As an application which works on most smartphones, RockeTalk offers a lot more than just standard IM chatting. The app itself is free to download, but it is a serious threat that you will be put off by the terrible interface.
In an ecosystem full of IM clients, RockeTalk attempts to offer the end user more than just text based chatting. This one attempts to integrate the ability to chat, share files, connectivity to popular IM networks and send multimedia messages to other users. On paper, this app offers a lot of interesting stuff. RockeTalk is available in multiple smartphone platforms, which increases the appeal of the app. But how well does it really perform? Let’s find out.
Getting the app: Simple stuff
To download the app, there is a two pronged method. Select any one. Head to http://m.rocketalk.com from your phone’s web browser. This will require you to sign up first, and then lead you to the download page, for the version meant for your phone. Or, you can point the web browser on your PC to http://www.rocketalk.com and feed in your mobile number. In response, you will get a sms with the link from where you can directly install the app on your phone. The simple sign up process is a one-time deal, and the app needs that before proceeding. The size is anywhere between 1MB and 2MB, depending on the phone model and operating system platform. We would suggest you use Wi-Fi or 3G to download this app, since that’ll be quicker.
Look and Feel: Truly disappointing
[RELATED_ARTICLE]Having downloaded and signed up for the RockeTalk, it was an immediate sense of disappointment which was largely prevalent. The interface on the N-series Symbian phone we were testing the app on was cluttered and had a rough edge to it and felt cheap. The first screen of the app has multiple blocks- What’s hot, My Page, Search, Friends, Inbox, Communities, Media, IM and Fun Zones. The colour theme of red and white, with big icons and text thrown in made it seem cluttered. However, the look and feel of the app may change quite a bit depending on the phone and version of the app.
Read on to know about the features, performance and our take on the RockeTalk app…
Features: Has a lot to offer
Straight off, anyone and everyone who wants to use Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger would want this app. One app accessing all three is convenience exemplified! But there is much more beyond that.
The What’s Hot tab takes you to the latest fun stuff out there. When we tested the app, the Cricket World Cup was the highlight. Also, there are contests, most active communities and featured profiles of users on the RockeTalk platform.
My Page is the next block on the page, and heading into it reveals your profile. Users can edit their profile, update status messages, view comments and responses, invite your friends to start using RockeTalk, upload pictures and videos and share, start and join communities with other users and even add a Voice Photo for your profile!
The search tab allows you to search for users and communities. The very first option on this page called online users, lets you look at a huge list of active users. Whether this list has all users or whether they are randomly picked is not clear. Advanced user search lets you search for users via name or username. Community search will let users search for communities relevant to their interest, and send the request to join.
[RELATED_ARTICLE]The Friends tab will list all your friends, be it from the IMs or on the RocketTalk platform. The Inbox is like an email inbox, allowing you to send and receive messages. The My Communities section will list all the communities you have joined. The Media tab has the fun stuff! This is the place to be if you want to watch random videos posted by other users, or even upload some of your own. There are the Recent and the Most Viewed sections as well. Users can also search for any video which may have been uploaded earlier. The video categories are clearly specified as well, which makes genre based video browsing simple.
The next tab on the home screen has the IM access. Divided into three sections, this section is for messaging and communication within the RocketTalk community and external IM platforms. RockeTalk chat will allow chatting with the friends from the same platform. IM messengers menu will allow users to sign up for messengers from Google, Yahoo, Windows Live, AOL and ICQ. However, the Free MMS feature does not require your friends to be on the RockeTalk platform. Users can send an MMS to any friend from their phonebook. The MMS itself is free, but the cellular operator will charge for any data charges, according to the tariff plan.
Read on to know about the performance and our take on the RockeTalk app…
Performance: A mixed bag
The app itself is about 1.2MB to download (we downloaded this on a Symbian phone) and takes about 3-4 minutes to install on the memory card. The interface is snappy, with no lags, even on a phone which has pretty old specs. However, the main driver here is the internet connection speed. If you are connected via Wi-Fi or a 3G network, then the data comes through very quickly. However, the app suffers when used on the cellular operator’s EDGE network. Data transfers become really slow, and multiple refreshes are needed to get videos to load, at certain times. We suggest you select an unlimited data plan if using this on the mobile network, since all this multimedia transfer and browsing will work out quite expensive at the end of the month.
Our Take: Good effort; needs improvement
For anyone who wants an app which does more than just IM chatting, this one may be for you. It is quite literally a social networking eco-system in itself. And since it works on almost all smartphone platforms, you shouldn’t have any problems finding a version compatible with your phone. The interface needs a lot of improvement, however. At the current moment, it just feels cheap and tacky.
App Specs:
Smartphone app
Works with Java, Symbian, Android, Blackberry, Bada OS and Apple iOS devices
Requires one-time sign up
Access to Gtalk, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AOL and ICQ
Free MMS capability
Access to Communities
Share media files with users
Works with Wi-Fi and mobile network data
Ratings:
Features: 8
Performance: 6
Build/Interface: 4
Value: 9
Overall: 7
Price: Free to download; data usage charges may apply