AOL is trying to get itself as the Instant Messenger programme of choice on the mobile phone.
The AOL Mobile Developer program, announced Monday, is meant to reduce the time manufacturers spend creating AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) software for their handsets, a spokeswoman said. Typically, handset makers and cell phone service providers must work one-on-one with AOL, which is a time-consuming process.
AOL says it also wants to ensure that AIM software on different manufacturers’ cell phones is compatible, the spokeswoman said. To do so, the company based its new developer program on a set of mobile messaging standards created by the Open Mobile Alliance, which promulgates interoperability specifications for mobile devices.
Apparently, Motorola, LG Electronics, Samsung Telecommunications America and Siemens have already made about 20 phones under the programme. And Nokia and SE “likely candidates” to sign up.
Two things puzzle:
1. Why isn’t the handset industry interested in creating its own platform?
Sure, it makes sense that IM on your phone can talk to IM on your PC. And AOL does still have an awful lot of subscribers that can be converted from PC to mobile.
But AOL is also the IM which refuses to be compatible with everyone else’s (Yahoo, Hotmail etc).
Why not partner with Yahoo – then everyone could talk to everyone else, apart from AOL users.
2. Why is Microsoft apparently letting this happen, without a fight?
Allowing AOL to dominate mobile IM is potentially very very damaging for Windows Messenger, especially if AOL won’t let people outside its own messaging app. It means that you’ll have to have an AOL account on your PC to use IM on your phone.
I appreciate that the handset guys wouldn’t want Microsoft to get their IM platform on the phone, by the way 
But I wonder how seriously they’re trying?
The piece ends with a few interesting stats:
U.S. cell phone carriers say a rather paltry 18 million instant messages are sent each day over their networks–on personal computers, more than 1 billion messages are sent daily via AIM alone.
There is plenty of room for growth. Just 20 percent of all instant-messaging users send a mobile message at least once a week.
18 million may be small in comparison with PC messaging or SMS. But it’s a significant slug of volume in these early days. And IM has that potential killer app for mobiles – presence. As any IM user knows, this allows you to tell people before they try to contact you (by IM or other means) what you’re doing and if you can be interrupted.
That’s going to take a hell of a lot of stress away from the mobile.
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