Monthly Archives: June 2008

AIM for Windows Mobile

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Late last week we posted a new AIM beta for the Windows Mobile platform.  The client is built using the Web AIM APIs and provides a new look for an AIM client on a mobile device.  All of the core AIM features are part of this application, including status, viewing Buddy Icons, and Buddy List management.

Please note: This build of AIM Mobile does not have an Update Mechanism available. This means you will have to return to beta.aol.com and check if a new build of AIM for Windows Mobile is available. The Update Mechanism will be included in a future build.

Supported Devices: AIM for Windows Mobile supports devices with the Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 operating systems. Some examples are:

  • T-Mobile Wing
  • Sprint Mogul and HTC Touch
  • AT&T Blackjack II, Tilt
  • Sprint Samsung ACE
  • Motorola Q
  • Verizon Wireless 6800
  • Most Palm Treo’s

AIM Blast…A new way to Communicate

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Last night we released a new beta feature for AIM called AIM Blast.  AIM Blast is a brand new feature that allows our users to have a group conversation, or send a broadcast IM to multiple people at once, without having to set up a bot or a chat room.

AIM Blast is groundbreaking functionality for the AIM Service, plus…

*No download required
*Fast & Easy setup of Blast groups at the AIM Blast website
*Access to your Blast groups anywhere and everywhere you can sign in to the AIM Service (including AIM Express, and any Open AIM services)

For more info on AIM Blast please check out the FAQ.

Since this is a beta product, we really would love to get feedback on this feature so we can fix any issues or complaints, and of course we never mind positive feedback as well. 🙂

Userplane AIM Module

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When we launched AIM Modules and AIM 6.8 earlier this month we worked closely with the Userplane team out in Santa Monica so they could be a part of the AIM 6.8 client.  The AIM Module that Userplane wrote is available on the gallery.  It provides one click access to the Userplane chat rooms so you can chat on the most popular Userplane chats.  The module seemlessly injects you into the chat room.

When you install the Userplane modules, we add it to the bottom of the buddy list.  If you want to launch the AMO click the icon that is circled in red below.

Goowy AMOs

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A few people have pinged me this week asking me about two AIM plugins on the AIM Gallery, one called AOL iTunes, and the other called RSS.  They asked me if these plugins were copied from Goowy.  The answer is that these are actual Goowy widgets that we have made into AIM Modules.  Goowy is a widget company AOL acquired earlier this year, and Alex and his team have been churning out awesome widgets that can be distributed across dozens of different platforms, including AIM.

The AOL iTunes plugin shows you the top 10 songs being downloaded across specific music genres.  The RSS widget is a way you can host your RSS feeds directly in the AIM client.  These two widgets feature all the same customization you get today with Goowy’s YourMinis platform.

These two plugins are the first widgets we have from Goowy, and hopefully there will be more to come.

Off To Tel Aviv

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I am headed back to ICQ tonight for the week, to work with the team in Tel Aviv. I did want to share an update with Zune support in AIM MusicLink. I found on Dan Fernandez’s blog info that Zune does have a basic API, via the ZuneDBApi.dll found in your Zune install folder. The API is a COM based API, but cannot be registered in the COM registry. The interfaces can be viewed in the object viewer in Visual Studio 2005 but I cannot successfully implement the interfaces in MusicLink.

I am hoping Microsoft churns out some real documentation for the Zune API, so I can add support for the player in MusicLink.

Op-Ed On Filtering Content Based on Firefox/IE Plugins or Bandwidth

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Lately there have been an abundance of stories on the web describing how content providers and access points to the web will begin to control or filter content based on plugins you may have installed for your web browser, or if you are a bandwidth hog.

This got me wondering if we are headed to a time where the web becomes pay-per-view? If hulu.com or other sites stop allowing me to view content unless I remove AdBlock, a plugin for Firefox, this is understandable due to the fact that hulu.com gets their revenue from advertisements. If Comcast determines that I am using too much bandwidth because I am downloading HD Movies legally via my Apple TV, does that make me an abuser of their internet pipes?

I wonder if my Verizon FIOS connection will continue to be all you can eat a year from now, and will it or the websites I visit let me view the content on those sites if I have adblock installed?

AIM Express 7 Beta 2

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Last week was a busy week in the AIM world in Dulles, so I am still catching up on all the news we generated. We pushed a new update of AIM Express beta 2, which is an AIM application for people who do not want to download the AIM client or have issues connecting due to network configuration.

AIM Express 7 is built using the Web AIM APIs ActionScript3 library (wimas3, for short). In the latest release here is what we added:

  • Easily enter a custom status message or away message using the inline status field at the top of your Buddy List
  • View Buddy Info by right-clicking on a Buddy’s name and selecting “Get Buddy Info”
  • See when your Buddies are typing a message to you in the IM window
  • Hover over a name on your Buddy List to see your Buddy’s screen name and status message
  • A sound notification will play when you receive a new IM
  • Hyperlinks in the IM window are now clickable
  • The IM input field expands as you type to show all of your message
  • Tooltip support – descriptive text is displayed when hovering over buttons

Check it out here and as always feedback is appreciated.

Partners who are AIM-ing with AMOs

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When we launched AIM 6.8 last week, we shipped the client with a new type of AIM client extension or plugin, known as AIM Modules, AMOs for short. While Gus and I wrote a handful of AMOs to test the APIs early on, once we felt comfortable with the API we brought in a few launch partners to help get things kicked off right and to help them with reaching our audience. So with Vivaty, Goodreads, TenCent, blogTV, shopIt, and phonevite, we welcome you to the OpenAIM family.

TwitterMan updated

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I have a new version of TwitterMan that I posted to the AIM Gallery today. This version includes additional features like viewing your friends timeline and being notified of when your friends have posted a new status message. The flyout showing your friends timeline contains your friends icon, link back to your friends feed, status message, and of course the time the tweet was sent.

Download TwitterMan 0.5 here.

If you are new to Twitter, the first friend to add is the MarsPhoenix lander.  Its fun since the lander is tweeting in the first person.