Back when we first wrote about the ApolloIM app - the first native IM app for the iPhone - we predicted it would undergo a great deal of fettling over the coming weeks; well, we weren't wrong!  Now up to Beta 0.1 stage, it's reached a point where the team behind it feel it's actually ready for real use.  Both stability and functionality have been improved, with a choice of sound or vibrate alerts to new messages, no dropped EDGE connections (and hence logged-out chat sessions) when you're not actively using the iPhone (although WiFi is still giving them some troubles) and buddy info from the "who's online" list.

Excitingly, the issue with LibPurple which we mentioned last time we wrote about Apollo has just been sorted, so you can expect MSN/Yahoo/Jabber/Gtalk compatibility soon (as well as any others they're pestered to code support for).  Until Apple pull their finger out and launch iChat (which they seem in no particular hurry to do) it looks like ApolloIM will soon be your best bet for instant-messaging on the iPhone.

[via BGR]