#Blindtest: Esteem, 7 Days

I had selected the first #blindest review to be of Esteem Mobile because I have had used Esteem in the past and it was fun!
But that was 2 months ago!

Does Esteem still stand the test of time? Is it still as fun to use?

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Esteem has been one of the most popular names, among many, when it comes to mobile steem browsing. It still is, exclusively, the one and only mobile interface for steem that I have used so far.

Esteem is very handy! Very handy, I say. It has all the features for basic mobile steem browsing. I will get to the basic part shortly.

As soon as I opened the app I was welcomed by cute and friendly dolphins(?) who gave me an express tutorial of what I should know about esteem. I absolutely loved that. My mood immediately hit the sky and I was more than ready to spend the coming 7 days on Esteem.

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Some of the many features I enjoyed:

Esteem has a very friendly interface. Looks very simple and upfront.
You can sort posts by "feed", "trending", "hot", "new" and an additional "Active", which is pretty cool.
Editing profile picture and account info is just a click away and very handy to do so.
One thing I loved the most about esteem was how quick their push notifications worked. I was immediately notified as soon as I received a note, comment, reply etc. That is something everyone expects from a mobile interface and esteem has done a great job in that field.
Other than that, Esteem has great options including a one touch transfer ledger which allows you to transfer STEEM/SBD as well as Escrow.
Esteem allows you to save your posts and comments as drafts which comes in very handy when using steem on the run, you can pick up later from where you left once you have settled down. Additionally, the app also has a feature called "schedules" which you can use to post your content at a specific time of the day that you would like to.
"Bookmarks" is another great feature that allows you to save your favorite posts to reach them easily, or mark a post that you would like to view once you aren't as busy.
You can also use multiple accounts through the same app, and also use an additional "pin" for more security.
It has markdown features clearly provided when creating a post or comment.

Now, here is the deal breaker: Esteem does take 10% beneficiary charge but in return they do give back to their users. For example, I have made just 2 posts(why just 2 posts? I'll get to that) and they have given back to me in the form of upvotes. The upvote isn't going come through always, a good post and some good luck does play it's part.

Esteem also rewards it's users the more they use esteem. The more active you are, the more monetary benefits you are going to receive from the app.

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But all that shines isn't gold, right?

Coming back to the original question of whether is it still fun to use, and why I call it "basic" and why I have updated 2 posts only.

No. It is not as fun to use. I am not going to use Esteem anymore. Plain as day light.

The entire first day I spent was on this screen: I tried multiple ways I thought would work as a new user but to no avail. I left it like this for 2 entire hours hoping for a miracle. I had to later find out from other sources that I would have to go to the settings and change the server. Wait, what? How am I supposed to know that? How is any newbie supposed to know that?

Moving on, it is safe to say I was using the mobile app in a distant version of "compact view". None of the images from dpoll or dtube and such show up. Instead it shows the picture of a dolphin(?) with the text "hmmm, no image". Not cool.

Furthermore, I am unable to watch any dtube video or take part in any poll because it simply doesn't open on my esteem mobile application. Is it just me or its supposed to be like that? Either way, it wasn't the best look for esteem.

Where is the slider at? There is surely a way to set voting weight but I couldn't find it and I sincerely think a slider would be a commendable addition.

Esteem mobile app has a markdown guide... but it is a torture. Instead of being easy to use, what should have taken a click or two takes 5 or 6 clicks to pull of, especially if you aren't used to the esteem ways. I made some mistakes while creating posts, and I am more than sure you, too, are prone to unnecessary errors if not careful.
I realized it takes time and getting used to.

But this, limits my ability to format my posts up to my liking. If you notice this post and the other 2 posts I have updated from Esteem they are very minimally formatted. I even had to edit the post I made earlier from steemit after I had posted it.

This why I am not a fan of updating posts through esteem mobile app and call is basic and not as fun to use.

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To conclude I would like to say that I highly appreciate @good-karma for making such a censor free platform and giving us yet another interface to browse the steemverse.
I am sure meeting all demands is an expensive procedure and sometimes cannot be fulfilled.
But, esteem mobile app does not meet my expectations and I would like to see it being more user-friendly and smoother, not to mention taking into account some of the shortcomings I have pointed out.

I want to believe esteem v2 and surfer are much better versions and very promising.

Esteem will always have a place in my heart, but isn't my cup of tea.