Major instant messaging services -- including America Online, Microsoft and Yahoo -- are going wireless, hoping to turn IM into an anytime, anywhere obsession.
Instant messaging is the email of the late '90s: Everyone is on it, nearly all of the time.
The big players want the millions of "buddies" who chat on the Net for hours about anything and nothing to be able to stay connected when they're away from their PCs. So the companies are developing software for smart pagers, handheld computers, and cell phones that could chart the course of the converging mobile communications market.
[Instant messaging] grew to surpass everyone's expectation," said Sean McAteer, director of Web technology strategies at Jupiter Communications. He estimated that more than 80 million people use IM daily.
Its massive user base has pushed IM, a free service, to the fore of the major portals' business plans as they desperately struggle for customers to pitch other revenue-producing services to, McAteer said.
"[The current skirmish over instant messaging standards] is indicative of a much bigger battle between AOL and Microsoft," he said.
But customers are caught in the crossfire until a messaging standard is established.
America Online and Yahoo have quietly posted beta software of instant messaging clients for wireless devices as they begin to test the waters for anytime messaging.
AOL has released a beta of its AIM (AOL Instant Messager) client for users of Windows CE handheld devices, and in June the company announced it would develop software for Palm Pilots, according to AOL spokeswoman Ann Bentley. The company has also posted betas of its ICQ client for Windows CE devices and the Palm Pilot.
Microsoft has yet to announce a mobile version of its MSN Messenger client. But it should be easy to develop since it already has the infrastructure for mobile data through MSN Mobile, according to Deanna Sanford, product marketing manager at MSN Messenger.
Customers have asked for mobile access to instant messaging, she said. "It is our ultimate goal to make information available to any device."
In June, Microsoft acquired wireless data services company Omnibrowse to facilitate delivery of MSN Mobile data to pagers and cell phones, and it will bundle MSN Messenger with offerings from financial and news services.
Yahoo has also jumped into the wireless IM fray, posting a client for Palm III and Palm Vs that can access optional wireless modems, but not the Palm VII, which has wireless capabilities built in.
Adding instant messaging to the new crop of smart pagers and wireless handhelds will only blur the already hazy line between the two. Although their form and origins -- two-way communications vs. information management -- differ, both categories now include Web access, email, address book, and calendar.
"These [smart pagers] are devices we're keeping our eyes on," said Tammy Mendanich, product marketing manager at Palm Computing. "We're always mindful of the competition."
Palm isn't likely to jump on the wireless IM bandwagon itself until a standard is in place, she added. "We're not going to create something ourselves. As long as it remains fragmented, it's a bummer for users."
Mendanich said she can see the potential for IM support, but there are some technological hurdles to overcome. The Palm VII uses two AA batteries, which can only sustain connections for a limited time. Rechargeable batteries, like those used by the Palm V, could be an answer.
And Mendanich said that Palm won't be adding phone functions anytime soon. "It's not an appropriate use."
Motorola is taking a more aggressive approach with its PageWriter 2000X devices, which look like oversized pagers with a mini flip-up screen.
"Instant messaging is significant, and we're interested in extending those services into wireless devices," said Dan Shine, a director at the Personal Networks Group at Motorola.
Shine showed off a working prototype of an IM client working on a PageWriter, and said the company is pursuing relationships with the major IM players.
Cell phones and less-sophisticated text pagers may also get IM support, although creating an interface that displays available buddies would be a chore, he said.
Motorola plans to add Java support to its pagers within the next few months, and Shine said the company is working on financial services, like stock transactions.
Shine noted that smart pagers and wireless handhelds are becoming almost indistinguishable. The biggest advantage to smart pagers is their alert feature (through sounds or vibrations), which the Palm VII lacks.
"The reasons to buy a Palm VII are fewer and fewer," Shine said.
Jupiter's McAteer said instant messaging won't be a killer app on wireless devices like it is on the desktop because there's no easy way to reply to messages. Tiny keyboards, phone keypads, or on-screen touchpads don't cut it.
"You won't have extended IM sessions on a Palm Pilot," he said.
Even if a better interface were created, McAteer said many wireless services charge per packet, so the cost of staying in constant contact might be prohibitive.
McAteer said pagers need to be redesigned for the younger audience that loves to IM.
"They're not Gen Y products."
