
Originally Posted by
Tha*Lunat!k
I know this thread is kind of old, but people doing Google searches may come to it just like I did and a response this question is warranted.
My boyfriend and I have gone threw a few phones in the past several years and one thing is constant: AIM through a data connection works great, while AIM through SMS is unreliable.
I have had a Sidekick 2, Sidekick 3, and currently a Sidekick LX, and the AIM works as expected. If I'm signed in I can send IMs and be confident that they are received and that I am receiving those sent that others have sent to me. During this time my boyfriend has also owned a Sidekick 2, a Sidekick 3, and at different points he owned an MDA, Blackberry Pearl, and currently a G1.
I won't say that the Sidekicks have not had their issues with AIM since there have been times where data service was having problems and AIM would need to be refreshed (for example sending an IM would "re-login", as if the system didn't recognize that I had been disconnected at some earlier point). In the years that I have owned Sidekicks these problems have been few and far between, and I can't recall that it has ever happened with my LX.
On the MDA, Blackberry Pearl, and now his G1, however, AIM through SMS is really not a good choice for communication. Firstly, AIM doesn't seem to maintain a constant connection. Upon being disconnected one must manually log in again. Upon restarting the phone AIM is not signed in automatically either, so those that don't remembe to do this will find that no one can reach them via AIM anyway.
The worst, however, is that AIM via SMS frequently gives the appearance of being logged in while not actually sending or receiving anything. On too many occasions to count, and with a variety of phones as noted above, he will send IMs that appear to go out just fine yet never reach me. I will send him IMs from my computer or Sidekick that never reach him. And then other times he will be able to log into AIM on said phones but it will appear that some or all of his buddies are not online when in reality they are indeed signed into AIM, yet they cannot see him signed in.
I don't need to stress how important it is that you can send and receive messages to and from your significant other. Back in the day he used to get pissed when he'd think I did not respond to his IM when in fact I never received it in the first place. This isn't the case anymore, but for any guys out there who have girlfriends (or boyfriends :P) that like to chat on IM you don't want to be in this position.
I haven't looked into a data AIM client for the G1 yet but when I find one I'll have him install it, since currently we've switched back to strictly using text messages to chat because we know they are sent and received with a much higher degree of confidence.
Honestly, on the G1 text messages are threaded and are as easy to send and receive as an IM, but on the Sidekick this isn't the case and AIM would be preferrable.
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