Instant messaging has quickly become one of the preferred ways of communication in businesses. Where email is ideal for large amounts of information, IM's are better suited when it comes to daily communication between co-workers. It is the informality of a phone call combined with the ability to send files, and see when someone is available that makes this way of communication so popular.

Paris-based ProcessOne, who are one of the major proponents of the open XMPP IM standard, realized that the iPhone would be the perfect device for an advanced IM client targeted at business users.

The objective was to create an application that boasted the same powerful features that users expect from a ProcessOne product, while carrying over the simplicity and elegance of the iPhone. "For us Novasa is more than a provider", says Mickaël Rémond, CEO of ProcessOne. "We worked as a team, and were able to have a fast turn around and open minded collaboration to build a rock solid and ergonomic iPhone application." The result of the cooperation is OneTeam, the first real standard compliant XMPP instant messaging app for iPhone.

OneTeam has a lot of the features that users expect from a fully fledged desktop app, such as file transfers, avatars and smileys. It also brings a host of other useful features, including the ability to open received files such as PDF files and Microsoft Office documents, support for third party IM networks*, such as AIM, MSN and Yahoo! Messenger, and opening of links in an integrated web browser. OneTeam is also excellent for collaboration, with support for multi-user chat sessions and IRC*.

OneTeam even supports Apple's new push notifications service*, allowing you to receive messages from your contacts even when the app is not running, thereby keeping you connected while saving battery life. It all works seamlessly; you receive the push notification, and by pressing view, OneTeam launches and goes directly to the right chat session.

From a design perspective, the goal with OneTeam was to make an application that felt as native and natural as possible. Instead of inventing dozens of proprietary design elements, the app looks and feels very much like a mix between the iPhone's contacts and messages applications. The custom design elements in the app are designed with a precision and care that makes them feel like a natural part of the iPhone OS. This simple and honest approach means that users will feel right at home in OneTeam.