We just added Google Talk to our Mobile Internet version. Our new Web Messenger already supported it, and now you can also chat with your Google Talk buddies on the road!
To check it out, just open the browser on your phone and go to:
m.ebuddy.com
We haven’t forgotten our PSP and Nintendo DS users: Google Talk is also ready to use for you! Just point your PSP or DS to the same address.
It is a beta version, so please let us know what you think on feedback@ebuddy.com!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
One day with eBuddy
Ryan Joseph from the Dastardly Report spend a day using only the new eBuddy Web Messenger. We’re very happy to report he really liked it, favouring it over other web clients.
Here are some snippets from his review:
Ebuddy was actually my favorite of all three programs I tested. It was the only one that didn’t try to simulate the desktop environment and did its own thing. When you first go to the page, you can select one of 5 instant message systems, MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, and MySpace Messenger. This was the only one of the three I tested that supported MySpace.
I honestly didn’t have any problems with ebuddy. It was very fast, very smooth, and easy to use. To sign into more than one account at a time, just click the wrench at the top, then accounts.”
Ebuddy is the only one of the three I tested that I can actually see myself using on a semi-regular basis when I’m away from my computer. I really liked it.
To read the full review, head on over to the Dastardly Report blog. Or just jump in and try to new eBuddy Web Messenger for yourself and see how you like it!
Here are some snippets from his review:
Ebuddy was actually my favorite of all three programs I tested. It was the only one that didn’t try to simulate the desktop environment and did its own thing. When you first go to the page, you can select one of 5 instant message systems, MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, and MySpace Messenger. This was the only one of the three I tested that supported MySpace.
I honestly didn’t have any problems with ebuddy. It was very fast, very smooth, and easy to use. To sign into more than one account at a time, just click the wrench at the top, then accounts.”
Ebuddy is the only one of the three I tested that I can actually see myself using on a semi-regular basis when I’m away from my computer. I really liked it.
To read the full review, head on over to the Dastardly Report blog. Or just jump in and try to new eBuddy Web Messenger for yourself and see how you like it!
Performance
The development team behind the new eBuddy web messenger has been working for some time now to make this client our future flagship product. While we are working on this client we are usually focused on certain themes or sets of (new) features, like conferencing or the support of a new network. Since it’s a new client, features like this are usually quite visible for you, the end-user and you can follow the progress we are making if you log in regularly. However, this doesn’t mean we spend all our time on the creation and development of these new features. Recently we’ve been focused on improving the performance of our client.
Performance has always been an important theme in software development and in every project it means something different. In our case we decided we wanted to dive into three different areas: the contacts tree, the chat tabs and the chat editor. For each of these areas we wanted to greatly improve the responsiveness so users spend less time waiting and more time chatting.
In this blog post I’ll dive a little deeper in what our approach was for each of the problems to give you a little insight in the work behind what we feel is the best chat client on the web. Please let us know how you feel about our efforts.
Editor
Arguably, the most important area was the chat editor where you can type the messages you send. Since chatting is what this application is all about we felt users should experience as little delay as possible while doing it. Before we started working on the performance of this component we identified two main problems. Firstly, while typing a new message, users could experience delays where the letters were lagging behind, appearing seconds later than they were typed. Secondly, when the new message is ready and the user pressed enter or clicked the send button, it sometimes took more than a second to appear in the message area above the chat.
The solution to the second problem was fairly easy. It was basically just a matter of showing the new message before anything else is done. The first was a harder nut to crack. While a user is typing a new message there’s a constant flow of update messages coming in about, for instance, the status of contacts. These messages are taking up a little time each to be processed in the background which is what causes the delay. In the end we decided to postpone the processing of these messages until the user is finished typing.
Tree
Optimizing the contacts tree came with its own set of challenges. It is certainly the most dynamic part of our chat application, constantly updating the status, display name and personal messages of the contacts. Here we identified the following problem: even though logging in with an average account (about 150 contacts) didn’t take very long, it still took a significant amount of time before we were ready with building the contacts tree and we could show it. This caused a problem with the perception of the performance: users thought logging in took a very long time when in fact it didn’t. We needed to find a way to show the tree sooner.
This was perhaps the hardest to optimize and I have to take off my hat to my fellow-developer Mike for that. Not only did he manage to really speed up the rendering of the tree, he managed to implement new sorting options as well. The tree can now be sorted in three different ways: by groups, by name and by account. For each of these options showing offline contacts is optional.
Tabs
We felt the chat tabs definitely needed some work as well. Once a user had several chats open, switching between them took a noticable time. Additionally, creating a new tab by starting a chat with someone sometimes took more than two seconds. Certainly a lot of room for improvement! To speed all this up we had a hybrid approach of doing things in a different order and optimizing the avatar pictures so we can show the tab contents sooner.
Tools
To be able to improve software performance you have to be able to measure it. Sometimes this means sitting next to your computer with a stopwatch, other times it means adding measurement points to the code and sometimes you rely on third-party tools like Firebug, which can accurately measure and profile code performance on the Firefox browser. It is very unfortunate that such a profiler doesn’t exist for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, the most popular browser.
To bridge this gap Mike has developed a really interesting bit of JavaScript code that hooks into the client and profiles how often certain bits of code are used and how long that takes. For developers this is hugely interesting information and this tool is amazing enough to deserve its own blog post. Keep posted for this in the future.
Results
Without wanting to pat myself and my co-workers on the back too much, I really feel we’ve made a huge leap forwards in terms of performance and stability. The end result of this development phase is even better than I expected and we all really hope it translates into a better experience for our users. As always, please let us know how you feel about our products. We are continually working to improve them based our own experiences and, much more important, on user feedback.
Performance has always been an important theme in software development and in every project it means something different. In our case we decided we wanted to dive into three different areas: the contacts tree, the chat tabs and the chat editor. For each of these areas we wanted to greatly improve the responsiveness so users spend less time waiting and more time chatting.
In this blog post I’ll dive a little deeper in what our approach was for each of the problems to give you a little insight in the work behind what we feel is the best chat client on the web. Please let us know how you feel about our efforts.
Editor
Arguably, the most important area was the chat editor where you can type the messages you send. Since chatting is what this application is all about we felt users should experience as little delay as possible while doing it. Before we started working on the performance of this component we identified two main problems. Firstly, while typing a new message, users could experience delays where the letters were lagging behind, appearing seconds later than they were typed. Secondly, when the new message is ready and the user pressed enter or clicked the send button, it sometimes took more than a second to appear in the message area above the chat.
The solution to the second problem was fairly easy. It was basically just a matter of showing the new message before anything else is done. The first was a harder nut to crack. While a user is typing a new message there’s a constant flow of update messages coming in about, for instance, the status of contacts. These messages are taking up a little time each to be processed in the background which is what causes the delay. In the end we decided to postpone the processing of these messages until the user is finished typing.
Tree
Optimizing the contacts tree came with its own set of challenges. It is certainly the most dynamic part of our chat application, constantly updating the status, display name and personal messages of the contacts. Here we identified the following problem: even though logging in with an average account (about 150 contacts) didn’t take very long, it still took a significant amount of time before we were ready with building the contacts tree and we could show it. This caused a problem with the perception of the performance: users thought logging in took a very long time when in fact it didn’t. We needed to find a way to show the tree sooner.
This was perhaps the hardest to optimize and I have to take off my hat to my fellow-developer Mike for that. Not only did he manage to really speed up the rendering of the tree, he managed to implement new sorting options as well. The tree can now be sorted in three different ways: by groups, by name and by account. For each of these options showing offline contacts is optional.
Tabs
We felt the chat tabs definitely needed some work as well. Once a user had several chats open, switching between them took a noticable time. Additionally, creating a new tab by starting a chat with someone sometimes took more than two seconds. Certainly a lot of room for improvement! To speed all this up we had a hybrid approach of doing things in a different order and optimizing the avatar pictures so we can show the tab contents sooner.
Tools
To be able to improve software performance you have to be able to measure it. Sometimes this means sitting next to your computer with a stopwatch, other times it means adding measurement points to the code and sometimes you rely on third-party tools like Firebug, which can accurately measure and profile code performance on the Firefox browser. It is very unfortunate that such a profiler doesn’t exist for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, the most popular browser.
To bridge this gap Mike has developed a really interesting bit of JavaScript code that hooks into the client and profiles how often certain bits of code are used and how long that takes. For developers this is hugely interesting information and this tool is amazing enough to deserve its own blog post. Keep posted for this in the future.
Results
Without wanting to pat myself and my co-workers on the back too much, I really feel we’ve made a huge leap forwards in terms of performance and stability. The end result of this development phase is even better than I expected and we all really hope it translates into a better experience for our users. As always, please let us know how you feel about our products. We are continually working to improve them based our own experiences and, much more important, on user feedback.
IM starts strike
Last friday, Dutch students rallied against a new law enforcing a minimum of 1040 hours of study each year.
Interestingly enough, they used Instant Messaging to start the rally. The call to strike spread over the internet like wildfire, winning out over media such as mobile phones and email.
Interestingly enough, they used Instant Messaging to start the rally. The call to strike spread over the internet like wildfire, winning out over media such as mobile phones and email.
eBuddy 7th Fastest Rising Search term on Google
We just found out that on the Google Zeitgeist 2007 “ebuddy” is the 7th fastest rising search term Globally! Great news, we are very VERY happy.
Yahoo network issues
Early this morning we noticed some problems with our Yahoo connection which caused erroneous “Wrong username/password” messages.
After a couple of minutes of studying the logs and stepping through the sourcecode we found the issue and it was quickly resolved.
Servers are being upgraded as we speak, so Yahoo service should be restored fully in a short while.
After a couple of minutes of studying the logs and stepping through the sourcecode we found the issue and it was quickly resolved.
Servers are being upgraded as we speak, so Yahoo service should be restored fully in a short while.
Thanks a Million, Dank je wel, Merci beaucoup, Muchos Gracias, Obrigado, Kiitos, Köszönöm, Grazie, Tack, cảm ơn,
Thanks to all of you who have helped translating eBuddy in your own language the last couple of weeks! As of today, eBuddy is 100% fully translated in the following languages:
Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Swedish and Vietnamese.
And therefore I would like to give some special thanks a couple of translators who truly worked completely voluntary all day and night to complete their translations before the new release this week!
Blue-Cyber
Chinese and Japanese
B40166873 Horizon
Chinese
Gerasimos Kontos
Greek
Markos Chattari
Greek
Tejes
Hungarian
Mervi
Finnish
Pierre Cauchy
French
Marianna Medea
Italian
Andrea.admin
Italian
Eleonora Spizzamiglio
Italian
Lasse Jensen
Danish
Lone Dahlberg
Swedish
Fanny Forslind
Swedish
Also, Blue-Cyber made a very cool eBuddy Translator display picture and inspired our own designer Allan who created 6 cool eBuddy Translator Avatars for you as a small X-Mas gift …
Here’s one example, the others can be downloaded via the translation Wiki
To all of you who want to help us update and/or translate eBuddy in your own language, send me an email at translation@ebuddy.com with your name and language you wish to translate!
Merry X-Mas to you all!
Marc and Niels
New: eBuddy Lite Messenger
Our first eBuddy Mobile version on m.ebuddy.com has been out there already for three years. We have seen many of you chatting with this version on your mobile phone, PSP, Playstation3, Nintendo DS, the Wii, iPhone, iPod Touch…you name it
Today we launched a complete new version, built from the ground up to offer you the best chat experience on any mobile device, without having to install anything. Since it’s completely new, we decided to rename it from eBuddy Mobile Internet version to eBuddy Lite Messenger. Why we made a complete new version?
This eBuddy Lite Messenger version allows you to login all your accounts at once. Chat with your friends from all your MSN, Yahoo, AIM, and Google Talk accounts in one single buddy list! We also added Google Talk so you now also can reach those friends on your mobile.
You can have multiple conversations at once and add / block /delete buddy is supported.
Set your status and personal or away message. and choose to see your offline contacts in the buddylist. You can even make this Lite version xtra lite, by turning off all images.
Check out the new eBuddy Lite Messenger on m.ebuddy.com and please let us know what you think. We will be adding new features soon, so your ideas on what we should add first are very welcome!
Enjoy the new version!
Vincent
Today we launched a complete new version, built from the ground up to offer you the best chat experience on any mobile device, without having to install anything. Since it’s completely new, we decided to rename it from eBuddy Mobile Internet version to eBuddy Lite Messenger. Why we made a complete new version?
This eBuddy Lite Messenger version allows you to login all your accounts at once. Chat with your friends from all your MSN, Yahoo, AIM, and Google Talk accounts in one single buddy list! We also added Google Talk so you now also can reach those friends on your mobile.
Thanks to our eBuddy Translators you can choose your own language for the interface. 13 languages are currently supported, and counting… Choose your language once and the interface will always be displayed like this. No matter which network you chat on, all emoticons are supported
You can have multiple conversations at once and add / block /delete buddy is supported.
Set your status and personal or away message. and choose to see your offline contacts in the buddylist. You can even make this Lite version xtra lite, by turning off all images.
Check out the new eBuddy Lite Messenger on m.ebuddy.com and please let us know what you think. We will be adding new features soon, so your ideas on what we should add first are very welcome!
Enjoy the new version!
Vincent
Lite Messenger: scrolling on the PSP
As you can read in the post below, we recently launched the brand new eBuddy Lite Messenger to offer you the best chat experience on any mobile device. The Lite Messenger also works on the Sony Playstation Portable.
After the launch we received a lot of feedback that scrolling through your contact list was just too difficult… It only worked with the directional keys, but we now improved this . The most common way of scrolling, by pressing the square button and using the analog stick, now works with the eBuddy Lite Messenger.
We hope you like the improvement and please continue to tell us what you think!Vincent
After the launch we received a lot of feedback that scrolling through your contact list was just too difficult… It only worked with the directional keys, but we now improved this . The most common way of scrolling, by pressing the square button and using the analog stick, now works with the eBuddy Lite Messenger.
We hope you like the improvement and please continue to tell us what you think!Vincent
eBuddy IDs
Today we are very pleased to announce the launch of our own eBuddy IDs. eBuddy IDs allow you to bundle multiple network accounts in one easy to remember username and password, a feature that plays very nicely with our multi network chat client.Over the last few weeks we have been working full force on getting this feature out of the door and the result is actually quite nice. To create a new eBuddy ID simple click on the ‘Claim your free eBuddy ID’ link on the homepage and you will be transported to a simple signup form. After you create an eBuddy ID you can add all your favorite network accounts to it by using the same interface you have been using in earlier versions of the multi network chat client, so you should be up and running in no time.
You can use your shiny new eBuddy ID in our three new clients: the eBuddy Web Messenger, the eBuddy Mobile Messenger (currently in Beta) and the eBuddy Lite Messenger. So now it is even easier to manage all your chat networks across all your devices, from your desktop to your mobile phone to your game console.
The next time you log into your eBuddy ID all the networks accounts that you have set to log in automatically will log in without any assistance.
If you have any comments or feedback drop us a mail at feedback@ebuddy.com.
EBUDDY secures €6.5 million Series B funding
Prime Technology Ventures to finance international expansion & development
AMSTERDAM – February 05, 2008 – eBuddy, the world’s leading independent provider of web and mobile instant messaging (IM), announced today that it has secured Series B financing of €6.5 million in an investment led by Prime Technology Ventures (PTV).
Jan-Joost Rueb, eBuddy CEO and co-Founder commented, “eBuddy experienced a 50% increase of unique visitors in 2007 and now counts more than 12 million unique monthly visitors. As we continue to grow from strength-to-strength, we are delighted to welcome our latest investor, Prime Technology Ventures. PTVs support and investment expertise with worldwide mobile and internet companies will enable eBuddy to continue our fast-paced growth and international expansion – specifically in the UK and US – whilst focusing attention on new advertising platforms and increased mobile IM development.”
According to research firm, The Radicati Group, the number of public IM accounts worldwide is 993 million and the market will reach an estimated 1.5 billion accounts by 2011. Furthermore, research analysts at Informa estimate the global market for mobile instant messaging will become an $11 billion (€7.4bn) industry by 2011. eBuddy is in a unique position to capitalize on that estimated IM growth based upon recent performance and achievements including:
• 12 million monthly global visitors• 1.5 million new network users added every month• 1.2 million unique mobile users worldwide• 1.3 billion+ advertising impressions per month• Google Zeitgeist 2007 Report: #7 most searched keyword (global)
Prime Technology Ventures Managing Partner and Founder, Sake Bosch said, “We are excited to be involved with a dynamic, high-growth company like eBuddy. The management teams’ vision has produced a profitable business model that is well-positioned to capitalize on the continuedevolution of web and mobile-device instant messaging. Prime Technology Ventures’ investment in eBuddy will ensure they have the resources and additional expertise necessary to succeed and reach international maturity at a rapid pace.”
About eBuddyeBuddy (www.ebuddy.com) created the world’s first, independent, web browser-based instant messaging service as e-Messenger in 2003. Its patent-pending technology enables more than 12 million monthly global visitors with AOL, Google Talk, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo Messenger accounts to chat free of charge in one interface without having to download or install any application on their computer. Users can also access eBuddy on their mobile phone, independent of carrier or device via WAP or mobile internet browser. (m.ebuddy.com). eBuddy is a privately held, Netherlands based company backed by Prime Technology Ventures and Lowland Capital Partners. For more information, visit www.ebuddy.com
About Prime Technology VenturesPrime Technology Ventures (PTV) is a leading European venture capital fund investing in fundamental hardware and software technologies in wireless, networking and the Internet. PTV focuses particularly on technology centers in the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Israel and theUnited Kingdom. The PTV team works closely with portfolio companies that strive for rapid international growth and maturity. PTV brings along a special combination of successful real-world business experience and a broad network of business accelerators, special investors and partnering expertise. This combination also makes PTV an attractive lead investor in syndication with local funds. To learn more about Prime Technology Ventures visit www.ptv.com
eBuddy PR contact:Mindy M. HullHead of Marketing Communications & PRTel: +31 20 514 1426Mobile: +31 62 072 4373mhull@ebuddy.com
Prime Technology Ventures PR contact:Marloes DrostTel: +31 70 311 5864
AMSTERDAM – February 05, 2008 – eBuddy, the world’s leading independent provider of web and mobile instant messaging (IM), announced today that it has secured Series B financing of €6.5 million in an investment led by Prime Technology Ventures (PTV).
Jan-Joost Rueb, eBuddy CEO and co-Founder commented, “eBuddy experienced a 50% increase of unique visitors in 2007 and now counts more than 12 million unique monthly visitors. As we continue to grow from strength-to-strength, we are delighted to welcome our latest investor, Prime Technology Ventures. PTVs support and investment expertise with worldwide mobile and internet companies will enable eBuddy to continue our fast-paced growth and international expansion – specifically in the UK and US – whilst focusing attention on new advertising platforms and increased mobile IM development.”
According to research firm, The Radicati Group, the number of public IM accounts worldwide is 993 million and the market will reach an estimated 1.5 billion accounts by 2011. Furthermore, research analysts at Informa estimate the global market for mobile instant messaging will become an $11 billion (€7.4bn) industry by 2011. eBuddy is in a unique position to capitalize on that estimated IM growth based upon recent performance and achievements including:
• 12 million monthly global visitors• 1.5 million new network users added every month• 1.2 million unique mobile users worldwide• 1.3 billion+ advertising impressions per month• Google Zeitgeist 2007 Report: #7 most searched keyword (global)
Prime Technology Ventures Managing Partner and Founder, Sake Bosch said, “We are excited to be involved with a dynamic, high-growth company like eBuddy. The management teams’ vision has produced a profitable business model that is well-positioned to capitalize on the continuedevolution of web and mobile-device instant messaging. Prime Technology Ventures’ investment in eBuddy will ensure they have the resources and additional expertise necessary to succeed and reach international maturity at a rapid pace.”
About eBuddyeBuddy (www.ebuddy.com) created the world’s first, independent, web browser-based instant messaging service as e-Messenger in 2003. Its patent-pending technology enables more than 12 million monthly global visitors with AOL, Google Talk, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo Messenger accounts to chat free of charge in one interface without having to download or install any application on their computer. Users can also access eBuddy on their mobile phone, independent of carrier or device via WAP or mobile internet browser. (m.ebuddy.com). eBuddy is a privately held, Netherlands based company backed by Prime Technology Ventures and Lowland Capital Partners. For more information, visit www.ebuddy.com
About Prime Technology VenturesPrime Technology Ventures (PTV) is a leading European venture capital fund investing in fundamental hardware and software technologies in wireless, networking and the Internet. PTV focuses particularly on technology centers in the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Israel and theUnited Kingdom. The PTV team works closely with portfolio companies that strive for rapid international growth and maturity. PTV brings along a special combination of successful real-world business experience and a broad network of business accelerators, special investors and partnering expertise. This combination also makes PTV an attractive lead investor in syndication with local funds. To learn more about Prime Technology Ventures visit www.ptv.com
eBuddy PR contact:Mindy M. HullHead of Marketing Communications & PRTel: +31 20 514 1426Mobile: +31 62 072 4373mhull@ebuddy.com
Prime Technology Ventures PR contact:Marloes DrostTel: +31 70 311 5864
Press Centre
For press and other inquiries click here to visit the eBuddy press pageFor eBuddy screenshot and media material, feel free to browse our eBuddy Press & Media Flickr account.Meet the Team
Check out the eBuddy Flickr account, for a unique look behind the scenes. Meet the team and find out what we're up to. We keep track of events both in and outside the office so drop by for a glimpse of the latest developments.
Join eBuddy
eBuddy is a successful internet start-up that is continuously growing and innovating. Our growth rate means we're looking for smart, ambitious, enthusiastic and flexible new colleague's to join our team.
As a valued member, you'll have the opportunity to directly implement your ideas and skills. We enjoy a casual working environment, where everyone has room to pitch in and be part of the eBuddy.
If you're interested in working for an international, dynamic, young and fast growing company click here to visit our job openings page.
As a valued member, you'll have the opportunity to directly implement your ideas and skills. We enjoy a casual working environment, where everyone has room to pitch in and be part of the eBuddy.
If you're interested in working for an international, dynamic, young and fast growing company click here to visit our job openings page.
General Company info
eBuddy started the first independent web based messenger service in 2003. We are a privately funded company based in the Netherlands. We currently work with 30 people in the city center of Amsterdam.
Recently we acquired capital funding from Lowland Capital Partners. Our patent pending technology enables millions of unique users every month to chat via the web and mobile devices.
Recently we acquired capital funding from Lowland Capital Partners. Our patent pending technology enables millions of unique users every month to chat via the web and mobile devices.
Welcome to eBuddy!
eBuddy is a free web based messenger that enables you to chat with your MSN, Yahoo, MySpace, Google Talk, MySpace and AIM buddies. No downloads or registration required!
To use the web version of eBuddy, all you need is a Javascript enabled browser on your computer. You can access eBuddy from any computer or location and it even works behind a firewall. Whether you're at home, school, at the library or at work, surf over to eBuddy and login with your account to start chatting - it's as easy as that!
When you're on the road, outdoors or traveling you can use the mobile version of eBuddy to chat with your buddies. Every mobile device that supports xHTML or WAP can be used; this includes Cell Phones, PDA's, Sony PSP and Nintendo DS! Check out the Mobile page for more info.
To use the web version of eBuddy, all you need is a Javascript enabled browser on your computer. You can access eBuddy from any computer or location and it even works behind a firewall. Whether you're at home, school, at the library or at work, surf over to eBuddy and login with your account to start chatting - it's as easy as that!
When you're on the road, outdoors or traveling you can use the mobile version of eBuddy to chat with your buddies. Every mobile device that supports xHTML or WAP can be used; this includes Cell Phones, PDA's, Sony PSP and Nintendo DS! Check out the Mobile page for more info.
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