IM on your G1 without getting disconnected and log your chats at the same time

Despite all of its successes, trying to IM on the Google G1 can be a frustrating test of your patience and your memory. Frequent disconnects wipe out your conversations and make communicating painfully slow. The Google Talk app is one that shines above all of the others. It just works. Not only does it stay connected, but it also logs your chats in Gmail so you can reread them at a latter date. Thankfully Google Talk is built on the Jabber protocol, so with a few easy steps you can add the same stability and functionality to AIM, Yahoo, and Windows Live (as well as other protocols).

To do this, we'll be using Jabber transports. Transports allow you to use a Jabber account (like your Google Talk account) to talk to people using other protocols like AIM or Yahoo. Most people aren't running a server, so they'll need to use publicly hosted transports such as the ones at http://www.jaim.at.

The first step is to sign out of your instant messengers (your phone, your computer, and even Google Chat inside of Gmail). If you don't already have one, you'll need a Jabber instant messaging client that supports service discovery. Psi works on many operating systems and so I'll use that as for this example (more advanced users can use whichever Jabber client they prefer). Use these directions provided by Google to download Psi and setup your Google Talk account.

Now that you have Psi installed and your Google Talk account set up, you're just a few steps away from hassle-free IMing on your G1. Click the Psi button in the bottom left-hand corner of the Psi window and select "Service Discovery". Enter the address of any server that has open transports in the "address" box. Jaim.at is a popular choice, but you can also find others at http://xmpp.org/services/ or by doing a Google search. Once you enter "jaim.at" (or the address of your chosen server), hit browse, and Psi will populate a list of available transports. Right-click the ones you want and click "Register." After you submit your user name and password your contacts will be imported into Google Talk. Once you register all of the transports you'd like to use, you can close Psi. You'll never have to use it again unless you want to add additional transports or you want to disable a registered transport.

Sign into Google Talk from your G1. It should now show all of your contacts from Google Talk, as well as from the additional protocols for which you registered transports. Because the Google Talk app is so stable, you won't have to worry about getting disconnected during conversations. Also, now that all of your conversations are going through Google Talk, all of your chats are being logged in Gmail (even if your buddy is using Yahoo or Aim). Additionally, you can now talk to all of your buddies with Google Chat inside Gmail regardless of what protocol they're using.

The only downside is that you can't arrange your contacts in groups, and if you're like me, you'll have a large number of contacts to sift through between all of the different protocols you use. And so...

A few tips for managing your large contact list:

• If you long press a contact in the Google Talk app and select "Friend info" you can enter their real name (if it isn't already showing up).
• Typing the the first letters of a contact's name will filter your contact list so you can find just the person you want to talk to.
• Utilize Gmail's search function to find specific conversations you've had on your G1.
• Install an app like Bar Control to allow you to put Google Talk in your G1's notification bar. This keeps your IMs no more than a swipe away.

Hopefully this hub will allow you to have a more enjoyable instant messaging experience on your G1.