Hello! Messenger - iPhone, BlackBerry, Android IM client

New startup Standard IM asked us to take their idea for a new kind of multi-platform mobile messaging service and make it a reality. Hello! Messenger is the result. Hello! is a cutting edge messaging platform, combining the best of instant messaging with features from texting, image sharing and social networking.

The client offers a sleek user experience, consistent across iPhone, Blackberry and Android platforms, and blending the best features from many different communication systems. This is supported by a custom-built  server back-end(based on XMPP protocol) created by Lemberg for Hello!

For the client, Lemberg wanted to satisfy a range of emerging messaging behaviors in one product. Hello! supports push notification, so users know the second they have a message. They can also set their status, just like they would with MSN messenger or Skype. The client supports file transfer, for quick sharing of photos or other supported media. Hello! also support group chats of any size, allowing each participant to invite others.

These social features are backed by integration with Facebook contacts, automatic searches of device address books for Hello! users, inviting friends directly from the application, and even an automatic list of People You May Know. Security is provided by a unique Blackberry Messenger style pin-code that allows users to share their contact details but keep their phone number private.

From the start, Lemberg knew that the exciting features of Hello! would need to be presented to users in an engaging way. To ensure a distinctive look and feel while building on user behaviors from instant messaging and other platforms, Lemberg needed a leading light of the mobile design world. They found this in Alex Komarov Inc, renowned for their deep understanding of user engagement and customer satisfaction in the world of mobile devices.

Komarov used his experience in bringing innovative new services to users on all major mobile platforms to create the Hello! identity and user experience, which was then implemented by Lemberg’s veteran markup professionals. His design brilliance in the mobile market helps Hello! and Lemberg stand out in the competitive world of 320 by 480 pixels.

The Hello! server is built to manage hundreds of thousands of users simultaneously, migrating across 3G, Edge and WiFi connections, and provide timely push-notifications.

For Hello!, Lemberg implemented a ‘Freemium’, ad-supported business model, integrating unobtrusive but high impact advertising to support the service, while allowing for a premium version for heavy users.

Hello! made the Top100 social networks apps in the US App iPhone on its first day and continues to grow rapidly into a leading mobile messaging application.

• Platforms: iPhone (released), BlackBerry (available soon), Android (in development)
• Programming language: Objective-C, Java