Google Android gets AIM integration

Google has enhanced interoperability with AOL's AIM service so that Android users can communicate with colleagues using Google Talk.

Users can add AIM buddies to their chat list, using their AOL screennames and vice versa, eliminating the need to juggle multiple accounts.

AOL has also created a tool so that contacts can be imported from the AIM buddies into a Gmail account.

"A few years ago, we announced our partnership with AOL which made it possible for people to chat with AIM users right from inside Gmail," said Matthew Leske, product manager at Google, in the Gmail Blog.

"We're happy to report that AOL has now made it possible to chat with AOL contacts across a variety of Google services: not just Gmail, but iGoogle, Orkut and Google Talk on Android phones."

The integration of AIM follows the incorporation of important enterprise upgrades to Gmail last month.

Google added a background send feature to reduce the time workers have to spend waiting for emails to send before they can switch to other tasks.

The firm also increased the character limit for labels that can be attached to emails from 40 to 225 to ensure that people switching from Outlook or accessing Gmail through IMAP connections are able to view these labels.