Kick Some App

by Tim Adkins

Remember five years ago how cool it was to have a Nextel so you could Push to Talk (PTT) and walkie-talk it up with your buds? Remember how you needed a backpack to lug it around because your Nextel was built to withstand any and all possible damage? And of course we all remember how annoying the constant “beep beep” could get.

I remember it all too well, and the nostalgic feeling of simpler days is why I want to figure out one app over another. Both HeyTell and Tikl are like direct connect 2.0, and the apps are both free in the AppStore and the Android Marketplace. Both Tikl and HeyTell are available for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Android phones and work across all networks via WiFi, 3G, 4G, EDGE and GPRS. And both are good solutions for avoiding texting while driving tickets.

Why these kick app

HeyTell

Open the app, easily add friends from your contacts or your Facebook friends, press to speak, and voice messages are sent. Conversations are all saved, and you can even email individual messages to yourself or a friend. HeyTell is GPS friendly and shows you on a Google map where messages are sent and received from. The user interface is really simple and very easy to operate and explore with. You can also purchase app extras for group messaging, a voice changer and more. Messages can be listened to whenever it’s convenient for you, as they are downloaded to your phone (however, this can be really annoying when you don’t have service—like, say, in the EMU Convocation Center …cough, cough—and your crew is trying to get a hold of you).

Tikl

Tikl is perhaps best described as an instant, real time walkie talkie. Tikl is closer to a true PTT service. It’s fast and comes along with the “beep, beep” sound effects for your alerting pleasure. You can easily add contacts from your address book and Facebook in Tikl, and the interface is very minimal. You are alerted that a message has been sent based on the background color, which changes from blue to red, but the top and bottom ads actually make it look less plain (when viewing on an iPhone). But, if you miss a message, it’s lost. You’ll just have to ask for it to be repeated.

The Winner

And the winner is …HeyTell—hands down. Both are free apps, and, while I like the immediacy of Tikl, HeyTell offers a lot more in regards to what I’m able to do with the messages I send and receive. It looks nicer and makes adding contacts easier, while communicating without the annoying “beep, beep” sound.