I have reinstalled the Apptapp Installer mentioned in my previous post and it seems to be more stable now (of course I am not monkeying around in the bowels of my directory structure this time). It was updated to version 2.4 as of this writing. There are plenty of new applications now available for install including the first Instant Messaging client that has been released called “ApolloIM”. (I also did see that “SendSong” has been updated and now seems to work for me [“Chocolate Rain” is now one of my ringtones – grin -].)
ApolloIM is supposedly in its first “pre-beta” release (version -1, yes, that is “negative one” … nice coding humor, I guess). I have tested out this version a bit and it looks extremely promising. Some quick notes about it:
- You can add multiple IM accounts
- It can only support AIM right now
- You can have only one AIM account active (e.g., logged in)
- Current version stays online ONLY when you have the app running. As soon as you close it, you disconnect from the service.
- There are some slight GUI issues, which are being corrected (e.g., bottom of keyboard is chopped off; initial launch of app shows a strange image briefly)
- Disconnecting the service closes the app (or crashes it, not sure which one)
My “sources” tell me that a new release is pending. And it supposedly will fix a BIG issue of disconnecting you from AIM when you close the app. This new build will keep your connection alive, even after the app is closed. This is a BIG deal in my opinion.
Other suggestions and requests for changes that I have noted are:
- Make the app similar to how the SMS messenger works
- Issues with message entry and sending blank messages as a result of hitting send twice
- Issues with Alias field in AIM (contacts with no alias display properly)
- No way to add buddies
Regardless, this is a GREAT first release and I am eagerly awaiting the next release (will it be -2 or -1.1 or -.9?).
HTD Says: Give ApolloIM a try!
