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Instant-messagers, take heart: Now you can chat with yourbuddies when you're away from your PC. AOL's new MobileMessenger provides wireless versions of both AOL E-Mail and AIM(AOL Instant Messaging) for two-way pagers. Based on ArchCommunications' two-way paging network and using the BellSouthIntelligent Wireless Network as a backbone, Mobile Messenger ispart of a larger rollout of AOL Wireless services starting laterthis year that will also offer a myriad of news and services.

To boost its wireless efforts, AOL has announced partnershipswith wireless vendors and carriers. For example, a co-brandedversion of Motorola's TimePort P935 Personal InteractiveCommunicator using AOL's Mobile Messenger will hit in thesecond half of this year; it will be the first of many wirelesscollaborations between the two companies. A similar alliance withtwo-way pager start-up Research in Motion in Waterloo, Ontario,will produce a co-branded, two-way Internet appliance in comingmonths as well. And AOL is even moving into smart phones, havingjust announced a deal with Nokia that calls for AIM support inNokia phones and other devices, the first of which should arrivebefore year-end.