We're a pretty AIM-based blog around these parts. The fact that Weblogs, Inc. is owned by AOL may or may not play a role in that. Regardless, we TUAWians spend a lot of time in AIM chat rooms. The App Store's lack of AOL chat room support has been a real burden when we're out on the road with iPhones.

I was delighted when a recent tweet put me in contact with Björn Teichmann, author of the iPhone IRC application Rooms [iTunes link]. Rooms, claimed Teichmann, could bring AOL chat rooms to our iPhones.

Teichmann sent over a promo code for his app, which normally retails for $1.99, and spent a few hours getting me up to speed on AOL chat rooms using his software. Let me explain: It's not that setting things up ended up being difficult to accomplish, but rather there weren't a lot of clear and available instructions for doing so. What Teichmann worked out over those hours was a somewhat reliable way to access AOL chat rooms via IRC.

Read on to learn more about his solution...

I had a moment to talk to Technical Director Christina Wick at WWDC. She told us about the Mapquest app, plus a cool lifestreaming feature coming soon to AIM. Christina was featured in a video by Apple about developing on the iPhone, and it's clear AOL has embraced the platform, with several apps performing exceptionally well on the store. We've covered AIM, DailyFinance and MapQuest in the past, but there are others as well (and we think a certain blog will get one someday...). Christina's team has been working hard not just on the iPhone, but polishing up the old AOL client for Mac too in a push called "Back to the Mac" -- it has been completely re-written and is much more Mac friendly than... well, it just wasn't Mac friendly at all 3 years ago. We can't wait to see what apps and desktop software her team releases in the future.

Note: AOL is also the corporate parent of TUAW & Weblogs Inc.

The Finance section of the App Store does feature some heavy-hitters (Bloomberg, ATM Hunter) and some fairly weak beer too. A lot of these apps are unitaskers, particularly when it comes to stock quotes and charting. For a full-featured and free investment information portal, and a strong competitor to the Bloomberg iPhone app, you may want to try the newly-released AOL Daily Finance, powered by the dailyfinance.com site.

The first key feature to note is the free real-time equity quote service, provided from the BATS Exchange; major exchange (NYSE & Nasdaq) quotes are delayed, though. You can quote individual symbols or watch your entire portfolio with ease, whether you enter it on the device or link to your existing lineup under your AOL or AIM screenname; up to 25 separate portfolios can be managed. You can also view up-to-the-minute financial and market news from the AP and other sources.

The other standout feature of this app is its comprehensive charting support. Clicking the chart button on an equity page brings up a straightforward chart, but rotate your device into landscape mode and you're in a Cover Flow-esque lineup of all the charts in your portfolio. Double-tap a chart to access a full suite of advanced comparison options (vs. markets, vs. peers, seasonality, showing events like earnings & splits, and custom symbol comparisons). Holding down a finger on a single-line chart enables a crosshair cursor that lets you see the specific data for any point on the chart. All the functions are intuitive and easy to use; the charts are cached so you can see most of your data even if your device is disconnected from WiFi or cell service.

If you're of a mind to keep an eye on the markets while you're on the move, you may find this app has the tools you're looking for. Check out the gallery below for a few screenshots.

Editor's Note: TUAW's parent company Weblogs, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL.

Hot on the heels of Fandango, AOL has released Moviefone [App Store link], a free application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Moviefone can find your nearest theaters, movie times, trailers, and in some cases you can buy tickets.

The app is fast, and the trailers are nicely encoded for the iPhone. It has links to your address book, and you can invite friends to join you at the theater easily. It's a clever idea. You can touch a link and call the theater (good luck getting past voice mail) and there is some info on the stars of the movies. Like Fandango, it can display a map to your nearest theater, and that links out to MapQuest to get you directions.

Here in Southern Arizona, the app worked quickly and efficiently. The only caveats I have are the 'buy tickets' function was not available on many of the theaters I tried, and the closest theater to me was listed about the 5th nearest. It also did not understand my zip code (it's a fairly new one) but made an appropriate substitution.

Moviefone also contains a search function so you can search by movie title, and a favorites option so you can save your favorite movie palace to a list.

The app also has a feedback option, so I sent some along with my email address. It will be interesting to see if I get a response. Update: They did respond. I'm impressed. They said the 'buy' feature only works where Movietickets.com is supported. Moviefone is a nice app, and other than my inability to buy a ticket at some theaters, it looks pretty solid. The price is right, and competition is a good thing. It's certainly worth a download and a tryout. If it lets you buy tickets, you're ahead of the game. While you're at it, be sure to get a look at Now Playing, i.TV (which includes TV and DVDs), and Hot Popcorn. See you at the movies.

Does anyone still actually use AIM to sign in to their AIM account? I've found the AIM Express client useful occasionally when I happen to be on a strange computer (though nowadays I mostly use the AIM iPhone client when I'm AWOL), but on the desktop it's been Adium for longer than I can remember.

Still, if you'd rather do the official way, AIM for Mac 1.1 is out now. There are a few bugfixes -- ICQ accounts had an issue signing in, apparently, and there were a few font and display issues fixed. And there aren't too many new features, though you can now leave notes in "Edit Buddy" fields and the Buddy List search got improved. Unfortunately, it looks like, according to the screenshot they posted, the Buddy List will also blur out all the names on your Buddy List, which seems really inconvenient.

The app itself is still in beta, though you can't really go wrong with instant messaging -- either your messages get through or they don't, right? You can download it now, or if you're already using the 1.0 client, you'll get notified automatically.

Disclaimer: TUAW is owned by Weblogs, Inc, a division of AOL. We were kidding about that blur thing, AOL -- we know it's just for the screenshot.

The long and sometimes rocky history of the America Online client for the Macintosh -- a saga stretching back to the original AppleLink Personal Edition service, with a detour through a place called eWorld -- has now moved on to a new generation with the 1.0 release of AOL Desktop for Mac last week. We noted the test version (Cheshire) and the beta last year. For users of the online service, the rebuilt-from-the-ground-up client is worth a look.

New features include a revised AIM client that includes some of the bells and whistles long familiar to Windows users (Expressions), a Webkit-based tabbed browser, and a revamped Mail tool that strongly resembles the existing AOL webmail interface. Users of the older client can transfer AOL Favorites and AOL Mail from their local datastore with ease. AOL/AIM is free for BYO-broadband users and charges a monthly fee for customers who use AOL as their internet service provider.

The new version of the client requires a G4 or Intel machine and Mac OS X 10.4.8 or higher. If you prefer the "classic" client you can still download it from AOL, but it may look kinda clunky next to the new version. More screenshots and details at the AOL Mac blog, and see the continuation of the post for a video preview of the client.

AOL is the parent company of Weblogs, Inc. and TUAW.

AOL, the parent company of Weblogs, Inc of which TUAW is a part (translation: AOL is our loving corporate overlord), has done something it hasn't done in 5 years: release some new Mac code. AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 1 is out and about, and ready for business.

What's new in this version, you ask? Well, it launches quickly, it uses tabs, you can check a number of different email accounts (in addition to your AOL account), AIM is built right in, and it is customizable. It has that unmistakable AOL look to it (which is either a good thing, or a bad thing depending on who you ask) and it was fairly snappy on my iMac. I wasn't able to test out all the features because I don't actually have an AOL account myself, but it is in beta and that means there are bugs to be encountered.

I'm sure a small number of Mac users are happy to see this release, but I'm more anxious for an updated version of AIM. Mac users are a full 2 versions behind our PC friends on that front (though I recommend you check out Adium for all your chatting needs).

Uh oh, famed purveyor of the SuperSite for Windows and spinster extraordinaire Paul Thurrott is at it again with a third installment of his iPhone review that focuses on the iPhone's performance as an actual phone. Never faltering in his ability to spin a genuinely innovative feature into a mark against a product, Thurrott found a way to blast the iPhone's ability to sync contacts with Yahoo!'s address book for being the only web-based service that made the cut:

First and most obviously, Yahoo! is the only Web-based email/contacts store supported: If you use Hotmail, Gmail, AOL, or any other Web-based email service, you cannot sync between contacts stored there and the iPhone. This is a glaring functional lapse that the early Mac-using iPhone reviewers neatly skipped over

Boy, iPhone users sure are screwed, especially since, outside the Helio Ocean (whose site isn't clear on whether it actually syncs with Yahoo!), I can't think of another mobile phone OS - including Windows Mobile and BlackBerry - that syncs with a web-based email or contact service out of the box (note: sync - not simply 'allow access with some custom UI'). At least, not a significant or even publicized phone from any of the big players like Nokia, Motorola or Samsung. The simple fact is that most mobile phone OS developers haven't made that leap yet, primarily because the web-based services like Gmail and AOL haven't opened themselves up through an API (Application Programming Interface) like Yahoo! has for the iPhone. This is probably because, in the past, it hasn't been worth the effort. Most users who want to sync their contacts with a mobile phone are either power or business users, and they're already using desktop software like Outlook, Entourage or Apple's Address Book that is primed and ready for synching. Apple likely took a chance and opened this partnership to sync with Yahoo! because the iPhone is arguably the first consumer-friendly phone to bring the concept of synching to the general user. For those still wondering why Apple chose Yahoo!, it's likely because they are the leading worldwide webmail provider by a landslide; as of April 2007, Yahoo! Mail's market share doubles Hotmail's and, believe it or not, Gmail trails in an incredibly distant 3rd with 1/13th the traffic of Yahoo!.

AOL's Music Now, yet another iTunes Store competitor, has announced they are closing their doors in favor of lending the space to Napster (disclosure reminder: we're an AOL property). In a press release this morning, Napster announced it is partnering with AOL to integrate their services into the AOL Music Now site, and customers will be notified that their accounts are being rolled over into the new service, with the ability to opt out. Of course, AppScout, who found this, has already asked one good fundamental question: "Naster and AOL join forces to create... what?"

Let us all take a moment of silence for AOL's fallen service.

[via MacDailyNews]

From the earliest origins of AOL -- which briefly existed as "AppleLink Personal Edition" way back in the late 1980s -- the Mac has been a full-parity player on the service. Nowadays, you may notice that the AOL Mac client is getting a little bit long in the tooth (last updated November 2005) compared with the Windows version.

Enter the AOL Greenhouse beta farm with Cheshire, a stripped-down and modernized 'lean client' version of the AOL software that integrates with iLife, Safari, iChat and Mail.app. It appears to be the next take on the existing AOL Service Assistant setup tool, and includes standalone Parental Controls, AOL Pictures and AOL Radio tools. Cheshire, while still in early beta, is a Universal Binary, while the OS X full client is still PPC only.

The download appears to work best with Safari at the moment, and be careful when installing; Cheshire will probably try to reset your associations for the http and mailto handlers. Let us know how it works for you.

[via Versiontracker]

Note: TUAW is a member of the Weblogs, Inc. network, which is owned by AOL.

Dedicated services like Vongo and Movielink are already doing the movie download thing, but now AOL, a major player vying for digital distribution market share (and our parent company, by the way) added this most sought-after of services to their video portal. Ranging in price from $9.99-$19.99, a decent selection of movies both old and new are available, but of course: you need a Windows XP machine and IE6 - not even Firefox is allowed to purchase (bad AOL! Bad!).

Now that an actual internet portal has stepped foot on video download ground, how much longer will it take for Apple to debut an iTunes iMovie Store? The CEO of Lions Gate Studios even dropped a hint that it's on its way, so here's hoping the rumors prove their substance sooner than later.

Thanks Jon

If you're a user of the recent Adium 1.0 beta releases, and you've been having issues connecting to AIM, you're not alone. According to reports in the official IRC channel and from developers, AOL did something to change the connection protocol, specifically involving the new joscar connection protocol, connection rate limiting, and buddy icon requests. Users experiencing problems have three options:

1. Take a break! Enjoy your newly found freedom from the constant barrage of instant messages.

2. Use a web-based IM service such as meebo.

3. Replace your Adium beta with the older .89.1 build.

Note: AOL responds to the rapid connections this problem causes by locking out your account for a few minutes. The more you try and connect while you're locked out, the longer the lock stays.

QuickMail DashMail might not be the prettiest Dashboard widget I've ever seen, but it certainly is one of the most functional: it allows you to send a quick email from Gmail, .Mac, Yahoo, AOL or AIM, and even has the option for entering custom server settings for those who like to blaze their own trail. Simply enter the username and password of your chosen service on the back of the widget and you're off and running. It even remembers previous recipients (sorry, no Address Book integration as of yet) and subject lines; that's what those menu ticks are beside their respective fields.

QuickMail DashMail is provided free from Scue Records.

[UPDATE: Due to a company already naming an email client 'QuickMail', Scue Records has renamed their widget to DashMail.]

Macworld is reporting that AOL (our parent company, by the way) has announced AIM developer tool support for Mac OS X and Linux, opening the doors for more interoperability to come from an even larger playing field. AOL launched this 'web 2.0-esque' Open AIM program last March, allowing 3rd party developers to create add-ons and tie-ins to the AIM network, with a healthy dose of around 45,000 developers already hopping on board.

It'll be interesting to see how much comes out of this for the Mac OS X platform, as I'm willing to bet most Mac users who chat on AIM use iChat, and I'm not sure how open that app is from Apple's standpoint. This is pure speculation, but I'm wondering if we could see some kind of a plugin push from Apple with iChat in Leopard. Especially since, as Macworld points out, the whole VoIP thing has everyone with an audio chat app firing on all cylinders, vying for market share.