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AOL Instant Messanger provides a resident instant messaging client for the iPhone – something currently missing from the device.
The AIM resident app works as expected and fills a gap created by Apple’s decision to not include a native IM program as part of the original applications. Set up is simple and the process of holding an IM “conversation” is made simple by the clear and clean UI.
Unfortunately, Apple’s decision to exclude 3rd-part apps from running in the background limits the functionality significantly. This means that the IM program can only receive messages when the program is actually running. As soon as you open any other program on the device it shuts down and the conversation is ended. Hopefully that will be solved some time in the near future.
The native AIM application also means that users who do not want to pay extra for an SMS package, something that AT&T’s new plans exclude, can still IM.
Quick Take
Value: Incredibly high
Would I Buy Again: In a second
Learning Curve: Low, if you’ve already used IM
Who Is It For: Anyone who has used or wants to use IM
What I like: Price, functionality, stabiility
What I don’t Like: Inability to run in the background (an Apple issue not an AIM issue)
Final Statement: AIM fills a glaring gap in the iPhone’s feature set and does so in a clear, easy to use, stable manner. It should have been on the device from the very beginning.
