Surprised no one else has posted about this as of yet.

http://www.yak-on.com

Trying it out with my other SN alongside Ramble IM. Initially it looks A LOT better than Ramble, has really cool features. It is 19.99 for use after 15 days. While graphically superior, and the use of tabs is awesome, I think I'm going back to my Ramble IM.

it has been posted a few times

But it is now available unlike before, and it is a public beta.

pink

This is pretty sweet, other users see you signed in as you are at a computer, compared to "signed in on a mobile device" like some other chat clients I've seen.
Shows other users by their nickname, and differentiates between online, away, not available.
Has a cool "away" feature that replies like an "out of office" with whatever you want.
Very quick response rate too.
The downsides:
-battery killer. Cut down my battery use by about 50% (constantly talking to server)
-not phone-user friendly (every 2 mins it has to make a connection to avoid timing out, therefore if on the phone more than 2 mins, has to do a full re-connect after your call, and download contact info)
-not good in spotty areas (some IMs sent not rec'd)
-experienced a few dropped calls
-had phone issues "too many messages in que"
I'm glad I get to test it for 15 days, as I'm not sure I would go ahead with it, as I am a heavy phone user.
I leave it plugged in too while driving, so my battery doesn't die. 'Course that makes it a little awkward.

Sorry Dawg. Forgot to put in there that I haven't seen anybody post it with regards to the public beta release.

i love the GUI and some features, but I go in and out of coverage a few times when I go home from work, and the reconnecting absolutely takes FOREVER. The buddy list takes a while, whereas Ramble IM is very very quick for me, and quick to reconnect after I get off the phone with someone. And it doesn't kill my battery as fast.

This thing is definatly a battery killer, dont know how long it will last.

pink

Tried it. Loved the interface. but huge battery killer. Like over 50% faster discharge time. Had to uninstall.

I uninstalled it due to battery life and whenver I take a call it completly disconnects from it, so then it takes another 2 minutes to reconnect.... So I am back to Ramble.

pink

For myself, Yakon works great. If I have it connected all day it zaps more battery but its not dead by the end of the work day. If needed I'll charge it for 15 min's when I get home. Otherwise from the other AIM clients I've used, it has kept me on the best. I've had it on all day and I'm sure at some point I've got bumped off but anytime I check I'm still on and have my away status.

Ramble is very good also for being free....I lucked out and got on the early beta for Yak and get a free license. I'm thru Verizon and have a 7250. I've seen other posts with different models and providers having better luck with different clients. I guess you have to go with whatever works best for you.

Ramble, Verichat and IM+ work good but they havent been as stable for me as Yakon has....ultimately I'd pay the 19 to have that. Again, depends on whatever has work best for you. Also you dont have to be logged on 24/7 for AIM, just be on when you need to be or can be.

Just my thoughts and experience.

I only use MSN. And Berryvine is the best I have found so far. Cheap too, only 14 bucks after a 1 week trial.

Verichat is still best for me not near the battery drain

i really like the IM window tabs of yak-on (i.e. being able to switch between conversations without having to go back to the buddy list), is there an option to enable that in ramble or verichat?

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7250/4.0.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Anyone have an OTA install link? I think some consensus has been made that Ramble is the pits. I'd like to see something that actually works. I can't believe that I have had my BB for over 2 months now and still no free client - don't get me wrong - I'm not cheap, but I'd like to get on AIM sometime soon. Thanks - compscibOi

try http://www.yak-on.com/beta_download/YakOn.jad

With 20 posts under your belt you already have derived at the fact that there is a consensus That Ramble is the pits. You further claim that you are not cheap but are complaining that after two months of owning your BB You still do not have a free client, hmmmm oxymoron I would say.

Well in the first place there is no such consensus, in the second place you are whinning about using a free app, well Ramble is a free app, and Ramble works great for me and many others here just ask around and read some of the posts that were made while Ramble was not working due to the changes AOL made. And we are grateful to Rambler for having created it and continued to support it after what AOL did.

Now if you became a bit better educated and did some searches in the forum like most everyone else does here, not only would you have by now figured out how to tweak Ramble to work for you like it does for the rest of us but if you still did not like it you would have also found the links that you just asked for. Is it just lazyness on your part, or just a handicap. Oh wait I am sorry stupidity does not qualify you for a handicap yet.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7250/4.0.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Just 20 posts on this site - doesn't reflect mine or anyones IQ level. I have been on this site nearly every single day searching and viewing the posts relevant to AIM clients and still to this date - there have been no soliutions to my dilemma. I have a Verizin 7250 on BES and I would not mind paying for a service but why pay if someone came up with a free service that works w/o having to use the debit card - get my drift?? How dare you post such an ignorant post that doesn't even help the thread let alone - Can I get my 5 minutes back for even readiong that? Oh I'm sorry - instead of contributing you brought the thread back a step. You don't know me, who I am - who I work for or how much I make - so just save us all the grief and take your bad day somewhere else.

I dont know who you are, but I can tell a lot from your post as stated previously. If you had indeed been searching and viewing youd know you are not right about Ramble. BTW I do have a Verizon 7250 and have Ramble and use it every day and it works fine, I configured it following what is available here already posted. Yeah I know but it is easier to have someone hand me the answers.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7250/4.0.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Your not on BES then because I've done exactly what was posted here - to no luck still so still you don't help me.

Enough of all the fighting. At this stage, I don't care who started the fight (compscibOi or Kontiki). Just stop it.

I have seen chat software work amazingly well on one BlackBerry device (i.e. VeriChat nonstop reliable) while work amazingly BADLY on a different device and carrier.

This may be the same case for Ramble -- works very well for some, but not for others, including:
- Stability through intermittent reception (a torture test for a client)
- Timeout resistance (many carriers use an inactivity timeout, such as 120 seconds, to close TCP/IP sockets)
- Stability during mobility (antenna tower switches, etc)
- Memory usage (some clients work better on 32MB and higher BlackBerries)
- Whether BES is being used or not (BES is usually more stable)
- Different versions of software
Etc.

For example, a client with no keepalive pings, will work excellently on one carrier that has no inactivity timeouts, but will work badly on a different carrier with inactivity timeouts. A client that works perfectly in excellent reception may work very badly in low reception area. This can result in a situation where two different persons are correct -- that client XYZ is great and terrible at the same time (on different BlackBerries or carriers, etc)

There is a LOT of variability in reliability of different IM clients for BlackBerry, as a result of all these complex wireless and carrier-related factors.

Now STOP fighting.

Thanks for the insight Mark, but I still can't connect. I'm tech savvy, hence my IT job and CS degree. Just looking for a reliable service - minus snot nose comments.

Thank you
Compsciboi

I played around w/ this client, and the bad outweighs the good (for a Nextel user, anyway.) Battery life and spotty low signal are the tools of our trade, so this program's like pouring salt on an open wound.

Considering how much time/effort Rambler (and SRA) have put into developing a free client for Blackberries, you're going to get some VERY heated responses when you say something negative about Ramble IM, especially if its inaccurate.

Are you sure there's nothing on your BES preventing you from connecting? There are plenty of Verizon/BES Blackberries using Ramble. I have three of them sitting in my office.

I bet its his BES thats not letting him connect. Its apparent he doesnt listen because he took a jab at Kontiki even know mark asked them to stop

Yak On! users, we were alerted to this thread and the concerns with battery usage by one of our beta testers. We are working to quickly address the issue. We would like to learn more information from those users which are experiencing excessive battery usage. In particular, what is your model number and how often are you sending instant messages. Any details you would like to provide will be a help for us as we work to address the issue.

Please send any comments and concerns to us at . Your feedback to us will help us make Yak On! a better product for you.

Sincerely,
The Softcentral Team

I use a 7100i on Nextel

I use it lightly on my BB since I am at work most of the day, I only use AIM and do not use MSN at all.

pink

Please check this thread out too:
http://www.blackberryforums.com/developer-forum/6424-development-guidelines-chat-software-developers.html#post43910

We have released Yak On! Beta 1.0480, the primary focus of this release is a reduction in network and hence battery usage on the device.

Changes:

* Considerably reduced battery usage. We have turned off the field trace log and reduced service pings by over half. This significantly reduces the impact on your Blackberry's battery.
* Fixed a login bug that would block logins for @msn.com MSN users. MSN can re-direct logins to another server and Yak On! didn't handle this properly. This affects mostly msn.com email addresses. Yak On! now handles the login redirect correctly.
* Fixed a bug in the set away screen that could cause Yak On! to crash.

Known Issues:

* Sound profile does not back up properly when Yak On! is running. To back up your device, close Yak On! first so that your sound profiles backup properly. We are working on a fix for this issue

To install Yak-On Beta 1.0480:
1. Close Yak On!

2. Backup your sound profile data and options using the "Advanced" option in the Blackberry desktop software, under "Backup and Restore".

3. Uninstall the previous beta by going to HomeScreen->Options->Applications->YakOn! and selecting delete from the Track wheel menu. You may be prompted to reboot the device before the removal is complete.

4. Option 1: Point your Blackberry's browser to http://www.yak-on.com/beta_download/ and choose YakOn.jad. Clicking on it in the browser will prompt you to install Yak On!

5. Option 2: Download YakOn_Beta.zip to your PC and unzip it. Connect your Blackberry to your computer using the USB cable. Using the Desktop Manager’s Application loader, select YakOn.alx in the YakOn directory. Click okay and the Application Loader will install Yak On! onto your Blackberry.

6. Using the restore option in the Blackberry desktop software, restore the sound profiles backed up in step 2.

Please send any comments, concerns, bug reports, and questions to

Things preventing me from using Yak On:

1. No option to allow AIM logins from multiple locations.
2. No option for timestamp on messages recieved/sent.
3. *IMPORTANT* No ability to see what a user's away message is without messaging them. Most of my contacts leave AIM on 24/7, and periodically update their away message throughout the day. With Verichat I could view their information, and see what their away message was without having to IM them.

Other than that, I like it.

TM

Now if there was only a way to remove the msn account information (deleting and reinstalling the program doesn't work)... as I can't get it to sign on with msn; only aim works... So I keep getting the stupid message every 2 minutes now saying its going to try again.

Is anyone using this program on a BES. I am using a Bell Mobility 7250 on Mailstreet BES and it says "signing in" but never completes the process. The were some hints earlier in the thread about BES being a problem, but no answers.

(Tried both MSN and AIM, with latest version of yak-on.)

I'm on a BES using a BB7520 with Nextel - worked with no issues. I didn't change any settings, just put in my UN/PW, logged on, and that was it.

i got the same damn issue,, tried to uninstall and reinstall still there?

any updates on this issue

Does the constant service pings used by yak-on count as data usage? Does anyone know if this generally is included in unlimited data plans? If I am happy with version 1.047 do I need to upgrade to 1.048?
Thanks...

I like IM+ !
IM+ supports 6 services : AOL, ICQ, MSN, Y!, Jabber & Google talk.
It has many features and supports HTTP, TCP & WAP connect.

VeriChat is the worst IM program ever created for any device, nothing but system connectivity errors and then signs you off, Yak-On is the best I have used, it has been signed on for 3 days straight, leave it on at night aswell and havnt missed one IM

I have been signed on to verichat for a week now and no disconnects so I am not sure what issues you are having with it but works flawlessly for me. Yak ate my battery in a few hours

hyperbole: noun, exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

ok the new beta version has fixed this problem with storing accounts but there is still the issue of having the yak files removed from the bb once the application is deleted

And how would that make sense? Me stating my feelings on a particular software client? VeriChat has never worked for me or anyone of my clients on 7290, 8700 on Cingular or T-Mobile, if it works flawlessly on other networks great, It has never worked and I get nothing but complaints...Nothing but good feedback on Yak-On...uses too much battery life? Boo-hoo get a charger. Everyone has there own requirements in a device, 90% of all the people I deal with have sidekicks solely for use of AIM, then they have a phone, and blackberry for email. If something can replace a sidekick and work well why is that not something to write about?

I believe many (perhaps most) third party apps are bad about removing trailing traces of themselves. Often I've uninstalled then reinstalled/upgraded an app and it has mysteriously found all it's original settings without me re-entering them. I guess Windows apps do the same, but at least there I can dive in and manually weed them out of the registry.

I received an email notifying me that a new beta has been released. Don't know if it addresses anyone's problems:

11/10/2005

Greetings Yak On! Beta testers

Yak On! Beta 1.0485 is now available

Changes:

• Message delivery confirmation with retry has been added. Now when you send an instant message, confirmation is requested from the IM server. The message is stored for automatic retry (once every 30 seconds) until confirmation is received that the message was received by the IM server. This will help improve reliability when using Yak On! in a low signal area
• Changes to further reduce battery usage have been added.
• The turn around for networking errors is now 30 seconds vs 2 minutes. This will speed sign in when a transient glitch in networking occurs.
• AIM/MSN saved account information deletion. You can now delete all stored accounts using a menu option in the Sign on screen
• Connection management after a call has changed. Previously Yak On! would always sign off and back on after a call. After experimenting with some networking options exposed in the latest API update from Blackberry, we have discovered that connections are now more stable across short calls. The regular re-connect logic will catch dropped connections, we no longer automatically sign off and back on after a call. This will improve usability for heavy phone users.
• Added a hot key option in the buddy list to jump to the New Messages group. Press alt-n on your keyboard to jump from anywhere in the buddy list straight to the New Messages group. This improves usability for users with large buddy lists.

Known Issues

• We have not yet fixed the sound profile backup issue. You must still close Yak On! before backing up your device so that your sound profiles properly backup. Now that major items have been cleared off the fix list, this is next in queue to be fixed
• A UI element to note IM's pending confirmation needs to be added so that the user is aware that there are messages not yet confirmed by the IM server.