Sounds simple? Too bad this problem has not been truly solved and there are still multiple major IM clients available. I just got done reading Erick Schonfeld’s TechCrunch Post about the coming possibility of AIM within Gtalk and I must say I would love this feature.
The one thing that confuses me is that there have been workarounds to get everything into one system for quite some time. A system that I personally have tried successfully was an article at Big Blue Ball describing how to get AIM, GTalk, Yahoo, and MSN all working within your Gtalk buddy list. This is all using the Jabber protocols and some easy hacks – but the instructions are very simple.
Advertising is what keeps these systems from playing together nicely now, and clearly when a merger occurs there will be a clear leader in the space controlling all that real estate. The key will be partnerships that grow the overall user bases, and sharing in the ad revenues.
Another program that does not get much attention is Trilian. I have been using Trillian for years, which integrates all systems together (Gtalk in premium edition only), flawlessly. The new Trillian looks to be even better – and include Gtalk in the free version. I have been wanting to beta test Trillian Astra for over a year know (hint hint Cerulean Studios) and look forward to the products release.
If you are looking for all your accounts to “just get along” I think Trillian is the way to go.
Technorati Tags: Trillian Astra, Trillian, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Gtalk, Marketing.fm
November 10, 2007
Marketing.fm