eBuddy, Your Free Multi-Network Instant Messaging (IM) app with push notification.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

eBuddy, a leading independent web and mobile instant messaging (IM) service provider recently launched their IPhone application. This free mobile application enables iPhone and iPod Touch users to communicate with others using Facebook Chat, Gtalk, AIM, Windows Live Messenger, ICQ, in one, aggregated interface. eBuddy for iPhone is the first free multi-network mobile instant messaging application with push notification and is available via iTunes.

The application for the iPod Touch and iPhone has been launched earlier but the company has only started to promote the product recently. The product offers a very strong competition to Nimbuzz and fring, which already has the native iPhone applications. But eBuddy application scores in its support for Apple’s Push Notification Service. This feature allows the third-party server to ping the service to push out the notifications to user device over a persistent IP connection. This feature can be handy as an instant messaging tool, since this will basically act as a replacement for the text messages.

Even if you have exited from the application, you will still be able to receive incoming messages from all your contacts from the entire IM clients they choose to use, for 30 minutes initially. The company expects to increase this push notification window time but also has to take measures not to put too much strain in the device’s battery life.

Already about 2 million people are using the eBuddy product from the iPhone or iPod Touch even before the app actually appeared in the App Store, mainly due to the web-based eBuddy Lite Messenger tool. The eBuddy application for iPhone is currently ranked #1 in 21 countries, in the top 5 in 31 countries, and in the top 10 in 37 countries under the free social networking application category.

One drawback to the push notification is that it doesn’t the transmit the pushed message direction to your iphone screen. It just notifies you that you have a new message. Other iphone messaging platforms will display you the message directly to your home screen instead of having to go back to the native app and opening it.

Another drawback is the lack of support for all languages. Some east Asian languages such as Chinese cannot be transmitted via the platform. Hopefully this will be fixed in future patches.

Finally, eBuddy does not support file sharing, and it doesn’t have Skype support. But as a IM tool, it still works great, and not bad for a truly free app. Yep, it’s a truly free app, one without those annoying ads popping up on the top or bottom of your tiny iPhone/iPod screens!

Here are eBuddy’s features at a glance:

• Fast and reliable ‘on-the-go’ chat experience.

• Send a buzzer by shaking your iPhone or iPod Touch.

• Easily switch between chats by swiping your screen

• Get typing alerts and new message alerts in the chat screen

• Push notifications for the incoming messages after you have exited the application.