One of the biggest disappointments of the iPhone is the lack of instant messaging support. Hence it is not surprising to see a flood of web-based IM clients for the iPhone. We had eBuddy who announced the availability of their advanced web-based multi network chat client for the iPhone, then we had the popular instant messaging client FlickIM (AIM only) and not to forget Trillian Astra.
The latest one to enter this space is Mundu IM iPhone Edition from Geodesic. Based on the first impressions it seems to be the best IM client available so far for iPhone users.
Geodesic is an interesting new Indian company that has already created some great Web applications like Mundu Radio and IM clients for other mobile platforms. Mundu IM interoperates with Yahoo, MSN, AIM, and Google Talk, four of the most popular instant messaging protocols. You can log into all of them simultaneously however the only issue is there is no master password system so you will need to login to each of them individually.
The interface is quite responsive, quick to load and things like tapping a finger on the contact brings up the new chat instantly helped with probably the most attractive interface among all the IM clients by providing conversation bubbles more like iChat which can be scrolled up and down with your finger. The other small but nice feature is the neat bubbly effect on the chat tab when you've got an unread message.
The refresh rate is also instantaneous, so you don't have to keep reloading the page to see new comments from your friends. The important thing to note here is that Mundu IM was usable even over AT&T's EDGE network where other clients have not done a great job.
One must give Geodesic credit for giving attention to even the smallest details (other than the master password system) as it's just the little things that make Web applications more fun to use and ultimately successful.
The current release is free, and I recommend iPhone users give it a shot by pointing their iPhone's Safari browser to http://iphone.mundu.com. Don't forget to share your experience in the comments below.
Thanks mcorona for the tip!
More images of Mundu IM iPhone Edition UI below:
Also see iPhoneHacks.com, July 08, 2007, Trillian Astra to unlock messaging capabilities of the iPhone
See iPhoneHacks.com, July 16, 2007, FlickIM to bring instant messaging and media sharing to iPhone
See iPhoneHacks.com, August 03, 2007, eBuddy brings multi-network chat client to the iPhone
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I used MunduIM with my Treo 650P, and it was a pretty decent client, even if I do balk at the notion of paying for what is otherwise a free service. Then again, even the official mobile IM clients carried a fee, so I guess it's not so bad — especially since MunduIM allowed for only slightly crippled and otherwise unlimited free usage.
I use this on my iPhone and even on the edge network sitting in the park it works great. Better than anything else I've tried.
I use Apollo which is an app that is installed on the iPhone. MUCH better than any of the actual web apps. Works well and I use it daily
iphone.beejive.com
I can't get it to work. It just hangs on signing in to the first service, so I have no idea how it works. Everyone says it's great, but I can't even get on.
when you send messages using mundu does it count as texts messages like other mobile instant messengers on other providers?
This is pretty hot. I initially thought it would be slow like YIM for blackberry; however, it works pretty quick with EDGE. Now if we could get a FULL copy and paste!
I personally think Agile Messenger is much better looking, also works over AT&T, and has cool smileys that you can insert. Supports MSN, Google, Yahoo, ICQ, etc.