Apps Better With A QWERTY Android
I've been an SMS addict since I started using a text-capable GSM phone. And that was back in the year 2000, a good 12 years ago. Today, I haven't changed. In fact, I probably got worse. Like me, I believe that most Filipinos, even with the prime of the Call and Text Unli generation, still prefer SMS. And with the advent of very affordable smartphones like the Android, more messaging and communication applications are available for the everyday user.
While an occasional tweet or Facebook Status Update may not require you to have a physical QWERTY Android, and may, in fact be enjoyable executed on a touch screen phone, a marathon text and chat session may be a pain on a touch screen. That being said, here are apps that I feel are better off used on an Android with a QWERTY keyboard, like the HTC Chacha:
GTalk
Every Android comes with a GTalk client right upon unboxing. All you need to do is to fire it up, using your Google Account username and password.
GTalk for Android is light, simple and utilitarian. You will be able to receive messages even when not actively using the app, just as long as you've logged in and it's running in the background.
Yahoo Messenger
Yahoo Messenger, I find, is rather heavy on the system. While it may work great on a higher-spec Android, it may cause a midrange or circa-2010 Android to run with some lags and snags. If you have 600MHz CPU speed/256MB RAM, forget it. Though, it seems to run just fine on Samsung Galaxy Y, which has 800MHz CPU speed/290MB RAM.
Just to let you know, the bigger pain is that if you want to run YM with Video, you would have to download another plugin, which would eat up more of your ROM.
On the brighter side, though, YM for Android gives the standard, pleasant YM experience that Windows users of Yahoo Messenger enjoy: Font effects, smileys, and even the BUZZ! Feature.
Facebook Messenger/Chat
Aside from the standard Facebook for Android app, Facebook offered Facebook Messenger for Android. It exclusively handles chats and messages for your Facebook account.
Is it handy? If you're that addicted to Facebook and you want to remain online, all the time, yes. If you couldn't wait to get to your desktop to share pics, yes. But if you're not really into the whole being-online-24/7 thing, then you don't really need this, not even if you have a QWERTY phone.
My only reason why I would download, install and keep this would be because the Facebook Messenger app allows you to send pictures as attachments in messages, while the built-in messenger in the Facebook for Android app doesnt: messages are strictly text-only.
Still, if you want to chat for long hours with your friends, best used with a physical QWERTY keyboard.
Trillian
Trillian is one of those inter-account services that allows you to integrate your different instant messaging accounts under one chat client. While apps similar to Trillian abound, like eBuddy, Pidgin, Adium, Meebo and the like, Trillian is possibly the best in this niche, because it integrates across platforms:
- Windows
- Mac
- iPhone
- Android
- Blackberry
- Browser/Web-based Client
Imagine the flexibility of Trillian: you can pause a chat you've been having on your desktop, then take it up again, whichever smartphone you have: whether it's an iPhone, and Android or a Blackberry. And if you find yourself needing to connect to friends, loved ones or clients on the go and you have nothing else but the nearest Internet Cafe, you'll be able to use Trillian from there, too.
And if you have at least three Android batteries and will be stuck waiting for your doctor or waiting in line to facilitate some government documents, Trillian will be handy with an HTC Chacha, HTC Desire Z, Cherry Mobile Candy Chat or some other QWERTY Android. And if you have a Blackberry, that may make your life a little bit better as well.
Viber
This is possibly the only advanced messaging/chatting app that I'll keep on my Cherry Mobile Nova. I find that Viber is very useful, and is better than MMS or even GMail in exchanging photos. While I wouldn't want to keep a Facebook Messenger app on my Android, I'd definitely keep this. Only, it'd be great if I used this on a QWERTY Android. Soon!
I was recently marathon exchanging Viber messages with a couple of friends who went on a trip to Singapore and it was a pain trying to keep up with their messages on my fully touch screen Cherry Mobile Nova, even with the HTC_IME mod keyboard.
These apps will make you wish your Android has a physical keyboard. Though, in all truth, the most enjoyable apps to keep on a fully touchscreen Android were Viber and Trillian.
How about you? Do you have apps that make you wish your Android had a QWERTY keyboard as well?
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