AOL's AIM iPhone App Is Getting Awesome, Disruptive To AT&T | Hacker News Reader

AOL's AIM iPhone App Is Getting Awesome, Disruptive To AT&T

businessinsider.com

12 pointsfromedome24 comments

So in other words it's starting to work like every other smartphone and this will somehow destroy text messaging. Actually a large percentage of phones have IM built-in which is much nicer in use (you just browse your contacts and choose how to contact them, instead of having to decide how to contact first and then go to that app). Presence is often built in too, so when you view a contact you can see where they are logged in.

I'd say the key difference is that mainstream people actually download and use apps on the iPhone, much moreso than on other platforms.

Except on other platforms you don't have to download anything, it's built into the phone. Check the Pre for a great example. IM should be integrated like email and SMS. BlackBerry typically has IM integrated in I believe, I know that's the case on T-Mobile at least.

I think SMS is used heavily by the consumer market, meaning folks who likely got an IPhone as their first smartphone.

The businness crowd on blackberries probably send quick emails more often than they use SMS or IM (particularly AIM)

T-mobile also charges IM's at SMS rates if you use the built in apps...

No they don't. I had the T-Mobile Sidekick for 2 years before the original iPhone came out. One of the best features of the sidekick was the AIM app. I used it constantly and it was totally free.

This may depend on the data package. The required data package with the Sidekick probably gives you unlimited IMing. On may last two T-mobile phones IM's and emails have both been charged at SMS rates when using the built in messaging apps.

The Sidekick data plan included unlimited SMS, but the AIM client still did not use SMS. (I had a Sidekick for 5 years)

I don't mean that AIM uses SMS to actually send/receive messages, rather that each IM is charged at the SMS rate (also each email sent or received via the built-in client is charged that way).

That's why, for example, it's cheaper to use T-mobile's $6 unlimited web access with Gmail's mobile app (which apparently uses http(s)), than to use T-mobile's email client and an SMS package. That of course doesn't apply to a phone with a required data/text package like the Sidekick.

It depends on the phone you're using. That is correct for most feature phones (not smart phones).

now someone just needs to make a simple, free iphone app that works just like the text messaging app, but sends messages through push notifications. no signup, no aim accounts, no presence, no other fluff.

send to any phone number or contact and the app would know if the receiving number is an iphone with the same app installed. if it isn't, it lets you know that you need to use regular text messages instead. resist the urge to implement real sms functionality on the backend so users don't feel like you're trying to sell them something. make the users pressure their friends into installing the app and it'll be huge. resist trying to make it some global contact manager with a desktop version and a dozen points of integration.

then make blackberry and android versions that can all work together and you're golden.

TextFree. They haven't added push yet, but I'm 100% sure it's coming.

Even with push, TextFree (or AIM, for that matter) can't be even reasonably disruptive to iPhone texting rates until they are ubiquitously distributed. Unless and until Apple makes AIM (or something like it) a default app or an alternate carrier comes on the scene, AT&T will continue to charge outrageous texting rates. Let's all hold our breath...

My phone has this, but it goes through a gateway my carrier setup, so each IM is charged as one text message. Of course, I don't actually pay for a data plan so it may be different if I had internet access.

AIM would be nicer if the service was based on xmpp and allowed federation with other services..

why do these walled gardens still exist? email figured it out 30 years ago: user@domain

Perhaps an aggregator like Meebo or maybe Adium will get us halfway there.

Beejive 3.0 works great!

No, because that is solving the problem from the wrong direction. There is no reason there needs to be all these seperate communication protocols for essentially the same method of communication.

Do we need another skype or facebook coming out with their own proprietary instant messaging scheme, while perfectly good protocols exist.

It also reduces battery life to about 4 hours.

Push notifications do?

I don't know if it's the push notifications or the AIM app itself. All I know is that I was beta testing the new AIM with push and my phone would always be dead by about 2 pm, and I don't feel like I talk to very many people. Maybe about 5 people.

My guess is that it was because my phone is always in vibrate mode and every time someone sent me a message my phone would vibrate.

"My guess is that it was because my phone is always in vibrate mode and every time someone sent me a message my phone would vibrate."

How would that be any different than getting a lot of text messages?

Good point. I average about 1 text message per day, so I don't know.

I've personally found that having the display on has been far and away the biggest battery drain on my phone. At least with the 3G. I haven't had enough time with the 3GS to know one way or the other.

My test was to have the iPod playing and periodically touching the screen to prevent it from going dark.

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