iPhone App Review #2: eBuddy

eBuddy is a free fully featured instant messaging (that doesn’t contain ads) application for the iPhone. It stands alone from other apps like IM+, BeeJive, andPalringo in that it offers full access to all the services that they offer (AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Jabber, GTalk, and Facebook Chat) and includes push notification. The instant messaging apps that come with push notification have a price range of $4.99-$9.99, but they don’t really offer much more (in terms of functionality) than eBuddy does. They offer more on the side of aesthetics for their price point.

eBuddy comes across as a clean and easy to navigate instant messaging app. It takes very little loading time (even on a 2G) and responds quickly inside the app. Once loaded, though, you have to register for an eBuddy account (if you haven’t already). It’s not very intrusive. Once it’s done you don’t have to worry about it again. All it needs is a login ID, password, and your age.

Push works as you would expect it to. It runs in the background and whenever you get an instant message, you’ll be notified like you would a text message. The only downside of push in the eBuddy app is that the longest you can leave it running when closed is 30 minutes. Most apps have a longer time like 24 hours or 3 days, but not this one. I guess, cuz it’s free….

Nothing special in the settings menu. You can sort your buddy list by name, group, or account. Notification options using sound and vibration. It has one feature called “shake to buzz”. This is basically the same as ‘nudging’ on MSN.

So, there you have it. It’s a great IM app for the iPhone if you’re looking for something free and well made.