Instant Messaging Without Sitting At the PC? YES! It's a IM Party!
Written: Sep 02 '03 (Updated Sep 03 '03)
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Pros: It's the first generation and it's pretty good--I'm looking forward to the updates!
Cons: Requires a PC connected to the Internet, and running the software included to work.
The Bottom Line: I expect future units to come with a color screen and hope they add e-mail capabilities--for now it's the bits of the computer my teen needs.
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| briandalsmom's Full Review: Motorola IMfree™ Personal Instant Messenger |
Time to take back the PC from the teens in the house who just wants to use it for chatting? Now you can! This new handheld device is the answer. About the size of a CD case (4.5” x 4.8” x 1.3”), the IMfree unit has 9-lines of monochrome (black and white) lines of display for sending and receiving AOL Instant Messages. Equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard (that’s a standard keyboard—it refers to the order the keys are in), you use your thumbs to type. The keys are small, much like a cell phone’s keys, so most teens will have no problem with it. That’s the target audience, the so called “tweens”.
Weighing only 9 ounces, it is comfortable to hold and easy to use. It operates on 900MHz ISM band technology, the same as most cordless telephones. Install the base station to your PC and register the handheld and you’ll be able to IM within 150 feet of the base station—that’s 150 feet anywhere in the house, not line of site! Of course, as with any wireless device the range is dependant on the construction of the house and competing devices.
Currently the only one available is purple and comes with the base station. Said to be releasing soon are additional handhelds—lets hope for more colors! My 15-year old son would love one, but he’s not crazy about purple. My niece has owned hers for about a month and loves it, but even she isn’t crazy about the color. Up to seven handhelds can work on one base station—I’m assuming since this set was $99 (now lower on Amazon), the handheld-only should be about $60.
It has some limitations. For one, the host PC must be running and connected to the Internet for the handheld to work (not a problem in our house, we have always-on DSL). It’s a rudimentary screen—no color, no backlight. It only does AIM—no Yahoo Messenger or e-mail capabilities.
SIMPLE SET UP
Easy to install, you’ll need a Windows-based PC (sorry, not for Macs) and a Pentium II Processor or faster. You’ll also need an available USB port, and internet connection, and the AOL AIM software (free from www.aim.com). An auto install wizard helps you step-by-step and lets you set it up with your existing broadband, DSL, cable modem or dial-up connection. Once the software is installed, it’s just a matter of hooking up the base station via the USB and then “registering” the base station to the handheld. The base station is assigned a number which the handheld needs to identify where it belongs—this number is on the bottom of the base station.
We’ve installed this on my DSL and my sister’s Cable Modem and it worked beautifully on both with no problems. My computer is much faster than hers is but we noticed very little difference in the handheld’s speed. My house is a tri-level and I was able to use it from the top floor with the unit in the basement. My sister’s house is a rambler—we could use it all the way across the street. Range wasn’t a problem at all.
The fun thing is that if your friend has a base station you can take your hand unit to their house, register it to their base station, and use your unit there as well. Once you return home, you re-register it to yours—it just takes a minute.
PARENTAL CONTROLS
From your PC you’re able to select when the handhelds can be used and which chat invitations can be accepted and you can disable individual handhelds.
BATTERY LIFE
These rechargeable batteries last about 4 hours on a full charge. The unit has a sleep mode to help maintain the battery—it’ll go into sleep mode after 2 minutes of inactivity—you won’t lose anything, hit any key and you’re right back to where you were. There are things you can do to extend the life of your battery—storing it in a cool dark place rather than inside the unit if you’re not going to use it for an extended period is one of the best ways to preserve it. Keep batteries away from heat and it will charge best if it’s kept at room temperature during the charging process. Eventually the battery will stop holding a charge and you’ll have to replace it. The number of hours you’ll get depends on how you care for the battery.
BUDDY LIST
You can manage your Buddy List through AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) on your PC. Changes you make to your Buddy List through the MX240a software will be reflected when you log on to the regular AIM client and vice versa.
THE HANDHELD UNIT
One key turns it on and off—press and hold 1 second to turn it on, 2 seconds to power it down. Use the menu key to access options like login and logoff, chat, register with a base, and set LCD contrast and alert volume. There’s a “Who’s On” button—this switches you to the Who’s Online Now screen which will show the online friends from your buddy (see more information below). Press the Bye Key to end the current IM session or the Talk Key to switch to a “talk” screen where you can type a message.
WHO’S ONLINE NOW SCREEN
The Who’s Online Now screen shows all of your buddies from your Buddy List who are currently online. Unlike the full-version of AIM on your PC, only buddies who are currently online are displayed on the Who’s Online Now screen. If no buddies in a group are online, no group is shown on the option keys. A total of 60 online buddies can be spread across all groups, however, only the first 13 characters of the buddy name are displayed.
SENDING A MESSAGE
Select the buddy you want to talk to from the Who’s Online Now list by pressing the number associated with the name. You’ll be switched to the Talk screen. Just below where you’ll be typing your entry is the user’s warning level (this is a number AOL assigns to users based on how many people have “reported” them for inappropriate use—this is more important when talking to strangers). The first six characters of the buddy name is displayed at the bottom of the screen above the option keys. The buddy name you selected is underlined. Enter your message then press Send. You’ll get an alert (whichever you’ve chosen) sound to let you know it’s been sent. You’re now in a private chat with just the buddy you selected. To add a Smiley to your message, press ™ or ® to display the available Smileys, and then press the option key under the Smiley you want to include. Double press ™ or ® to lock them on.
AVAILABLE SMILEYS
Sorry, for those who like Smileys there aren’t many—smiling, winking, frowning, sticking-out tongue, yelling, kissing, laughing, foot-in-mouth, embarrassed, crying, lips-are-sealed, and cool are all that’s available. Will there be more? Who knows? For those who don’t know what a Smiley is, it’s a small icon that displays the user’s feelings—in the “old” days of the internet, they were simple keystrokes like :) for a smile, ;) for a wink. They’re now icon graphics with a life of their own.
RECEIVING A MESSAGE
When your buddy responds with a message, the New Message alert sounds and the LED flashes green if you are not in the IM session. The screen will fill with text—if it is too much you’ll need to use the up/down arrows which will be displayed to scroll through of the received text. If you’re already in a private chat and you receive another message, the name of the buddy sending the new message appears above an option key. That gives you a chance to see who it is and decide if you want to answer. It also allows you to switch between conversations by pressing the option key below the name of the buddy you want to talk to. If all three of you would like to chat at the same time, you can move out of the private chat and into a chat room.
INCOMING CHAT REQUEST
You can talk to up to six of your buddies at the same time by adding them to your chat session. Press Menu to display the Main Menu; press Invite; press Current to add buddies to your current chat session, or New to add buddies to a new chat session; enter the number of each buddy you want to add to the chat session and press Send. That’s it!
WHO WOULD LOVE IT
Teens who are AIM-trained that already know all the in’s and out’s to the buddy list and groups, and those who want portability. In my case, my son only uses AIM so you can be sure as soon as another color comes out I’ll be buying him one of these for his stocking this Christmas.
WISHFUL THINKING?
Or what I hope they add soon—A color screen with backlighting, compatible with Yahoo Messenger, ability to read and send Yahoo Mail through the base station with no fees involved—now that would be great!
System Requirements
• A personal computer connected to the Internet with an AOL Instant Messenger Account. You can obtain a free AIM account by visiting http://www.aim.com
• Windows® 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 Desktop, or Windows XP Home or Professional
• Pentium 266 MHz processor or equivalent
• 64 Megabytes of memory
• 20 Megabytes of available disk space
• USB 1.1 or 2.0 Compatible
• Powered USB port (version 1.1 or later)
• Broadband Internet connection (recommended), also works on dial-up
Tech Specs
• 9 oz - weight of handheld with battery
• 4.5"(w) x 4.8"(h) x 1.3"(w) - size of handheld with battery
THE FULL LIST OF CONS
No backlight; inability to add new buddies; won't work without a PC that’s on and running the software; doesn’t send or receive e-mail, doesn’t work with Yahoo Messenger
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 79.00
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briandalsmom
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Member: Mom
Location: USA
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