Google announced yesterday that they have partnered with AOL to allow GMail users to sign in to their AIM accounts in the GMail Talk interface, and chat with them right from there. I decided to try it out, and I have to say, it’s wicked cool.

Once you sign in to your GMail account, and are brought to your inbox, you simply go over to the Google Chat buddy list and click Options, then sign in to your AIM account. It prompts you for your AIM screen name and password, and then you’re good to go. It shows status the same way that it does for Google Talk buddies, and displays aliases as well as away messages right on the buddy list. I have everyone on my buddy list aliased for easy reference, so I was pumped to find that out! The chat window pops up the same way, either within the GMail window you have open, or optionally as a popup window.

Google added in features like chat history from the Google Talk system for use with AIM, so it almost makes you want to just use GMail for AIM all the time. Even if you continue to use the regular AIM client, or something like Pidgin as your primary instant messaging client, it sure is a huge improvement over AIM Express for web-based AIM access. I, for one, give it two thumbs up…right after I finish using them for my conversation.

Verizon’s recent announcement to open their network to all CDMA handsets, as well as applications, marks a major transition in the mindset of wireless carriers in the U.S. and presents a great opportunity for innovative development. With the option for consumers to use any handset they like with Verizon’s service, manufacturers and developers will have fewer hoops to jump through when it comes to bringing their product into the market mainstream. Plus, people won’t be forced to use the programs that Verizon bundles with the phones they sell, or purchase ones only pre-approved by Verizon. In theory, everything should just work together, on one big happy network. In theory.

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WildCharge has developed a charging device designed for use with any device.  That’s right, any portable electronics you own can all be charged by one charger.  And the best part: there are no wires!  They’ve developed a charging pad which uses wireless electricity.  All you have to do is set your electronics on it, and they start charging.

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Today Google officially announced that it will be bidding for wireless spectrum in an FCC auction in January. The 700 MHz spectrum is going to be up for auction, and if Google is able to snag a part of it, it could mean a truly open wireless network. It doesn’t seem to be any coincidence that this announcement comes right on the heels of Google’s Android announcement. With the development of a mobile OS created for open development and communication, the ability to back it with an open wireless network would be a huge boost for Android’s success, and make Google even more appealing as a wireless provider.

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As part of my training at Mass Maritime, I will be spending the better part of January and February 2008 onboard the T.S. Enterprise, Mass Maritime’s training ship, traveling around the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Since I get to have experiences that few people ever will, I have decided to set up a blog for the purpose of recording these experiences, and sharing them with readers. I plan to post pre-Sea Term news and information prior to departure, and then provide an update at least every other day during the trip. You can access the blog by going to seaterm.christiaanconover.com.

I’ve updated the Orange Basic theme. I’ve modified the colors and fonts to make it more visually appealing, and I’ve added support for the tagging system introduced in Wordpress 2.3.

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The Mass Maritime Green Club took a tour today of the solar power system the school has installed. The system cost about $1 million to purchase and install, and will provide a peak of 81kW to the school. It should complement nicely the 660kW wind turbine that the school put up in 2006.

One of the members of the club put some pictures of the solar installation online, which you can see here.

In the past few days since the official Android announcement, the Internet has been exploding with speculation, debate, and excitement over the new OS’ potential, and its significance in the mobile phone industry. Most people seem to think that it looks cool, and it does: touchscreens, 3G support, freedom to create and add whatever apps you want…what’s not to love? Plus, with the backing of more than 30 major technology and telecom companies, it’s sure to get good placement in the market. However, will the vision of a fully open source mobile OS be maintained once the software is put in the hands of the cell phone carriers?

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I’ve created my official YouTube channel, for use in conjunction with my blog.

Skribit is a new blog widget created by Startup Weekend Atlanta to allow readers to suggest topics to bloggers to write about. You simply place it on your site, and readers can post ideas for topics. It’s currently in closed beta (it was only created this weekend, brainstorm to product), but I’m anxious to be able to try it out.

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