We introduce Amigo ? an Instant Messaging (IM) client for handheld computers. Amigo allows free-form images as well as handwriting to be sent between people, taking advantage of the touch sensitive display of mobile devices. Amigo differs from other IM clients in that the text written by the user never has to be translated into ASCII data. Twenty students used Amigo for two weeks. Preliminary use results show that Amigo functions well as an IM client for handheld computers, and also introduces new ways for people to interact using IM: mixed text/image sessions, collaborative drawings and instant gaming. Keywords Instant Messaging, handheld computing, pen-based user interface, uninterpreted handwriting.