'Triton': AOL AIM-ing high ;-)

AOL expects its upgrade called "AIM Triton" to increase people's use of audio, video, and computer-to-phone messaging, reports New Zealand's Geekzone. AOL fully intends to keep its lead as an IM service while becoming a full-blown online-communications hub. Triton combines instant messaging, free email, text messaging (on phones), and voice and video chat "to drive more users to ads," Red Herring reports. A few other nifty features the Geekzone mentions: It "lets users talk live with AIM buddies around the world for free, "supports live, multi-party voice chat for up to 20 buddies, and enables users to add buddies to ongoing calls." According to Internet News, 41.6 million people use AIM.