Geekshow

MacGeek – Spotlight: BeejiveIM App

Pronounced \bē-hīv\, this instant messaging app for the iPhone and iPod Touch is the most feature-rich IM client out there.
Instant messaging is just texting, but without the per-message cost. BeeJiveIM uses the iPhone data plan, so the per-message cost is $0.00.

With BeejiveIM users can use wifi, 3G or Edge seamlessly and are able to connect to existing accounts including: AIM/MobileMe, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN/WindowsLive, MySpace IM, Yahoo!, and Facebook Chat; group chat is said to be added soon. Setting up your accounts is as easy as selecting the client and inputting your info.

This app is currently  $15.99, so it’s one of the more expensive social networking apps around for the iPhone/iPod touch. But for What you get it’s worth the $$. I know that sounds like a lot of money, but unlimited text messages is $20/month or $30/month for families.

Okay, so instant messaging is all about keeping connected and staying in touch, right? Well BeejiveIM does that in spades. Not only can you have accounts to all the services listed above, you can manage your availability individually. For example, I want to be available to my spouse on MobileMe, but not all my friends on MySpace IM, or Facebook Chat… Check!

Another great feature is the ability to send SMS to your friends who refuse or are unable (read: old phone) to use email or IM. Using either an AIM or Yahoo! account, I can send IMs as text messages. The recipient is sent a text asking them if they want to receive or decline the message, and after they accept, then you are okay to chat. They still get charged the text message rates, but you are free to chat without worry. In order to send a text message, you can either manually enter a phone number or select it from your address book.

Okay, so we’ve talked about account set up and text messages. But what if the BeejiveIM app is closed? Everyone knows that 3rd party iPhone apps are not allowed to run in the back ground. Well, BeejiveIM has a nifty work-around: push email. In iPhone settings, choose BeejiveIM and turn on “push” and add your push-enabled email address.

If you already have a MobileMe account, then you are good to go. If not, get a free Yahoo! account. I used an old free Yahoo! account that I set up many years ago, but barely used and it work perfectly. Although, I have talked to people who have re-activated an old Yahoo! account and push just didn’t work. I have noticed that just setting up a new Yahoo! account just for BeejiveIM works well.

This feature works well with another great feature: BeejiveIM will keep you logged in to your IM services for up to 24 hours. As long as you open BeejiveIM once a day, you will essentially be connected forever. If the app is closed, and someone sends you a message, you will receive an email with not only the missed message, but a button that opens the BeejiveIM app so that a response can be made.

Let’s talk about features. Some of my favorites are:

Send/Receive Images/Voice notes through IM. Voice notes are done right in the app.
Send text/images as SMS/MMS to most carriers.
Easily switch between chats. Ability to shake iPhone to switch chats in BeeJiveIM.
Portrait or Landscape mode keyboard.
Push Notification.
Attachments available as a web link or in-line view.
Email chat log(s).
Buddy Icon support.
Growl-like display when typing.
Background wallpaper support.

This interface is sleek and beautiful. It’s exactly what you’d expect in a top-notch (who uses top-notch these days?) iPhone app.
It’s available for $15.99 here.