SMS/AIM or, why is AIM working in my SMS?

[direktor]

A long, long time ago, when I first joined up on T-Mobile, I turned on some feature that kept my perpetually online on AIM, and when I wasn't signed on via iChat, messages would go to my phone.

Now that I've switched to AT&T, this feature still seems to be working. I always assumed this was a T-Mobile server that was providing this gateway...but since it's still working, is it an AOL thing?

At any rate, I'm still showing up as online on AIM, with the same old "Mobile" tag. When messaged, it goes straight to the iPhone into SMS...and it sure is an awful lot like an iChat session. Only thing missing is my contact list. Wasn't there some four digit code you could text to to get your contact list?

My theory is now is that Apple is working up a gateway that will roll SMS/AIM into the same existing app...cept you'll have a real contact list. Because, in honesty, having both SMS and AIM and managing conversations in both is techy, dumb, and very un-Apple like.

Thoughts?

 

[iJohn]

Its possible.

Personally, I'm hoping for a mobile iChat rather than a "workaround". One that is an actual app on the phone.

Any kind of actual instant messaging would be great though.

 

[direktor]

I'm hoping for a mobile iChat rather than a "workaround"

Well, that's kinda my point. I suspect we're waiting because they're trying to integrate possible, and not have it be a workaround. I didn't mean to suggest that the new iChat app would use SMS as a transport mech exclusively. But it

I also had suspected this all along because the SMS app looks SO much like iChat...it would be confusing and un-Apple like to have both SMS and a separate iChat program look and operate so alike.