IM Roundup 2
I can’t believe I wrote my original IM experiment entry on 12/4/04. Since then not enough has changed. If you read that one, I said that Google is the one to watch. Nine months later, Google Talk has been released.
Where they all stand now (the ones I follow):
AIM – Still the same old boring AIM. Simple away messages and profiles are the best features. The new version which is in beta offers conversation logging and tabbed IMs. There are rumors about offline messaging. Voice features should be easier and allow for conference calling. The beta is still too early to use regularly. It has potential but it makes you download so much extra junk it isn’t worth it.
Yahoo! - Version 7 offers the closest thing to what I want in an IM program. Logging, easy voice chat, and offline messages. Not just offline IMs but also voice mails.
MSN – Just downloaded 7.5 the other day. No idea what is new. I have never really liked MSN. It does all the basics well but nothing different to excite me.
ICQ – Apparently its still around. I tried using it a while back but it doesn’t work the way I like. To me it seems they never got the transition from tray to taskbar down. ICQ will always have a special place in my internet history.
Skype – The most popular voice chat program around. They have added all sorts of pay features that let you call phone numbers, get a phone number, and voice mail. They are attempting to make it much more portable. Skype Zones lets you use it at hotspots for a fee. My favorite thing about Skype is that it has a PocketPC version which lets me have the equivalent of a cordless phone. My Axim has a microphone so just plug in some headphones and you’re all set.
Google Talk – Based on Jabber, which I’ve always been curious about but never took the time to find out about it. The benefit of Jabber is that you can sign on using a number of programs including GAIM. There won’t be the problem of all the other big companies where they can’t talk to each other, Google wants them all to work together, even for voice. Right now it is very basic. I like all the ways you can dock the message windows to the buddy list. You can minimize them so that you can see the most recnt message from that person. You can also close the window and it doesn’t lost the conversation, this is a feature NotesBuddy had that I really liked. If you use Gmail has your main email I think it is more useful. For now I’m going to play with it and keep an eye to see what they add.
A look at my must haves:
Offline Messaging – Yahoo has it along with voice mail. AIM is rumored but nothing yet. I believe Jabber supports it, I’m pretty sure Google will have it not too long from now.
History – Easier to talk about who doesn’t have it. AIM will finally have it with the new version. Google looks to only save recent messages. Still nothing about having the history saved on a server, please Google.
Constant Away Message – Nothing on this one. Reading over what I said before is a little confusing. I think it should be changed to offline away message. With offline messaging the only reason to stay signed on would be so people can see where you are via your away message. I don’t think I’ve considered this feature since I wrote it last time but it would be really useful.
Most Recent Chat in Window – Yahoo! supports this nicely. Google appears to as well.
Conference Calls – A new one to add to the list. Voice wasn’t as big a deal when I last wrote about this. In fact, I didn’t use the term Skype in that article. Skype has conference calls. The new AIM has multi party voice chat. I just found that on the website, sounds very nice. Yahoo! and Google should have this soon enough, I hope.
What I should do now:
Skype is the only one with conference calling so that will be a go-to program when I need that, for fantasy drafts or a podcast perhaps.
As for IM with the features I need Yahoo! Messenger fits the bill. It logs conversations, even has a shortcut to display the most recent conversation in the box, in case you closed the box or forgot what the last conversation was about. The other big feature is offline messaging. No need to stay logged on all the time, wherever you sign on you will get any messages that were sent. Bonus features: talk is very easy to use and it has voice mail if you aren’t signed on (something I really want to try).
As for AIM, I will follow developments on the new version and use the current one to talk to all the people that still use the piece of junk. I’ll also keep using Google Talk to see where that is headed.
One final program I just downloaded, Meetro. There was a rumor that Google was going to buy this company and this would be their IM program. It would also integrate nicely with Google Maps. The idea behind this one is you can enter your current location and it will show you what people are closest to you. They have it broken down to ¼ mile, 1 mile, 5 miles, and locals (not sure if these can be changed). Signing on today I only had 2 people in my locals section, the others empty. The people in the locals where anywhere from 10-25 miles away. Not sure how much I personally like this idea but I’m sure there are tons of people who will enjoy it.
All the links:
AIM
Yahoo! Messenger
MSN Messenger
ICQ
Google Talk
Skype
Meetro