Q: On what mobile handsets and PDAs does Skittle run?
A: Skittle is designed to be able to run on almost any J2ME capable handset with MIDP-2.0 and CLDC-1.0 support. Though, some handsets might be troublesome to run Skittle on. To help with that we are keeping the list of handsets and PDAs supported to run Skittle. If your handset is not on the list, that does not mean it is not supported. It just has not been checked yet.

Q: Why the name Skittle?
A: I needed a name, I asked some friends for suggestions and asked them what they thought of the word Skittle, no one though it was too bad so it sticked.

Q: What features does Skittle have?
A: Skittle allows for multiple instances, meaning if you have a PC client and the mobile client open, both clients receive and display incoming messages. You also have the ability to receive offline messages, unread emails, notices of rejected invitations, notices of 5 different presence [offline, online, dnd. away, extended away], notices of message failures, auto-accept invitations, logon duration time, clock display time, unsubscribe contacts, set status messages, receive status messages, censor swear words, 79 smiley emoticons, unread message count, snippet strip of new messages.

Q: What features does Skittle Groups have?
A: In addition to what features Skittle has, Skittle Groups works different in the following way:

• Skittle Groups is a chat service. You and friends all chat together at one go and messages are received by all, like in a IRC.
• Relay all contacts: Say if there are 3 members, all but one is online, he sends a message into the group (whether its running or not). The message will then be send to the other two members.
• Relay online contacts: In this setup messages only go to online contacts. Say there are 6 members and 4 are online, any message sent by any member will only go to those contacts who are online and who have decided to enter the group. Say from the 4 online three members decided to enter the group by sending a blank message. So now only three members get the message, the fourth does not, neither do the offline contacts. [typing 'exit' removes you from the group]
• Re-Subscribe: This feature auto invites all members who decide to unsubscribe from the group. It is a very persistent bug that ensures you don't lose members. It can be disabled or enabled at any time. People eventually give in after time, accepting in invite and sometimes this is the only way to get your way ;). You may at a later stage decide to delete them using the menu.
• By simply entering a message into the contact 'Group Chat' the group leader can message all his members.
• Private messages can be sent to a particular member.

Q: What features does Skittle Services have?
A: In addition to what features Skittle has, Skittle Services works different in the following way:

• Skittle Services  is a  non-chat service, that helps you communicate news that you wish to update members part of your organization with.
• Relay all members a particular message simply by entering a message into the contact 'Group Chat'. A confirmation is received stating the messages has successfully been relayed to x contacts.
• Private messages can be sent to a particular member.
• Re-Subscribe: This feature auto invites all members who decide to unsubscribe from the group. It is a very persistent bug that ensures you don't lose members. It can be disabled or enabled at any time. People eventually give in after time, accepting in invite and sometimes this is the only way to get your way ;). You may at a later stage decide to delete them using the menu.

Q: Do I need to have data enabled on the phone to use Skittle?
A: Yes. Skittle establishes a TCP/HTTP/Socket connection to Google Talk servers.

Q: How much GPRS traffic does Skittle consume ?
A: If you live in South Africa you are charged less than 1 cent per message. In South Africa you are charged approximately R2 per MB. That's 20 full A4 pages of text and then you get charged R2. Usually text messages are very short and don't make any significant traffic.

Q: Is the Skittle application free?
A: Skittle is available for download free of charge.

Q: Are services provided by Skittle freely available too ?
A: No. You can use Skittle for free to send IM messages only.

Q: How do I get back chat history I previously had with contacts years ago?
A: Visit gmail.com, login with your username and password and under the chat tab every chat you have is stored there.

Q: Why cant I receive offline messages?
A: In gmail you need to enable Save Chat History or else messages sent to you from anyone does not reach you. It needs to be setup through you PC when you logon to gmail.com

 

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