The Nimbuzz BlackBerry app aims to do what other chat clients for BlackBerry OS have done before, but this time, for free. It’s been built as one IM program to rule them all, and it very nearly does. Read on to find out why you need it on your Berry in our Nimbuzz BlackBerry app review.
The Nimbuzz BlackBerry app works in exactly the same way as Fuze Messenger before it, by connecting all your different chat apps together in one place, but with even wider support. The aim is to make it easy to log into them all at once, and save power as you won’t be running multiple chat clients at once. And because a BlackBerry can multitask, you can safely leave it running in the background so anyone can reach you.
The list of supported networks on the Nimbuzz BlackBerry app really is quite overwhelming. As well as standards like GTalk, Yahoo!, Windows Live, AIM, ICQ, Facebook and Skype, there’s a raft of Eurocentric ones too, such as GaduGadu and Hyves.
Setting up the Nimbuzz BlackBerry app is simple: download, launch, create an account, then provide your login details for any networks you want in on. It’s nearly painless, but be aware you’ll need a PC or Mac to hand, as the activation link for Nimbuzz hilariously won’t open in the BlackBerry browser.
Once you’re in, the Nimbuzz BlackBerry app is a joy to use. All your contacts are listed, it sucks in profile pictures, and it’s foolproof to the extreme – pressing the Back button doesn’t close it, rather than minimize it, as it does on some apps, so you won’t accidentally log yourself out. And being able to set one status (Online, away, etc) for all networks at the same time when you’re about to go into a meeting is a real time saver.
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The Nimbuzz BlackBerry app sounds like a no brainer right? It is, almost. There are a couple of flaws that bump it down from a five star essential application.
We’re a bit disappointed Nimbuzz doesn’t fully integrate with the Inbox in the same way that BlackBerry Messenger and other third party chat clients, such as GTalk, Windows Live Messenger, and AIM do. When someone pings you a message, you don’t see the conversation thread at the top of your inbox. Instead, you have to bring up the multitasking menu, open Nimbuzz and see which chat has a new update. You do get homescreen alerts and LED flashes for messages, but no symbol letting you know you’re logged in, and it’s not quite enough.
Secondly, the BlackBerry typing shortcuts you’re used to don’t work. Tapping space twice doesn’t result in a full stop and a new sentence, and words with glaring typos aren’t flagged up for correction automatically. We’re a bit baffled by this, as almost every other IM and social networking app on the platform makes use of autotext. Why the Nimbuzz BlackBerry app team chose not to is beyond us.
It’s also worth noting chats are 1 on 1, so you can’t have three way conferences that some of the IM clients it handles support natively, like Windows Live. But really, when was the last time you had a full on catch up with old friends this way, on your phone? The Nimbuzz BlackBerry app is about just instantly messaging someone via a bunch of networks while saving battery life, and in this it excels. It’s free, so what are you waiting for? Give it a whirl and see if it’s the IM client for you.
