PingChat! gets renamed Touch- Available for BlackBerry, Android, & iOS

Posted By Ray Nicolini

PingChat! has been around for quite a bit, but went through some changes today including a whole new application name- Touch.  The community apparently holds 13 million users which isn’t a small audience at all.  If you already have PingChat!, you’ll be prompted to “upgrade” to the newer version which is Touch.  It’s very much like BlackBerry Messenger with the same style chat and the ability to see when users are typing and when a message has been read.  Sounds familiar to what we currently have.  Any way, you can download the application directly by pointing your BlackBerry browser tohttp://www.touch.com/blackberry.

Top cross-platform messaging apps

Posted by Ray Nicolini

If you’re craving to have a list of the best messaging app for most of the mobile platforms that there are, here’s your chance. Here we will list down the top cross-platform messaging apps that could be used on your smartphone. The apps that we’re going to feature here are working on iOS, Android, Blackberry OSand some would work on a Symbian-powered phone. But first let’s see what are the criteria for judging which apps should go in our list

Cross-platform

This might be the most important criteria. Versatility of the app would be the first thing a smartphone owner should think about when choosing a messaging app. And when you get these kinds of apps, you should make sure that it would work on some of the main platforms that you’d like it to work with, or at least on the platforms that your friends are using. So, if you’re a BB user and your friends own an iPhone, you’d probably get an app that works both on an iPhone and Blackberry.

Group Chat

This feature have been an important one to these apps, and it’s because they think that one-by-one chatting is just so yesterday. This would not just make your texting fun, but this will also make everything that you do, so much easier.

Things you can share

Some apps could let you not just text, but share files to the people your texting with. And when you get these kinds of apps, it would be a lot better if it can let you share photos, videos and music files.

So, are you ready to see them all?

PingChat

This instant messaging app has been called “The BBM for iPhones”, though it’s not really exclusive for iPhone users, they still called their app like that anyway. This app has been popular among iPhone users around the globe and is becoming  more and more famous on Android and even on Blackberries, other platforms that this app supports.

One good thing about this app is that you can also send videos, pictures, voice notes and locations with the use of your data plan or even via Wifi. The ability to work over Wifi is one thing that makes PingChat amazing.

Features:

- Works over Wifi
- Push Notifications
- Group Chat
- Media Support
- Works on iOS, Android and Blackberry OS

Download link for:
iPhone
Android
Blackberry

Kik Messenger

An awesome app indeed. Kik is one good cross-platform messenger out there and supports iPhone and Android-powered devices. Though not the best, this one is worth a shot. Kik is one of the messengers that can work over Wifi, this is great for those people who don’t have an unlimited data plan and still wants to text with their friends badly.

With over 3 million active users, this app could give you more friends that you’ve expected. And this app can also send photos and support group chat. Another amazing feature of this app is real-time texting, you send messages and receive ‘em real-time!

Features:

- Works on Android and iOS- Group Chat
- 3 million users
- Photo sending
- Works over Wifi
- iPod support

Download link for:
iPhone
Android

LiveProfile

LiveProfile is quite a looker, that’s without a doubt. It’s blazing fast and is forever free. And another good thing about this is that it works on major platforms, iOS, Android and Blackberry OS. And if you want to have an app that is battery-friendly, this one is definitely for you.

It also has integration with your social networking sites, that’s why updating your status and tweeting is so much easier and faster. Photo and video sharing is also supported that’s why this app is really something that you should not forget to install on your next visit to the App World, App Store or App Market.

Features:

- Stunning UI
- Fast and energy-saving
- Media Sharing
- Push Notifications
- Works on iOS, Android and Blackberry OS

Download link for:
iPhone
Android
Blackberry

WhatsApp Messenger

Is this yet another best for last article? We think it is. This amazing app is getting more and more popular each day and is quite on top of the list of most installed app on some of the operating systems that it supports.

A great thing about this app is that it doesn’t just support, iPhones, Androids and Blackberries, but it supports Nokia’s Symbian-powered smartphones. It’s just the thing that everyone would want to have, it works on Wifi and data plan, it’s a good-looking app, cost-free, fast and reliable, supports almost all media files, group chat and other great stuff. This app can also let you chat with people right on your phonebook, offline messages and push notifications are also there to ensure you that you don’t miss a beat. Simply the best.

Features:

- Works over Wifi- Awesome UI
- Offline messages and Push Notifications
- Media sharing supports
- Works on iOS, Android, Blackberry OS and Symbian
- Group Chat

Download link for:
iPhone
Android
Blackberry
Nokia

There you go. Feel free to comment below if you think that there are other apps that should be on the list.

Cross-platform messengers - a BlackBerry guide to who has delivery notifications

By Ray Nicolini

Via CrackBerry.com

I love using BlackBerry Messenger to keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues – even if they don’t want to talk to me. In fact, it’s so quiet on my BlackBerry Messenger sometimes, you can hear a PIN drop (wakka wakka). It’s one of my preferred methods of communication, as it offers an instant messenger experience with a BlackBerry only exclusivity (for now). It’s funny to think about when it first hit my old BlackBerry – the icon was a cartoon headshot of some blonde guy. Now you hear kids throwing around BBM this and BBM that.

There was also a time that the BBM exclusivity also excluded us from chatting those using other smartphones with the same ease. True, we have access to options like Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and such. They do lack one thing that we see in BlackBerry messenger – the ability to see delivered and read notifications. We’ve done some digging and found some alternatives you can load your BlackBerry with. Let’s take a look and see if they’re with all of your OMGs and your LOLs.

Now while there are a gaggle of gabbing apps out there, we really wanted to focus on those who offer up some sort of delivery notification. Some can tell if a message been delivered, while others can let you know if it's been delivered and read.

PingChat!

PingChat! Just screams messenging on your BlackBerry. Well, that and the fact that the word ping is also used by your BlackBerry (when you want to ping/nudge a BBM contact). Bonding BlackBerry with Android and iPhone, Pingchat supplies you with media and profile management and a friend finder that accesses your address book as well as your Twitter or Facebook account.

The only downside comes when you want to switch devices frequently. You need to un register then re register your ID on the new device. From my experience, BlackBerry users can only see a checkmark when a message is delivered. On the other side of the fence, a user sees an S when a message is sent and an R when it is read.

More information on PingChat!

WhatsApp Messenger

WhatsApp Messenger is compatible with BlackBerry, Android, iPhone and Nokia Symbian60 phones. While WhatsApp cannot provide notification that a message has been read, it can tell you if it has been delivered. First, a single checkmark indicates that the message has been delivered to the servers. The second checkmark says that the message was delivered to the recipient.

WhatsApps allows you to manage a list of favourites, enabling you to separate the cool kids from the rest. Speaking of social status, you can manage your own status, (away, busy, etc) as well. From within the app, you have the option to call a contact. This simply redirects you to the native call function. WhatsApp notifications can be modified by your ever useful Profile menu. Keep in mind that in order to send emoticons, you need to be running OS 5.0 or higher.

More information on WhatsApp Messenger

LiveProfile

 

They call it Blazing Fast. LiveProfile plays friendly with BlackBerry, Android and iPhone. One feature that sets it apart is the ability it gives you not only see when the message is delivered, or if someone is typing, but being able to see when the message was read. Yes, I said read. Like BBM, you can set up a profile, status and image. The UI is crisp and easy to navigate. It’s not quite ready for BlackBerry, but the features have me salivating. Users can be added to your contact list by using a unique PIN (sound familiar?).

From what I can read, they’re already planning on copy/paste capabilities, as well as group chats and font size options. I say work on BlackBerry first and then you can focus on that other stuff.

More information on LiveProfile

Cnectd

Cnectd connects BlackBerry users to Nokia Symbian, iPhone and Android users. Garbed in blue and orange, this application is another proud owner of message notification capabilities. Just like you would see with BlackBerry Messenger, Cnectd slaps on the checkmark with a letter D to mark the message as delivered. To dissipate any doubt that your message viewed, a read message is marked with an (say it with me, like a pirate) R. When accessing your profile, you have the ability to share your location via GPS. For those who want to hide, or are on the lamb, you can turn off this feature. Cnectd also supports groups and allows you to check out who the members are in the groups.

More information on Cnectd

Hello! Messenger

Yo! Hey iPhone! Hi Android! Hello! With a happy, frantic wave, Hello! Messenger hopes to gather the geeks, no matter the gadget. You can edit your profile, including; image, status and availability for chat. The app says you can connect using your BlackBerry PIN or with a Hello! PIN. A wave turns into a thumbs up if you ask a Hello! user if they have message delivery confirmation capabilities. You can also enjoy photo exchange options and the ability to make Facebook status updates.

More information on Hello! Messenger!

With the possibility of running BBM on other platforms in the air, what will the future be for Cross Platform applications? Which one are you using now? Is there one on another platform that you think should make its way to BlackBerry? Let us know in the comments below.