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iPad apps to the rescue
"Whenever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Whenever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there... I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an'-I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build-why, I'll be there." -- John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath The iPad is an overlooked hero. When you need it, the iPad will be there. It will be there to access data or connect back home. It will be there to let others reach out to you, or to let you reach out to others. With the right software, and the right ingenuity, the iPad can metaphorically leap tall buildings and save the day. These are everyday rescues, not life-or-death scenarios. This post isn't about how the iPhone saved one guy's life after the Haiti Earthquakes. Here's how iPad applications can fix your workday with simple, helpful solutions that will free you from the laptop and live "la vida tablet." We've got five real world scenarios, including the iPad apps that will be there for you.
First Look: Beejive for the iPad
BeeJive is a solid IM client for the iPhone and has been a favorite of staff members since its original release. Suffice it to say, there were a few of us who were more than a little happy when the iPad version was released today. If you've used the iPhone sibling, BeeJive won't be that different to you. You can send files and photos from the app itself, though you can only select from a photo album for the latter. You can record audio messages and share chats with other people through e-mail, customize the wallpaper and toggle sounds among default, Yahoo, AIM or MSN. Emoticons still work, though the ability to use the /me emote is absent. You can also join chatrooms, that feature in and of itself setting BeeJive above its competitors. BeeJive still supports push notification and upon first launch will ask you if you want to enable them -- just make sure not to be alerted for each message if you are in a chatroom!
AIM and BeejiveIM updated for push support
AOL has updated both its free (download link) and paid versions (download link) of its AIM client for the iPhone. Besides push notification support, the paid version brings with it the ability to message in landscape mode -- although AOL says that the free version will gain this ability in a later release. And if these updates alone aren't enough to fill your Monday iPhone app updating appetites, multi-protocol (which also includes support for AIM) BeejiveIM has also been updated (download link) to support push notifications. Note: AOL Instant Messenger is a product from AOL, which is also the corporate parent of TUAW & Weblogs Inc.
BeeJive IM offers up sale, tells of Facebook chat feature
BeeJive IM [iTunes link], the ultimate instant messenger application for your iPhone/iPod touch, will be on sale this week, beginning on Monday, March 2, 2009. The application will be available for $9.99US (down from $15.99US). While this application is a bit pricey, we agree that it's one of the best instant messenger applications on the iPhone. This sale is expected to last from March 2 through Sunday, March 8, 2009. With news of sale also comes the news that a new feature will soon be added to BeeJive IM. The guys at BeeJive have let us know that in just a few more weeks, we'll see Facebook chat integration from right in the app. BeeJive IM is available from the iTunes App Store.
Beejive IM updated to 2.0, includes audio messaging
Beejive IM [iTunes link], the Swiss army knife of instant messaging on the iPhone, was recently updated to version 2.0. Beejive allows you to connect with many different instant messaging services including: AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN/Live, Myspace IM, and Yahoo messenger. This application was already top-notch in the previous versions and this new version just makes things a lot better. Let's take a look at each of the changes to Beejive. You are now able to send photos directly from your iPhone and have them show up in-line with the body of the chat. In addition, you can now easily see photos sent to your iPhone. Probably one of the coolest new features is the ability to record and send voice notes to your fellow chatters. Tapping on the toolbar at the top, which lists the current chat name, gets you four options. One of those options is a small microphone; tapping this icon makes your iPhone show a recording view, and instantly start recording audio. When you tap the stop button, your recording will be saved. You can play or record your voice note over again; if you want to send the voice note, tap the "Send" button and your voice note will be directly transferred to the current chat. In addition to being able to send/receive audio on your iPhone or iPod touch using Beejive 2.0, you can also receive and open multiple types of files, including: - Most image, audio, and video files - PDFs - Word documents - Excel spreadsheets - PowerPoint documents I found that once you receive these types of files, you can also forward them to another person on your buddy list. Once you accept the file transfer, you will get a small blue button that will give you more details about the file that you just received; when you are in this view, you will be able to tap the forward button and find another person to forward it to. By default, Beejive will use the default sounds for incoming/outgoing messages. These sounds are very similar to the sounds that iChat ships with; however, if you get tired of them, there is an option for you in this new version. You are now able to change the sounds in the Beejive section of Settings.app. Under "Sounds," you are able to change between default, AIM, and Yahoo sounds. I found that there were two settings for transferring files, and both are useful. Under the "File Transfer" section of Settings.app > Beejive, you are able to choose between two ways of sending files: post a link or direct send preferred. In my testing, version 2.0 of Beejive seemed extremely stable, and included features that made a big difference. I especially liked the ability to send/receive files right from the device. Beejive is available from the iTunes App Store for $15.99. While the price is high, this application is definitely worth it when you consider all of the capabilities you gain. %Gallery-40552%
BeeJive Instant Messenger app now available for hefty price
If you used an iPhone before native applications came along, then you may have used BeeJive's web app for instant messaging. BeeJive [iTunes link] has now released a native application for the iPhone/iPod touch. Some of the features of BeeJive for iPhone are: 24/7 connectivity, but easy on battery life Get notifications via email even if the application is closed (you will need push email for this to work properly) Works with AIM, MSN, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, ICQ, Jabber, and MySpace IM (What? There's no FaceBook support?) Unicode support for chatting in any language Landscape typing supported Saves chat history, which you can email Send SMS messages through AIM or Yahoo Complete management of buddy lists Configure alerts, sounds, vibration, etc. Now, with a feature list like this, there also comes a price: $15.99. That's right ... sixteen dollars for an iPhone IM application! Despite the high price, the reviews on the App Store seem to be mostly positive -- when I wrote this post the application held a 4.5-start rating. According to the App Store listing, the developer plans to add emoticons, group chat support, and full support for hyperlink text. Here's to hoping this application gets a sale price in the future. %Poll-20309%Thanks, Zyber Joe!
Beejive releases JiveTalk IM for iPhone alpha
It seems Beejive's JiveTalk for iPhone is the first IM client -- in alpha or otherwise -- to actually get out the gate for the iPhone. Featuring almost all flavors of IM -- including AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, GoogleTalk, ICQ, and Jabber -- you'll finally be able to message on the go and perhaps even forget that Apple really dropped the ball forgot to include iChat. The service costs nothing to use as all data wanders over WiFI or EDGE, so all you need do is point iPhone's Safari to iphone.beejive.com and get signed on. While these are still early days for web apps for the iPhone, we're expecting a storm of new releases in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on this space.[Thanks, MobileTelly]
