GSM operators plan mobile IM standard
As if text messaging didn't lead to enough repetitive stress injuries, the world's cellphone carriers now want you to start using your cellphone to IM. The GSM Association, which represents carriers from around the globe, has announced an agreement among eight major service providers, including T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange, to develop a common standard for instant messaging. No word on when the new standard, to be known as Personal IM, will be rolled out. There's also no news about whether it will interoperate with any of the IM services already used by millions of people -- and compatible with many cellphone services -- from companies such as Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft. Chances are it won't be, but we'll count on the open source community to fix that as quickly as possible.
