Good news! I have been volunteer beta testing (unpaid) over 10 different Verichat releases between 1.48 and 1.78, and have contributed my feedback. So I am happy to announce this greatly improved version.

Verichat Version 1.78 released
Download Now

New features, including many of my suggestions implemented:

• Non-BES version, works on T-Mobile!
• Automatic "Message Cannot Be Delivered" displayed to other people if you're out of reception
• More reliable message delivery
• One-key multitasking between multiple active chat sessions: ALT+ENTER
• Automatically reconnects after poor reception / radiooff / poweroff
• More stable, crashes less often (Still a work in progress)
• Preferences Option: Simultaneous AIM login in Verichat and on Desktop
• Preferences Option: Automatically checks for new versions of Vericaht

Earlier enhancements (if you haven't used Verichat for a long time)

• MUCH faster performance; scrolling is no longer slow.
• More compact color-coded display of incoming messages.
• Unread messages counter
• Preferences: Alert-on-every-message option (set both idle settings to 0).
• Preferences: Jump immediately to chat option (no prompting).
• Three Separately Configurable Alerts: Background vs Foreground vs Inside Chat
• Alert occurs 1 second before interrupting you, to give you time to pause thumbtyping your email when someone messages you, before Verichat displays. Great for "Jump Immediately to Chat"

Free Trial Restart: If you used Verichat before and had a free trial -- just download it again. Even if your free trial has expired, just download again. With this version of 1.78, your free trial will restart with this newer version, to help you get a new impression of the improved Verichat software in case you were scared away from earlier versions of Verichat.

Just downloaded 1.70b (although when I click 'about' on the hh it says 1.68 ).

I like to view my buddylist in GROUP view.

If someone has an away message active it shows them in another group with their away message next to the new group.

Is this normal? Is there anyway to fix it, or is it a bug?

Jeff

I see 1.68 as well

I just want ATTW to stop charging extra kb's on our unlimited data plan

Or, can Verichat use a BB browser port (or whatever) so that all the provider sees is included data transfer?

Steve

AWESOME. What an amazing accomplishment from this firm.

No workie on my 7100t... "could not open tunnel - Failed"

Did you download the non-MDS version, and did you set up your APN to "wap.voicestream.com"

I ended up with 1.77b being sent to me by the support people at Verichat. Works like a "charm" now that I entered my APN. These people are awesome.

Sort by Status vs. Sort by Group.

Staus sorts aphabetically. Group sorts...uh...randomly? Can you change how 'group' sorts?

Thanks

Jeff

Yes.

I will play some more.. but i just realized you have to buy this product annually... I don't use chat that much....

verichat has decided to work today... Didn't change a thing.

So far I like it.

I tried to download the new version to try, but after I download, and install, I get a "your trial is over please purchase a license" message. Is there a way to try the new version before I buy? of do I have to buy to test out version 1.70?

On another note, I tried selecting verichat in the desktop application install, but it gives me the no other apps found message. Verichat is already listed, but I don't know if its my old version or the new version. I'm using desktop ver 4.0.0.30 and have a BB 7510 from Nextel.

Thanks for any help.

Dizzy

We have released v1.78b which resets the trial period for those folks who may have unsuccessfully tried VeriChat before. Please download this version from www.pdaapps.com.

It fixes the lost licensing issue which some people are experiencing.

Thanks,
-PDAapps

Strange. I thought it restarted my free trail (after my registration data got deleted), so I thought that was a new feature. I've re-entered the registration info, and will see how long it stays.

Glad to see that 1.78 is out already!

Thank you. It works now! Just waiting for my buddy list to populate

Dizzy

rcg - That's a legitimate question. The reason is that it's not just a software program, it's also a service. Verichat includes a server that they have to run.

Why Verichat and WebMessenger Needs You To Pay For Server Service Annually

• Staying connected through the unreliable wireless world, roaming, celltower switches
• Lower bandwidth protocols (lightweight proprietary IM protocol)
• Lower battery power (less transmissons)
• Better surviving intermittent reception without momentary disconnections
• Work around timeout problems

That's why almost all instant messengers for BlackBerry requires you to pay annually. The server runs all the time, 24/7. (And there is no need to hit "refresh" like for SMS based instant messaging, whose operation is often paid by for the cellphone companies) The only ones that does not require you to do so, are ones that connect directly -- and are often not as reliable. Now you know why you have to pay annually -- you are paying for a special server service that is included with the software.

don't get me wrong I understand why they charge... I was really commenting on my use.

Verichat on my 7100t won't play a sound when the IM's arrive IF i'm in the application... Audio alerts come through if I'm in the BB home screen or whereever... just not the actual veri-chat app.

Is there a fix? Anyone else with this issue?

Maybe the PDAAPPS guys read this..

How about some feature Requests to this great app!

-Selectable font in the buddy list.. i.e. i'd like to go teeny small since my list is big..
-AIM status icons - i.e. away or mobile phone mode (SMS forwarding) - this may suck for battery life.
-AIM Group chats - could market as additional paid service - Verichat pro vs std..


[quote="Mark Rejhon"]Good news! I have been volunteer beta testing (unpaid) over 10 different Verichat releases between 1.48 and 1.78, and have contributed my feedback. So I am happy to announce this greatly improved version.

Verichat Version 1.78 released
Download Now

Thank you VeriChat for the automatic reconnections!!!! Now this is finally a useable product!

One request: can you make it so I don't have to re-enter my licence info every time I install a new version?

tel66

rcg:
It's configurable! Go to your Main Menu->Profiles .... Be pleasantly surprised that you can configure it separately for background versus foreground operation
:D

MGalin:
Excellent suggestion about font size, although that could be kind of tricky. PDAApps tells me that group chats are a feature being implemented later in 2005. There are some other priorities (as well as very minor leftover bugs).

tel66:
I am glad you love automatic reconnects. I insisted on that feature. I kept asking for automatic reconnects, because I am a deaf user who uses IM like a telephone and requires 24/7 always-on instant messaging.

No public versions were released between Version 1.48 through 1.70, because there were numerous bugs coming up with automatic reconnects, and you can probably blame the delay between 1.48 and 1.70 on me, because I've probably sent 50 logfiles to PDAApps (I am running 1.79 now, and it has a debugging send-logfile capability)

I beta tested many "alpha" releases such as 1.49, 1.50, 1.51, 1.52, 1.53, 1.54, and so on, all the way through 1.79. Sometimes they skipped a few point releases, but I often got almost every point release, and I sent a big email with each release (So I've probably sent over 30 big emails to PDAApps.... a responsibility a good beta tester should have!)

Also, license information is fixed now. Version 1.78 now keeps the license information when upgrading. It was a bug in earlier versions to lose license information when installing newer versions. So when you install newer versions on top of 1.78, it should now keep your license information.

Mark,

I'm aware of the configurations and I have configured each one already... I get background but no foreground notifications.

I thought perhaps this may be a known issue... same problem on a 7510 we have running 1.78. My 7100 is running 1.70

rcg:
Go to VeriChat->Click Thumbwheel->Preferences and set both "Idle" settings to 0. I prefer being alerted on every single message, so I have both of these settings set to 0.

If this fixes the problem, then problem solved.
If this does not fix the problem, congratulations, you've found a Verichat bug. I'll report this to support[at]pdaapps.com (...However, I am unable to reproduce it -- I have foreground alerting working fine after I configure Preferences to 0...can you do this test first. Thanks!)

Can you post and let me know if this helps!

I've been addicted long-enough to figure out the email features of the BB, and the advantages of using email. I use email now for short communications, instead of being plugged-in to a phone, and for long-bursts when I'm not behind my PC, or don't want to be behind it. But I've never tried IM. This has been my main stumbling block:

Do your contacts have to be connected to IM such as Verichat, in order to receive messages from you if you're using Verichat? Do they have to be expecting an IM from you in order for you to be sure they'll see your IM? If I have someone's email address, for example, I can be fairly certain she'll receive my email soon. Can I expect this certainty with an IM message?

IM is a realtime chatting system, not an email system.

An IM chat is typed on the keyboard and looks like this:If you are not into realtime chatting, then IM is not for you, and VeriChat is not for you.

VeriChat is simply a wireless version of Microsoft's own MSN Messenger / Windows Messenger / AOL's own AOL Instant Messenger / ICQ Messenger / Yahoo Instant Messenger.

Yes, the person must be connected to the IM network to get your message. But if they're connected, they see your message instantly -- like a text version of a telephone conversation! Can save money if you're roaming data.

But if you've never used IM before, you may want to get familiar with Microsoft Windows Messenger first. Click Start Menu, Windows Messenger, and set up an MSN account. Chat to your sister or coworker. If you like it, then get Verichat for the wireless version of the same experience.

You have to be familiar with how IM works.

Example: Many kids like to run IM all the time while they're doing homework. So if you see them signed on (you can often find out by running Microsoft Windows Messenger under Windows, or by running Verichat on BlackBerry), send a hello. If they respond within 3 seconds, that means they are at their computer.

Treat IM like a phone call.
- An IM contact being offline is the same thing as "no answer"
- An IM contact not responding to your "hello" is the same thing as "away from computer, I'll read your message later"
- An IM contact responding to your hello is the same thing as a live telephone conversation.

Use email when you they must read the message eventually.
Use IM when you want immediate realtime 2-way chat talk via keyboard.

Sometimes people prefer to chat by IM because it's easier to talk to 3 people simultaneously at the same time. (Yes, you heard me right. People like me do that -- just by having 3 separate windows -- side-by-side) Or that it is easier to multitask or listen to music while chatting by keyboard. And because you can have 100 people logged onto your IM Buddy List, it becomes easier to co-ordiate events between friends if they are all logged on at the same time.

However, if you are not used to IM -- you might not like it. I use IM for business, for friends, for family, and for meeting new people online, including talking to forum members.

It's also a more anonymous way of making a phone call. For example, people often ask someone for their help, but don't want to give a phone number. Instead, they give an IM address and start a chat immediately. The IM address is easily disposable and blockable on one click, if something goes wrong. You can even create 100 IM addresses, and use them like disposable phone numbers if you want.

And roaming voice is usually more expensive than roaming data, so chatting by IM is usually cheaper than talking by telephone.

IM is very popular among the young generation rather than the older generation; however, I do use it a lot to talk to family members.

As a related note, also because I am hearing impaired, IM revolutionized deaf communications in North America during the late 1990s, and has made TDD/TTY's almost extinct except for calling businesses. Many deaf people no longer own TDD/TTY's (text telephones) because of Microsoft Messenger and because of places like AT&T www.relaycall.com .... Just an interesting factoid!

Thanks Mark. I won't feel so stupid listening to you guys talk about this stuff anymore.

I am a nextel 7520 user of verichat. I would like share my observations on how well this 1.78 version runs in comparison to older version. Prior to this, I would say that web messenger had the upper hand in terms of reliably. With this release, there has been *HUGE* improvements in terms of reliability and performance for verichat. I can now receive and make called while verichat is running. So far it seems to takes care of disconnecting / reconnecting when the voice portion of the phone is in use. This in my opinion make is the hands-down best IM app for the bb.

Here are my initial findings:

1. I can run verichat while running other apps (like reqwireless webview, ssh, etc.) with out getting the "max connections opened" error.

2. While on verichat I can receive phone calls most of the time. Prior to this, most calls when straight to vmail with out ringing the phone.

3. After receiving a call or making a call verichat seem to do a pretty good job of reconnecting to the IM networks.

4. It seem be much more stable running for long periods of times. I don’t find myself exiting the app and restarting to get the IM networks connected.

5. Its seems to be more battery friendly. Doesn’t drain battery as quickly as before.

6. Messages that are sent while talking on phone (so far short conversions 1 - 2 mins) seem to come though when the voice call is ended.

7. So far it has not hosed my bb's internet connection. Prior to this I would end up having to remove the bb's batter to get network running again.

If you were having trouble with prior releases, I would really recommend giving it another shot. It now seems that *reliable* always on IM is now an option for bb users.


:D

deltaecho,

Glad to know that you're very happy with this Verichat release!

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but every time I install an upgrade, I have to reenter all my license info. Is this supposed to happen?

That's normal for older versions before 1.78.

The problem was fixed in 1.78, but if you were running an older version than 1.78, you will have to re-enter your license information. Just email the license information to yourself, and save it in your BlackBerry Saved Folder. Then you can copy-and-paste the license information using the BlackBerry copy-and-paste feature.

Good news!

I was able to run Verichat 1.86 beta for 75 hours nonstop, without manually reconnecting, and without quitting and restarting! This finally beats WebMessenger's reliability records for me.

If you are a registered user, you may be able to obtain version 1.86 from them. They are currently rewriting Verichat to use a single-socket model that uses even less bandwidth. So it may be a while before the next version of Verichat, but you fully-registered users probably can obtain 1.86 upon request.

Never mind..... i got it! This program rocks!

For some reason whenever I set my status to away in verichat 1.78 it seems to only stay that way for a short period of time. Whenever I go back into the program my status is always set back to online. This is very frustrating especially when I'm driving or something and can't respond the the IMs flooding in because people see my status change from away to online. Am I doing something wrong?

Sent this report by email to PDAapps.

Thanks for sending the report, I am very impressed with this software other than the status problem I was having. I was considering webmessenger for some time and I'm glad I waited to invest because if they can clear up this little problem for me I'll definitely sign up for Verichat instead.

Does Verichat import your buddy list from AIM & Yahoo each time you sign on or do you need to set up your buddy list seperately on the blackberry?

The buddy list is automatically imported.