Developer Alexander Chukov has recently released a new build for the iPhone's iChabber instant messaging homebrew. Dubbed r38, this new version will carry Jabber support, aside from the Russian and French localization. Further details are available in the full article.


Download: iChabber r38

Want to keep in touch with your friends everywhere you go? Either get a cellphone, or get Danzel's AFKIM, the Sony PlayStation Portable homebrew that lets you send and receive instant messages from clients such as Yahoo Messenger, GTalk, ICQ and more. And in this update from Zx-81, we get wind of a very nasty bug that's been promptly squashed with this new version. All the details in the full article.

Download: AFKIM v3.3.2
Visit: QJ.NET's PSP Development Forums

Here's another entry to the on-going NeoFlash Spring Coding Competition. It's called Flo's Funportal from homebrew coder FloXxX. The application is currently on version 1.1 and is home to several games, videos, and applications. Know more after the jump!


Download Flo's Funportal v1.1

Since homebrew developer zx-81 mentioned before that he'll stop working on Danzel's AFKIM, we're quite delighted to find out that a new version of the nifty PSP instant messenger app surfaced. AFKIM version 3.3.0 brings new updates for everyone who love their IM services on the go.

For those still scratching their heads in wonder, AFKIM (or Away From the Keyboard Instant Messenger) is a universal messenger client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, GTalk, and Yahoo!, among others. To get the most out of this convenient chat program, don't forget muse over the Readme files that come with the download.

Aside from new design and other functions, here are some new features in this release (from the readme):

• Add iso 8859-1 font/characters compatibility (useful for French, Spanish, German etc ... )
• Add modified version of Danzeff Keyboard with iso 8859-1 characters
• Code cleaning

Download: AFKIM v3.3.0
Visit: ZX-81's Homebrew Releases forum

  

If you've ever wanted to chat on popular messaging clients with your PSP but haven't found the right software, this is for you. The PSPcc v1.0 by Johnny Rainbow is a chat client written in LUA which supports MSN, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo!, and Gtalk.

This PSP homebrew application has quite a plethora of features that users will definitely appreciate such as being able to add multiple accounts on different networks and be simultaneously logged into all of them and listening to your MP3s while chatting. Here's a short list of the features of the program.

Key Features:

• Simultaneous use of multiple accounts on different networks
• Ridiculously skinnable interface
• Mp3 playback, remote support
• Audio alerts for new message, sign-ins, etc.
• Chat-logging (can be disabled, like most features)
• Three original skins included + AFKIM skin
• Uses the faster "danzeff" typing system (custom)

Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Why don't you download the program below and try it out? Be sure to go over the readme file before doing anything. It should noted though that if the homebrew isn't working with your wireless network, you can try using the Patched WLAN version of the program.

Download: PSPcc v1.0 unpatched
Download: PSPcc v1.0 patched WLAN

Finally, after over a year since its announcement, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will now be demo'ing its new e-distribution service Station Launcher. This will allow consumers to download MMO games to their PC units and eventually, the Station Launcher will be used to download movies and other content for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Aside from downloading games, the Station Launcher also allows MMO players to communicate with their friends using the launcher itself. Players will be able to tell where those friends are now and which games they are playing now. Likewise, SOE Creative Director Nathan Pearce added that integration with AIM, ICQ, and Xfire are also being planned.

The official also talked freely on how the Station Launcher will allow consumers to download movies and music and store them locally. According to him, content from other film and music studios will also be available through the service. What will happen is that users will buy the rights to a content and then it will be attached to their Station account.

Quite interestingly, Pearce noted that one of their short-term plans for the service involves the PSP. He explained, "We have a version of Launcher where it recognizes when you plug in your PSP into the PC. You can download a movie straight from the internet through the Launcher straight to your PSP without it ever having touched your PC."

Take note that it is SOE's plan to allow consumers to watch the content wherever they log into their Station account. "It's not just one device or limited devices, it's wherever you are you can watch it," added Pearce. Aside from the above mentioned, other plans for the Station Launcher include making the service work with Sony's LocationFree Player and bring over TV shows.

As for release dates, Pearce commented, "the time frame for what I demonstrated over here, which is just games and friends, is late summer. Movies and music is sometime after that. It is going to be a pretty big endeavor, so I don’t have a release date for it, but it is going to be a good time after summer."

Chat junkies who also happen to be Mac users have a reason to be a little bit happier today; Adium version 1.0.2 has just been released. This instant messaging client might just work better for you, if you try it. It's free, it's fast, it supports AIM, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, Yahoo! Japan, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Novell Groupwise, and Lotus Sametime, as well as a beautiful WebKit message display, tabbed messaging, encrypted chat, file transfer and of course, the cute little green duck.

Adium version 1.0.2 features the following improvements:

• Fixed the crashes while performing DNS resolutions
• Fixed the situation in which an AIM file transfer could fail
• Fixed a crash when sending formatted MSN text (#5753)
• Fixed linkification of .eu domains
• Various performance improvements to the log viewer when opening it and performing searches, particularly in searching while indexing occurs.

Download Adium Version 1.0.2

More of the Adium Version 1.0.2 changes after the jump.

A new variant of the ever-popular BlackBerry phone has hit the market. Thanks to RIM and T-mobile USA, fans of the award-winning phone in the United States can now get their hands on the new white BlackBerry Pearl.

"The BlackBerry Pearl has set the bar for combining the functionality of a full-featured BlackBerry phone and the ultimate in style, all at an affordable price," said Mike Butler, Chief Marketing Officer, T-Mobile USA. "Now, the white BlackBerry Pearl provides our customers with another effortless, yet stylish, option to stay connected with loved ones."

Features of the BlackBerry Pearl include the following:

• Access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts through the BlackBerry Internet Service
• AOL, Yahoo! MSN and ICQ support
• 1.3 megapixel camera with 3 zoom levels (up to 5X) and built-in flash
• Multimedia player with stereo headset jack with support for MP3 and AAC music files, as well as MPEG4 and H.263 video formats
• High-performance HTML browser
• Newly enhanced version of RIM’s popular SureType™ keyboard technology
• Smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing, and call forwarding
• Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated 'send', 'end', and 'mute' keys, speakerphone, and Bluetooth support
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS and EDGE network support
• BlackBerry Maps – a new application which adds mapping and location-based services to the BlackBerry Pearl
• Polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tone support
• 240x260 color display
• Innovative light-sensing technology
• 64MB built-in flash memory, expandable via microSD expansion slot
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server support

The T-Mobile exclusive white BlackBerry Pearl also comes with a host of similarly-colored accessories including a stereo headset, travel charger, and USB cable. Premium leather holsters and totes, an automotive charger, and Bluetooth headsets are also available online and through T-Mobile retail outlets.

Wii users with Opera will be glad to know that they can have more online chat options than the Wii Message Board. Hunter tells us that CommunicationTube, a web-based chat engine, works GREAT with the Wii. (And for those of us who have chat-addict brothers or sisters, oh great, we may NEVER see our Wiis again!)

Currently, CommunicationTube supports four chat engines: MSN Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk, and IRC. The web client will run on Microsoft IE 5+, Firefox 0.8+, Netscape Navigator 4.7+, and Opera 7+ - which is why it will work with the Wii. No applets are being used either, which means lower resource demands on your Nintendo hardware.

It's gonna be hard typing with a Wiimote, though. Access via http://www.communicationtube.net/ (or, if you're viewing this through Wii Opera, click on the Via link below).

Again, Hunter, thanks for the tip!

It must be a Helvetian thing, perhaps, for products from that region of Europe to come in big, strong packages. Zeron certainly proved that one with his Indigo package that is no wilting flower. 1.3 alone had a ton of programs, PSP OSs, HTML games, Flash games, and Flash movies, you'd wonder why the thing isn't on a UMD (or that it deserved a free Memory Stick of its own).

Well, it only gets beefier in Indigo 2.0, he tells us. Containing the programs of the 1.3, not to mention some of the skins of the Ultimate update (ooh, an Adriana Lima skin!), and then some. We're just going to post the full list of available features of 2.0 after the jump, but we're looking at the addition of RSS feeds, movie feeds, an MP3 player, and tools like yongobongo's PSP-messenger that allows your PSP to chat with AIM, MSN, YM, and so forth, all the way to SMS, even. You've got to admit: Zeron's Indigo 2.0 really brings the kaching!

And the kaching comes in three packages: Pro, Standard, and Mini, and will work with all firmware PSPs - use the latest DevHook with web browser functionality for 1.0/1.5, and use the web browser found in 2.0 up (although some features might not be available if using firmware lower than 2.70). Yes, this will also work in 2.71 SE and 3.02 OE custom firmware.

Download links below take you off-site to Rapidshare links - do remember that even on Mini, these are rather hefty files to download into your PC (the installation program), and install into your PSPs. And if you have any questions, do drop a line here in the comments. Zeron may come around to help you out. And don't forget the Readme!

Download: [Indigo 2.0 PRO]
Download: [Indigo 2.0 STANDARD]
Download: [Indig0 2.0 MINI]

Zeron's sent us a list of features available in Indigo 2.0. A ton of features. Check it out at the jump!