AIM for Verizon & Alltel can now be done via SMS

[Fire14]

AIM expands mobile options with texting

AOL Instant-Messaging Expands With Cell Phone Text-Messaging Access, Location Gadget

Now you can access AOL's popular instant-messaging service using cell phone text messaging.

Mobile versions of AIM and rival IM services from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are already available, but availability varies depending on your wireless provider, cell phone and service level.

The new offering from AOL provides yet another option — at least for customers of Alltel Corp. and Verizon Wireless — a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC.

Users can simply send a blank text message to "AIMAIM" to activate. A user can send messages with commands to sign on, view buddy lists or change an "away" greeting.

Be sure you have a good text messaging plan, though, or charges can rack up quickly. And remember to sign off from the mobile version when you are back at a desktop computer — otherwise you might find streams of text messages from buddies known to shoot five or six IMs within seconds.

AOL, a unit of Time Warner Inc., also unveiled this week an "AIM Buddy Finder" tool for cell phones with global-positioning capabilities. Users can let friends see their location on MapQuest, another AOL service. The traveler must periodically refresh the location, though, as it isn't updated continuously.

The tool requires the $3-a-month Where service from uLocate Communications Inc., available through Alltel and Sprint Nextel Corp.'s Sprint and Boost Mobile brands.

The AIM offerings are among the mobile services AOL announced this week at a wireless industry conference in San Francisco.

AIM Expands Mobile Options with Texting

[tyler101868]

This also applies to US Cellular customers. Because US Cellular has free incominng text messenging on all plans, it seems particularly attractive.

[bobolito]

huh?.... You mean you couldn't text-to-AIM on Verizon? AT&T/Cingular and Sprint have had this for years! (circa 2003 if I'm not mistaken). I was under the assumption that all carriers had this feature. So now I'm not sure if T-mobile has it.

UPDATE: Now that I read the whole thing again, it seems that it was AOL that added the short codes for AIM, so it should apply to all carriers.

[WumpusVA]

I remember using AIM by text messages on vzw back in 2002... this is nothing new.

I remember this distinctly because my motorola v120 wouldn't accept the short codes saying "number too short", despite the number being legit.

this issue prompted me to upgrade to the kyocera 2235... which has been my favorite phone to date. i miss that thing so much...

[Matt]

T-Mo has had AIM via SMS for 5 years or more, IIRC. I'm also a bit confused by the significance of this PR ??

[Fire14]

I think the only difference with this service is the "Buddy info" where you can locate friends due to the GPS on the CDMA phones.
Otherwise it's a lot of fluff & it sounds like a way to compete with Boost.