Instant Messenger

What is Instant Messaging?

I.M. (Instant Messaging), uses Internet technology to allow people to send text messages that are delivered in real time.

Instant Messaging gives you the ability to block messages from certain people, or to have a conversation with more than one person at a time.

How does it work?

First, you need to create an instant messaging account from either Microsoft, or A.O.L. Then after your account is created, you log into a central server which indicates that you are available. At this point, you can contact people that you know if they are online at the same time as you. They likewise can contact you.

The messages are sent either through the service’s central server or, thanks to peer-to-peer technology, directly from one computer to another.

MSN and AIM

The System Access Mobile Network supports Microsoft's MSN instant messenger service, as well as A.O.L's instant messenger service. You must have a passport account to use Microsoft's service. The Passport account is simply Microsoft's fancy name for their account creation, and subsequent sign in service. Important, if after signing up with Microsoft's service, you don't receive a confirmation email in 24 to 48 hours, please resend the confirmation email.

Both services require you to enter a code for validation purposes. This code is displayed within a graphic. Microsoft allows you to hear the code's characters by listening to an audio file. A.O.L's sign up process asks you to call an 800 number. A customer representative will then guide you through the sign up process.

A.O.L's sign up process is very similar to Microsoft's process, but they do not call their sign up process by the passport name. Instead, you'll usually refer to it as just an AIM account. AIM simply means A.O.L Instant Messenger.

Once you have an account created for one, or both of these free online services, you can create these accounts within the SA Mobile Network Instant Messenger service. You can have as many accounts as you like for both services, as well as use as many accounts as you want, all at the same time.

Using Instant Messenger

You can get to Instant Messenger from the SA Mobile Desktop. If you are doing this for the first time, you will be prompted to create a Passport, (Microsoft), or AIM, (A.O.L), account.

The account label field lets you enter a friendly name for your Instant Messenger account. Type whatever you want, like bob, or bob's Home, etc. This field is for you to identify the account. People in your contact list will not identify you by this entry. If you wish to change the name that people identify you by, just change your screen name after you sign in to your account.

The Net passport Email address field wants your email address. You can use any email address that you want.

The password field needs your password that you defined while creating your passport, or AIM account.

The Save my password for future sessions checkbox lets you save your passport password so that you will not need to type it in again.

The "Automatically sign in to this account when I connect to the System Access Mobile Network" checkbox lets you automatically log on to Instant Messenger whenever you connect to the SA Mobile Network. This makes you available to your Instant Messaging contacts.

The Sign in to this account now checkbox allows you to specify if you want to sign in to the instant messenger service now, or later. If you want to sign in now, then leave this check box alone, otherwise, just uncheck the box.

When you are done making your choices, and entering your information, activate the Add button. You will then be able to use this account for Instant Messaging from the SA Mobile Network!

Now when you go into Instant Messenger, you will have the following choices:

Once you Sign In to Instant Messaging, you can communicate with someone. Important, when you are selecting someone from the list box, just move to the list box and tap the up and down arrow keys to select a contact to chat with. It is not necessary to press alt+Down as it is in most list boxes. when someone tries to contact you, just press control+shift+M, and you will be able to type messages to them, and to receive messages. If you want to hear the last message spoken, just tap the grave key. Note, the grave key is between the tab, and the escape key, on the left side of the keyboard. You can also arrow through a history of the current conversation, by tab/shift+tabbing to the history field. You can then arrow up and down through the history. If you want to add more people to the current I.M. conversation, just press alt+I, or use the appropriate button.

Message Holding

If someone contacts you, and you do not respond within 5 minutes, then you will hear an audio message that indicates that a message is holding. You can acknowledge the message with the Control+Shift+M command. However, if you still do not acknowledge the message, the audio message will stop, after 20 minutes. The next time you tap a key, you will again hear the audio message, and you can then acknowledge the message.

To change the way people identify you, just activate the change my screen name link, after you sign in to an account.

If you have a contact selected, you can perform the following actions.

You can also change your status, such as online/offline etc. Note, that this list box requires the alt+down keyboard command. You can also add a contact, change your screen name, sign out of instant messenger, edit your account info, delete your account, or add another instant Messaging account.

If someone adds you to their own contact list, the instant messenger will notify you of this. When this happens, you must press Alt+Shift+A. When you do this, you will be able to decide if you want to add them to your contact list as well.