QIP is a messenger and VoIP tool that will let you communicate with your friends around the globe as well as provide other utilities like news feeds from your favourite social media sites.
Installation & Requirements
As the installer will try to install some extra utilities and software, you should choose the custom installation path and disable the appropriate sections if you do not want the extra software in your computer. Other than that the installation should cause no problems. The supported operating systems are Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 and 8.
Interface
In order to use the application you will first need to create an account. There are a lot of ways to register your account like using your mobile phone number, an e-mail and even logging in using one of your social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter.
When you have registered and logged in the application you will notice two windows that will pop up. The larger window is where all of the conversations and the news feed will happen. Having a news feed from your social media accounts requires you to enter the login details. You only need to configure them once and then they will be available every time you start the application.
The conversations you have with your contacts will also appear there and you can find any conversation you have participated in by searching for its details in the search box of the top left corner. In addition to that, you will notice other bits of information in the left bottom corner like the current weather in your location, the currency exchange rate and lists of music that you choose to display.
The other window acts more like the control center of the program. You can add more contacts, either by manually adding them or by linking your social media account with the application, pay to put calling credit in your account and even send text messages to your friends. Currently the application supports up to 10 free messages a day but only to Russian mobile phone numbers.
You can also open the QIP Store, an online marketplace that will let you purchase a variety of different things ranging from physical goods to other applications and licenses. Finally, you can enter the preferences which will let you control the program’s behavior as well as to setup your privacy and security options for the duration of your use. The settings menu is quite comprehensive and you might want to visit it first.
Pros
-Clean interface
-Very easy to use
-Social media integration
-The ability to call and send text messages
Cons
-Some features limited to specific regions
Conclusion
If you are in one of the regions that QIP caters to you should definitely give the application a try as the compact, user-friendly interface is really promising and helps establish the application as a good alternative for internet chatting.
