Palringo for iPhone Updated, PTT Now Supported
It has been less than one month since Palringo added its IM application to the iPhone App Store and we already have the major revision promised when it was released on July 29. The most notable addition of course, is Push-to-Talk (PTT) support. PTT, or vocal IM as they often call it in this case, is the feature that sets Palringo apart from competitors on various other platforms and now the great functionality is available to iPhone users as well. So how does it work? Just like standard PTT services, simply select a contact from your contact list and hold a [virtual] button while speaking. Finish talking, release the button and your audio recording is quickly delivered to the recipient. Incoming PTT messages can be played automatically or manually depending on your settings and they will play right from within the app. Of course Palringo also supports messaging to a variety of other IM platforms such as GTalk, Yahoo and AIM and they aren’t left out when it comes to PTT. The catch of course is that these IM services don’t support PTT so any vocal messages, just like picture messages, will be delivered as a link to the file hosted on Palringo servers. The recipient can then easily click the link and view your image file or play the PTT message right from within any standard browser. Of course the addition of PTT support doesn’t change the fact that the app is free and since all iPhones are sold with unlimited data, you’ve now got unlimited PTT as well – to any handset running Palringo on any network! Take that, carriers.
Thanks to Apple’s decision to disallow background processes, this is all pretty much pointless. To wit: Here’s how you will need to use palagrino between two iPhone users:
Step 1 – *call them up* then negotiate by voice that both parties launch palagrino at the same time.
Step 2 – have your PTT convo.
Step 3- hope that one of the two parties doesn’t push the square iPhone button at the bottom.
Complete fail in three steps. Now, with OSes that permit background procs (read: everyone else) apps like this become actually *usefull*.
Wake up, apple.
Not that I would EVER encourage it, but I have *heard* that those with jailbroken phones have a neat little program called Insomnia that allow applications to continue to run even when you hit the power button the top, and that includes leaving the WiFi access open if you choose. For those scoundrels out there that would DARE to jailbreak their phones, they should probably check into the previous article from BGR:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/08/18/quickpwn-pwns-iphone-pwnage/
Have fun… should you DARE…
Insomnia is a nice app but it only keeps the iphone from sleeping and does not make it so you can run programs in the background. Most people will not keep Palringo open all the time and will like to use other aspects of the iPhone. If you close down Palringo to run another application then you will not get any IM’s or PTT.
When apples “push” notification service comes out (hopefully in September) and apps are coded to support it, it will help some what with this not allowing an app to run in the background.
*beep* “Where you at?”
*brrp* “B!tch, I’m in a job interview!”
*beep* “Cool, this PTT thing really works!”
“All iPhones are sold with unlimited data”… except for Canada.
This interface is horrid looking. Though, I have to admit, it’s the only IM app for the iPhone that works…at least for me( AIM never connects over EDGE for me, and mobile chat is nice but doesn’t connect at all) I really hope IMing on the iPhone becomes better…
Hmm…
PTT on the iphone sounds more like push-slide-touch-touch-touch-push-talk-low battery shutdown.