Help us test drive our new AIM 6 beta software - version 6.5.3.12. We've heard your feedback on our earlier beta tests and have continued to make improvements to our new features. This version includes the following:

Status message in the Buddy List®: Broadcast a personal message to your friends, even when you're available. Click Enter status message here& and type a message. It will appear under your screen name on their Buddy List and in your IM window. New! Thanks to beta feedback, weve updated this feature to only show a custom status message in your Buddy List view. Note: You'll only see the set message of users who are on your buddy list and testing with the same version. We encourage you to create a new screen name and post it in the Message Boards created for this feature so others can add it to their Buddy List to see how this feature works.

State selector menu: Do you want to set yourself as Available, Away, Mobile or invisible? Choose from the handy state drop down button. Want to go away fast? Click the yellow sticky icon and well set your away message. Click it again to come back from away.

Play games with your buddies: As part of the AIM install, you can choose to install additional software from QQ games. This plugin allows you to invite your AIM buddies to play games like Pool, Poker, Puzzles, Matching and more! Compete against buddies or other players in live games or relax in practice mode.

Modern design, plus more color: Check out the new sleek chrome. Weve also added more color to the top of your Buddy List. Pick your favorite by clicking on the color wheel in the upper right corner.

Grouped IM tabs: Look for enhancements to your grouped IM window tabs. If your buddy goes away, youll see the away sticky to indicate this change. Look for visuals for mobile, idle, and offline too.

Get Buddy Info: Weve removed the blue (i) from the Buddy List. It now only appears on your buddys details card when you hover over their screen name. Youll still get the orange (i) in the Buddy List to indicate something new about your buddies.

Tips from AIM: Did you know you could do that on AIM? Weve added more tips to the IM window since our last test.

Plus: Continue to test our new TXT Message mode feature from the IM window. Don't waste your mobile phone text messages. Send them from AIM. Clicking the TXT Msg button on the IM form is just one new place you can access this mode. And, if you are having issues signing on AIM can help configure your firewall or proxy settings. Look for the Connection tab in your settings manager.

We hope you enjoy testing the latest version of the AIM 6 beta software.

ATTENTION! AIM Phoneline, AOL Call Alert, and AOL Voicemail subscribers: Call alerts are disabled with this software. If you use this software, you will be unable to receive incoming calls. Call alert integration will be coming soon.