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Yahoo has been vocal about its dedication to
the iPhone platform, and its support is
appreciated and apparent. Unlike AIM, Yahoo!
Messenger for the iPhone also supports
sending/receiving photos via your built-in
camera. It also exists as a free
application, and isn’t cluttered with ads
like AIM’s free counterpart. Several unique
features of Yahoo! Messenger are also
supported, including its popular “Buzz!”
feature. In true iPhone style, you activate
it by simply shaking your phone. |
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If you are someone who enjoys chatting with
users who do not use either service, Yahoo!
Messenger also features the ability to send
messages to mobile users over SMS, saving
iPhone users from SMS charges (similar to
AIM).
Having used both AIM and Yahoo! Messenger on
my iPhone, I’m a bit biased towards Yahoo’s
offering. With better support for seamlessly
moving between mobile and desktop use
(actually forcing me to sign off my
desktop), this keeps me from “losing”
messages in one location, unlike AIM.
Yahoo Messenger now has an iPhone app
(iTunes link). It lets you IM your friends,
see their status, share photos, share links,
choose emoticons, and see recent
conversations. It also lets you send free
text messages by choosing a contact’s mobile
phone number if they are not online. Replies
come back to the app, which could save you a
dime each time.
When you leave the app to answer a call or
do something else on your iPhone, your
status is changed to idle. You can also sign
out of the app entirely. (This is a
workaround to the inability to have multiple
apps running at the same time in the
background on the iPhone). |
