America Online and VoiceStream Launch The AOL Instant Messenger Service to VoiceStream Customers Nationwide.Business and Technology Editors DULLES, Va. & BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2001 AOL Instant Messenger See AIM. Now Available on VoiceStream Phones, Extending AOL's Mobile Offerings and the "AOL Anywhere" Strategy America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, and VoiceStream Wireless Corporation, a leading provider of personal communication services with over 4 million subscribers, today announced the nationwide availability of the AOL Instant Messenger(sm) service (AIM) (sm) for VoiceStream's two-way interactive messaging service (SMS), now called Ping Pong (1) A half-duplex communications method in which data are transmitted in one direction and acknowledgment is returned at the same speed in the other. The line is alternately switched from transmit to receive in each direction. Contrast with asymmetric modem. (2) To go in one direction and then in the other. (sm). The AIM service, one of AOL's popular interactive brands, is an instant messaging product that makes it convenient to see when friends and family are online and to communicate with them in real time. There have been 100 million registrations of the AIM service, which is available for use on computers, mobile phones and other handheld devices. VoiceStream is North America's first GSM wireless service provider to offer the AIM service, which works on all VoiceStream phones and is included as a standard part of all monthly subscription services. The launch of the AIM service on VoiceStream phones further extends the "AOL Anywhere" strategy, which makes AOL's popular services, brands and features available to consumers anywhere, anytime through multiple platforms and mobile devices. Through the AIM service, customers can use their VoiceStream phone to send and receive instant text messages with anyone signed on to the service wherever they are: from phone to phone, phone to PC or other device, and from PC to phone. The AIM service on mobile phones also includes many of the instant messaging features on which users of the PC version have come to rely. For example, with the personalized AIM Buddy List(R) feature, VoiceStream customers can see from their mobile phone when other registered AIM users are online - regardless of whether friends, family, and other contacts are on a PC, a two-way SMS or Web-enabled phone, or any other device with access to the AIM service. Additionally, the privacy preferences a user sets for the AIM service on a PC are automatically extended to their VoiceStream phone, allowing them to indicate who they wish to receive instant messages from, or who is able to see when they are online. Lisa Hook, President of AOL Mobile said, "More and more people are taking advantage of the tremendous convenience of instant messaging on computers and other devices. Extending the AOL Instant Messenger service to mobile phones is a natural next step and a perfect example of the growing convergence between various forms of communication. We're excited to launch the AIM service with VoiceStream Wireless and to provide their customers and online consumers with a seamless transition between interactive and mobile platforms - making it even easier to stay in touch from anywhere, and the convenience of our hallmark Buddy List A list of colleagues, workgroup members, friends, etc., that you might wish to communicate with via instant messaging. See instant messaging.(R) feature that will further advance the adoption of instant messaging, which is already so popular among teens and young adults." Bob Stapleton, President and COO, VoiceStream Wireless said, "The agreement between VoiceStream and AOL unifies powerful instant messaging functions with mobile short messaging services in a way that is relevant to customers. VoiceStream has made the service convenient and affordable with our Ping Pong (games) Pong - A computer game invented in 1972 by Atari's Nolan Bushnell. The game is a minimalist rendering of table tennis. Each of the two players are represented as a white slab, controllable by a knob, which deflects a bouncing ball. The goal of the game is to "AVOID MISSING BALL FOR HIGH SCORE". Yahoo. "Talk and Text" Rate Plans that marry minutes and messaging. This is a very compelling offer for younger customers who are intrigued by text messaging and choose to use it as a preferred way to communicate. We believe that mobilizing the AIM service along with our attractive pricing plans will drive significant SMS usage in the U.S., similar to levels seen in other parts of the world." To help customers easily access and understand the AIM service and its features, VoiceStream has added a new section to their Web site called the Ping Pong Message Zone at www.myvoicestream.com. The site features a step by step product tour of the AIM service from VoiceStream phones, including how to set up the mobile Buddy List(R) feature, an instant messaging lingo dictionary and more. VoiceStream customers who don't already have a Screen Name and password for the AIM service can register for the service free through the site, which also links to www.aol.com/aim. More information on the AIM service for mobile phones is available at www.aol.com/aim/mobile. To make typing instant messages quicker and easier, many VoiceStream phones include AOL's T9 T9 - Text input on 9 Keys (Tegic Communications)(R) Text Input software which allows users to type words using just one key press per letter. On average, T9 Text Input cuts the number of keystrokes required to enter words in half. For example, typing the word "call" into a mobile phone will take just four key presses with T9 Text Input compared to the ten key presses required by the conventional "multi-tap" text entry method. The T9 Text Input-enabled mobile phones available through VoiceStream include the Nokia models 8890, 8290, 6190, 5190, and 3390 and the Mitsubishi G310. About America Online America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services. About VoiceStream Wireless Corporation Based in Bellevue, WA, VoiceStream Wireless Corporation is a leading provider of digital wireless communications in the United States. VoiceStream uses and operates the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications technology platform. Adopted by 158 countries, GSM accounts for approximately 70 percent of the total digital wireless market. VoiceStream is the only U.S. wireless telecommunications provider with a national GSM wireless technology network, which gives customers the choice of using their VoiceStream number when traveling internationally and supports roaming capabilities for other GSM customers traveling to the United States. For more information, visit the Web site at www.voicestream.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion