It's happening - AOL jumps into free e-mail business

**ReuvenNY** · 11 May 2005, 11:00 AM

It was discussed before, but it's happening now. Read about it here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7808436/

Excerp:

AOL jumps into free e-mail business
Accounts come with storage comparable with Google's Gmail
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:27 p.m. ET May 10, 2005

NEW YORK - Its subscription business in decline, America Online Inc. is launching yet another product on the open Web: a free, ad-supported e-mail service tied to its instant-messaging platform.

Users of AOL Instant Messenger will be able to send and receive mail with "aim.com" addresses using their existing AIM screen names.

Initially, users will need the latest version of AIM software, available as a "beta" test download for Windows computers beginning Wednesday. Ultimately, they'll be able to send and receive mail from any Web browser.

Each account comes with 2 gigabytes of storage — comparable with Google Inc.'s Gmail and more generous than the free offerings from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s Hotmail and even AOL's flagship subscription service.

And unlike AOL's main accounts, which keep new messages for 27 days and messages already read for up to a week unless users actively save them, AIM mail never expires.

**Gankaku** · 11 May 2005, 11:27 AM

"And unlike AOL's main accounts, which keep new messages for 27 days and messages already read for up to a week unless users actively save them"

GAH! Don't remind me about this. :-D

kaptitsky · 11 May 2005, 12:10 PM

It looks like the bit you need isn't AIM but the "AOL Browser" which seems to be based on Netscape 8 browser.

That has a tab for mail, which says "Coming Soon." It also has tabs for channels, but for most you have to be an AOL member.

Looks like AOL has evaluated it's strengths and decided the vast AIM population is it. So they force the install their own browser with the new AIM 5.9 and add lots of other bits -- spyware protection, desktop search by copernic and so on -- and hope to get market share by driving AIM users to AOL content, which is their other strength.

I like Firefox. I hate AOL, since it assumes I am a fool. My country is set to Canada, so I can't get to the basic AIM page with AOL. Instead, I am shoved to AIM.ca and offered 5.5. But Firefox goes where I tell it rather than treating me like an AOL user.

Well, I'll keep using Trillian, and look at the mail. I still check my old Netscape.net addresses with Mailwasher, though I gave up on Netscape 7.2 as a mail client. I doubt, though, that AIM.COM mail will be accessible though a client, as Gmail is. Maybe the pressure will be on, and AOL does have IMAP capability on their AOL.COM accounts (after the TimeWarner people who had to use AOL mail were clear that some jerrybuilt client wasn't enough), so they could -- if they want.

rmns2bseen · 11 May 2005, 12:44 PM

not only that, but I chose my AIM username in a fit of temporary (?) insanity and hate it now

..and don't have the energy to come up with a new one...so no go for me...

Killer · 11 May 2005, 01:43 PM

I still remember there was someone that kept asking for free AOL email. Looks like the wait is over for him.

miley · 11 May 2005, 05:21 PM

betanews is reporting it will have free imap!
http://www.betanews.com/article/AOL_...AIM/1115785572

kaptitsky · 11 May 2005, 07:49 PM

AOL IMAP is done AOL's way. . .

It's not real.

But then again, Gmail POP3 is done Google's way.

kaptitsky · 12 May 2005, 08:34 AM

Here's the tour for AIM Mail:

http://www.aol.com/tour/mail/wsr.adp

http://www.aim.com/aim_mail.adp

And you might try this. . . . . .

http://m03.webmail.aol.com/default.aspx

(but no so much on firefox.)

bloody taglines. . . .
(but at least one of my accounts had a five year old address book i had left on aol....)

can anyone get here and find the IMAP server name?

http://boards.aol.com/boards/brdlist.mbl?boardID=552300

Javier · 12 May 2005, 09:31 AM

Thanks, Kaptitsky, for the links. But, reading the FAQ (http://beta.aol.com/projects/aimmail/index.html?loc=3), I am not sure if this is the new mail system announced today. Firstly, they state that the storage quota is 250 MB and not 2 GB. About accessing your email, when asked if the mail is accessible using an email client, they say "AIM Mail is a web-based email service and is not accessible using email readers."

Anyway, the system seems good and fast using Internet Explorer. And messages goes out and in very fast too.

But I can't access it using Firefox (1.0.4, just released). After loging, when ending the load of the webmail, my Firefox is resetted, dissapearing from the screen (some cookie must be available, because, when accessing again, it remembers my username).

mike1977 · 12 May 2005, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Killer
I still remember there was someone that kept asking for free AOL email. Looks like the wait is over for him.

Yeah, but I think he just had to have one @aol.com. These free ones will be @aim.com.

hypeking · 12 May 2005, 02:07 PM

AOL started offering free blogs service for non members (http://pc.channel.aol.com/aimblogs [aol.com]) and starting from tomorrow (May 11 2005) is offering 2 gb email for non members (http://www.aim.com/aim_mail.adp [aim.com]). Seems like this healthy competetion is a boon for the end users.

from the website - features offered include

Here's a summary of the features you will enjoy with AIM Mail:

• Industry-leading Spam and Anti-virus protection: Users of AIM Mail can rely on AIM to help keep their mail box free of junk mail and harmful viruses.

• 2 GB of mail storage: Users of AIM Mail can access their storage from any web-enabled computer. AIM Mail also comes with a search feature that makes it easy for users to find messages in their Inbox, Sent Mail, or Stored Mail.

• IMAP access: Users can get their AIM Mail through their favorite email application including MS Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Mac and Eudora.

• Single Log-on: Users will only have to login once to use both AIM and AIM Mail. Once logged into AIM, they can check, read and send mail without having to login in again. They can also launch the e-mail service from the AIM Buddy List or the Mail panel in the AIM Today welcome screen.

• Integration of AIM Presence: The Running Man icon appears in the e-mail headers if a sender or cc-ed recipient is logged in to AOL or AIM. This allows users to see when friends and colleagues are online and enables them to easily respond via e-mail or IM.

• Unsend Message: Users can cancel and unsend a message after it's been sent to another AOL or AIM Mail user if the message has not been read. Users can also check the status of a message sent to an AOL or AIM user and confirm if and when the message has been read.

• Plus, many other features, including: Enhanced spell-checking, auto-addressing, rich-text formatting, message signatures and more!

FMRocks · 12 May 2005, 05:18 PM

I was just reading their announcement, and I noticed this:

Quote:

Unsend Message: Users can cancel and unsend a message after it's been sent to another AOL or AIM Mail user if the message has not been read. Users can also check the status of a message sent to an AOL or AIM user and confirm if and when the message has been read.

This is horrible.

What this essentially does is allow a user to reach into another person's inbox and delete a message! Yeah they sent the email but it's not their mailbox. This should set off major privacy alarms. And this has the capability to be exploited (through a bug in either AIM or AIM's browser engine, which is the same as IE's) where a malicious user can gain access to everything in somebody else's mailbox.

mike1977 · 12 May 2005, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FMRocks
I was just reading their announcement, and I noticed this:

This is horrible. What this essentially does is allow a user to reach into another person's inbox and delete a message! Yeah they sent the email but it's not their mailbox. This should set off major privacy alarms. And this has the capability to be exploited (through a bug in either AIM or AIM's browser engine, which is the same as IE's) where a malicious user can gain access to everything in somebody else's mailbox.

It's a feature they've always had on AOL.

**ReuvenNY** · 12 May 2005, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FMRocks

This is horrible. What this essentially does is allow a user to reach into another person's inbox and delete a message!

Not really: it allows the sender to intercept HIS message on the AOL server, BEFORE it reaches the recipient Inbox. Once it's in the Inbox - the sender doesn't have any control.

**Sherry** · 13 May 2005, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ReuvenNY
Not really: it allows the sender to intercept HIS message on the AOL server, BEFORE it reaches the recipient Inbox. Once it's in the Inbox - the sender doesn't have any control.

I get a different interpretation of how it works. It sounds like, even after the message is received, it can be cancelled if it hasn't been read yet. It probably doesn't take more than a few seconds to reach the inbox when it's from/to an AOL user. That would really bother me, a lot, because I may see a message in my inbox and see who it's from but am not ready to read it right away. Sure wouldn't want to wonder what it said when I see it gone...

Sherry

11 May 2005, 11:00 AM	#1
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,272	It's happening - AOL jumps into free e-mail business It was discussed before, but it's happening now. Read about it here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7808436/ Excerp: AOL jumps into free e-mail business Accounts come with storage comparable with Google's Gmail The Associated Press Updated: 7:27 p.m. ET May 10, 2005 NEW YORK - Its subscription business in decline, America Online Inc. is launching yet another product on the open Web: a free, ad-supported e-mail service tied to its instant-messaging platform. Users of AOL Instant Messenger will be able to send and receive mail with "aim.com" addresses using their existing AIM screen names. Initially, users will need the latest version of AIM software, available as a "beta" test download for Windows computers beginning Wednesday. Ultimately, they'll be able to send and receive mail from any Web browser. Each account comes with 2 gigabytes of storage — comparable with Google Inc.'s Gmail and more generous than the free offerings from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s Hotmail and even AOL's flagship subscription service. And unlike AOL's main accounts, which keep new messages for 27 days and messages already read for up to a week unless users actively save them, AIM mail never expires.

12 May 2005, 08:34 AM	#8
kaptitsky The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,186	Here's the tour for AIM Mail: http://www.aol.com/tour/mail/wsr.adp http://www.aim.com/aim_mail.adp And you might try this. . . . . . http://m03.webmail.aol.com/default.aspx (but no so much on firefox.) bloody taglines. . . . (but at least one of my accounts had a five year old address book i had left on aol....) can anyone get here and find the IMAP server name? http://boards.aol.com/boards/brdlist.mbl?boardID=552300 Last edited by kaptitsky : 12 May 2005 at 10:00 AM.

12 May 2005, 02:07 PM	#11
hypeking Junior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1	AOL free 2 gb secure email account AOL started offering free blogs service for non members (http://pc.channel.aol.com/aimblogs [aol.com]) and starting from tomorrow (May 11 2005) is offering 2 gb email for non members (http://www.aim.com/aim_mail.adp [aim.com]). Seems like this healthy competetion is a boon for the end users. from the website - features offered include Here's a summary of the features you will enjoy with AIM Mail: • Industry-leading Spam and Anti-virus protection: Users of AIM Mail can rely on AIM to help keep their mail box free of junk mail and harmful viruses. • 2 GB of mail storage: Users of AIM Mail can access their storage from any web-enabled computer. AIM Mail also comes with a search feature that makes it easy for users to find messages in their Inbox, Sent Mail, or Stored Mail. • IMAP access: Users can get their AIM Mail through their favorite email application including MS Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Mac and Eudora. • Single Log-on: Users will only have to login once to use both AIM and AIM Mail. Once logged into AIM, they can check, read and send mail without having to login in again. They can also launch the e-mail service from the AIM Buddy List or the Mail panel in the AIM Today welcome screen. • Integration of AIM Presence: The Running Man icon appears in the e-mail headers if a sender or cc-ed recipient is logged in to AOL or AIM. This allows users to see when friends and colleagues are online and enables them to easily respond via e-mail or IM. • Unsend Message: Users can cancel and unsend a message after it's been sent to another AOL or AIM Mail user if the message has not been read. Users can also check the status of a message sent to an AOL or AIM user and confirm if and when the message has been read. • Plus, many other features, including: Enhanced spell-checking, auto-addressing, rich-text formatting, message signatures and more!

11 May 2005, 11:27 AM	#2
Gankaku Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,270	"And unlike AOL's main accounts, which keep new messages for 27 days and messages already read for up to a week unless users actively save them" GAH! Don't remind me about this. :-D

11 May 2005, 12:10 PM	#3
kaptitsky The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,186	It looks like the bit you need isn't AIM but the "AOL Browser" which seems to be based on Netscape 8 browser. That has a tab for mail, which says "Coming Soon." It also has tabs for channels, but for most you have to be an AOL member. Looks like AOL has evaluated it's strengths and decided the vast AIM population is it. So they force the install their own browser with the new AIM 5.9 and add lots of other bits -- spyware protection, desktop search by copernic and so on -- and hope to get market share by driving AIM users to AOL content, which is their other strength. I like Firefox. I hate AOL, since it assumes I am a fool. My country is set to Canada, so I can't get to the basic AIM page with AOL. Instead, I am shoved to AIM.ca and offered 5.5. But Firefox goes where I tell it rather than treating me like an AOL user. Well, I'll keep using Trillian, and look at the mail. I still check my old Netscape.net addresses with Mailwasher, though I gave up on Netscape 7.2 as a mail client. I doubt, though, that AIM.COM mail will be accessible though a client, as Gmail is. Maybe the pressure will be on, and AOL does have IMAP capability on their AOL.COM accounts (after the TimeWarner people who had to use AOL mail were clear that some jerrybuilt client wasn't enough), so they could -- if they want.

11 May 2005, 12:44 PM	#4
rmns2bseen Master of the @ Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,426	not only that, but I chose my AIM username in a fit of temporary (?) insanity and hate it now ..and don't have the energy to come up with a new one...so no go for me...

11 May 2005, 01:43 PM	#5
Killer Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Singapore Posts: 6,762 Representative of: Killer.kkk.sg	I still remember there was someone that kept asking for free AOL email. Looks like the wait is over for him.

11 May 2005, 05:21 PM	#6
miley Essential Contributor Join Date: May 2004 Location: California Posts: 307	betanews is reporting it will have free imap! http://www.betanews.com/article/AOL_...AIM/1115785572

11 May 2005, 07:49 PM	#7
kaptitsky The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,186	AOL IMAP is done AOL's way. . . It's not real. But then again, Gmail POP3 is done Google's way.

12 May 2005, 09:31 AM	#9
Javier Master of the @ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 1,344	Thanks, Kaptitsky, for the links. But, reading the FAQ (http://beta.aol.com/projects/aimmail/index.html?loc=3), I am not sure if this is the new mail system announced today. Firstly, they state that the storage quota is 250 MB and not 2 GB. About accessing your email, when asked if the mail is accessible using an email client, they say "AIM Mail is a web-based email service and is not accessible using email readers." Anyway, the system seems good and fast using Internet Explorer. And messages goes out and in very fast too. But I can't access it using Firefox (1.0.4, just released). After loging, when ending the load of the webmail, my Firefox is resetted, dissapearing from the screen (some cookie must be available, because, when accessing again, it remembers my username).