By employing customizable personal profiles, users could choose what information to display, to whom and for what devices. Using presence technology, a device can be registered with a number of different networks and can be detected as soon as it is activated. Other devices on the networks can then be notified of the presence of the new device. While presence technology has yet to reach this level of sophistication, industry experts agree it will very soon. For that reason, the push to develop solid, long-reaching standards for integrating presence technology across all networks and devices is becoming critical as more applications and devices that rely on presence begin to emerge.
Instant messaging uses presence information to deliver instant communications.
Users register with an IM provider, and are usually required to download and install a small application to send and receive messages. Messages can be text-based, voice or video and are sent in real time to other registered users that are currently available on their network. Using an early version of presence technology, AIM allows users to track when friends and colleagues are online. But only users registered with AOL's service have access to its presence information. The same is true with other new IM providers that employ their own versions of presence.