Category Archives: Technology

Admittedly, I’m way behind in reviewing this little gem, but that’s because I only started using AIM Express last week during a very boring presentation with an equally dismissive online component.

I remember my excitement as a little girl when AOL was a behemoth and spawned the separate, downloadable instant messenger. My enthusiasm was primarily because this event enabled AOL users to connect with other dial-up users who were simply not cool enough to subscribe to its more pricey Internet services. My family used Juno instead, and all of my friends were doing awesome things like chatting with each other, probably talking in chatrooms that would have their parents hollering, and playing Slingo.

Yet, Juno’s main perk was that there wasn’t a creepy voiceover that announced whether I received e-mail or not since my last login. It did, however, need an annoying top-frame navigation bar that dominated everything else on the screen. If one closed that sucker down, even accidentally, then the connection dropped. And boy, the connection dropped often in my household while someone my father was getting the hang of it. He typically reacted like all the angels lost their wings simultaneously when this happened since it took a year and a half or so to reconnect with dial-up.

Anyway, AIM was the first way I chatted with other people online, but I forlornly noticed my buddy list dwindling as the years passed - many friends, family members, and professional acquaintances seem to believe that AIM is and has been on its way out and left the service for popular programs like Skype, Windows Live Messenger, iChat, Google Chat, and ooVoo. Still, I use it in my daily life with reliable stability, and its features were recently revamped to create an engaging experience with social media that may attract some new users.

Back in the late 90′s, AOL launched AIM Quick Buddy, which is AIM Express’s crotchety ancestor. It functioned well and was innovative, but similar to Juno, required one to keep a browser window open to keep the applet running. Its fancy great-nephew, AIM Express, is still a pop-up instant messenger, but flashy. It especially shines when one uses a public computer, and like its great-uncle, packs some impressive punches in utility and design. I hope this post will generate some buzz and encourages you to try it the next time you’re procrastinating in your university’s library or if your phone service temporarily crashes and you’re dying to change your Facebook status to, “WTF?! My phone died! Fail!”

"Dude, I'm still cool! Use me!"

The Awesome:

• Permits one-to-one file transferring.
• You can still send IMs to your buddy’s phone as a text message.
• I still love me some emoticons (no matter how cheesy!)
• Has a compact view function.
• Ability to turn sounds off.
• Social media capabilities across Facebook, Google, and AOL Lifestream.
• No need to keep a separate browser tab open. Hoorah!
• Tabbed chatting.
• Works smoothly and does not have any irritating or noticeable lag.

The Not:

• Requires Adobe Flash. Non-compatible gadgets (sucks, Apple kids), will need to download the app if you want to use it.
• Inability to video chat.
• Takes up good chunk of visual space on the screen, more so because the Buddy List remains attached to the IM window.
• The smiley was only half visible, like Two Face’s facial expression. I’m not sure if this is because of my computer’s resolution settings, but it would not let me widen the pop-up window just a bit more.