Hopefully they plan to add other networks rsn. Generally speaking I hate IM for the same reason I hate the phone, but it can come in handy sometimes and I’d much prefer to do it through Gmail than have to install a client or go to another site like Meebo.
Gmail chat now offers the option to sign in to your AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) account to chat with your AIM buddies from Gmail. Your AIM buddies will populate your Contacts list, and are searchable just like your Google Talk contacts.
Details here.