(Click here for a larger view of AIM for Windows Mobile)
AOL MyMobile
(Click image for further information) |
AOL had not updated its IM client for Windows Mobile for at least several years. Meanwhile, it has ceded ground to third-party clients such as
Palringo,
Mundu,
Mobile IM,
Raketu, and
Fring, which typically aggregate access to multiple chat services and accounts. Some even throw in VoIP calling capabilities.
In October 2007, AOL did release
MyMobile (right), a Windows Mobile application that bundles IM along with "carousel navigation" of AOL's other online services, such as AOL Mail, AOL CityGuide, MapQuest, AOL Local Search, AOL News, Weather, AOL Sports, and AOL Pictures. While AOL MyMobile is itself still in beta, AIM for Windows Mobile now provides an application that is presumably smaller and less-resource-hungry, for those who only require instant messaging. Unlike the competitors mentioned above, it only provides access to the AOL instant messaging network.
In related news, Yahoo! announced that the latest beta of its
Yahoo! Go 3.0 application is now compatible with touchscreen-based Windows Mobile devices, not just the Windows Mobile Standard devices initially supported. Yahoo! Go 3.0 integrates Yahoo! email, photos, maps, stock quotes, and other functionality, and is said to be extensible via third-party widgets. For more details, see our earlier coverage,
here.
Further informationTo obtain the AIM for Windows Mobile or AOL MyMobile betas, visit the AOL website
here and
here. To obtain the latest Yahoo! Go 3.0 beta, go to the Yahoo! website
here. All the betas are free, but the vendors strongly recommend that users have unlimited data plans.
Related stories:
