Xpression.v2

Over the years, AOL’s Instant Messenger has become their flagship product, a representation of the entire company in the eyes of many. However, the last major update was over 2 years ago and the only real changes made to the application revolved around which bundled software came with it. With such an outdated code base in their hands, AOL decided to start from scratch and deliver the next version of AOL Instant Messenger, dubbed AIM Triton. Should you bother to upgrade? Read on and find out.

The first thing you are going to notice about Triton, right out of the box, is the entirely new interface design. White, blue, orange and green elements are combined to make a very eye catching interface that looks elegant and intuitive. Fade and slide animations are done surprisingly well, never getting old and bothersome. However, there is one snafu. The pop up notification (shows you when someone signs on, off, etc) stands out worse than 50 cent at a Michael Bolton concert. The gray and blue design looks like a poor attempt to mimic the default Windows XP Luna look, though it fails miserably and really makes the pop ups look as though they belong to another program.

I was taught true beauty is more than skin deep, though, so I refused to let the superficialities win me over so quickly. Diving deeper in the program, you can see it’s the same AIM we have always loved, but it’s not. Before you lock me up, let me explain. All the loved features are there (with the exception of a few glaring exceptions I’ll get to later), but are implemented in a much more sensible way allowing easier access and fewer open windows. The IM conversations are now tabbed allowing you to have multiple IM’s open in one single window. On top of that, e-mail, video chat, audio chat, file sharing, and text messaging are all now available as tabs at the top of the IM window itself. Everything is very accessible, but also very out of the way until you choose to use it.

“Choose” is a key work with Triton. The IM window, especially, is extremely customizable. As illustrated in the screen shots below, you can choose to have all the features right there at your finger tips (1a) or you can choose to tuck them away in order to maximize window real estate (2b). On top of that, AOL has included a plugin system which, once the SDK is published, will allow people to write small add ons for Triton to increase it’s functionality even further. The only existing plugin, JAMS, which is written by an AOL employee, adds features such as IM logging and the ability to show what song you are playing in iTunes or Winamp in your profile.

(1a) (1b)

The Buddy List window, while presenting less options for customization (read as “none”), is definitely an improvement over it’s predecessor. While basic functionality remains the same, AOL took a step at streamlining the away message system by removing the away message dialog box. As shown in the screen captures below (2a), your away message and related information are displayed at the top of buddy list window. Just like the tabbing in the IM conversations, this means fewer open windows on your desktop and taskbar.

AOL did not stop there, though. They also chose to add more functionality, and marketing, to the buddy list window. The bottom three buttons now allow you to open a small panel granting you access to AOL Mail (feature not completed), AOL Total Talk (nothing but a banner ad for their PC to Phone service), and AOL Radio (2b). The most interesting feature is definitely the radio. There is a very large assortment of stations to listen to. Everyone should be able to find at least one station they can really enjoy. However, if you aren’t an AOL subscriber, you are only given the option to listen to very low quality streams. Like I said, AOL added in marketing options along with the features.

(2a) (2b)

With all the good, however, there also comes the bad. First, and most importantly, is the fact that anyone who cares about their computer and likes to choose what gets installed and what doesn’t, will be forced to use AIM Ad Hack. By default, along with Triton, the setup also installs AOL Explorer (an AOL web browser) and Plaxo (software to help you share address books between programs) and tries to install the AOL toolbar and change your homepage to AOL.com. The previously mentioned AIM AD Hack allows you to prevent all the extras from ever being installed and saves you the time of swearing loudly while trying to remove it all manually later on.

On top of that, in the official release out now, there are some beloved features missing. The most notable ones are Direct Connect, tooltips in the IM window to see how long your buddy has been online, idle, etc, and the ability to set your personal buddy icon (I still don’t know how I have a custom one set already). AOL employees, through their blogs, continue to promise that these features will appear again, but only time will tell.

So, is this upgrade for you? Well, as long as you have Windows 2000 or higher installed (Windows 98 and ME users are left with 5.9), this author would advise you to give it a try. AIM Triton is fresh, fun, and intuitive. The people who designed the interface, while not accomplishing perfection, did an outstanding job and truly do re-invent AIM as we know it. Once the SDK is released and the more clever people figure out which files to edit in order to change the interface design to their liking, the options presented to Triton users will easily surpass those presented by any other first party client. However, show love and compassion for your computer and use AIM AD Hack when installing. It’s not only safe to use, but it also makes sure you’re not left with a real mess to clean up.

Thank you to ImageShack.us for hosting the article’s images.

Filed under: General