Nokia have announced a new application called "IM for Nokia" that enables  free instant messaging on Nokia smartphones. The service is Nokia's answer to Blackberry Messenger and Apple's recently announced iMessage application.

With IM for Nokia you can send free messages to anyone else who is using the application, which could save significant money on text messages. In order to use the service you need to be connected to the internet , either over 3G or WiFi, and have a Ovi account so you can login.

The application has a friends list which  you can add to by inputting details of the person you'd like to add. Impressively, the application also supports other messaging networks including Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, MySpace and Windows Live Messenger. You'll need to login to the other Messaging clients inside "IM for Nokia" in order to chat over those networks.

Chatting with IM for Nokia is easy and works by first selecting a friend you want to chat to and then typing in the chat box. You can easily hide the application meaning it then runs in the background. You can also change your status to reflect your current situation with options including "Away, Invisible, Do Not Disturb and Available.

The IM for Nokia application also comes with a home-screen widget which has some useful features. It includes buttons for setting your online status to "Do Not Disturb" and to make you invisible from others online and enables you to see if any new messages have been received.

IM for Nokia is compatible with the Nokia X6, Nokia 5230, Nokia N8 and the Nokia E7. It's also available for Nokia Series 40 phones and can be downloaded from the Ovi Store by clicking here.

You might be asking how Nokia For IM compares with its rivals and one advantage is does have is support for mutiple IM clients, such as Yahoo and Windows Live. However, in many other ways it falls short of it's rivals.  Blackberry Messenger has much more advanced features such as the ability to send photos, music and videos over the services. You can also share the music your currently listening to which has always proven a succesful feature.

Apple's iMessage also enables the sending of photos, videos and music so it's got the one-up on IM for Nokia in that respect. However, just like Blackberry Messenger it lacks support for other instant messaging clients.

In conclusion, we guess that people looking for an alternative to text messaging will think that IM for Nokia is a fantastic package because they will be able to communicate across a number of networks with one application. However, those looking to send files and photos would be best looking elsewhere.