America Online’s AIM app for the iPhone is a snazzy piece of software that will be enjoyed by AIM users.
If you have used the AIM instant messaging service on your personal computer, you will find that this mobile version provides a very similar experience. In fact it is almost the exact same experience except for a couple of handy features.
The first is that AIM works with Apple’s Push Notification service, so even if you do not have the app open, you will be notified when you get a message. This feature worked great for me and it alone makes the app worth owning.
You can also send messages as texts to cell phones. If the recipient responds, you will receive their answers as a chat. This makes for a beautiful collage of instant messaging and texting that many will find useful.
There are two versions of the app, a free one and one that costs $2.99. The paid app offers no advertisements and a keyboard landscape mode. It’s debatable whether these features alone are worth nearly three bucks.
There are a few other buzz kills, including no group chats and no picture messaging. For the serious AIM user, these are glaring omissions. Regardless, AIM users should at least check out the free version. While far from perfect, this app definitely has its uses.
