KoolIM, which launched this morning, is a new web-based IM service that takes on established players like MessengerFX and e-Messenger (recently renamed eBuddy). Like Meebo and Mabber, KoolIM aggregates multiple messengers on one page - AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ and Jabber.
Personally, I find Meebo far more usable than KoolIM - Meebo keeps all the action on one page, while KoolIM insists on creating an annoying pop-up window. Clearly this is designed to emulate regular IM clients, but I much prefer the AJAX approach.
As mentioned previously, these messengers are hugely popular in colleges and schools, where IM clients are frequently blocked. However, schools are increasingly becoming wise to the web-based services and blocking those too. This is why I wonder about the long-term future of eBuddy and its ilk - the more popular they become, the higher the probability that their user base will be banned from accessing them.
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