This article is the next part in a series of articles highlighting various instant messaging (IM) clients on various pager platforms used by the deaf and hard of hearing. To read the previous article, click here.

In this article, I will give a quick overview of the Palm operating system (OS) that runs on various types of hardware. I will also discuss various IM clients (for AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), MSN Messenger - now known as Windows Live Messenger - (MSN), and Yahoo! Messenger (YIM). For the purposes of this article, ICQ is considered part of AIM.) available on each platform. IM client overviews are arranged in alphabetical order. Trial versions of most clients for these platforms are available and I encourage you to try them out before purchasing/deciding on one client. I also usually keep a second client handy just in case there is something wrong with my primary client. A later article will address that of Windows Mobile (Pocket PC/Smartphone) IM clients.

Palm OS (Treo 650, 680, 700p, 755p, T|X, LifeDrive, etc.)
The Palm OS has been around for many years, first going wireless with the Palm VII. There were even prototype Palm handhelds that had built in keyboards and would have worked on the Weblink Wireless network. Too bad this device never saw the light of day, or we all would be using Palm devices, rather than Sidekicks. Palm OS has a very good selection of IM applications, thanks to the longevity of the Palm OS and the very popular Treo series of wireless Palm OS handhelds.

Causerie Unified Messenger for Palm
Causerie is a nice multi-service IM client that comes in two versions, “Standard” and “Premier”. The Premier client allows you to log into the same service twice with two different accounts (good for work/personal, etc.). Causerie also has “bots” that get you information like news, weather, movie info, etc. inside the IM application itself. These clients have a nice interface and are quite reliable, but updates come in spurts. The software is nice and easy to use. Good online support is available via their forums. The only bad thing is that you have to pay an annual fee to use the software, and this fee is more expensive than the BlackBerry version.
(AIM, MSN, and YIM) $29.99/yr for Standard & $39.99/yr for Premier, download required

Chatopus
This is a multi-service IM client, but it requires that you have a Jabber account and configure it to use the major IM services - this is pretty complicated and not for the average person. Also connectivity is not as reliable, and depends on the Jabber server you are using, and the compatibility of the Jabber software. Too many things that could go wrong.
(AIM, MSN, and YIM all via Jabber) $16.95 one time fee, download required

IM+ for Palm OS
Another multi-service IM client. The developer also produces versions of IM+ for almost every other wireless platform available, and offers crossgrades at no or low cost, making this an ideal client to use if you think you will change the type of pager you have down the road. You also only pay a one-time fee for this program. It looks like a nice program, but I did not like how the interface was set up, making it a bit complicated to use.
(AIM, MSN, and YIM all via Jabber) $29.95 one time fee, download required

Mundu Mobile Instant Messenger 4.0
A nice multi-service IM client for Palm OS. This latest version is much more refined than previous versions, and is much cheaper than comparable multi-service clients. It works very nicely, even though its interface requires some learning, and does almost everything you could ask for.
(AIM, MSN, and YIM) $11 one time fee, download required

Toccer
Toccer is a great AIM client - everything just works, and the price is just right - FREE. One nice thing about this client is that it connects directly to AIM, rather than using a proprietary server. This means that if Toccer’s developer ever dropped off the face of the earth, it’d still be able to continue to connect to AIM (as long as AIM didn’t change anything, that is). The problem with this is that if there is any problem with your Treo’s signal, you get disconnected. Oh well, can’t beat free sometimes. Toccer has added logging (saving chats), exporting logs, and log search for a small fee.
(AIM) Free, $6.95 to enable logging, exporting logs, and log search, download required

VeriChat
VeriChat used to be the reigning multi-client IM application for Palm OS, until they got bought out by Nokia, which killed off its development. I’m noting this because it is no longer sold, but still supported.
(AIM, MSN, and YIM) no longer available

Web-based (Sprint)
The above link will only work on Sprint-based Treos. Sprint offers web-based links to all three major IM platforms, and these are not very good, requiring you to pay attention to your web browser, continually refreshing the browser to see if there are any new messages. Other carriers may have similar functionality.

WebMessenger Mobile Instant Messenger for Palm
This was one of the first multi-service IM clients, and is still available for monthly or annual subscription. Works very nicely because it is a server based program. Its user interface is quite complicated to master, but it is very stable.
(AIM, MSN, YIM) $5.95 monthly, or $34.95 annual subscription, download required