No, there isn’t an application called Chit Chat for the E71 (or if there is, then I don’t know about it) but with the E71′s gorgeous landscape screen and its oh-so comfortable qwerty keypad, the E71 screams “use me for Instant Messaging!”. So I answered its scream and installed tons of IM applications on it. But out of all of them, two applications stood out for working on my 3G connection and offering lots of functionality.
Windows Live Messenger
Pinch me to see if I’m dreaming, because I can’t believe that Microsoft actually got something right! Yes, Windows Live Messenger (let’s call it WLM) is available through the Download! application of each phone I’ve had so far and works so perfectly well. If you are a Hotmail and WLM user on your computer, you will be delighted by the options that WLM brings for you mobile:
- First, it’s not only a WLM but it also brings a Hotmail inbox in your Messaging application, this is an option you are offered when you first set it up. Everyone who has tried to set an IMAP inbox for Hotmail knows that it doesn’t work, so it was a delight to see that WLM brings the Hotmail inbox into my phone. Of course, I can’t change its settings to automatically update, but I can update it whenever I want and I can send email from it. Much more useful than not having it.
- It also brings my Live contacts as a separate tab in my Contacts application, and allows me to edit their details, and synchronize them between the cloud and my phone. Brilliant.
- The WLM interface is SO nice, it’s clean, it’s well done and it’s not bulked up by a ton of unneeded things.
- Navigating between the main Contact list in WLM and the opened conversations is a simple flick to the left and flick to the right.
- There’s a ton of settings for you to fiddle with, from text size, to viewing contacts by their display name or real name, to access points, notifications…
- You can add, delete and block a contact from within WLM.
- You can invite several people to one conversation (group chat).
- The best option in my opinion is the Send function inside each conversation which allows you to immediately record a voice clip (like on the PC version) and send it, as well as send images from the Gallery or instantly captured, or send any kind of file. Genius! The Voice Clip option is dead useful when you want to speak a long sentence and don’t have the time to type it, or when you want to go crazy and start making embarrassing noises.
Microsoft had to screw up at some point and this is where it gets ugly: WLM is not free. This is absolute bullshit I think, as the application is available for free on the PC. Nevertheless, it comes with a 30-day trial and costs 1.5Euro a month, which is somehow cheap and expensive at the same time. I highly recommend trying it though if you use WLM on your computer as you will find yourself in such a cosy and known territory.
Nimbuzz
Nimbuzz is a multiple IM and VoIP client for your E71. It can import your Windows Live, Yahoo, Gtalk, Skype, AIM, IRC and tons of other network friends into one application and allow you to have conversations with them. What I love about it is that I can finally have my Windows Live, Gtalk and Skype contacts in one application that works over my 3G connection (Fring doesn’t).
Nimbuzz offers a very clean interface, plenty of options to customize how everything shows up, and a lot of functionality, be it in conversation windows or outside. Sending of files is also supported, but limited to photos and videos apparently. The main plus is that you can make voice calls to your contacts, be it through local dial-in (which routes the call through your line, but you pay for it as you do for local calls, even if the contact lives abroad) or through international calls (which is true VoIP). I love it because even on slow EDGE connection, and while out and about, I can call back home in Lebanon for local rates.
Ricky has already reviewed it here, and he was impressed, but Nimbuzz has even more evolved since then: it has now graduated to v1.0 and offers a PC client and a web client. I won’t review Nimbuzz in detail now but will leave it till later. In the meantime, please do check it out as: 1. it’s free ; 2. it’s extremely useful ; 3. it brings ALL your Instant Messaging friends into one client ; 4. it allows you to make VoIP calls ; 5. did I mention that it’s free? Oh, I did, but I’ll repeat it: it’s FREEEEEE! Go to www.nimbuzz.com on your handset to download it, or go here to download it on your PC then install it on the phone.
