I was just thinking the other day about how I could send instant messages on my Dell Axim x51v. The first program I tried was eBuddy, a web browser based, non-realtime messaging solution. The problem with a refresh based solution, however, is that there are times you don’t realize the chat log has become outdated while you are still typing your response. The second solution which I looked at was WebMessenger’s Mobile IM for PPC. The big gripe I had with them was the price tag – pay by month service…that was no good, either. Finally, I discovered Shape Services’ IM+….ahhhh….just right! IM+ supports most major instant messaging services (AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, Google, ICQ, and MSN).

Don’t forget, you can also get this now in the JAMM Store for 15% off! Use coupon code: JAMM-Feb16 (Expires 2-16-07) and get in touch with your loved ones!

Installation and Registration:

Simply download the WM5/2003 or 2000 version and run the desktop installer package to have the trial version installed to your device through ActiveSync. You’ll also get a choice to select your local language (English, French, Italian, German, and Russian). Once installed, you will be able to IM up to 12 messages per session (just set your status to offline and then back online to start a new session) and the software will work for a total of 7 days. Registration with a purchased key code removes all restrictions.

 Account Setup:

You can use any of your existing IM accounts  on the various service providers. Setting up IM+ to work with your account is easy. Simply click on the icon that represents your service and select "Configure".

Then, you just enter your account credentials and hit "Connect". That’s it, repeat the process for each service and you’ll be chatting very shortly. Too bad it doesn’t support multiple user accounts per service. I personally keep different screennames for different purposes. Now I’ll have to pick and chose which one to use which can be a hard choice. The other important reason to support multiple accounts is the maxiumum contact list size for various services such as MSN (300 contacts), AIM (1,000 contacts), and ICQ (700 contacts).  Of course these limits used to be signifficantly smaller only until recently with MSN and AIM which both used to allow only 150 contacts.  But as more and more people connect, I can still see my contact list outgrowing the maximum size especially with networking sites such as MySpace and EveryonesConnected where I meet so many new people each day.

Usage, Interface, and Options:

So now, I am online and logged in with everything except Jabber (denoted by a yellow icon instead green). I am presented with my enormous contact list. Looks like a mess doesn’t it? This is where IM+’s handy contact list filters come into play. Your contact list can be sorted with the following options via Main -> View Mode: Show services (Sorts your list based on service type.) Show groups Online users only (I highly recommend keeping this checked!) Sort contacts by status

Hey, Doug is online….
They also offer a great selection of smileys.
Click on "Roster" to get back to your contacts list.

Sorted, my contact list looks like this!

Now from here, if I wanted to get back to that open chat, I would goto "Menu – Show Dialogs"…but let’s take a look at what other options are available. From "Menu – Settings" we find 2 screens. The enabling of the Today plugin to saving histories.

Curious, why is there a need for a Today plugin? I personally don’t even use it as I’m switching from one application to other. To me it’s not important to see how many contacts are online and how many contacts I have.  If they message me, I’d be notified and if I need to contact them, I’d easily find them from the contact list.  As this Today plugin only shows information which is of no value and clicking on it just gets me to my contact list, I consider it dead weight.  I reserve my Today screen only for the most important things such as my schedule and tasklist as anything more would not only create clutter but would consume system resources. 

Lastly, if I needed to set my status to away, I can do so on a per service level or a global level.  That’s great control to be able to choose.  You can also use the status manager to create custom away messages.

Conclusion:

I must say that I was jumping for joy when I tried out IM+. It truly is feature rich and easy to use. The ability to keep a history of chats is also a feature that I really like. The only thing that I would love SHAPE Services to add in the future would be the ability to use multiple accounts on a single service. All in all, this is a polished product that is nearly perfect. It is also the only real-time solution that I’ve come across that is cost effective. It works and it’s easy.

You can also get this now in the JAMM Store for 15% off! Use coupon code: JAMM-Feb16 (Expires 2-16-07)

 Vital Statistics:

 Name: IM+

 Version: 4.30

 Platform: WM5

 Also Available: WM 2002/2003, WM5, WM Smartphone, BlackBerry, Symbian S60, Symbian Series 80, symbian Series 90, Symbian UIQ, Palm OS, Java phones, and i-mod.

 Developer: SHAPE Services

 Available From: SHAPE Services and the JAMM Store

 Price: $39.95

 Technorati Tags: Shape Services, IM+ MSN/ Yahoo!/ICQ/ AOL/Jabber/ Google Talk for Pocket PC, Just, Another, Mobile, Monday

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