After dumping my BlackBerry for an iPhone, one of the apps I really missed the most was BlackBerry Messenger. It was the only app really on the BlackBerry that as worth it’s weight in gold. With it, I could pretty much text any of my contacts for free, instantly, as well as send images and files. It was great as long as my contacts had a BlackBerry. Now that I have an iPhone, BlackBerry Messenger was no longer at my disposal. Instead, I had to rely on instant messaging like AIM or Skype to communicate with those on other platforms but they were far from reliable. Half the time I’d either get disconnected from the service or not receive any push notifications that a message had been sent. All that changed once I heard about LiveProfile. LiveProfile is one of the closest apps I’ve seen in the App Store that even resembles BlackBerry Messenger in functionality. The major appeal of it to me was that it not only stays connected at all times, but is also a cross platform app that is available on Android and BlackBerry as well.
LiveProfile requires you to register with it first before using it. This might turn off some users who are tired of registering each time with a new app, but it’s necessary in order for people to find you. Once registered, other users can find you if they know your phone number or email address you used to sign up with or if you want to keep that private,
LiveProfile also gives you a unique PIN number you can use as well. This is similar to BlackBerry Messenger which also used a PIN number. Unlike BlackBerry Messenger however, you can take your PIN with you when you switch devices which is a huge plus.
What makes LiveProfile unique and a bit more useful than regular IM apps is that it actually shows you the status of your messages. You can see if your message is sent, delivered, and read. If you stay in the LiveProfile message screen, you can also see if that person is writing back to you in realtime. It’s a handy feature so you’re not waiting around to see if the other person is writing back to you or not. Another unique feature of LiveProfile is the ability to update your status and have it also post to either Twitter or Facebook.
I’ve been testing it with a few other users who are on Android and cross platform messaging works flawlessly. The BlackBerry version of the app was just recently released but I haven’t had a chance to test that out with anyone yet. I know one thing that might turn users off from using LiveProfile is that like many of these cross-platform messaging apps, they are virtually useless if no one else is using it. Unlike instant messangers like AIM, Yahoo, gTalk, or MSN where you can pretty much guarantee that most of your friends use one of those services, LiveProfile has no such guarantee. Your friends either have it or they don’t and if they don’t, they may not even want to install it just to accommodated you. The upside to this is that according to the developers, more and more people are joining LiveProfile.
Currently, LiveProfile serves as one of my go to messaging apps on my iPhone 4. The reason it’s not my only messaging app is that there are still a few features missing from it that other apps I use have. The main feature missing is group chat. Unlike BlackBerry Messenger, you can not create a group in LiveProfile to start a chat with. There doesn’t seem to be a way to add contacts to a chat so that everyone can join in on the conversation. Until that feature is added, I have to improvise by using a second app called Beluga Messenger, but we’ll save that for another review. Other than that one complaint, LiveProfile is a terrific app. It’s the closest app I’ve seen to BlackBerry Messenger and so far, it’s been very reliable when it comes to delivering messages I send and receive.
LiveProfile is available now in the App Store for free. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.2 or later.
[via App Store]Description
LiveProfile helps you stay connected with friends and share in real-time. Use your iPhone to send free mobile to mobile messages, status updates, photos, videos, and more! You can use it on iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry devices, it even works on the iPod Touch. Now with picture and video messaging!
***REAL-TIME MESSENGING WITH INSTANT DELIVERED & READ RECIEPTS***
You can see when messages are sent, delivered, read, or when the other person is typing a message. LiveProfile makes conversations come alive though instant and real-time messaging.***100% FREE FOREVER***
Unlimited and free messaging to LiveProfile users on any supported mobile device, anywhere in the world, on any carrier. As long as you have a data connection you can access LiveProfile.***MORE THAN JUST A MESSENGER***
Like the name suggests LiveProfile is more social than just a messenger. You can share status updates, upload profile photos, set your display name and profile info, integrate with Twitter and Facebook, and much more. This is only the beginning there is much more coming!***STAY CONNECTED AND ONLINE***
Unlike other messengers LiveProfile is designed specifically for mobile devices. It utilizes push notifications to save precious battery life and resources. It’s always on and connected making you and your friends are always reachable.
