Quick App: BeeJiveIM 3.0 for iPhone with Push Notification
BeeJive is my IM solution of choice. I don’t use a lot of the more advanced features, but the reason I keep going back to it is just this: speed. It gets me in, working, and back out fast. And BeeJive IM 3.0 with support for iPhone 3.0’s new Push Notification service is no exception. In fact, it rules.
One of the problems with Push Notification is that while the actual alerts are speedy, acting on them is not. Take IM for example. If you enable Text Alerts, an SMS-style popup window presents, tells you the IM app has a new message, and lets you Dismiss or View. If you View, the iPhone then has to 1) close the alert, 2) launch the app, 3) re-establish the app’s server connection (Push Notification uses a different, Apple-powered server), 4) download the IM to the app, and potentially 5) issue the app’s own internal alert if that’s enabled as well.
That can be some overhead. Sure, maybe iPhone 3G S (for speed, remember) will quicken the pace, but BeeJiveIM on an iPhone 3G was impressively responsive already.
Testing it over the last couple days, alerts presented, I tapped them, and everything listed about was handled smoothly and quickly. So, again, I was able to get in, work, and get back out fast. It’s everything that was great about BeeJiveIM 2.0, plus the convenience of Push.
BeeJiveIM 3.0 for iPhone and iPod should be hitting the iTunes App Store any time now. We’ll update with the link as soon as it’s live.
Screenshots after the break!
June 18th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
I am have been waiting to get my hands on this one. Lets hope Apple gives it to us soon.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
so notifications come as text messages ?
June 18th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Sweeeet!Can’t wait for it.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Wooo push notifications. I’m just glad its here I’ll give them some time to fix the bugs while im using it.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
@bmfan – No, not SMS. The two just look alike.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
dmfan, no. The notifications can pop up a box that looks just like a text message though.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
@bmfan
no, push notifications can be “Text Messages” as in text appears in a dialog box or they can be “Badges” and sounds
June 18th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
AIM needs to hurry up with the Push Notification. They should’ve had it out yesterday since they even had a demo last year!
June 18th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
cool, i dont have a txt plan, in fact i have them blocked. so it notifications were txt messages it would kill it for me.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I have been waiting for push on BeeJive FOREVER!! I am so excited!
June 18th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Nice nice nice!!
June 18th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Can’t wait any longer …….. : (
June 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Just a heads up to you guys that want to test push today. Textfree released a push version yesterday. The lite version also supports push.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Can’t wait! Push notifications is what I’ve been excited about for the 3.0 update!
Just wish Apple would hury up and approve some push-enabled apps. I assume they’re holding back, anticipating a rush on their servers?
Anyway, push enabled I.M. is actually going to make a huge difference, being in Ireland and having family in the U.S. SMS is way too expensive and I can now keep in touch anytime. They may be just a gadget, but smartphones can sometimes make quite a difference to people’s lifes. (Sorry if I’m making anyone cringe)
June 18th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
I think meebo is gonna own beejive
June 18th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
seems really really cool but $10 really?
June 18th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Does this app use the authentication APIs of the respective services (gmail)?
June 18th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I been checking all day for updates on apps with push in particular this one
June 18th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
textfree has push app working, its very fast, worth buying now for 6 bucks, and dropping my messaging plan down to 200 but first I need to see how mms is going to work
June 18th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I use BeeJive a lot, and I can’t wait. Hopefully the program starts more quickly than 2.1, which is rather slow.
I also see that they moved the text input bubble away from the keyboard slightly, which is good because I kept pressing the ‘x’ and erasing what I’d typed whenever I went to type O or P on my keyboard!
June 18th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Can’t wait for this!
June 18th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
This is neat. I was trying to see if it worked last night, only to find out they hadn’t released their 3.0 app yet. This is definitely the best IM client out in the app store. Plus, it looks like they had some modified updates do the UI. Sweet!
June 18th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Added some pics and a mention on cut, copy, paste in BeeJiveIM 3.0.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
@Mike: You think $10 is unfair? Try $50 for IM+ on Blackberry. Go see how much the comparable apps are on other platforms then some of you might stop complaining about the prices of the iPhone apps. Seriously, this must be the first device some of you have had that uses real apps.
They cost money to develop. The developers have bills to pay, kids to feed, and roofs to keep over heads like the rest of us. Stop complaining about a few dollars for apps. Believe it or not, developers don’t exists in this world just provide you with free things. These are applications, not chairty. If you can’t afford them, don’t buy them.
If you want charity, ask Obama.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
When will it come out?!!!!
June 18th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Beejive 3.0 was submitted almost two weeks ago. Blame Apple for it not being release yet.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Evilhomer, +1
Well said.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
@thekevinmonster I am forever accidentally pressing the “x” as well! Frustrating. Glad they moved it a bit. I also hope it’s a little more snappy than 2.1.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
@thomas It is, and the keyboard lag is pretty much gone as well
June 18th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
I have been using the developer beta of AIM that included push notifications. Works exactly the same. Less polished then BeeJive. Looking forward to the release.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
AHH, first the dev-team, now TiBb, STOP TEASING ME!!! CAUSE MY CAPS ARE LOUD
June 18th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
If you want the app you better download it soon!!! It’s $9.99 right now but going back up in price after the update.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
was anyone able to get this yet?
June 18th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I love this program. It’s worth the $$ I wish they would move the send key. I hit it while typing the L or M and it sends a partial message. Can’t wait for push!!
June 18th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Will this be an update, or will existing users have to buy a new version ?
June 18th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
@cachemoney It’s a free update.
See here: http://twitter.com/BeejiveIM/status/2020395250
June 18th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I got so excited when I saw this. I immediately rushed to updates before reading the article… not cool TiPB
June 18th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Excellent! Cant wait to get my hands on this, without doubt the best IM app thats been released so far. Push will only make it better. The way they do it now, with the email is pretty damn good, but push will be uber.
June 18th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
i just downloaded beejive yesterday and i am anxiously waiting for the 3.0 update!!! come on apple!
June 18th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I Kinda like IM+ better guys….
I hope 3.0 comes out for that soon as well…
June 18th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I have both IM+ and Beejive.. Beejive run so much better than plus. What do you like about it in particular?
June 18th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
@Evilhomer,
Chill, man. The guy was not saying it should be free. We all have the right to ask for cheaper prices.
Sure developers have costs, but that was not the point, and surely is not a reason for attacking others like that.
Cheers.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
@Cadu:
Spoken like a man who’s never conceived, designed, coded, debugged, and marketed a piece of software then had people moan and groan because you ask for a couple of dollars for your hard work.
Sorry, but the complaints on the prices of iPhone software are baseless. It’s like b1tching at the prices on the dollar menu at Taco Bell.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Can’t wait for this. Just recently started using beejive over just the free aim app.
Love it so far, really want the push version of this to beat AIM to the App Store. That would be great.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
BeeJive is definitely the premiere solution for IM on the iPhone.
Having MobileMe with was actually an okay solution. BeeJive would Push an e-mail as soon as an IM was received.
With that said, I can’t wait to try it with the new, real Push Notifications.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
I’m a very happy Beejive user… I’ve sold more than a few licenses to people, some who dearly loved whatever they were using before. But after teasers in twitter for weeks and now this REVIEW (with freakin’ screenshots) mentioning real-world use for the past few DAYS, I’m getting really miffed that this is still not available to the rest of us unwashed masses. I don’t really care who’s fault it is… I don’t want to hear another freakin’ word about it until the damned this actually ships.
June 19th, 2009 at 2:11 am
Hi guys! Does anyone know if there is a changelog for Beejive im 3.0 available somewhere?
June 19th, 2009 at 4:23 am
Still nothing
June 19th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Just to confirm…should the push features work over WiFi and not require SMS at all? I’m hoping to pick up two 3GS’s today and am not going to get an SMS add-on. Only my wife and I send messages via SMS on occasion, so I’m hoping this can meet that need. Plus, I don’t get AT&T coverage inside my house, so I’m hoping that this will work and wake up the device over WiFi. Will this all work?
June 19th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Yes Scott R. you will still be able to receive push messages over wifi.
June 19th, 2009 at 9:44 am
@Scott,
Yes, except for waking the Wifi. The iPhone uses 3G for pushing and/or fetching data (e-mail, IMs, etc) when its asleep, even if there is a Wifi signal avaliable. This is due to battery saving measures.
So, if you do not have 3G signal at your house, and want to receive IMs, you will have to either: 1 – keep the iPhone unlocked and awaken (so the Wifi stays connected), OR 2 – Jailbreak your device so you can use the ‘keep awake’ utility, that prevents your phone from shutting the Wifi down when it’s locked.
Keep in mind that number 2 will drain more battery, also.
Hope that helps, And if you liked the answer, you can send me a free iPhone 3GS gift here in Brazil! Ha
Like ‘Evilhomer’ is ranting about, developers should be payed. I am a developer and just served a consulting service… hehe.
Cheers!
June 19th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Thanks Cadu. Well, I guess the bottom line is that if I can eek out a faint enough signal to receive an SMS it should hopefully also be able to get the push notification. Conversely, if I have no signal to receive the push notification, then I probably also wouldn’t have received an SMS that she sent me. Obviously, the best solution would be some sort of signal booster for my house or one of those microcells (though I think they’re planning to charge monthly for the use of the microcell service when they launch it, which seems lame to me).
June 19th, 2009 at 10:13 am
@Evilhomer
“It’s like b1tching at the prices on the dollar menu at Taco Bell.”
Well, I never went to a Taco Bell, but I’m assuming that there’s a menu on wich everything is priced at $1.
You are correct, considering $1 apps. But… Beejive is $10, and was $15 not long ago.
Given the inability to test the software before buying, that could be some dollars if you have to buy 3, 4 or more apps until finding the one that suits you better.
Also, you are treating Beejive developers like poor boys with a hungry kid waiting home for him to bring milk.
That also is not exactly the truth. Some smaller programs (the ones priced at $1) are really made by small companies, or even single developers who really have hard times.
But a big, massive consumed app, like Beejive or any other mainstream game, like say, Need For Speed, are sold a thousand, a hundred thousand, even a million times in the AppStore. So the developer profits millions of dollars on this apps.
Sure this is no reason for cracking an application, this is not my point. But consumers have, and will always have the absolut right to argue on prices. And sellers (developers) can and should always pay attention to pricing policy.
This is comming from a developer. I run a small development company here in Brazil. I am the one that “have hard times” on making money from software. But still, I got to take the consummer into account.
Cheers!
June 19th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
still no update. i suspect apple is bogged down w/ general iphone 3.0 stuff & iphone 3g S launch. or possibly they are scared about all the push notifications that will happen w/ it enabled on IM applications.
June 19th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I wonder if we’ll see it before Monday
June 19th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Cadu, you’re incorrect about big companies making millions of dollars on apps. Remember iShoot? He pulled in a quarter million dollars. These games don’t remain on shelves for all to see like they do in stores like Gamestop and WalMart, if they can make it on the Top 25 list for a month then they’re extremely lucky. Once it falls off that list, sales decline rapidly.
Anyway, do you have any proof that companies like Beejive are making millions of dollars? Because I’d love to see some sales figures.
June 20th, 2009 at 1:47 am
great. now you can copy the text. In 2.2 you can only copy the text, you’re writing. After sent a massage you are not able to copy that. Of course only withe iPhhone OS 3.0
June 20th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
@Brandon,
Many companies release download numbers for their apps.
Firemint just released a 1.000.000 downloads celebration ad for their Flight Control game.
More details about this: http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/minister-for-information-communications-tech/victorias-flight-control-hits-1-million-downloads.html
You do the math.
Cheers!
June 26th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Indeed. Ethan Nicholas has made over $800k on iShoot; a quarter mil is a rather old figure.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Hi,
does this app provide notifications about chats you’re receiving when the app is not running?
i dont have an iphone and i’m thinking about getting one. i hope i dont sound too stupid
September 14th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Ok $10 for an app that will combine all your IM services into one easy to use intuitive skinable interface for the rest of your smartphone’s useful life is still $10.
But I pay more for coffee in two days and I piss that away very quickly.