PRODUCT REVIEW
When Will iPhone Get the Message?

Even though Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) includes fantastic integration with Yahoo Mail and Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Gmail, e-mail is where the party ends. Apple, for inexplicable reasons, didn't include a built-in instant messaging client on the iPhone, and while rumors abound that there's a client in the works, who wants to be stuck using the built-in SMS (short message service) text messaging client?

OK, so the built-in SMS text messaging client is extraordinarily easy to use, and it works well for sending text messages to people who don't have iPhones, who don't have smartphones and who might not even be near a PC.

Also, when the text messaging gets tiresome, it's super easy to simply tap the screen to call and talk to the person.

Still, What About Live Text Chat?

Yahoo and Google both have widely available free instant messaging clients, and users of both popular free e-mail services can easily start live chats online via Google Talk or Yahoo Messenger. Of course, AOL's AIM is popular too, and Apple's iPhone also includes built-in support for AOL-based mail.

So we've got three titans of consumer-based IM, all ripe and ready for iPhone IM-ing, and no one knows when Apple is going to update the iPhone with a built-in IM solution. All we have is rumors combined with the intuitive knowledge that Apple would be crazy not to nail this one down. It's unthinkable that Apple won't make a move.

However, we're stuck in the present, and right now, iPhone users are limited to a rapidly growing list of Safari-based IM chat services offered by third parties. There are several reasonable clients available, but none is particularly easy -- at least, not when they're measured against the iPhone's built-in applications. Some have had spotty service uptime, while others are beta solutions and have a few bugs. They can, however, get the job done.

Choosing Your IM Solution

All of the solutions are Web-based applications that require the iPhone's Safari browser to log in and access -- but it's important to note that some were built before the iPhone even came into existence, so they were simply designed for smartphone or Web browser usage.

Overall, other than sharing your log-in details with third-party companies that may or may not have great privacy policies -- or protect your data or messages to the level you might hope for -- there's no real downside to logging in and trying them out. It's not like you're downloading a client to the iPhone and cluttering up your iPhone's flash memory drive.

The next step is to figure out which IM services you want to talk to. AIM/iChat, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber and Windows Live Messenger (which is still referred to simply as "MSN") are the most-used IM services. Some of iPhone IM solutions let you log in and chat from multiple account types, while others focus on a single IM service. The longer Apple goes without offering its own IM solution, the more likely that an existing solution will add a service type or enhance the service experience. After Apple introduces its own solution, all bets are off for these third-party players.

Here's a roundup:

• JiveTalk for iPhone -- Currently supports AIM/iChat, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ and Jabber. This is one of the easier-to-use solutions -- worthy of being at the top of your short list.
• Mundu IM: iPhone Edition -- Currently supports Yahoo, MSN, AIM and Google Talk.
• Trillian Astra -- Currently in a invite-only alpha testing phase, Trillian Astra says it's making the ultimate instant messenger application that will provide superb interoperability and mobility, including an upcoming iPhone-specific interface.
• Meebo -- Currently supports AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, MSN, ICQ and Jabber.
• eBuddy -- Currently available for MSN, AIM or Yahoo.
• Heysan -- Currently supports MSN, AIM and ICQ, with support planned for Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger.
• Communication Tube -- Currently supports ICQ, MSN, IRC and Google Talk.
• FlickIM -- Currently only supports AIM.
• iPhoneChat -- Currently only supports AIM.
• TinyBuddy IM -- Currently only supports AIM.