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With Version 1.1, Verbs Becomes A Great AIM Client for iPhone

When I reviewed Verbs for iPhone a few weeks ago, I was disappointed by the lack of AIM support and the overall feeling that the app was rushed to the App Store. Verbs came with a delicious interface design and cool ideas such as a Messages-like approach to IM chats, but the fact that I couldn’t plug into my AIM account and I was forced to use Google Talk was a major downside for me. Also, there was no support for local notifications: once you were out of the app, you wouldn’t know if someone was writing to you on Google Talk. The app was beautiful and elegant, but I couldn’t use it at all.

The latest 1.1 version released in the App Store fixes all these issues, and has become the best AIM client for iPhone for me. Verbs is the same elegant and refined app I tested weeks ago, only I can actually use it now.

The developers introduced support for AIM and MobileMe. This means I can now log in with my @mac.com account just fine and get in touch with my buddies. This AIM integration also brings other functionalities to the app, such as the possibility to edit an avatar, set a status message, add buddies (like on iChat for Mac). Overall, Verbs feels like a tiny iChat brought to the iPhone in a good-looking package. In fact, it pretty much looks like an app Apple itself would create. The workflow of the app is still the same: you have a contact list, you can mark some buddies as “favorites” and cut down the list to these contacts only, you can access the ongoing chats through a windowed interface that reminds me of Safari’s open pages.

With version 1.1, Verbs also gets Droplr integration, which now goes side by side with existing Cloud App support for your file sharing needs in IM sessions. And together with that, local notifications for uploads and, yes, chats. Finally, I can use this app as an AIM client on my iPhone, as it’s undoubtedly one of the most elegant takes on mobile AIM I’ve seen coming from the App Store.

Verbs is available at $2.99. More features will come soon but right now, Verbs is a just a great AIM client for iPhone.

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Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, and Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more.

He can also be found on his other podcasts on Relay FM: Connected and Remaster, two shows about Apple and videogames, respectively.

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