One thing I can say about AOL is that they’ve really been on the ball with updating AIM for Windows Mobile. The newest release, v1.1.15.1, offers increased performance and support of Windows Mobile 6.1.

While I can attest to the increased performance, I cannot confirm full functionality with WM6.1, as I do not have it.

Along with the general improvements with each update, the one thing I’ve been waiting for has been ever so slightly improved. I speak, of course, about power consumption.

I ran my own little benchmarking test for power consumption. The only differences in the tests were the phone status (normal or standby) and the status of AIM (not running or running), and the results are as follows.

Control 1: Normal, AIM not running

• Average: 80mA
• Total: 13mAh

Control 2: Standby, AIM not running

• Average: 18mA
• Total: 3mAh

Test 3: Normal, AIM running

• Average: 200mA
• Total: 34mAh

Test 4: Standby, AIM running

• Average: 53mA
• Total: 9mAh

Pretty much what you can expect is a largely decreased run time between charges with AIM running, and an even larger decrease while actively messaging others with AIM. The most noticeable thing is that running AIM while on standby still draws 3/4 of the power of running the phone normally without AIM running. However, even with a 1350mAh battery, I get around two hours of use between charges while messaging in AIM on and off. I’d still consider that a win, especially if you crave the use of AIM on the go.

The AIM for Windows Mobile page is here, and the direct download link is here.