My testing methodBefore writing this review I didn't know anything about the service, so I was a bit lost after installing it until I understood the purpose of the product/service better
I saw that there's a campaign here on the forum, and that's very important
When I do a review / test, I really like to do various simulations to try and find flaws, such as shutting down the PC while the program is running and opening it up again, testing in various different resolutions, different hardware and/or systems, testing on the home network and mobile internet, etc
--> The only bugs/defects I found were about resolution
I tested it a little differently, using an old PC with Windows 7 to see if compatibility is good and if it runs on a weaker PC. I also installed it on my Android.
I also have iOS, but it's not available on the App Store yet
The name of the u.is website is VERY good, congratulations to the devs who managed to come up with a short and easy address, even if it doesn't have the full name of the service.
The beginning--> Installation is smooth, error-free, fast and similar to any other app/program, both on PC and Android
--> On the PC, the initial information is satisfactory, with screens showing the service, displaying your public key and letting you choose the theme
Note - I really liked being able to choose between 4 themes and especially the classic theme, which I really like for its simplicity.
On Android I couldn't change the theme, it's disabled and nowadays it's essential for the APP to have a dark version
--> The avatar generated based on a user key is very nice.
--> The languages I know are good, well translated (Portuguese and English)
The use--> From everything I've understood about Utopia, the service wants to be an APP that does "everything", a community in a decentralized way and with security/privacy, and I have a few points to make
The Android app is very simple, serving as a messenger, with chat options and channels. I think it might be good to have fewer options on your phone and focus solely on communication. But the wallet option is still missing from the app, and in my opinion it's essential to have the option to buy/exchange/send CRP or UUSDs.
In the desktop version, although I think it's great to have a lot of things, I think it could be a bit simpler due to current trends. A few years ago it would have been wonderful to have lots of things, but nowadays it could be a bit leaner.
--> Games, for example, I don't think they need to be, since the options for users to play are endless, but I understand that the aim is to make the user spend more time inside the APP.
--> The tabs within the program are very good, the organization is great and easy.
--> I encountered some problems with the screen resolution. Sometimes at low resolutions the screen is cut off and we don't have the option to scale any columns. Example below:
--> I wasn't able to use e-mail, and I had to do a lot of research to find out that it only works with other users of the Utopia system. So it would be nice to make that clearer.
--> The chats and channels work very well, they're the best features of Utopia. I managed to talk to a few users, asked them a few questions and they responded very quickly. The interaction is good.
--> The inclusion of ChatGPT is a great idea and also a great way to keep the user inside the program. In three situations I asked more complex questions and it took longer to display the result, and in one of them it didn't return anything, I had to redo the question and then it did.
--> The program's wallet is very interesting, with options to create a request, a voucher or a card so you don't have to give any additional information to the seller.
--> I looked up the list of sellers on the site, but this part needs to be improved. The Merchants section was confusing and difficult to navigate, and the filters also need to be improved, I couldn't find any information on how to have my service in the merchants section.
--> The airdrop system is well conceived, but I couldn't receive anything during the time I left the program on (it still is)
--> Bandwidth usage is quite high, there could be an option for those with limited data in the desktop version.
--> I know the system isn't open source, but it would be great if they could explain a bit more about the encryption system and the methods used to make the system really secure
--> I used Idyll Browser and navigated through uTalk. It works well but I believe the channel system is used more than uTalk via the browser, so it can be difficult for users to use both, they will prefer to use the channels
Conclusion and final considerationsAnd finally, the best feature of all is the decentralization and encryption of the messaging system and channels. This point could be exploited to the full because nowadays we have a lot of controversy and attempts by governments to control other messengers, and they often succeed, because after all they are owned by a centralized company and it must provide user data when forced to do so by the law
The service has a good chance of being adopted with this focus
Strong pointsVery good idea for an extremely useful and modern service
Privacy, anonymity and security
The system works very well and it's stable
The currency works well, as does the wallet, vouchers, swap and exchange
Messages and channels work simply and functionally
Points that need improvementAt low resolution the system can be a bit choppy
The app needs to have at least wallet functionality added
The games section is unnecessary
The Merchants section needs to be improved, with better filters on the site and more information on how to get the service advertised
Bandwidth usage is quite high