Several companies have tried – and we’re still waiting to see what Cerulean Labs, the people behind Trillian, have for us – but there’s yet to be a conclusive, makes-all-others-obsolete instant messaging client for the iPhone.  Today marks the launch of another contender for the crown: FlickIM.

Giving iPhone users access to their AIM contact list, the first thing of note is the slick interface.  Unlike some apps out there they’ve really given thought to the general theme of Apple’s UI and have kept it pretty consistent.  There are some useful integrations, too; multi-chat is supported and conversations easily switched between using different orange bubbles, while YouTube videos are embeddable in the conversation window itself using a simple /youtube tag.

One thing to be aware of is the privacy policy, in which FlickIM assert their right to send marketing information to any email you use to log in through their service, as well as sell that address on to other companies.  There’s no simple tick-box to opt out, either; you need to email them.  Email harvesting is a contentious issue at the moment, and I’d like to think that FlickIM might reconsider their policy which, I’ve seen, has already prompted some negative comments from potential users.

Edit: Michael from FlickIM got in touch with us via the comments below to tell us that they’ve changed their privacy policy and are applying for a TRUSTe seal.  They now make clear that no email addresses, contact details or conversation content will be used for advertising, either from FlickIM themselves or third-parties.  Given the software only launched yesterday, I think they deserve some kudos for the rapid response to criticism.  MY iTablet now has no qualms about recommending FlickIM should you want an AIM client for your iPhone.

[via TechCrunch]