The cool part is that with the notifier app, you don’t actually have to keep Meebo open in your browser. Rather, if you receive a notification, you can click on it to open Meebo and respond accordingly. This is essentially how FriendFeed’s recently released notifier app works too, though that one offers a bit more functionality from the desktop itself and uses Adobe AIR.
Which, makes me question the logic of this move on Meebo’s part from a business perspective, since it means I’ll likely be loading a few less of the full-page brand advertisements (see below) that the company seems to be placing inside of the Meebo Web experience.
On the other hand, it might make some users more likely to use Meebo in the first place. Svetlana Gladkova of Profy writes that “it finally makes the fully-online experience of Meebo more usable for those users (like me) who still stick to desktop for instant messaging. And while I don’t think I am already migrating from my full-functional clients, this looks like a wise move for Meebo combining the online experience with offline and serving everyone better as a result.”
In any event, if you want to try the Meebo Notifier, it’s available here. Mac users will “have to wait a little bit longer” according to the company’s blog.
