This article was published on November 30, 2010

imo.im: Slick, new, free, IM client for iPad


imo.im: Slick, new, free, IM client for iPad

TNW Quick Hit

imo instant messenger for iPad (free) is a dead simple way to stay in touch with friends across several IM accounts without signing up for a new account.

Hits: Elegant interface with multiple account support for services including: Skype, Google Talk, Facebook and more.

Misses: Thanks to iOS? may run into memory problem while running imo if one has too many apps open.

Overall: 4.5/5

The Details:

As an iPhone 4 user with a variety of instant messaging accounts, Skype, Google Talk, Jabber and Facebook, the free imo iPhone app is a godsend.  The app keeps one connected with some really grand features.

The developer, imo.im, via Tweet has announced the free iPad version of their has just gone live in the iTunes App Store, and I, for one, could not be more pleased.

Why imo over another popular option, Meebo?  Meebo’s interface is less than pleasing and frequent crashes are annoying to say the least.  Luckily imo exists and now exists on both the iPhone and iPad.

For those with an iPad, here’s what you get with the imo instant messenger app for iPad.

Launch the app and begin entering your instant messenger credentials.  A neat feature is the ability to link all accounts together, enabling you to login to all accounts at once.

I’ve elected to login to Skype Chat, , Facebook, and Google Talk, my instant messaging clients of choice.  Moreover, I’ve linked my accounts and should one choose to, adjust settings to your heart’s content.

After adding your accounts, your contacts appear on the left-hand side of the screen.

The right side of the screen is reserved for chats, with tabs for each of one’s chats located at the top of the screen.

Other features of the imo instant messenger for iPad include:

  • Searchable chat history: search your past conversations on both our website and the app
  • Flag your buddies as favorites so you can easily find them at the top of your buddy list
  • Push notifications sent for 72 hours after you close the app
  • Buddy icons that can optionally be displayed on the buddy list
  • links sent by your buddies open in our app instead of Safari
  • the option to save passwords for quick sign-in without linking accounts

The one issue with the app is the fact that it has memory problem if multiple apps are running in the background.  By way of example, I only had 4 running in the background and still encountered the issue.  Hopefully this problem is corrected and corrected soon.

That said, as an advocate of imo’s service, imo instant messenger for iPad is as grand as their iPhone version and if you use multiple instant messaging services, imo is an app you definitely need to try.

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