IMBooster Launches Beta for AIM

IMBooster launches IMBooster Beta for AIM. After designing IMBooster for Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger, its creators bring forward the latest version, AIM-compatible. All the emoticons, winks, display pictures and text decorations are now available for AIM users as well.

1. AIM users can now send emoticons or create their own with the Make your emoticons feature within IMBooster. Webcam required for this feature.
2. AIM users can also send wink pranks in order to scare their chat partners. Some pranks include: Virus shutdown, Multiple pop-ups, Computer screen bug and others.
3. Display pictures are animated and react to key strokes. The purpose of this feature is to offer more expressivity when chatting.
4. AIM users can also watch TV broadcasted online by sharing the view in a small window.

IMBooster is still a Beta version so the creators are now looking for helpful people to notice any strange behavior. More info can be found on their Beta testing website: http://beta.iminent.com/

AIM 6.9 Gets Social

AOL today officially released AIM 6.9 for Windows, introducing new features that integrate AIM with other social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. This new version of the venerable instant messaging program acknowledges and embraces the fact that people aren’t just on a single social network — they have a presence across many networks — and keeping up-to-date with your friends, family and associates shouldn’t require you to visit a dozen different web sites. The real social network transcends any single brand.

AIM remains free to use, supported by advertising that appears in the buddy list and chat windows. AIM 6.9 requires Windows 2000 or newer, 512 MB RAM for enhanced IM functionality, Flash and IE 6 or newer. You can download it here.

Alternate versions for Mac, Linux and web-based IM are still available, but haven’t been upgraded to match the functionality of their Windows counterpart. 

Do you use AIM? Will you upgrade?

Digsby

Digsby is a multi-protocol instant messaging program that adds social networking and email notification integration. Digsby’s IM support is extensive. Digsby connects to AIM, WLM (MSN), Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber and Facebook Chat.

Social network support includes Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and LinkedIn, giving you the ability to update your status and get live updates from your contacts.

And Digsby gives you email notifications for Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, AOL, IMAP and POP3 mail accounts. If you need to connect to multiple networks, Digsby is worth a closer look.

Background

Digsby began as Steve Shapiro’s school project as he worked on his MBA at Rochester Institute of Technology. The project grew to a team of developers, now operating as dotSyntax LLC. After two years of development, Digsby was first released in a private beta in February 2008, and to the public in March 2008. Since that time, Digsby has quickly grown to become one of the most popular multi-protocol IM programs on Windows.

Customization

One of Digsby’s great features is the ability to personalize the look. You can create or download new skins to change the entire look of Digsby.  You can switch the chat theme, load custom emoticon and sound sets.

Requirements

Currently Digsby is only available on Windows (XP or Vista), but Mac OS X and Linux versions have been promised.

Installation Notes

In late 2008, the Digsby installer was changed to include a number of “utilities” of dubious value. Most of these additional utilities are adware supported. Installation of these additional programs is fortunately optional, but be cautious to read each installation screen carefully and choose decline for these “extras.”

Useful Links

• Digsby – official site
• Digsby Blog – official Digsby company blog
• Digsby Forums – official Digsby support forums
• Digsbies.org – fan site with a feature wish list, skins, conversation themes, emoticon  and sound sets
• irc://irc.freenode.net/digsby – IRC chat with the digsbies; frequented by the developers
• Digsby Widget – embed this on your blog and visitors can chat directly with you

AOL Releases AIM 6.9 Beta 3

AOL has released a new beta version of their venerable AOL Instant Messenger program. The AIM 6.9 Beta 3 sports new icons, new design, a return to the “running man” logo and integration with Bebo profiles. 

And — hold onto your seats — you now have the option to display emoticons as text! 

The new look is an improvement, but still lags behind WLM and Yahoo! Messenger. They key development with this version seems to be tighter integration with Bebo. 

Useful Links

• AIM 6.9 Beta 3
• BigBlueBall AIM Support forum

AIM For iPhone Gets an Upgrade

MARCH 4, 2009 UPDATE - The ad-free, paid version of AIM for the iPhone went up on the iTunes Application Store today. As we initially reported, it costs $2.99, and is essentially the same as the free version, with the exclusion of advertising. 

AOL has updated their AIM application for the iPhone, adding new features and a soon-to-be-released paid AIM app. The original AIM app was one of the first applications to appear on the iPhone. AOL hefts a lot of clout with millions of users and it’s Time-Warner media ties, so it’s little wonder they were featured so prominently when the iTunes Application Store launched. 

Since then an abundance of IM applications for the iPhone have sprung up, most of them offering multi-network IM — a clear advantage if your contacts are spread across several IM systems. 

This 2.0 version of AIM for the iPhone and iPod Touch adds several notable features. The AIM app is now location aware, allowing you the option of sharing where you are (with your contacts, not just anyone) . It also gives you a new buddy list group that shows you which of your contacts are nearby. Of course, for any of this to be of use, you’ve got to have contacts that are nearby, so unless you’re a student, it’s unlikely to be of much value beyond the “cool” factor. 

The more practical addition is SMS alerts. Tired of waiting for Apple to open up the push notification capability (promised in Sept. 2008!), AIM now lets you choose to remain “signed in” for up to 24 hours, even after closing the app. To your contacts, you’ll appear online, and when they send you an IM, you’ll get text notification — partially emulating push notification. Note that although AIM sends these SMS notifications for free, you may incur telecom charges for the receipt of each message (depending on your plan). 

Also new in this version is support for multiple accounts and the ability to send free SMS messages to anyone in your iPhone address book. 

What’s the catch? 

There will be two versions with essentially the same features. The free version is advertising-supported; you’ll have to put up with display ads on many of the screens. The paid version will cost $2.99 but be ad-free. 

You can download or update the free version now. The paid version will be available soon (it’s working it’s way through the iTunes approval process). 

Get AIM for the iPhone

Get another opinion…

• AIM for iPhone gets paid version, SMS alerts, location awareness – Ars Technica
• AIM beats Apple to fake background notifications on the iPhone – Venture Beat
• iPhone AIM App Gets Background Notifications, Free SMS Messages and… Ads – Gizmodo (has some good screenshots)

Truphone Adds AIM to its iPhone App

The Truphone mobile VoIP service announced support for AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) chat into its iPhone app. This comes just a couple weeks after adding instant messaging support for Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger.

The Truphone iPhone app is free from the Apple App Store. The key benefit of Truphone is its ability to let you make free VoIP calls to any other Truphone or Google Talk user, and cheap international calls to any landline or mobile phone. The addition of instant messaging and Twitter are “nice to have” features that make Truphone a Swiss Army knife of communications. 

Truphone’s support for Skype calls announced last month at Macworld  has not been added yet, as they continue to work out quality of service issues. 

My take? Truphone is interesting, but if you’re in the U.S., your AT&T plan already gives you free long distance in the continental U.S..  Truphone won’t impress you unless you’re a geek or you really make a lot of international calls. 

Truphone is also available for many other platforms, including G1, Blackberry and some Nokia phones. 

www.truphone.com

AOL Instant Messenger

AIM Alternatives 

In March 2008, AOL introduced the Open AIM initiative, officially opening up AIM’s protocol to third-party developers like Digsby, Trillian and meebo to hook into the AIM network without reverse engineering. Open AIM has spawned a series of alternative messengers, including

• AIM Lite – a lightweight, advertisement-free version of AIM
• Ahoihoi - a beautiful, streamlined version that you can recolor
• and many others. Check the AIM Gallery for the latest list.

Updated on March 14, 2009

Introducing Instan-T

Instan-t 4.0 is a very effective Instant Messaging software that connects users to the four major IM networks (AOL, MSN, ICQ and Yahoo!), allowing the exchange of instant messages using a single application.

This IM software offers several unique features, such as its Skin Technology, its Multi-Network Chat that allows you to chat with users from multiple IM networks in the same chat room, and its Email signature integration that allow your email recipients to see your online status and start chatting with you without downloading any software.

Instan-t 4.0 can be used behind a proxy or firewall which makes it ideal for use both at home and at work. With users all around the world, Instan-t doesn’t have annoying ads and it is offered as a freeware version by IM solution developer Interactive Networks Inc.

 

• Download instan-t 5.0
• Discuss in the forum

Sebastian Haro  represents press and communications from Interactive Network Inc.

Create Your Own AIM Expressions

Ever wanted to create your own AIM Expression? This tutorial describes the basic process. I won’t really go over any design aspects as to how to make the Expression look good, that’ll be left up to you to figure out. This tutorial will only work if you keep all the files in one folder. Read more

AIM F2 Trick for Hidden Text

Do you want to hide something that isn’t really hidden? Use AIM’s F2 trick to send hidden messages to your friends. Sure it’s pointless, but its kind of neat and you will surely prove that you are IM savvy.

What is the F2 Trick?

The F2 trick uses the timestamp feature of AIM. The assumption is that most people have timestamp turned off. Pressing F2 toggles AIM’s timestamp on/off. Time stamping just lets you know when the person said what they said. Notice the time next to the name. The trick allows you to fool AIM into thinking that your message is part of the time stamp. Here’s an example of a normal conversation with timestamps turned on:

How to insert your “secret message”

Now you just open up Notepad (any other text editor will do) and type in the secret message that you want, inside of these brackets: <!– MESSAGE –>

Copy the text of whatever “secret message” you want to have. To quickly copy all the text, press CTRL-A, then CTRL-C.

Head back to AIM and type in the normal message. Paste (CTRL-V) the secret message wherever you want in the normal message. Here is an example of a successful “secret message”

Tips

• Make sure you place ANY character type in front of and in back of the hidden message. If you fail to do so, you will be punished with horrible things like: </FONT></BODY></HTML> in your “secret message”, shown in this nifty image:

• This character can be anything, such as C * $ or even just a space. What I like to do is leave the “secret message” at the end of the normal message followed by a space; the other person can’t even see it!
• Note that if you have timestamp turned on when you paste in your “secret message”, this will make your horrible, horrible secret clear to everyone! Shown in this picture below:

*NOTE* Whatever you type in as your secret message could and probably will be read, so don’t go putting your deepest and darkest secrets here unless you don’t care if other people know.

*NOTE* These tricks only work with AIM, not with AOL’s built in messenger.

Etcetera

1. One other use of the F2 trick is in your profile. To do this, go to My AIM, then Edit Profile.
2. Click Next twice to reach your More Info section. Here is where you will place a ~Secret Message~.
3. Follow the same rules as above and you can insert hidden messages in your profile, too.

Here is a glowing example of my very own My Info page:

*GASP* And no one would’ve been the wiser if not for……… F2!

Useful Links

• AIM Support forum at BigBlueBall

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