AIM for the iPhone has finally received some long overdue changes and additions including SMS support, but it all comes at a small cost.
The original AIM application arrived right around the launch of the App Store itself. The application was free, and it allowed users to chat with each other through the AOL Network, simple as that. Not much had changed since the original 1.0 version was released, until a couple of days ago.
AOL has now released version 2.0 of its
AIM application for the iPhone. The new version has been split into AIM Free and AIM Paid. The free version is ad supported, displaying ads only within user and IM lists, not the IM window itself. Both the paid and free versions include the same exact features. Pricing hasn't been announced for the paid version, but AOL says it is currently making its way through Apple's approval process so it should be available any day now.
AIM for the iPhone now includes a location awareness service. It allows users to display their current location to everyone, only the users on your buddy list or no one at all. Users can change the settings to allow how often it checks for your current location as well.
Users can also stay logged into the AOL Network for up to 24 hours, even if the application isn't running. The application now supports SMS notifications which can send a users a text message to their mobile phone to notify them that they have received a new IM. The message simply displays that the user has received an IM, not the actual IM message itself.
Adding to the list of SMS features, the new AIM application also has a tab at the bottom that allows users quick access to their contact list. Simply tap the Contacts button and your entire address book shows up, giving users the ability to easily send text messages to mobile phone users.
Will this new AIM offering be enough to drag some of you away from
BeejiveIM? Probably not since AIM only supports AOL related IM clients, but it at least gives users more quality options for free.
It will be interesting to see what the paid version of AIM will be priced at. If the price is $0.99 some users may be inclined to forgo the free version to avoid the nuisance of ads.
