“LOL, you’re very funny, I gtg cya around!”

Some English teachers might argue that the Internet and Instant Messaging (IM), in particular, have eroded their students’ ability to spell. But the fact is that IM usage is so prevalent that most of us can’t even fathom how the world functioned without it.

So bearing in mind that MSN Messenger is the obvious popular choice when it comes to the world of IM, at least in Singapore, the UrbanWire tested the latest IM platform, Velvet Puffin to see how it stacks up against the gold standard.

What’s Velvet Puffin?

Essentially Velvet Puffin is a Singaporean-based IM system that’s in many ways similar to what you’re getting with MSN Messenger. But unlike the latter, the former has incorporated a social-networking dimension to its product, offering its users a totally different experience while engaging in the usual chats with friends or clients.

So besides the usually chatter of IM, Velvet Puffin offers users the chance to search the web and watch videos on popular servers like Youtube, Google Video, Metacafe. Additionally, Velvet Puffin users can also create polls, blog and share photos or videos which friends can leave comments on. and

What most of us will appreciate more is that their system offers web, desktop and mobile integration. Meaning for example, you can log onto using your desktop and mobile phone to utilise the system at the same time.

How does it work?

All you have to do is go to www.velvetpuffin.com and sign up for an account. What’s cool about the system is that even if you sign in using a web browser like Internet Explorer, the system will still run even after you’ve turned off your web browser if you Additionally, the desktop function means that you’re able to bypass the web browser phase entirely and log in immediately as soon as your computer boots up as long as the modem’s on.

Understandably, you might be reluctant to switch IM platforms because you’re afraid that few of your peers will follow you in making the switch. To that, Velvet Puffin offers an ingenious solution. Besides its Velvet Puffin platform, it also offers a cross-platform system (AOL, MSN, Gtalk, ICQ, Yahoo! and mySpace) that will allow you to communicate with your peers using Velvet Puffin without having to download anything.

Chatting with your peers is relatively simple, just click on their names as they appear on screen and a list of options such as IM, profile, or invite to VP (if he/she’s not a Velvet Puffin user) will appear. Click on IM and voila! The conversation is like any other, except that a tab doesn’t appear on your desktop. However, as long as the main Velvet Puffin menu is on, minimised conversations will pop up as quickly as your friend replies, though your lecturer or boss may not appreciate it when you’re in class or at work.

The best thing about Velvet Puffin is undoubtedly its sleek designs and features. With the photo album for example, besides the mundane tiled viewing mode, users can decide to view their images with a carousel mode. While this is somewhat reminiscent of the Mac OS interface, meaning it’s not that original, choosing to imitate an aesthetically pleasing interface was a good choice.

Additionally, all options like photo albums, blog and polls have clear and intuitive icons (for example, polls are represented by a bar chart) to indicate what they are, which helps to simplify things for users.

Lastly, viewing videos on external servers like Youtube is relatively easy. By clicking on the magnifying glass on the main browser, typing in a few key words and with a few clicks of the mouse, a selection of videos from Youtube will appear under a separate Velvet Puffin player. All you have to do now is to click the video you’d like to see and it’ll load on the player.

Main Gripes

But as the saying goes, “nothing’s perfect” and with Velvet Puffin released just this year, there are a few glitches with the system.

One of the system’s main drawbacks is probably due to its cross-platform functionality as it doesn’t provide the same groups system found on MSN Messenger and thus groups your contacts alphabetically. This is unlike Meebo, which retains the same groupings albeit with a simpler design and functionality compared to Velvet Puffin.

Another gripe I had with the cross-platform system was when nicknames refused to be updated despite my logging off Velvet Puffin to change it on MSN on a few occasions.

While it was proclaimed earlier that Velvet Puffin is able to play videos from Google Video, Youtube and Metacafe, the video options certainly provided me with some degree of annoyance as videos from Metacafe were unable to play as I was supposedly, “unauthorised to perform this operation”.

Verdict

Overall, Velvet Puffin provides a cool and innovative alternative that taps on our generation’s love for all things interactive such as blogging and watching videos online.

So given its sleek designs and overall functionality, it’s certainly more than a match for MSN Messenger.

However, its main drawbacks like the kinks with cross-platform usage and Metacafe need to be rectified for Velvet Puffin to reach its full potential.

But nonetheless, if all its ailments are remedied, then in the words of an IM aficionado, “Velvet Puffin might becum even bigger den MSN Messenger.”

For more information, please proceed to www.velvetpuffin.com