RadiusIM RadiusIM

Messages appear in pop-up windows on the page and can't be undocked, which might frustrate some users. You get a time stamp on messages, but the service doesn't provide a typing indicator to let you know whether your contacts are responding to your messages. (The service plans to add this feature in a future release.) You can elect to be notified via an audio alert when messages arrive, or you can download a desktop notifier that sits in your system tray and flashes when a new message reaches you. The pop-up message window also flashes when a message comes, but this can be difficult to see if you've minimized the window to work on something else.

With RadiusIM you can add and delete buddies from your buddy lists, and you can create customized away messages that are automatically saved for future use.

The location-based services unique to RadiusIM constitute something of a mixed bag and are available for use only with other registered RadiusIM users. When you log on, you can see how many users are in the vicinity. The idea is to let you locate your friends so that you can meet with them in person if they're nearby. A map window highlights your approximate location--RadiusIM says that locations are blurred within 0.25 mile of the actual location for safety--and you can see photos or icons of other local users. I was told that 104 registered RadiusIM users were within 9 miles of me, but when I checked, I found that most of them were offline.

Because I don't know any other RadiusIM users, I couldn't connect with any of my buddies. The best I could do with my AOL contacts, for example, would be to send them an IM or e-mail invitation to join the service. The location-based service would have been more useful if RadiusIM had a greater number of registered users.

Also, because RadiusIM sets your location based on the zip code you entered at registration, if you use the service from somewhere else, you'll have to change your location manually at that time.

If you want to make new friends in your local area (and you're willing to accept the security risks that accompany meeting people online), RadiusIM shows promise. But until more people use the service, its location-based features have limited utility. And despite its clean interface and relative ease of use, RadiusIM's registration process--brief though it is--may hold you back.

Liane Cassavoy