Posted by Tru on January 09, 2009
Instant Messaging and more announced at Macworld
We have been at Macworld (stand 3228 if you are there too) for a few days now, and were very excited to announce some rather exciting new features to our iPod touch and iPhone apps.
As you may have heard already, we have just launched Instant Messaging on the Truphone for the iPod touch app, meaning users can now have two-way IM conversations with MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk users. You can also now make and receive Google Talk calls, with the call functionality for MSN Messenger to be added in the coming weeks.
IM and Google Talk calling will also appear in the Truphone for the iPhone app from the week commencing January 12.
As well as IM, we have launched Twitter on the iPhone app, meaning that you can now tweet, and follow what your Twitter contacts are tweeting about, from your phone!
But on top of these new features, we announced something that seems to have generated a real buzz on-line.
And that is the announcement that very shortly we will be launching Skype calling and IM on both the iPhone and the iPod touch apps. This means that you will be able to use Truphone to make and receive Skype calls and instant message.
All of these new features move Truphone closer to being what we like to call an 'all in one conversations hub', and allow you to have the freedom to speak with all of your contacts from within the one application.
We are very excited about every one of these new features, and can't wait to hear what you think of them.
If you have an iPhone or 2nd Generation iPod touch, and don't yet have Truphone, you can download them for free from iTunes. Download the iPhone app here, or the iPod touch app here.
As jizz-tastic as people like to believe the Jesus-phone is it would be nice to get a decent update to the Nokia client as its getting to the stage where its simply stupid.
Posted by: Ross | January 21, 2009 at 05:36 PM
This is really annoying! Don't you understand that all the people that take time to comment on your blog are the true ambassadors for your company and truphone products. We are the people that are active on the social media on the net, and you decide to just ignore us with no news! Can't you see the negative posts that build up on your OWN corporate blog! These are comments that spread around the world, and will stay on the net forever! And this is all because you do not communicate....Don't you have anyone in your company that realise the importants of communication? With the recent good press about your company I find it unbelivable that you are destroying it all - by not communicating with your true followers... :(
Hopefully this will give you some thoughts and help you in the right direction to continue your success.
Posted by: C | January 21, 2009 at 07:17 PM
well so you know your comments will be deleted. Mine were. Copy your comments for your own memories.
Posted by: frankie | January 21, 2009 at 09:47 PM
Maybe some people need to calm down and be patient. I would also love to see Skype capability added soon but if it were not for Truphone I could not use my Ipod to make any calls at all. I am sure they are working on it. I would rather they take there time and make it right then rush it .
Posted by: Brian | January 21, 2009 at 09:59 PM
I know what your saying. Yes be calm but its not cool that you don't get a response that's really the issue here. I don't mind waiting. I do mind that the give you a date and don't communicate with there users when that date comes and goes. especially when they have been commenting on this post and confirming the date several times. Just be honest and say hey the apps is delayed because of so and so. at least we know where we all stand. I see this with everyones apps. Daily and it gets old. Icall, Newber and several other have been waiting to get feedback and are horrible about keeping their customers in the loop. I just don't see how that can be good business. I would much prefer to be upfront and honest with my customers.
Posted by: frankie | January 21, 2009 at 10:12 PM
to the comment that there is nothing out there that does what they do is not true. Look into Fring for iphone.They have skype on it. As far as Truephone... DAAALEEETE
Posted by: Louise | January 21, 2009 at 11:01 PM
To the comment from Louise.. I have tried Fring and found it totally unreliable for me. Maybe others have had better luck but it seemed unusable for voice calls. Truphone on the other hand has very good voice quality.
Posted by: Brian | January 22, 2009 at 01:42 AM
The silence is deafening ....
After two consecutive releases of obviously untested software, I guess the guys at Truphone are making sure this one works before releasing it on the Apple App store. I agree the lack of response or info from Truphone is very damaging for them, just look at the *dozens* of negative reviews on the Apple App store now. something has gone seriously wrong in the past couple of months ....
Posted by: Ian S | January 22, 2009 at 11:10 AM
To everyone eagerly awaiting Truphone's next comment on this blog post:
As announced at Macworld, we plan to introduce an IM suite on our Truphone for the iPhone app very shortly. We are as keen as you to get this exciting new feature out and are just putting the finishing touches to it now. We are also well aware that everyone is anxious to experience Skype on Truphone, but given we’re not completely happy with the user experience at the moment we’re reluctant to launch that piece of the suite at this stage. Our engineers are working flat out to resolve this issue and we expect to make Skype available for you as soon as we possibly can.
We promise that when Skype becomes available, it will be worth the wait.
Apologies for not commenting back until now.
Posted by: Tru | January 22, 2009 at 08:19 PM
Very cool stuff! Looking forward to trying the skype calling and IM on my iPhone.
I actually updated an old blog post to mention this. (http://kaiseradvisor.blogspot.com/2007/12/why-ive-become-fan-of-skype.html)
Posted by: John C | January 23, 2009 at 08:16 PM
I think that last comment post from Truephone could have left out the first sentence. They actually announced it'd be available on the week commencing 12th January, not "very shortly", so saying that makes them sound weasely. But at least now we know what the delay is, and I think we call all appreciate them wanting to get things right rather than rush out a flawed product. Maybe the lesson Truphone should take away from this is that people understand delays, but they don't understand silence, and appreciate transparency.
It is a shame about the delay - the reason I use Truphone is that Skype's call quality has been dreadful for me, on Fring (iPhone and Nokia), Skype's own app on Linux and on Mac OS X. Just dreadful. The call quality on Truphone is far far far better, and is easily worth the higher call charges in my opinion.
Looking forward to the update. Not for Skype, but for Instant Messaging (AIM and GTalk). I'll just assume it will now arrive in April, that way, when I see that little update notification on my iPhone, I shall get all excited and think it's early. :)
Posted by: David | January 24, 2009 at 01:13 PM
OK, it is the 26th of January and no update! Please offer some status at least.
Posted by: Stephen | January 26, 2009 at 03:57 PM
Stephen - not a lot has changed between last week and now, apart from our engineers continuing to work hard on getting Skype calling working well enough to launch. When there is an update on timings, it will be announced here.
Posted by: Tru | January 27, 2009 at 11:03 AM
Received an email from truphone at 17:50 on 26/01 saying the new version would be coming within 24 hours - fingers crossed for the next hour!
Posted by: Thomas | January 27, 2009 at 05:20 PM
Just like to say thank you for your wonderful iPhone app 'Truphone'. Thank you for recognizing the need for such an app. Yes I am excited at the thought of being able to Skype with 'Truphone'. I have been using 'fring' but have taken off my iphone as it's not being updated and has a few problems still. Again many thanks for your time and effort.
Posted by: joanell | February 01, 2009 at 02:31 AM
Will the Skype feature include SkypeOut calling or solely Skype calling to an online user?
Posted by: Nick | February 08, 2009 at 02:41 AM
@Nick - it will just be calling online users.
Posted by: Tru | February 12, 2009 at 03:25 PM
I've just updated truphone to-day, but there is no option for skype, am I not doing something right? or haven't they put it on yet, after saying it will be on in January.
Posted by: Gavin | February 19, 2009 at 08:14 PM