Free AIM Client Spotted on App Store

[MacRumors]

tclary spotted the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) client on the App Store during the Guided Tour posted today.

The AIM client will provide iChat compatible instant messaging for the iPhone and iPod Touch. AOL first demoed the app during the original iPhone SDK launch event, but have made no further announcements since that time.

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[elppa]

How will this work if the APNS (Apple Push Notification Service) isn't live yet?

Also in the same video I noticed that the keynote and word files were zipped?

Does the current iPhone software have in built support .zip files like OS X or is this also something new?

[Klaxons2012]

Now I need to get some friends to chat with! Yesss!

[SkippyThorson]

If this counts towards the 200 per month texting, then I won't even care about it.

If it's free, aka unlimited AIM, then it will round out my top 3 first downloads including eBay and the iTunes Remote.

[xamkil83]

sweet finaly we can IM instead of having to use those expencive text messages. Since the new plans don't come with any...

[Sky Blue]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

tclary spotted...

nope! that would've been me!

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=508857#15

[caliguy]

Originally Posted by SkippyThorson

If this counts towards the 200 per month texting, then I won't even care about it.

If it's free, aka unlimited AIM, then it will round out my top 3 first downloads including eBay and the iTunes Remote.

I'm almost sure that it wouldn't be counted as text messaging. It's just packets of internet data being transferred.

[stagi]

That would be cool

[cloudnine]

Originally Posted by caliguy

I'm almost sure that it wouldn't be counted as text messaging. It's just packets of internet data being transferred.

Yeah, you're probably right... I think the person who was concerned about it being charged as a text message must have had a Moto RAZR (or something similar), where the provider basically had a version of AIM installed on it which treated IM messages as text messages. I had that on Tmobile and almost died when I got my first cell phone bill... Ugh. That version of AIM is basically just a different GUI for the text message application.

Death on a stick.

[Hooka]

why would any of you think it would cost anything to send and receive a AIM message? I don't think AIM is going to start charging just Iphone users. lol

[B1gMac]

If it's available for the iPod touch, then obviously its not a text message...

[twoodcc]

alright! glad to see this, and that it's free!

[dacreativeguy]

Originally Posted by cloudnine

Yeah, you're probably right... I think the person who was concerned about it being charged as a text message must have had a Moto RAZR (or something similar), where the provider basically had a version of AIM installed on it which treated IM messages as text messages. I had that on Tmobile and almost died when I got my first cell phone bill... Ugh. That version of AIM is basically just a different GUI for the text message application.

Death on a stick.

There also used to be a popular IM app on the Treo that would use SMS to alert you of new chat messages when you were outside of the chat app. You could disable that feature, fortunately.

It will be interesting to see how AOL works with the 'no background app' restriction of the SDK. While just having a native IM app will be better than the current web site solutions, that will still pale in comparison to having a true IM client that keeps you available and lets you receive IMs even if you aren't currently in that app or using the iphone at all.

[Telp]

Originally Posted by B1gMac

If it's available for the iPod touch, then obviously its not a text message...

Good point. I think we will should be safe.

[Yvan256]

Too bad that almost nobody outside the USA uses AIM... Practically everyone I know uses MSN and/or ICQ. And even my ICQ list keeps getting smaller since people are switching to MSN (and I wish I knew why).

We got a standard for FTP, for email and for the Web, why can't everyone agree on an IM standard that also does audio and video?

[Yvan256]

Originally Posted by dacreativeguy

There also used to be a popular IM app on the Treo that would use SMS to alert you of new chat messages when you were outside of the chat app. You could disable that feature, fortunately.

It will be interesting to see how AOL works with the 'no background app' restriction of the SDK. While just having a native IM app will be better than the current web site solutions, that will still pale in comparison to having a true IM client that keeps you available and lets you receive IMs even if you aren't currently in that app or using the iphone at all.

If you had watched the WWDC keynote you'd know that a really good work-around solution is in place. IMs would be useless if you had to be in the app to use it (receive messages, etc).

Good thing is, it's free! That, along with the eBay app and others will make paying 10$ for my iPod touch upgrade worth it.

[bigmc6000]

Oh Adium where are you??? (Maybe they'll call it iAdium or something goofy?)

I can't stand to have to have multiple IM clients - it's just annoying...

[five04]

Originally Posted by Yvan256

Too bad that almost nobody outside the USA uses AIM... Practically everyone I know uses MSN and/or ICQ. And even my ICQ list keeps getting smaller since people are switching to MSN (and I wish I knew why).

We got a standard for FTP, for email and for the Web, why can't everyone agree on an IM standard that also does audio and video?

I agree. MSN is junk and the fact that people can change their display name is really annoying. Luckily, being in the US, I don't know anyone who actually uses MSN so it all works out.

[aerospace]

I read on yahoo the iphone version of their chat app includes video.

...I'd post a link but theres no copy paste on my iphone!

[caliguy]

Originally Posted by cloudnine

Yeah, you're probably right... I think the person who was concerned about it being charged as a text message must have had a Moto RAZR (or something similar), where the provider basically had a version of AIM installed on it which treated IM messages as text messages. I had that on Tmobile and almost died when I got my first cell phone bill... Ugh. That version of AIM is basically just a different GUI for the text message application.

Death on a stick.

Yep exactly.

Unless AT&T contacts AOL and tells 'em they want more money and makes them change the app. I wouldn't be surprised a bit. Twenty cents for extra texts instead of 10 - Just for the iPhone. Those guys make me sick.

[freeny]

The AIM will most likely be only usable via wifi...

MR should probably gear up and create a section devoted exclusively to iPhone apps. There will be a lot of chatter I assure you

With the large amount of apps that will be available over time, it is almost certain that there will be hundreds of "Official whatever app" threads that will spawn...

[Jacksteruk309]

Perhaps Google will bring out a Google Talk client for iPhone. Then perhaps if MSN, Yahoo and AIM standardized on XMPP/Jabber, as Google have done, everyone could just download the Google Talk client and would be able to chat to everyone, no matter what network they are on.

I know, I know, unlikely, but one can dream

[Diversion]

Am I the only one really excited about this?

If the AIM client on the iPhone is done as well as the AIM client on the Sidekick, then I can finally say the Sidekick doesn't offer anything better over the iPhone except for a fantastic keyboard.

Sidekick still has the most comfy, fully functional physical keyboard i've ever used on a phone. Aside from that, the messenger clients on the Sidekick are bar-none, the best.

Hopefully the AIM client for the iPhone is as great.. and works when the phone is "off" without disconnecting.

Jay

[cloudnine]

Originally Posted by dacreativeguy

It will be interesting to see how AOL works with the 'no background app' restriction of the SDK. While just having a native IM app will be better than the current web site solutions, that will still pale in comparison to having a true IM client that keeps you available and lets you receive IMs even if you aren't currently in that app or using the iphone at all.

Didn't El Jobso address that at the WWDC? Wouldn't applications that "required" running in the background be able to utilize Push technology, instead? So that instead of constantly checking for new messages and destroying battery life, messages would be "pushed" to the phone instead?

I could be phrasing it wrong, but I think this was Jobs' solution to applications wanting to run in the background...

[cloudnine]

Originally Posted by caliguy

Yep exactly.

Unless AT&T contacts AOL and tells 'em they want more money and makes them change the app. I wouldn't be surprised a bit. Twenty cents for extra texts instead of 10 - Just for the iPhone. Those guys make me sick.

Yeah, totally... as much as I would like to be optimistic, it's not beyond AT&T and AOL to create an application for the iPhone that would somehow charge you for its usage... either treat the instant messages like text messages, or even have a separate "instant message plan"... hah.

I'm going to stay hopeful, though, and cross my fingers that it's not only a free download, but free to use, as well...