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The long-promised Meebo IM app for the iPhone and iPod touch [iTunes link] is now available in the App Store, and it’s both free and awesome.

Meebo is a primarily web-based IM client — a place you can go in your browser to access almost every IM network you might want to use: Google Talk/Jabber, Yahoo!, AOL Instant Messenger, MySpace IM, Facebook — you name it.

Meebo demonstrated its app in the main presentation of the Apple event last March when iPhone OS 3.0 was announced, which finally added push notification support to iPhone apps. Meebo’s app looked fantastic, and folks got really excited about it, but after a couple of weeks of hype it faded away from the public eye. Apart from a web-based version of Meebo for iPhone, nothing happened. But now the promised native app is finally here.

First Impressions

Meebo is arguably the best IM app for the iPhone because it’s lightweight and easy to use, and because it supports almost every network under the sun. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a complete list of supported networks; we’ll bet you didn’t even know that many of them existed.

Push notifications are unsurprisingly part of the feature set. But other cool things include syncing chat logs (and everything else, really) with the web app and the ability to move between active conversations by swiping from side to side with your fingers.

Mostly, though, we were impressed with the simplicity and speed of the app. Other solutions like BeejiveIM and IM+ seem bulky by comparison and their prices are comparatively bulky, too: $6.99 for the former and $4.99 for the latter for all the features. Meebo is totally free, and though it does lack a couple of the more advanced features that its competitors offer, most users won’t notice their absence.

Here are some pics of the app in action:

Pics

Supported Networks

- AIM
– Are You Interested
– aujourdhui.com
– BasilMarket
– Batanga
– CafeMom
– Chess.com
– DailyStrength
– DanceTrippin
– Decayenne
– Dhingana
– EliteCastingNetwork
– eBaum’s World
– Fabulously40
– Facebook
– Fanpop
– Flirtbox
– Flixster
– FooPets
– Footytube
– Fupa
– GGL
– GamerNook
– Gamevance
– GirlsAskGuys
– Google Talk
– ICQ
– imageChef
– Indianelement
– ibeatyou
– Jabber
– JacketFlap
– JamLegend
– Justin.tv
– Klikot
– MSN
– MingleVille
– MixPod
– MuchGames
– MySpace
– MyWorkster
– myYearbook
– Operation Sports
– OrangeShark
– Outspark
– Packed
– PlayedOnline
– Playfire
– Playlist
– Quepasa
– SocialSplash
– Sonico
– SparkPeople
– Sparkteens
– Starpulse
– Tehkseven
– Threadsy
– Ultimate Guitar
– Wadja
– Wixi
– Yahoo!
– Yonja
– Zinch
– Zorpia

Tags: apple, apple app store, im, iphone, iPod Touch, meebo

Filed under: Odds and ends, Steve Jobs, Apple

MacDailyNews points out that not many bloggers or journalists covered the issue of Steve’s health at last week’s Apple event, but I’d argue that it wasn’t really a huge story — the guy is doing his job, and while we definitely want to make sure he’s healthy, his well-being is not really for us to judge. That said, they put a picture of Steve from last September up side by side with a pic from last week’s event, and it’s true that His Steveness does look a little more colorful. Given that he’s probably not going to share much information with us about his health issues (which is completely his right, obviously), we’re at least happy that it seems he’s a little more hale.

Needless to say, we only hope he’s feeling better, as Apple just isn’t the same company without him. We do know he’s personally invested in the iPad, if the rumors are to be believed, and so if this current run of work is helping him stay active and keep busy, I’ll be extra happy to support it when the tablet finally reaches the shelves.

TUAWSteve looked healthier at iPad event originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Humor, Steve Jobs, Apple

With every Apple event, we need someone to go in and edit together all of the reality distortion field generators, and this time, it’s Neil Curtis, who has cut together most of the “amazing,” “great,” and “beautiful” adjectives from last week’s keynote. Unfortunately, we don’t have empirical data (anyone want to actually count up all of them?), but it sure seems to me like “great” and “gorgeous” had a big increase this time around, and “incredible” and “terrific” didn’t show up quite so much as previous events.

Also: no boom? Did we not get a single “boom” at all? It was a little more serene demonstration than usual, with Steve lounging on a chair to show off how comfy it is to browse the ‘net on the iPad, but the A4 processor didn’t inspire a single “boom”? That’s disappointing.

[via FSJ]

TUAWThe requisite announcement mashup originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While a lot happened this week, it can be argued that two events captured the most attention: 1) the unveiling of the Apple iPad and 2) President Obama’s State of the Union. Funny enough, both of these events occurred this past Wednesday.

We wondered: what would people talk about more? Was the announcement of Apple’s Tablet Steve Jobs potentially more captivating than Obama’s first State of the Union speech? And how did people reach to each?

Thanks to social media analytics firm Viralheat, we have the answer.

Jobs = Buzz; Obama = Honey

In an analysis of social media chatter (Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Facebook, etc.), Viralheat found over 550,000 mentions of either the Apple event or the State of the Union during the 24 hours before and after each event.

Of those 550,000+ mentions though, nearly half a million went to Steve Jobs. Yes, the iPad completely dominated the President of the United States when it comes to social media chatter.

Here are some state about the Apple Event:

– Total mentions in social media: 496,842
– Tweets: 322,974
– Impact on Twitter: 22,001,377 (Unique people that were exposed to one of the above search term on Twitter)

In the 48 hour time period, there were 112 tweets per minute about the iPad and the rumors surrounding it.

Now, compare it to chatter about Obama’s address:

– Total mentions in social media : 68,201
– Tweets: 50,984
– Impact on Twitter: 13,571,805

This is a bit of a surprise, in fact: we thought that Obama’s address would get more buzz. However, if you factor in the endless rumor mill in the time leading up to the event, as well as the technology bent many people on Twitter and social media channels have, then the numbers make sense.

Obama can take one thing away though: he had the more positive response overall, 65% of social media chatter, while Steve Jobs and the iPad only had a 42% rating.

Tags: apple, Apple iPad, Apple Tablet, ipad, obama, politics, social media, SotU, state of the union, steve jobs

Filed under: Apple Financial

The above image from SingularityDsgn graphically shows the wild roller-coaster ride that Apple’s stock has been on today. It traded at roughly 1.5% below Tuesday’s closing price heading into today’s iPad announcement, but started climbing during the iBooks announcement. AAPL’s stock took a major leap when pricing information was released, and is currently trading around 209.69, up about 1.75% (please note that these numbers fluctuate frequently).

Lots of jumping is about right for any Apple event, though the big jump when price was announced is somewhat surprising. AAPL actually tends to drop after an event, as there are so many rumors flying around ahead of time that investors are easily underwhelmed. But it looks like especially the pricing news won their approval today. As always, this is not official stock information, and you shouldn’t make any buy or sell decisions based on what you read here.

TUAWAAPL goes on a roller-coaster ride originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eager for all the up-to-the-second news on the big Apple Tablet and other rumored announcements (iPhone 4.0 preview?) at today’s Apple Event? If you’ve got the time in your schedule, head over to Gizmodo’s Liveblog for all the latest. They’ve been liveblogging all morning, but the event starts at 10 a.m. PST. If you didn’t manage to carve an hour-plus out of your day for Apple’s biggest marketing event of the year (you nut, you!), stick around and we’ll cull together the most Lifehacker-relevant bits and pieces later today. [Gizmodo]

Steve Jobs may have descended from the mountaintop today with Moses Tablet in hand, but a group of protestors were waiting in the foothills with a simple message: the iPad isn’t a divine revelation, but a golden calf.

Members of the Free Software Foundation staged a small protest outside today’s Apple event in San Francisco, making the case against Apple’s use of DRM. The group’s four-foot signs were headed with the message “Entering Apple Restriction Zone” and laid out the tablet’s detriments:

Our liveblog of the Apple event will reside on this page! Bookmark it and come back on Wednesday, January 27 at 10am Pacific Time to see the updates as they come in. You can also sign up for an e-mail reminder via the form below; on the day of the event, the widget will automatically change over to the liveblog. In the meantime, catch up on the latest rumors about what to expect!

Apple’s January 2010 event is upon us and we will be live on the scene, blogging from the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco. Apple’s theme for this event is “come see our newest creation,” which is widely expected to refer to the mythical iTablet. Watch as the event unfolds live. Apple’s event is set to start at 10am PST (see it in your local timezone) sharp and we’ll be keeping you informed up to the second with a live transcription and live photos from the event.

With the Apple event just two days away, the web is running rampant with rumors. Today’s is a real doozy, as Bloomberg speculates that T-Mobile will get the iPhone this summer with all additional U.S. carriers getting the phone in rapid succession in the following months.

This latest unsubstantiated bit of intel comes by way of Tim Horan, a telecommunications analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. He asserts that not only will AT&T lose exclusivity come mid-year, but T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and Clearwire will all jump on the iPhone bandwagon soon thereafter. “We believe AT&T’s iPhone exclusivity arrangement with Apple will be expiring by mid-2010,” Horan writes. “For wireless carriers, customers are demanding the device and they need to remain competitive.”

We’ve already heard rumblings that the Verizon iPhone is coming soon, and that the end of AT&T’s iPhone monopoly will be announced Wednesday. We also know that the iPhone is now sold by four different carriers in the UK, so there could certainly be some truth to Horan’s assertions.

If we look to the UK as an example, we can also safely assume that Apple would benefit greatly by making its phone available to additional carriers. For proof look no further than Vodafone, who only recently started selling the iPhone in the UK, but managed to move more than 50,000 devices in 24 hours and 100,000 in just seven days.

Tags: apple, iphone, Mobile 2.0, sprint, T-Mobile, verizon

Plug into the latest Engadget Podcast for the lowdown on all the hottest, dirtiest, nastiest Apple Tablet rumors! Too hot for text! If you don’t get down with the Crowd from Cupertino you can also feast your ears on sultry Finnish imports, steamy webOS reviews, and yeah, even some wild and wooly Windows Mobile wishes! FREE for a limited time only. Featuring Chris “Zazzle” Ziegler. Void where prohibited.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Guest: Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Electrodreams – Where It’s At

Hear the podcast

01:50 – Nokia N900 review
13:40 – Nokia Ovi Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation hands-on
13:49 – Nokia offering free turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones globally (updated)
19:32 – Palm Pre Plus (and Pixi Plus) review
29:40 – Palm Pre Plus shows off multitasking upgrade with 50 simultaneous apps (video)
31:10 – The Engadget Show – 005: Google’s Erick Tseng, CES wrap-up, WiDi, AR.Drone, and more!
31:15 – Next Android version will be called Froyo, says Erick Tseng
31:37 – Windows Mobile 7 megarumor: LG Apollo and HTC Obsession running flagship ‘720p’ specs, Zune Phone Experience
32:40 – Microsoft’s Twitter chatter suggests Danger is up to something — Pink drawing near?
34:10 – It’s on: Apple holding January 27th event to show off its ‘latest creation’
36:00 – Apple rumor roundup: pipe dreams, Lala’s role and Verizon’s iPhone 4G
38:00 – WSJ: Apple tablet to have books, games, music, TV, will make sandwiches
40:00 – Apple Tablet rumor roundup: summer 2010 edition
42:00 – Apple rumor roundup: future of media edition
45:00 – WSJ: Apple and HarperCollins negotiating e-book deal for tablet
47:40 – Next week’s Apple event to be iLife / iPhone OS 4.0 / tablet trifecta?
56:30 – Apple rumor roundup: iPhone patent 4.0 edition

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Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 180 – 01.22.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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