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Single-Protocol IM Clients

By Brandon De Hoyos, About.com

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AIM

Used with permission. © 2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.

AIM is the most widely used IM program in America with an estimated 53 million users, according to Nielsen/Netratings.

A long-standing leader in the IM market, AIM was one of the first IM clients to offer features such as photo and file sharing, audio/webcam chat and IM-to-cell phone integration.

With AIM's newest release, version 6.9 beta, users can:

New users can receive a screenname and download AIM for free.

Requirements:

  • Windows 2000 or higher
  • Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
  • 128MB RAM/512MB for enhanced multimedia features
  • Macromedia Flash
  • Microphone and speakers/headset for voice/audio chat.

Broadband Internet connection is recommended for multimedia and live video chatting capabilities.

AIM for Mac and Linux OS are also available.

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