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Of the lot I am probably going to use Mxit the least. I think it is one of those services which is better for a certain age group and I am a good decade outside that age group. It is the application I have on my phone so I can feel a little more hip/cool/whatever when I am around the younger folk.
Jaiku is pretty much in a class of its own but I included it here because its location based capability is along similar lines to Nokia Chat which takes location a step further and integrates with GPS and the address book. Nokia Chat is a great app. It is Jabber based and doesn’t allow for integration with other services so it isn’t exactly going to overtake the likes of Fring or Gizmo which do allow for that level of integration. At the same time it does interest me, if anything because Jonathan Greene raved about it (I think I am becoming a bit of a Jonathan Greene fanboy … apologies to Jonathan Greene …). You connect using your Ovi credentials (anyone else using Ovi?) which translate into Jabber credentials and you can add other Jabber users (including GTalk) to your contacts list.
The two that intrigue me at the moment are Fring and Gizmo. Most people I know are using Fring on their mobile devices. It connects a range of IM services including Skype and even allows for Skype calls (very handy). Gizmo also connects to a range of IM services and uses the Gizmo VOIP service which is based on something called SIP. I don’t know much about SIP except I understand is based on an open protocol for whatever that is worth. I am actually hoping that one of the very bright people who come across this post can explain the value of SIP to me.
Of course I must just point out that Fring also supports SIP (I just haven’t been able to persuade Fring to log into my SIP service) so it isn’t a case of SIP based Gizmo versus Fring. There is some overlap. Of course the reverse isn’t true and Gizmo doesn’t connect to the Skype service so if Skype connectivity on the go is a big issue for you, don’t even look at Gizmo.
One advantage Gizmo does have for me is that it integrates into my E71 alongside Nokia Chat in my address book (is that an old fashioned term? should that be “contacts list”?) and my phone will use Gizmo as the facilitator for Internet calls on the phone. Integration with my phone is a big plus but the difference between Gizmo’s level of integration and Fring’s installation is probably marginal.
I don’t have a conclusion of any sort right now when it comes to whether to prefer Fring over Gizmo or vice versa. I would like to know if you do have any thoughts one way or another or about what the whole SIP thing is all about and what it means for VOIP and world peace?
FYI: I have started posting a couple SIP-related links to Delicious if you are interested …
Technorati Tags:
e71, nokia, nokia e71, SIP, voip, gizmo, skype, nokia chat
What do you think?