AOL Instant Messenger in PSP

Even thought America Online is not likely to release a PSP Instant Messenger version of AOL soon, you don’t have to be without your buddy list. Using your PSP’s Web browser you can log on to WebAIM at www.webaim.net, type your username and password, and access your buddy list, send and receive instant messages, and more (see Figure for a look at WebAIM in action in a regular PC browser).WebAIM even has a login page made especially for PSPs, with an on-screen keyboard to save you time entering your username and password—just head over to http://dev.webaim.net/psplogin.jsp.

Figure shows WebAIM in action on my PSP using Sony’s Web browser, which is enabled in the Firmware 2.0 update. Of course, you can still use the Wipeout Pure Web browser, so you don’t have to upgrade to Firmware 2.0 and lose the ability to program your PSP and run homebrew applications.

WebAIM’s free servers are often pretty crowded, so getting one can take a while. I opted to pay for their premium service, which guarantees me access any time of the day, for around $4 per month or a scant $17 for six months.