Mobilechat finally up!

[jaseone]

According to their blogs, they have FINALLY gotten outside people to look into all the problems they are having, and seem to be slowly growing their inner team up as well -- this is the best thing they can do right now, and it's just unfortunate they didn't consider doing this much earlier. They could have saved themselves, and everyone else, a bunch of headaches.

Finally? They asked for help just 2 days after launch and had help in place the next day... Could they have avoided a lot of what happened at launch? Yes they could have by planning ahead a bit better but hey look at all the updates they are providing as they progress, heck even before it launched they were providing regular updates, can you say the same about Apple during the MobileMeh fiasco?

 

[spyker3292]

MobileChat seems to be working a lot better now. Anyone else had luck too? Now that it works I can't wait for those big smashing updates!

 

[MSUSpartan]

Do your buddy lists ever update? Mine never updates and doesn't show my groupings. I don't even know who's online or not, which defeats the purpose of the program most of the time. I don't want to have to delete and re-enter my account information just to see who's online. I don't understand everyone that defends the developers.

I agree w/ one of the App Store reviews, this program is borderline theft.

I bought a program called BeeJive when I had a Blackberry and I can't wait for that to come out for the iPhone.

 

[kw512]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5B108 Safari/525.20)

MobileChat seems to be working a lot better now. Anyone else had luck too? Now that it works I can't wait for those big smashing updates!

I agree. Working much better for me also. I am now able to log into AIM too. However my connection to each IM service gets disconnected after being out of the app for awhile.

 

[Warbrain]

Do your buddy lists ever update? Mine never updates and doesn't show my groupings. I don't even know who's online or not, which defeats the purpose of the program most of the time. I don't want to have to delete and re-enter my account information just to see who's online. I don't understand everyone that defends the developers.

I agree w/ one of the App Store reviews, this program is borderline theft.

I bought a program called BeeJive when I had a Blackberry and I can't wait for that to come out for the iPhone.

They have a Safari-based version. Check it out.

 

[MSUSpartan]

They have a Safari-based version. Check it out.

Oh I've used it, it's actually really good. I use that on my rides home from work now instead of something I bought (MobileChat). It's just more reliable. Safari apps are clunky though so I can't wait when the native app comes out for BeeJive. I'd paid $15 for it on the Blackberry but I'd be happy to pay $30. It was that good.

 

[Quincy9219]

The difference is huge companies have tons of resources, money, and people to make sure things can at least get back on track quicker -- so it's easier to cut them some slack, even when they make huge mistakes, because at least there's a feeling things will eventually get fixed. Especially a company like Apple, which, despite a few hiccups here and there, is usually a pretty reliable company. Yes, it seems inexcusable that such a huge company can make mistakes, but at the end of the day who would you trust more for to get things back on track? A giant company that has their multi-billion reputation on the line, or "just two guys" with not much to lose? Maybe Apple is actually an evil corporation at the end of the day, and maybe the MobileChat guys are pure angels with all the best intentions -- who knows? But that doesn't change the fact that most people are going to most-likely put their faith on the big company with the proven track record instead of two unknowns. It just makes sense.

Hmmm...proven track record? Apple? Those two concepts just don't fit together in my mind. I have never been a big fan of Apple, I actually prefer Windows PCs over Apple computers. But take a look at Apple. Just in the past two months, they have made mistake after mistake, MobileMe is just the tip of the iceberg. Look at the 2.0 mess where if you were updating at home, your phone was bricked for half the day, and then the buggy software, the never ending backups, and the vanishing apps with no explanations. Look at 2.0.1, the software update that was supposed to fix everything, it hasn't fixed much, and for some it has caused more problems. Look at the 3G itself, poor coverage, low quality materials leading to cracking, and so many returns and exchanges, that somewhere, someone is wondering how many more mistakes could Apple have made in this roll out and release cycle. Note that all of these are just Apple iPhone problems, I can't speak to problems is their other products as my iPhone is my only Apple product.

I am not a fanboy, in fact, I only like technology that works reliably every single time I want it to. I have never come across an Apple product that does that. Only Apple has this cultist following of people who believe that Steve Jobs can do no wrong. Now I am sure I am going to be attacked for this post, but when it comes down to it, you cannot truly attack these two guys trying as hard as humanly possible to fix their mess, being completely candid about it along the way, unlike Apple, I might add. It makes me sad to see how far the instant gratification, my way or the highway culture has advanced in the Western world. If it was Apple that had made mistakes like this, you would be talking about how they are trying to fix them, oh, wait, Apple did make mistake, bigger mistakes than these two guys made. Apple's mistakes are bricking iPhones around the world, MC3 has yet to brick an iPhone.

So, with my rant out of the way, it's time to give the fanboys a chance to pick apart my spelling and grammar, because I'm right, and they'll ignore that.

 

[trunksu]

Oh I've used it, it's actually really good. I use that on my rides home from work now instead of something I bought (MobileChat). It's just more reliable. Safari apps are clunky though so I can't wait when the native app comes out for BeeJive. I'd paid $15 for it on the Blackberry but I'd be happy to pay $30. It was that good.

beta native app for iphone comes out in September. i just checked the price and it's $20 now for the blackberries.

 

[ijohnw]

I am having much better luck with mobile chat..it connects for me everytime now I use it and my username is staying connected at all times and ims are coming through! I love this app and i think these guys are working to perfect it to be the best!

 

[bigrobb]

its working great for me to now

 

[kwjohns]

Hmmm...proven track record? Apple? Those two concepts just don't fit together in my mind. I have never been a big fan of Apple, I actually prefer Windows PCs over Apple computers. But take a look at Apple. Just in the past two months, they have made mistake after mistake, MobileMe is just the tip of the iceberg. Look at the 2.0 mess where if you were updating at home, your phone was bricked for half the day, and then the buggy software, the never ending backups, and the vanishing apps with no explanations. Look at 2.0.1, the software update that was supposed to fix everything, it hasn't fixed much, and for some it has caused more problems. Look at the 3G itself, poor coverage, low quality materials leading to cracking, and so many returns and exchanges, that somewhere, someone is wondering how many more mistakes could Apple have made in this roll out and release cycle. Note that all of these are just Apple iPhone problems, I can't speak to problems is their other products as my iPhone is my only Apple product.

I am not a fanboy, in fact, I only like technology that works reliably every single time I want it to. I have never come across an Apple product that does that. Only Apple has this cultist following of people who believe that Steve Jobs can do no wrong. Now I am sure I am going to be attacked for this post, but when it comes down to it, you cannot truly attack these two guys trying as hard as humanly possible to fix their mess, being completely candid about it along the way, unlike Apple, I might add. It makes me sad to see how far the instant gratification, my way or the highway culture has advanced in the Western world. If it was Apple that had made mistakes like this, you would be talking about how they are trying to fix them, oh, wait, Apple did make mistake, bigger mistakes than these two guys made. Apple's mistakes are bricking iPhones around the world, MC3 has yet to brick an iPhone.

So, with my rant out of the way, it's time to give the fanboys a chance to pick apart my spelling and grammar, because I'm right, and they'll ignore that.

I'd be more than willing to pick apart your arguments regarding Mac vs PC if it weren't the 100th time I've done it and it weren't so pointless. I've used PCs for 14 years and Macs for 5 years. I've had less trouble and have had more enjoyment out of Mac OS X. But that's my preference. You can't really criticize Mobile Me and iPhone updates and use that as an argument regarding the stability or functionality of Mac OS X because it's completely different development teams.

 

[Quincy9219]

I'd be more than willing to pick apart your arguments regarding Mac vs PC if it weren't the 100th time I've done it and it weren't so pointless. I've used PCs for 14 years and Macs for 5 years. I've had less trouble and have had more enjoyment out of Mac OS X. But that's my preference. You can't really criticize Mobile Me and iPhone updates and use that as an argument regarding the stability or functionality of Mac OS X because it's completely different development teams.

I'm not criticizing Mac vs. PC, or talking about OS X. My point is that Apple is not the God company that can do no wrong as some people make it out to be. If you missed that, then I have no idea what you were reading, but it certainly wasn't my post.

 

[Rojo]

Hmmm...proven track record? Apple? Those two concepts just don't fit together in my mind. I have never been a big fan of Apple, I actually prefer Windows PCs over Apple computers. But take a look at Apple. Just in the past two months, they have made mistake after mistake, MobileMe is just the tip of the iceberg. Look at the 2.0 mess where if you were updating at home, your phone was bricked for half the day, and then the buggy software, the never ending backups, and the vanishing apps with no explanations. Look at 2.0.1, the software update that was supposed to fix everything, it hasn't fixed much, and for some it has caused more problems. Look at the 3G itself, poor coverage, low quality materials leading to cracking, and so many returns and exchanges, that somewhere, someone is wondering how many more mistakes could Apple have made in this roll out and release cycle. Note that all of these are just Apple iPhone problems, I can't speak to problems is their other products as my iPhone is my only Apple product.

I am not a fanboy, in fact, I only like technology that works reliably every single time I want it to. I have never come across an Apple product that does that. Only Apple has this cultist following of people who believe that Steve Jobs can do no wrong. Now I am sure I am going to be attacked for this post, but when it comes down to it, you cannot truly attack these two guys trying as hard as humanly possible to fix their mess, being completely candid about it along the way, unlike Apple, I might add. It makes me sad to see how far the instant gratification, my way or the highway culture has advanced in the Western world. If it was Apple that had made mistakes like this, you would be talking about how they are trying to fix them, oh, wait, Apple did make mistake, bigger mistakes than these two guys made. Apple's mistakes are bricking iPhones around the world, MC3 has yet to brick an iPhone.

So, with my rant out of the way, it's time to give the fanboys a chance to pick apart my spelling and grammar, because I'm right, and they'll ignore that.

We get it - you're not an Apple fanboy.

Well I am an Apple fan, insomuch as I enjoy a great deal of their products -- but I wouldn't call myself a diehard fanboy. I'm not slavishly devoted to them, or a member of their "cult" -- and I'm quite critical of them when they make huge mistakes (like MobileMe).

But at the end of the day, if you ask me whether I'm going to go with a cold, non-communicative company like Apple who still always gives me a quality product (even MobileMe, which works flawlessy now), or go with two unknown, unproven guys who may "seem nice" on their blog but have no proven track record, don't really act professionally in public, have made embarrassingly bad judgement calls, and have only delivered a (so far) terrible product -- I'm going to go with Apple. Call me crazy, but at the end of the day it's the product that matters more to me. It would be lovely to get interaction AND a good product, of course -- but if I have to go with one, the product always wins. If I want people to be nice to me, that's what my friends and family are for.

 

[kwjohns]

I'm not criticizing Mac vs. PC, or talking about OS X. My point is that Apple is not the God company that can do no wrong as some people make it out to be. If you missed that, then I have no idea what you were reading, but it certainly wasn't my post.

Oh, I'm sorry. I guess it was the novel I had to read and the fact that you brought up your preference to Windows PCs when you could have simply pointed out that Apple can do wrong with a simple sentence. And how it was relevant to the subject at hand is beyond me. You don't know if the people criticizing the two developers aren't also criticizing Apple or not. Regardless, it seems kind of ironic that someone who is trying to appear so anti-Apple has 100+ posts on an Apple forum within a month's time.

 

[spyker3292]

Just to clarify. For the past 2 days it has worked 100% for me. Logs on fast to my msn and aim. Photos work. Everything works!! I have actually tried to make it not work. Also, now it just needs idle and groups. Maybe a refresh buddy list button just in case.

 

[carve]

It does NOT charge IM's as TXTS, correct?

 

[jaseone]

Just to clarify. For the past 2 days it has worked 100% for me. Logs on fast to my msn and aim. Photos work. Everything works!! I have actually tried to make it not work. Also, now it just needs idle and groups. Maybe a refresh buddy list button just in case.

So it keeps your online buddy list up to date in MSN? Mine always remains at what it was when I first logged on with that account. It also won't automatically connect if I've left it online but logged in with another client since, in that instance I need to change my status from offline to online to get it to work.

What about aliases and profile pics for MSN? I only ever saw a profile pic for one of my buddies, which was kind of odd.

 

[Niiro13]

It does NOT charge IM's as TXTS, correct?

That is correct.

It's one of the advantages of them having their own server.

 

[kwjohns]

That is correct.

It's one of the advantages of them having their own server.

That has nothing to do with it. AIM and Palringo don't charge txts for IMs either.

 

[Niiro13]

That has nothing to do with it. AIM and Palringo don't charge txts for IMs either.

Sorry, I didn't mean MobileChat's server.

AOL has their own server for AIM. All IMs and SMS through the AIM server is considered data as well as the other services .

 

[Sobe]

Sounds to me like he's comparing the troubles a company worth $158 billion can have when rolling something new out and people are surprised that two developers had trouble.

Sure, just provide some numbers regarding how many people Apple have working on mobile me and the comparison might have some validity.

 

[kwjohns]

Sure, just provide some numbers regarding how many people Apple have working on mobile me and the comparison might have some validity.

Apple can afford to hire as many people as they'd like to work on Mobile Me. Apple can also afford to hire as skillful obj-c programmers as they'd like. A little company called twenty08 can afford neither.

 

[Sobe]

Apple can afford to hire as many people as they'd like to work on Mobile Me. Apple can also afford to hire as skillful obj-c programmers as they'd like. A little company called twenty08 can afford neither.

Oh my god, you're right! The roll out of an MMO or mobile me really is comparable to rolling out a chat client!

 

[pcjoe]

Oh my god, you're right! The roll out of an MMO or mobile me really is comparable to rolling out a chat client!

The only reason that comparison was made was due to the fact that most of you guys apparently never typed a line of code in your life, and just don't understand the complexity of the project at hand. It's not remotely as complex as an MMO, but some of the underlying challenges are the same. I figured that would be something most people here could relate to.

Rolling out something like mobile chat is a challenge, even more so with just two people. If you're going to laugh at it and say it's a joke, or it's inexcusable, or whatever - back it up. Lets see something you developed by yourself that rivals MC's complexity. Personally, I'm impressed with what they've pushed out so far. It's a little rough around the edges, but the base seems to be there.

 

[dranakin]

A new blog post indicates that they just brought on Alex Schaefer, developer of ApolloIM. Sound promising, though I'm still waiting for the 3.0.1 update to go live on the App Store since I still can't use MC.