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Google crafts web-based Google Talk for iPhone
Google's released a new version of its Google Talk web app that's optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch -- that's right, web app, meaning that they've stayed true to Stevie's original vision of keeping everything within the Safari sandbox. No firmware 2.0, no App Store, and certainly no iPhone 3G needed to take advantage of this one, just a plain ol' iPhone Classique and a willingness to keep Safari open for however long you wish to be available to your Google Talkin' comrades.
Google Apps coming to Clearwire customers via new partnership
Don't look now, but it seems Google is teaming up with wireless broadband provider Clearwire in order to bless its customers with the Google Apps communication suite. Though no definitive date was provided, Clearwire will "soon" begin migrating its users to Gmail / Google Calendar sometime during the first half of this year, and furthermore, these same folks will also have access to Google Talk. Beyond all that, however, is quite a bit of lovin' coming from both sides, and Clearwire's chief strategy officer Scott Richardson even went so far as to say that he "looked forward to expanding its working relationship with Google." Quite the interesting tag team, wouldn't you say?
Meebo releases iPhone web app
Meebo, the reigning champion of web-based chat, has just released their entry into the iPhone app arena. I had a chance to speak with meebo's CEO, Seth Sternberg, earlier today about the release, and they truly do have a surprisingly innovating iPhone app on there hands. Simply point MobileSafari at meebo.com and the site will send you to the iPhone portal (a technique about which our own Scott McNulty had a few thoughts to share) where you can sign into any of Meebo's supported services - including AIM, Yahoo!, MSN and Google Talk - or you can sign in with an account you have already registered with meebo. From there, things get very interesting (note that the screenshot below was snapped in Camino since I'm just not cool enough to get Erica's iPhone screenshot utility up and running). First, if you registered an account with meebo and added your credentials for one or more chat networks, you'll appreciate the fact that everything transfers over to the iPhone app. Custom status messages, your buddy icon, even the history from chat sessions on your desktop computer - they all appear in the iPhone app. Your buddies are listed alphabetically, but any current chats float to the top of the buddy list for easy access, and this is a bit of UI where meebo has some unique innovation going on: the entire iPhone meebo experience centers around a home screen that is your buddy list; it takes up the entire display, and it even rotates and scales gracefully for landscape mode. No tabs here, which can be a mixed bag for the experience. Tapping on a buddy slides over to a new chat window with nothing but an icon to get back to your buddy list, a box to type in and the send button. Chat history (if there is any) populates pretty quickly, even over EDGE, which is an area that Seth said the company focused quite a bit: ensuring the entire app was light on data, simple to use and ultimately fast. Tapping the buddy list icon of course gets you back to the list, and any chats you started automatically float to the top. This is where the lack of tabs can be both a blessing and a curse: while the buddy list is nice and large, making it far easier to to read and navigate than any previous iPhone chat apps, it still takes at least two taps - not including any potential scrolling - to get out of a chat, back to the list and into another chat; more taps if you need to scroll. It's a unique approach to solving this kind of a problem, but ultimately, I think meebo made the right choice.All things considered, meebo's iPhone chat app is hands down my new favorite. I haven't been chatting much on my iPhone yet, but meebo's streamlined experience, fast load times and easy navigation make this a slam dunk that has finally sparked my interest in trying out mobile chat. I was even more surprised about how well they've done on this 1.0 app when Seth shared that this is meebo's first mobile app of any kind. While the company has done web-based chat for years now, they've never ventured onto any mobile device platforms. That said, I think they just about knocked this one out of the park. If you own an iPhone and need to chat, meebo.com is easily one of the best options available.
Google Talk VoIP phone in development... again?
One can't help but wonder if the recent decisions regarding the FCC's 700MHz frequency auction aren't having an effect on Google's desire to bring a WiFi phone to market as quickly as possible. What better way to use the new "open" frequency than to put Google Talk on a device and get it into the hands of customers about to get "choices" for what they're using to ride the celestial-wavelengths? According to sources, a Taiwanese ODM called Wistron NeWeb has entered "design-in development" for phones with Google Talk compatibility. Of course, we've heard similar rumors before, but the company already makes Skype phones, so moving the technology to Google's implementation of VoIP would be easy as pie -- and who doesn't like pie?[Via SmallNetBuilder]
'Fring' it up with mobile Skype and Google Talk
Yeah, we know there are tons o' official hacks to get Skype working on the Windows Mobile Symbian front, but there, umm, unofficial and choke many an underpowered Symbian device these days. So, if you're determined to bypass those costly voice minutes from the various mobile carrier networks and want to VoIP it up over that 3G data connection or with that zingy Wi-Fi connection on your smartphone, Fring may be for you. But, don't break out the virtual champagne just yet...Fring assuredly makes its money on a percentage basis from those svelte Skype interconnections it will provide. We're a little sure that Skype has made it officially hard to use its service from a mobile device so that it won't anger the mobile carriers, but Fring does not seem to care (nor should it.) Oh, you get access to Google Talk as well in addition to Skype calls. Bring it on, Fring.[Thanks to all for the Symbian correction]
Gizmo Call brings VoIP to the browser
If downloading a whole entire app for making VoIP calls is just too much commitment, or perhaps you'd like to get in a few free phone calls on some random PC you don't quite have that kind of privilege with, SIPphone has quite a dealio for you. The builders of Gizmo Project have just unveiled Gizmo Call, which allows you to make phone calls from your browser, using a Flash-based mini-app. You get five minutes a day of free calls to any phone line, along with unlimited free calls to users of Google Talk, Windows Live, Gizmo Project and any other SIP service. There are fancy little "Call Me" links you can hand out to your friends, along with the ability to customize your CallerID to make your call look like it's coming from your mobile or landline. The service is live now, so start pranking your friends before they catch on!
Nimbuzz lets you call your IM buddies
We've all been there -- you need to get in contact with your friends; they're not answering their phones. You know they're online, but you need to have an actual voice conversation. Well, rejoice, our frustrated friends -- for Nimbuzz plans to bridge the gap between instant messaging and cellphones. Its currently-in-beta (no surprise there), free-to-download app supports "more than 500 [Java-enabled] mobile devices" and allows you to call and initiate voice chats with your buddies on Google Talk and MSN / Windows Live Messenger. In addition to keeping you on top of your online friends, it lets you make international calls to other cellphones at local rates, so long as whomever you are calling also has Nimbuzz installed on their device. Besides that, you also get free text messaging and the ability to have Group Calls with up to five buddies on your contact list regardless of how they are connected, and Nimbuzz says it is currently working on getting your AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! and Skype friends into the mix. Now that you know, we hope you don't mind as we run and make a few overdue calls to our pals across the pond and in the far East.
Alpha Networks is prepping Google Talk WiFi phone
Just 'cause Skype gets all the coverage doesn't mean vendors have forgotten about other VoIP alternatives. Take the lovable Google Talk, for example. Taiwan's Alpha Networks is all ready to produce a WiFi phone with Google Talk compatibility, they're just waiting to sync up with "clients' product roadmaps" -- whatever that means. The phone should also have Gmail capabilities, and Alpha is planning to develop a video phone as well. Whether that points to Google Talk-based video chat, and whether some sort of forthcoming Google Video Talk product is on one of those "clients' product roadmaps" is purely irresponsible (and entertaining) speculation on our part.
Nokia 770 OS upgrade now available
As promised, Nokia has just posted the Internet Tablet 2006 operating system for download -- although as of this writing you get redirected to an error page -- giving 770 owners access to those handful of new features announced last month. You'll recall that instead of dropping a QWERTY-equipped version of the tablet as we were hoping/expecting, Nokia disappointed more than a few fans by only unveiling a software upgrade that adds an on-screen keyboard along with the Google Talk client. Even worse, Nokia warns that "installed applications designed for OS 2005 will not be compatible with OS 2006 edition and will not be restored even from backup," so kiss your old apps goodbye if you're planning on upgrading. Still, current 770 owners will probably want to take plunge just so they can run programs developed exclusively for the new OS, and hopefully the software 'board will suffice until Nokia takes our advise and changes up the input style in the next generation of WiMax- and webcam-sporting tablets.[Thanks, Alessandro Z.]
Mobile IM poised to overtake SMS, analysts say
Citing growth rates of the respective services, telecom consulting firm Ovum is predicting that mobile instant messaging will replace SMS as the de facto text messaging solution some time in the next five years. This has operators scrambling, and analysts pontificating, on how the outrageous profits made from SMS will be replaced. One of the compelling features of SMS for operators is a lack of status -- there's no way to know whether a user is able to immediately receive your text, but your carrier will be happy to take your coin regardless. From the user's perspective, SMS is an inherent, universal feature of every mobile phone sold today, which gives us a level of integration that mobile IM won't likely see any time soon. With IM, on the other hand, user status is a common feature, and you might be less likely to send a message to someone who can't receive it. Carriers are slowly making moves to embrace IM, but it's unclear how, or even if, they'll be able to fully recoup lost SMS income in the long run when it's being overrun by a universal, virtually free, data-based system.[Via textually.org]
Nokia surprises, unveils Internet Tablet 2006 OS for 770
So instead of revealing that upgraded version of the 770 Internet Tablet as we expected them to today, Nokia flipped the script on us and announced that the Google Talk and keyboard features we had been anticipating will actually be coming in the form of a software upgrade. The good news is that these new features -- part of the company's so-called Internet Tablet 2006 OS -- will be available to current 770 owners through a simple update, although those folks who were expecting a hardware QWERTY option (and not just an on-screen "thumb board") are certainly going to be disappointed. On the plus side, the new OS will support SIP-based VoIP solutions, with Nokia specifically mentioning that a version of the Gizmo Project client is forthcoming. IT2006 will become the default operating system on 770 units, and will be available as a free download to existing 770 users, beginning sometime this quarter.
WSJ sez Nokia 770 followup to feature Google Talk
We've known since February that Nokia was working on a QWERTY-sportin' followup to the 770 Internet tablet, and now the Wall Street Journal has confirmed that the included VoIP app will indeed be, as we anticipated, Google Talk. Unfortunately this means that the device will still be unable to call regular phone numbers out of the box, although G Talk members will at least be able to chat among themselves for free. The WSJ is also reporting (only to its subscribers, not to us) that sources close to Nokia have said that the new device will be officially unveiled on Tuesday, and sell for around $390 when it hits stores.
