Sargeant Pepper Reviews: BeejiveIM

[Sarcasm Siempre]

It's pronounced "Beehive."

App Name: BeejiveIM - Instant Messaging Anywhere
Version: 2.1.0
Seller: Beejive, Inc.
Price: Currently on sale for $9.99 in anticipation of the next update and OS 3.0; normally $15.99. All prices in US dollars.
Category: Social Networking
Size: 2.2 MB
Official Description: BeejiveIM is the most reliable and user-friendly mobile IM application on the market for your iPhone or iPod Touch, featuring desktop-like instant messaging and always-on efficient networking. (Source: Beejive)
Requirements: 2.0 Software Update, EDGE/3G/Wi-Fi connection
Available For: All devices, although some functions are only available on the iPhone and/or second-generation iPod touch.
Reviewed On: First-generation iPod touch, firmware 2.2.1, jailbroken
Lite Version: None. However, the Beejive web app can be accessed here.
Additional Resources for Users: Instructional videos are available on the Beejive website.

Beejive was first released in September of 2008 after much anticipation amongst the iPhone/iPod touch community. Previous App Store chat clients had been severely problematic, either crashing frequently or lacking access to chat protocols their users desperately wanted. Beejive was the first to provide an easy way to chat with your friends on almost any network.

When you first use Beejive, you'll need to set up your chat account (or accounts, if you're a social kind of person). As you can see, Beejive supports an enormous selection of chat services, from AIM to Yahoo to Facebook. Simply select the one you want, enter the relevant login credentials, and you're ready to tell all your friends about that thing that happened at school today with the zebra and the lemons.

This is Beejive's main account screen. All of your accounts, as well as your status messages, are listed here (due to my marked dislike of pedophiles, I've obscured my personal information). Speaking of status messages...

You can choose to be Available, Busy, or Away from right within Beejive, and you can even create custom messages for each of those so that everyone knows why you're away from the virtual keyboard. You can even go Invisible if you wish, no magical cloak required.

Once you've decided to come out from under your rock and start talking to people, you go to your Buddy List. (I blacked out my buddies because I assumed that they shared my view on creepers.) From here, simply tap on your friend's name to start a chat with that person, or tap on the arrow to the right of their name to see their contact information. You can also choose to see offline buddies on this list, so you can talk to someone who's not actually there if you feel the urge.

You can choose to talk with your friends in portrait or landscape mode. Tapping once on the chat area either hides or reveals the keyboard, and tapping twice will take you back to the chat list.

You can also bring up a nice set of emoticons by tapping the little smiley face at the bottom of the chat box.

[Sarcasm Siempre]

Tapping the top bar brings down a small HUD-like display with various options. You can email the transcript of the chat to yourself or your friends, so you can prove later that you were the winner of the argument. You can send a picture from one of your photo albums, and if you have an iPhone you can take a picture to send right there and then. If you have an iPhone or a second-generation iPod touch with a compatible microphone, you can record an audio clip and send that. You can also end the chat once your friend starts making stupid jokes.

You also have the option to change your chat background. You can choose from one of Beejive's included images or use one of your own.

Beejive gives you enough settings to satisfy even extreme cases of OCD. The options are available in the default Preferences app.


The Final Rating: 5/5. BeejiveIM is everything you'd ever want in an iPhone chat client. You can connect to almost any chat network imaginable, and once connected, you can share plain text, photos, and audio with your friends. The application is extremely stable; I've never had it crash once in about three months of usage, even when I've used it with Backgrounder. The settings and customizable background are an added bonus. However, the price tag of $15.99 may be a bit too steep for some.

Disclaimer! The BeejiveIM application is copyright 2008 Beejive, Inc. The BeejiveIM logo and icon are copyright 2008 Beejive, Inc. I am in no way affiliated with Beejive, Inc., and have not been paid or otherwise induced to write this review. I take no responsibility for any and all problems that may occur with your device as a result of installing and/or using this application. As my device is jailbroken, several elements of the UI in this application may look different for you; the application's core functionality, however, remains unchanged. The BeejiveIM banner image, the "5-Star" image, and the "Available on the iPhone App Store" image were not made by me, and I take no credit for them.

This is my first review, so comments and critiques are more than welcome.

[AppleDude]

Nice Review.

Suggestion: Cut your theme off for the next review, it's a better review when things are original.

[Sarcasm Siempre]

Originally Posted by AppleDude

Nice Review.

Suggestion: Cut your theme off for the next review, it's a better review when things are original.

Thanks for the praise, and the tip! I'll keep that in mind for my next review.

[Xtreme Touch]

Whats that theme called? The Keyboard is amazing

[Sarcasm Siempre]

Originally Posted by Xtreme iPhone

Whats that theme called? The Keyboard is amazing

The keyboard is called "Chromium Keyboard." It should be available in Cydia.

[Parrappa]

Good review, but agreed about the theme.

By the way, is it really pronounced Bee Hive?

[Sarcasm Siempre]

Originally Posted by Parrappa

Good review, but agreed about the theme.

By the way, is it really pronounced Bee Hive?

Thanks! And yes, that's how I've heard it pronounced.

[iHackiPodz]

great review 5*

[TheTerminator]

Great review, just would like to know about the new 3.0 features in the app like Push.