Chat and VoIP app Nimbuzz dumbed down and dumped

Why do good apps let themselves go bad by removing useful features? Back in my Symbian days Nimbuzz was my favorite chat and VoIP app because it connected to just about anything, but good things never last.

First Nimbuzz lost Skype, then Nimbuzz lost a lot of instant messaging networks.

Apart from VoIP using SIP, Nimbuzz lets you chat on MSN, Google Talk, Facebook Chat, and Yahoo Messenger.

Gone are the days when Nimbuzz unified a dozen or so instant messaging networks. There are only four left, so if you use AIM/ICQ, Hyves, MySpace etc. Nimbuzz is no longer for you.

Not that it matters to me, because when I switched to Android I dumped Nimbuzz anyway. CSipSimple is way better for VoIP, and imo is a much better chat app with a dozen networks including Skype chat and all Jabber networks. Better yet, imo lets you add as many accounts as you like. Nimbuzz will only let you connect to one single account per network. In return for the reduced features Nimbuzz displays an ad that even AdAway won't block. As for Skype, they're forcing every competing client to drop their VoIP network so you're stuck with their own app.

• Nimbuzz (no link because they're no longer worth it)