather simply "clean, concise, and coherent". The catch? Currently priced at $4.99 the key question is this app value for money? In many ways yes; this is a feature packed app with a lot to offer and a serious consideration for iPhone users who IM on the go. If you only casually IM on your phone however, then you may struggle to find value in Trillian for the iPhone.

Visit the Trillian for iPhone website

Speedlinking posts are where I organise all my bookmarks and go over some small news items over the past couple of weeks (or in this case, a month) and write them up here. As ever we aim to deliver all news, no matter how mediocre they may seem, so let's get it out of the way in this post.

• eBuddy reveals statistics (17th July): It may interest you to know the popularity of the hit web messenger. Its new iPhone App reached the top spot in the App Store in 40 countries within the past week, their Mobile Messenger has been downloaded 25 million times and over 1,750,000,000 are sent with eBuddy each week. [Read more]
  
  
• Trillian Astra enters public beta (19th June): The IM buzz for several years now has been about the future of Trillian and we have been posting about it for a long time. The Windows and Web version has entered a public beta phase for everyone to try out. [Read more]
  
  
• 10 IM Apps for the iPhone (15th July): A recent article I came across at theAppleBlog gives an overview of the various IM apps available for the iPhone and presents a rounded and informed overview of each. [Read more]
  
  
• MessengerDiscovery 2.0.48 (10th July): The update provides 12 important bug fixes, new API features and an improved tray menu among several other things. According to Matt via his Twitter feed the update was due some weeks before, but was delayed as he had the flu. [Read more]
  
  
• LiveScratcher public beta (16th July): This week we talked about what TheBlasphemer was doing in 2009, where his new project, LiveScratcher was discussed. Now an early build has been uploaded for Messenger developers to experiment with. If your interested, give it a go. [Read more]

This week the eBuddy team have released eBuddy for iPhone and iPod Touch to the Apple App Store, in a move to make their web messenger a truly mobile, on-the-go experience. With iPhone contracts typically allowing unlimited Internet usage, the app aims to provide your IM client wherever and whenever you want. With push notifications you can always be connected even when using the device's other features.

The application is simple, easy to use and just works. It obvious has had a lot of care taken in its development phase to produce an app that competitors such as Meebo simply do not provide. Specifically designed for the iPhone's latest 3.0 software update (yet compatible with previous versions) eBuddy for your iPhone and iPod Touch offers these main features:

• One buddy list for MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, and Facebook
• Stay online when you exit the app
• Get push notifications for incoming messages when you exit the app
• Reconnect automatically if connection is lost
• Get offline messages after reconnecting
• Get new message alerts & typing alerts in the chat screen
• Easily switch between chats by swiping your screen
• Shake your iPhone or iPod Touch to send a buzzer

The product is still in its early stages, but is one of the great few free apps available in the store. Future updates will allow more features and hopefully address issues such as only allowing to be signed in for 30-minute periods. On the whole however, anyone who wants to use IM at any time or in any place should definitely consider this wonderful program. eBuddy for the iPhone gives it the edge over popular competitor Meebo.

Download the eBuddy App for the iPhone/ iPod Touch
Source: Now in the App Store… eBuddy for iPhone & iPod Touch (eBuddy blog)
Visit the eBuddy website for more details

Mobile Messenger clients aren't a relatively new thing, people have been logging into them for years. That being said, many lack the most basic of features, and often only use simple interfaces. The iPhone, with its large screen and rich API has allowed a new generation of mobile apps: eBuddy, Meebo and now an official app form Yahoo! themselves. Below are a list of features:

• Instant message: Send text messages back and forth with your friends, including emoticons and web links.
• Photo sharing: Take a photo on your iPhone and send that, or grab one from your photo gallery to share.
• Stealth settings: Sign in as invisible, or change your status to invisible once you're in the app.
• Custom status message: Enter a custom status message for your friends to see. You can even include a web link with it.
• Recent conversations archive: Under Messages, tap a contact and you'll see your most recent conversation. You can type in a message from there to start chatting again.
• Special idle state: If you have to leave the app for whatever reason, like a call comes in or you click a link in an IM that takes you to Safari, the Yahoo! Messenger for iPhone app will keep you signed in but change your status to idle. That way you can continue to receive messages and provided you return to the app within ten minutes, pick up where you left off.
• Additional settings: Tap the Settings icon to change the sort order of your contact list, or to show or hide offline contacts in your list.

View a video of the app in action
Source: Yahoo! Messenger blog
View a heap of screenshots of the app at LiveSino

Just a quick post here, the popular web messenger eBuddy has been updated for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The new interface is sleeker and easier to use than ever, with the ability to add eBuddy to your home screen if you're an iPhone 3G user.

View the announcement at the eBuddy blog

The iPhone's large high resolution touch screen interface has made it very popular for web applications to take advantage of. Google have continued this trend by today releasing Google Talk for the iPhone and iPod Touch:



The success of the iPhone has meant many popular web services now have specific pages and functions designed for it, including the most popular web messengers.

Source: The Google Talk development blog
View Google Talk for the iPhone

Technology has been changing in recent years, we are moving away from using applications on our desktops and we are trying to use services when they are convenient to us. RSS updates on our mobile phones, social networking websites working on our palm tops, using the Internet on my gaming console; you get the idea.

All this may seem good but I'm not really into it. I don't check my email on my Nintendo Wii, I don't use Facebook/ MySpace on my mobile phone, nor do I use web messengers designed to be more portable. Well the iPhone has changed this. The screen is large enough to provide a good user experience, just look at the video made by Vincent Manuhuwa using eBuddy below:



You can clearly see using eBuddy is quick, clean and easy to use. Although Trillian Astra for the iPhone may have the charm of a flashy design, I could see myself using eBuddy wherever I am.

Visit eBuddy
View the andyman's thread on eBuddy for mobile
Source: eBuddy blog