Instant messaging from mobile devices

Instant Messaging on mobile devices isn't as popular as text messaging, but I find myself doing more and more IMing on my Centro smartphone. According to a joint study by AOL-AP on IM usage patterns, the number of people using IM is increasing, but it's still relatively small compared to text messaging. As I'm sure many of you would agree, to me, web-based mobile IM services don't come close to the IM experience you get on your desktop computer. I think one of the issues for mobile usage being significantly lower than text messaging is awareness that there are mobile IM clients available that address some of the key shortcomings of browser-based mobile IM (varies by client):

• Hitting the refresh button to see if you have received new IMs and waiting for the page to load
• Waiting for pages to load when switching from the IM session to the IM friends list
• Not being able to see all contacts on the same page
• Overall design is less aesthetically pleasing (e.g. colors are not different for each IM chat participant)
• Lack of functionality, including less cool emoticons (let's face it, they are a part of IMing)

One of the things I like best about using an IM client is that it gives you the ability to see who is available vs. idle. And if you are talking to multiple people at the same time, you're able to chat with them all in one place (my record is 9 at a time).

Try out one of the various mobile IM clients available (Palm's mobile IM client is available on Sprint Centro and Treo 755p, and on AT&T Centro and Treo 680) and see for yourself if it's a better experience for you compared to the web-based IM clients. I don't think IMing from mobile devices will replace text messaging anytime soon, but it's certainly becoming a better experience and more like the IMing that many of us enjoy from our desktop computers.

-Paul Loeffler

Comments

[Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron]

Hi - can you provide link(s) to the Treo 680 IM clients you refer to please? Thanks!

mp/m

[Arlington VA real estate— Jay]

I assume that it doesn't cost $0.05 or $0.10 each time so therefore it merits checking out--my bill each month is always at least $200....

either palm comes out with a GPS phone or as soon as iambic comes out with agendus for blackberry I'm outta here.

You all ought to promote it as a way of getting people loyal to palm--nothing comes close to it:

http://www.iambic.com/agenduspremier/palmos/default.asp

[Justin D]

Sorry Paul, but a HUGE problem with getting people into using mobile IM clients is that they are all so poorly executed. Your IM client, for example, is very slow, to the point of frustration. It also uses SMS, which it conceals very well. (I really, really thought it was similar to all the other mobile IM clients I have tried, which use a data connection. I didn't find out until I got my next bill that it was actually sending a text message for EACH IM, running my bill waaaay over for 2 months but hey, I'm not bitter... Hint, Hint, Arlington VA Jay). It also does a very lackluster job of alerting users as to when they have a message. It was easy to go for hours and not realize someone was msging you.

If you guys can figure these issues out, I think people would jump on a lot more readily. The Centro could be a huge vehicle for you to push all the connectivity it has to offer. You have to nail it though.

PS-If you REALLY want to get the ball rolling, just copy the old VeriChat interface. They ABSOLUTELY nailed it like, 3 years ago and NO ONE has filled the void since they shut it down. There are A LOT of us out there who would gladly PAY for a mobile client that was up to the standard VeriChat provided...

[BaDZeD]

The main problem with IMs on mobile phones comes from battery drain due to active open data connection.
Plus, threaded SMS makes Palm's messaging solution pretty darn attractive.
As for IM clients out there:
Mundu IM (Nice Looks and Cheap/Multiplatform)
Gizmo Project (Free/Multiplatform)
Chatopus (multiplatform)
Toccer (free/AIM Only)

[Bill Taroli]

Yeah... the /real/ reason why IM hasn't penetrated the market better is that there /isn't/ a native IM client right now that really stands out as far as delivering a good UI experience, being stable on Palm OS, and providing features that mobile users really want. It would be easy to say "replicate the desktop experience," but all of us who have been mobile users for any length of time realize is that mobile environments bring unique requirements. So should our productivity apps.

By far, VeriChat seems the most loved of the Palm OS clients. I have also used Causerie, Mundu, and IM+ (3.1) and find that they all have plusses and minuses. The problem is that none of these really hit the bullseye. Part of the blame goes to PalmOS, because each of these had to work around or compromises due to limitations of the platform. But some of the blame also goes to well-meaning developers who just didn't take the feedback that kept coming from users.

[logan]

I don;t usually im from my phone. It is too complicated and it costs money.

[Quentin Silvand]

I use IM quite a bit when I must wait for something (train, somebody) and get bored. I found the experience actually pretty good and easy to use. You still get all the tumbnails and can really interact with your friends. I found it better the SMS, althought the PALM SMS features is so nice to use.

I use the Treo 750 with Windows mobile and I didn't see much impact on the use of IM in my monthly invoice.

[Joe User]

When I want to send an instant message from my telephone to
another person, what I do is I call them. I mean, it's a friggin'
telephone! IM was invented for devices which are not telephones.