7 mile high

April 30th, 2005

From Just an online minute

AMERICA ONLINE BEGAN BETA TESTING an overhaul of its instant messaging system. The online media company hopes to add new features to its popular IM product including PC-to-PC voice and streaming video messaging capabilities, and file transfers. AOL's IM beta will eventually allow users to access real-time video, swap files, images, and other content, as well as play games. The client also features something called "IM Catcher," which groups messages into a single interface, allowing users to organize IM chats.
Dubbed "Triton," the new IM client is available through AOL's public beta test site. AOL expects to make the official version available later this year; it will replace earlier IM versions. AOL boasts 20 million users of its IM product.

Whilst at 36,000 feet Peter Bloom writes:

Subject: amazing paradigm shift at 36,000 feet… the world really is getting smaller!
I am currently 7 miles above the earth on an SAS flight somewhere over the North Sea. I am writing this email from one of the first planes to have a high speed continuous connection to the Internet. I am connected using standard wireless access an in addition to email I have 3 IM sessions running with instantaneous response and also just executed a trade on NASDAQ (I plan to make a VoIP call later.)
Truly awesome implementation of technology ….but sadly the last haven from "the connected world" has now been obliterated. Someday we'll all take emails like this for granted but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to send one of the first ones.
Coming up Greenland!

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