[Jailbreak required]
Tlert, like Elert, is a notification app for messages on the iPhone. With Tlert installed your text messages will no longer pop up in a big, obtrusive box, but rather as a cuddly little bubble (in the colour of your choice) on the top-left hand of the screen. As a handy dandy bonus, Tlert also lets you reply to your texts from anywhere – including the lockscreen – from a bubble on the bottom-right.
The app mimics the threaded appearance of the iPhone’s actual SMS app, but with slightly different functionality. You can tap on the bubble to start a reply, tap on the red dot to dismiss the notification, or hold down on the bubble to initiate a call. Tlert can also get in the way of buttons during a gaming session, so watch out if you’re a frequent gamer.
Not threaded
Despite the threaded appearance of the app, you’ll still want to boot up the default SMS app for more involved text conversations. That’s because Tlert can only handle displaying one incoming text at a time. Even though the pop-up interface looks like it’s threaded, it isn’t. If your friend sends one text after another, you’ll have to dismiss the second text to see the first. However, if you start to reply to the first message you receive, then you’ll have to dismiss (and your reply) to view the second message. It would be a little more convenient if the bubbles had the option of showing timestamps, but they work out pretty well.
Portrait or landscape
Tlert usually pops up in portrait mode, but it rotates very smoothly to landscape mode for replies. Another little handy feature is the Auto Correct toggle that sits just above the keyboard as you type out your replies. If you’re on some sort of meagre texting plan and need to preserve every character then you can quickly switch off auto correct nd strt 2 typ lyk dis. Bleah.
No MMS
I never receive any MMS so this doesn’t bother me, but for those of you who frequently receive awesome grainy pictures sent from other people’s phones, you’ll have to stick to the regular SMS app. Tlert doesn’t support anything other than text for now.
Stability
I’ve been using Tlert on and off for about a month now, and, although I prefer iRealQuickSMS, there isn’t really anything wrong with Tlert. It’s been consistently fast and stable on my iPhone 3GS alongside apps like mQuickDo, Universal Search, Winterboard, and SBSettings. It also matches the look of Elert, which is just a cool extra.
g2g
Tlert claims that it will help you get rid of the ugly default SMS pop-ups and provide you with a cleaner, easier way to reply to text from any app. I found that a little funny because I never found the SMS notifications “ugly”, but I do agree with the app description. I’d still like a way for the app to support a quick send mode instead of being limited to mere replies, and I’d love to see threaded messaging supported, but as it is Tlert is a great, stable, and smooth alternative to the big “stop what you are doing and read this preview” on the iPhone.
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Tlert is available for $4.99 on Rock Your Phone.
Rock Your Phone provided a promo code to Just Another iPhone Blog for the review of Tlert. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
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TAGS: notification, sms, Texting
