Mobile Colloquy is a new app that brings portable Apple style and usability to the old school world of Internet Relay Chat. With Colloquy from the App Store, you can connect to IRC and chat right from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

IRC basics

Internet Relay Chat is a real-time chat system in which users connect to a chat network and socialize in different channels. Both IRC networks and channels can be topic-specific, or general in nature.

An IRC client is software that enables a person to connect to an IRC network and chat in real time with the other users. There are IRC clients for all major operating systems, and Colloquy is the most popular one available for Mac OS X at the moment.

IRC, iPhone-style

The release of the Mobile Colloquy application puts IRC chat “in the palm of your hand” with the iPhone or iPod Touch. Most of the standard features one expects form an IRC client are supported, including mIRC colors, emoticons, multi-channel and multi-server support, SSL, and more.

Mobile Colloquy expands on the basic IRC feature set with a few of its own unique features. It has a built-in browser for visiting links posted in channels, nickname autocompletion, a highly customizable interface, all the basic IRC commands, and support for landscape mode. It can even have your iPhone vibrate when certain words or nicknames are mentioned!

Link via “How to Chat on the iPhone or iPod Touch” by Chris Pirillo.