AOL Webmail, now enhanced by Xdrive!

Written by guest blogger Rose Kwok, Product Manager, AOL Mail

By now, you have probably already sent emails with attachments using AOL Up ‘til now AOL has supported a total email and attachment size of up to 16MB. But what if you want to send your mom all your pictures from your recent trip to Europe? They add up to about 1GB of storage space!


No worries, you can now send large attachments (of up to 5GB) along with your email, thanks to the new AOL Webmail & Xdrive integration.

What is Xdrive?

Xdrive is a 5GB personal hard drive on the Internet. You can get easy backup and secure storage, just like an external hard drive, but without the worry of losing or damaging a piece of hardware. You can simply upload files to Xdrive and securely access your files anywhere over the web. You can even share your files with your friends and family by allowing them permission. All this, for free.

How can you start using Xdrive to send large attachments?

First, if you don’t already have one, create a free Xdrive account. Sign up for one here:

http://www.xdrive.com/

When you are back in Webmail, compose email as you normally would. After you click on “Attach file” browse and select your attachment. You will notice an updated dialog box:




If you would like to upload via Xdrive, simply click on the check box towards the bottom of the dialog. For files over 16MB, your attachments will automatically get uploaded via Xdrive.

The best part is that your attachments will also be backed up and stored securely in your Xdrive account. Never lose an attachment again!

When your recipients receive the email, they will see the attachment, which can then be retrieved via Xdrive.

Get started now!

Want to be the first to try out this new feature? It’s only available in Beta. Check it out at:

http://beta.webmail.aol.com

Enjoy and happy holidays!

Rose

AOL Mail's New Unified Inbox

AOL users now have the option to switch to the new Unified Inbox, stay put, or switch back.

Benefits of the improved Inbox option include:
1. E-mail messages remain in your Inbox and Sent folder until you delete them
2. Unlimited storage lets you keep as many e-mail messages as you want
3. See all of your e-mail messages in one place, instead of separate New Mail and Old Mail folders

If you are an AOL Webmail user, you will receive the following pop-up the next time you log in to AOL Webmail:




If you are using the AOL 9.1 software, use AOL Keywords to switch to the new Inbox:

Switch to Unified Inbox: AOL Keyword: Inbox

Switch back to New & Old folders: AOL Keyword: mailbox switch

If you are using Webmail or IMAP/POP3, use the following links:

Switch to Unified Inbox: http://inbox.aol.com/mail/changeMailboxStyle?style=self

Switch back to New & Old folders: http://inbox.aol.com/mail/changeMailboxStyle?style=auto

NOTE: You must be signed in to AOL with your screen name and password in order to access the links above.

More information on the Unified Inbox is available here:

How do I switch to the unified Inbox Mail?

Thanksgiving Gift from AOL Mail

Written by guest blogger Rose Kwok, Product Manager, AOL Mail

Hi loyal Mail Blog readers,

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! To thank YOU for choosing AOL, the WebSuite team has been working hard these past few months to bring you another exciting release, what we have been referring to as Fiji. Here are some of the great new features you will find in your mail box.

Filters – aka Rules; set up Filters and have your mail delivered straight to your mail folders based on your filter criteria

Reading Pane – quickly read your mail in a Reading Pane with your message list still visible

AIM Integration improvements - save your IM conversations into your WebSuite folders so you can access and continue them whenever you want

SMS integration - send SMS to any mobile phone or any buddy on your buddy list (US only)

More & more Content - myAOL RSS Panel, Just for Fun Panels, AOL Radio Panel, AOL Mail Blog Panel, etc.

So, go ahead…set up filters to manage incoming e-mails and get through your Inbox more quickly with the Reading Pane. IM and SMS your friends on the go. Best of all, you can read this very blog within WebSuite by selecting the AOL Mail Blog Panel!

Enjoy. And as always, we’d love to hear your feedback.

Rose

AOL 9.1 is ready for download and here’s why you should upgrade

Written by guest blogger Seth Halvaksz, Sr. Product Manager, AOL Mail

Everyone knows AOL for desktop software that combines e-mail, IM, web browsing (and more) into a single, safe, easy-to-use application with security features such as anti-virus, anti-spam and parental controls. Although you may think you need to be an AOL dial-up subscriber to use our software, that’s not the case! Now anyone with an AOL mail account can use the AOL 9.1 all-in-one desktop software over a broadband (DSL or cable) or a third-party dial-up connection.

Here are some of the enhancements you’ll see in AOL 9.1:

Easier surfing - ability to browse the Web without signing on to AOL when you have a broadband or third-party dial-up connection

Unified Inbox - unlimited storage with an Inbox that keeps your mail as long as you need it

Flexibility with reply - select only the text you want when replying to a message, or don’t select any text if you want to display the entire message in your e-mail reply

RSS feeds - add RSS feeds to your Favorites

Instant news - quick access to the latest news by clicking or hovering over a News icon in the Toolbar

New with AOL 9.1 is a unified Inbox with unlimited mail storage. If you’re a current AOL user, you can switch to an Inbox view of your messages at any time, and with unlimited storage you can keep as many e-mail messages as you want!

You will also see improvements to AOL’s award-winning spam detection. If we suspect the person sending the e-mail is not genuine, AOL will block the e-mail until you tell us you want to see it.

Want to learn more about AOL 9.1 and download the software? Here’s where to go:

http://daol.aol.com/software/91

Enjoy and thanks for choosing AOL!

Seth

Tip: Want to skip the login screen?

The previous blog topic in this slot was too confusing so it’s being replaced with the following one about an upcoming and related feature. I didn’t want to lose the ongoing discussions under this entry, hence why it’s being replace rather than removed entirely (blog software deletes all comments if an entry is removed).

Want an even easier way to avoid entering in your password every time you want to read you emails?

Note: This goes without saying, but just a reminder…. Remember to click the Sign Out link after using a public/shared computer. I’m offering this tip for use on your own personal computer that only you use (preferably that’s already protected by a password).

Don’t want to enter in your screen name and password each time you want to read your emails on your computer?

There’s an upcoming new feature that we’re internally calling “keep me signed in.” It does what it sounds like. If you choose to turn on that feature, it’ll keep you signed into your account until you manually click the Sign Out link. This will be a very handy feature because you can skip a few steps in the login process. With this feature, you’ll be able to go straight to http://mail.aol.com (use a book mark for single-click access)and you won't be prompted for a password. You decide whether this is desired for your situation--for some people (like me), speed and convenienceis king since mail security isn't a worry for me on my personal computer.

Whenever you’re done with reading your emails, don’t click the Sign Out link because if you do, then you’ll have to enter in your password again the next time. Instead, just exit or close the browser normally. Note: Clicking the Sign Out link or deleting the browser cookies will require you to enter in your screen name and password again the next time--handy for when you're on a public computer.

This feature will be coming out next month along with even more features that many of you have been asking for. So stay tuned for more details. Enjoy and thanks for choosing AOL!

Tae

"The AOL Mail Blog Guy"
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: mail blog

Accessible version of the Web Suite impresses

AOL tries hard to offer mail products that can be beneficial to the majority of the online users and one of the groups that is not forgotten is our visually impaired group. The Basic version of the Web Suite (aka Accessible Version) helps visually impaired users by being screen reader friendly with a robust set of keyboard shortcuts. A few months ago, I blogged about some of the most common shortcuts (email me if you’d like the full list—too long to post here).

Anyways, even more accessibility improvements are slated for inclusion next month but I wanted to share with you what one major organization had to say about the new Accessible Version of the Web Suite. Curtis Chong is the President of the National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science and is a recognized expert on accessible technology. Here’s what he wrote to AOL:

“I must say that I am quite impressed with the work that has clearly been done to create the accessible Web-based AOL mail interface. After I played around with it a bit, I found that the keyboard shortcuts do work if you give them a chance to do so .

I admit that I have spent perhaps two hours working on this, but so far, I can find very little to criticize and much to be glad about. My instincts tell me that a lot of thought and work went into the design of the accessible interface. The design clearly demonstrates a strong understanding of how screen-access programs for the blind work, knowledge of the shortcuts they use to facilitate efficient navigation of Web pages, and a practical understanding of what blind people need and want in an e-mail system. I'm hard to impress, but I will tell you that this has impressed me.

Cordially,
Curtis Chong”

We hope our visually impaired friends are enjoying the new Basic Version of the Web Suite.

Thank you all for choosing AOL.

Tae Kang
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: mail blog

Going Mobile

How many times have you wanted to check your emails while you’re out-and-about? (away from your home or office) While you’re in the car (with someone else driving of course), while you’re waiting idle some place, while you’re at the airport, etc.

Well, now you can on the all new Mobile Mail, if you have a cell phone that’s capable of surfing the Internet. We've made checking your AOL, AIM, and My eAddress Mail on your cell phone much easier. Check out the new and improved Mobile Mail.

Give it a try and remember to tell us what you think via the Beta Feedback link at the bottom of the Mobile Mail screen.

Note: Your cell phone account must have a data plan and your carrier may charge you extra for surfing on the Internet. Flat-rate data plans are common with most carriers.

There’s no real need to, but you could also access Mobile Mail using any standard computer browser. Sure the type size will be small, since it’s designed for a phone screen, but there are some advantages too. I can’t tell you what they are, but you can see for yourself. Don’t tell anyone I told you here. :-)

Enoy and thanks for choosing AOL.

Tae Kang
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: mail blog

Tags: Mobile Mail, beta

New AOL software lets you access all your other accounts on one screen!

Written by guest blogger Laura Peterson, Sr. Product Manager, AOL Desktop Software

Hi everyone,

Hope you’ve been checking out the mail experience in the beta of Helix (update: now called AOL Desktop), our latest all-in-one desktop software. I’m here to check in and tell you about a couple of cool features in Helix mail, such as the ability to add and access multiple mail accounts.

Helix lets you read mail from numerous non-AOL mail accounts, like Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, etc., all at the same time. In addition to supporting mail addresses from the AOL network (domains like AOL, AIM, eAddress and Affinity mail), Helix also lets you check and write mail from other POP3 accounts like GMail and Verizon. The Helix team implemented this in a really elegant way by using tabs. Tabs are one of the new innovations you’ll see in the mail experience and something we’ve done throughout Helix to improve windows management.

The first screenshot below shows the mailbox (in the background) with multiple mail accounts enabled: an AOL e-mail address tab and a Gmail tab. After you add multiple accounts, you will be able to easily tab between your inboxes from the top of the AOL Desktop mailbox.

To add an e-mail account, click the “add e-mail account” button near the top middle of the form. You’ll be taken to the mail account part of mail settings where you can add and edit accounts.




This next screenshot shows where you enter your additional account information. (The port numbers are just placeholder, by the way.) Make sure you have the password for your additional mail account ready. AOL Desktop will enter as much information as it can on its own, but it’s also helpful to have the server address, port numbers and security types ready just in case Helix doesn’t auto-populate these fields. You should be able to access this information, as well as enable any other POP-related functionality, from your additional mail account settings.



After you’ve added an account, the tabs will let you toggle between your mail account inboxes.

Here are a couple things to remember about multiple accounts in AOL Desktop:

* The number of unread mail will be displayed as a number in each inbox account tab. However, only your main AOL-domain (including AIM, eAddress etc.) mail count and mail list will appear in the Helix toolbar and toolbar hover state.

* When you compose a mail, you now have a choice of what account you can send it from. Just select the preferred account from the dropdown list. (However, your main AOL address will always be the default.)

* You only have one set of folders for Helix mail. Regardless of what account tab you’re in or how many accounts you add, the folders where you save your mail will not change. Similarly, you will still have one central Address Book store.

Well, have fun checking out multiple accounts in Helix mail!

Be sure to try out the Beta so you can also explore other new features like tabbed mail, built-in MapQuest, AIM, and App Map, which lets you view all your open windows as clickable thumbnails.

Download the Helix Beta here: http://beta.aol.com/projects.php?project=helix

Cheers,
Laura Peterson


Tags: Helix, new aol software, multiple accounts, AOL Desktop

Which version of web mail should I use?

Hi,

Some of you have emailed me asking which version of the two new Web Suites you should use, so I thought I'd shed some light on that subject here for everyone to read.

Since late August, a new Basic version of the Web Suite was added to the product line, which is mainly intended for users who are on older computers or slower internet connections. The Basic is a "lite" version, meaning that it's smaller, faster, and more streamlined for doing just the basics of email. See how we got that name? :-) What that means though is that there are some features intentionally left out, in order to focus on speed. As this new Basic version grows, we'll be adding more convenience features.

If features is more important to you than speed (yes we're working on making it so that you can "have your cake and eat it too"), then the Standard version is for you. As long as you have a modern computer with a fast internet connection.

Below is a table that summarizes the recommended Web Suite, for different situations.



Direct access methods to your mail account:

Web Suite Standard - http://mail.aol.com

Web Suite Basic - http://basic.mail.aol.com

Notes:

When logging in, the actual connection speed is checked. If the speed isn't fast enough, you will see an option to use Basic if you haven't been logged in within 30-seconds. But you'll still be taken to the Standard version if you simply wait. If the Basic version is desired after you've logged in, the "Basic Version" link at the bottom of the screen can be clicked.

(1) Users with modern computers with compatible browsers and fast connection speeds can also use the Basic version too. Click the Basic Version link at the bottom of the screen when logged in. Bookmark the above links for faster access.

(2) Users can also use the Standard version if features are more important than speed. Click the Standard Version link at the bottom of the screen when logged in (compatible OS and browser are required otherwise link will not be displayed).


PS: I know there have been some reports of the Basic version being slower for some of you than the Standard version. If you're experiencing this consistently, please email me details about your system so that we can help you with that probably-resolvable issue.

Enjoy and thanks for choosing AOL,

Tae Kang

"The AOL Mail Blog Guy"
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: Mail Blog

Introducing AOL Mail Gadget for iGoogle

Written by guest blogger Rohit Kinra, Sr. Product Manager, AOL Mail

We’ve been hard at work for the past couple of months on developing web-based gadgets for all AOL mail users (AOL, AIM, or My eAddress). A gadget is a "light-weight single-purpose program" on a web site, designed to perform a specific function.

We're now releasing another web-based gadget for all of you who use iGoogle for your homepage (yes, we do play nicely with our competitors :-) ). And we are busy working on more gadgets for more of your favorite websites, so keep checking back with us.
All the gadgets will show you new mail in your AOL, AIM, or My eAddress mailboxes. So, now you can find out about the new mail in your mailbox even while your surfing on Google (and other sites in the future). The gadgets allow you to:

• See new mail with their subject lines, whom they are from, and when you got them.
• See the number of new mail messages in your mailbox.
• Compose a new mail message… We will link you right into our Web Suite and you can begin writing your new mail.
• Set how many new mail messages you want to see (5, 10, or 15).
• Set the background color when displaying your new mail.



Our first version is US English only, but we are working hard to make a global version with the following languages:

French (France)
German (Germany)
English (US)
English (United Kingdom)
English (Canada)
English (India)
Spanish (US)
Spanish (Spain)
Italian (Italy)
Swedish (Sweden)
Chinese (China)
Dutch (Netherlands)

If you want to try the AOL mail gadget for Google, you can load it into your iGoogle page. Click here to try it now.

Thanks and we hope you enjoy the new gadgets. Please let us know what you think of them.

Enjoy,
Rohit Kinra

Sending text messages from the Web Suite (and AOL 9.0VR too)

You may have heard that Yahoo is offering a new service starting today that lets you send an SMS or text message from email. Well, that’s another feature that AOL has had for years now. Simply open the Web Suite's AIM Panel or AOL 9.0VR (works with the AIM installed program too), click the IM button, and type “+1 and the 10-digit cell phone number” into the To: Screen Name box. Your IM will be received on their cell phone, usually within seconds, and they can reply back via IM too. It's kind of fun, so give it a try! Note: recipient's phone must have the feature to receive text messages and some cell phone companies charge for text messages.

So that you don't have to type in all the digits the next time, it’s real easy to add that number to your buddy list. I’ve had my wife’s cell number in my buddy list for those last minute “pick up more milk please” text messages. :-)

Enjoy the new AIM Panel in the Web Suite and thanks for choosing AOL.

‘Til next time,

Tae Kang
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: mail blog

More capabilities with some new, great features

Hi,

The Web Suite has been updated with new features today. Unrelated to the update was an unfortunate and coincidental mail service interruption that occurred a few hours after the update and prevented logins. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused some of you. We have found the cause and have put in new measures to prevent it from happening again.

The summary of the new Web Suite features can be found below in a previous blog entry. You can now see all these new, great features at the same web address you've been using before: http://mail.aol.com. Of course you can always go to www.aol.com and click on the Mail icon there too (latter method takes a little longer than book marking http://mail.aol.com).

To try the all new Basic version of the Web Suite, remember to click the Basic Version link at the bottom of the screen. It's lite, fast, and a great option for anyone on a slower internet connection or older system/browser.

Again, we apologize for the service interruption earlier today and hope you enjoy all the new capabilities of the Web Suite and Web Suite Basic.

Tae Kang

“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: mail blog

AOL Mail on Facebook

Are you a Facebook user? If so, check out the new, fast-growing “You’ve Got Mail” Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17403920336.

You can join the Facebook group and connect with other AOL Mail users with similar interests. Have some fun with it.

Tae Kang
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: mail blog

Web Suite Basic Beta is here and new features too

Reminder: There is nothing to install onto your computer to try a beta version of the Web Suite—you simply access the new beta version by accessing a different web site using your browser, and you can switch back to the web mail you’ve been using, at any time, by going to a different web page to access your emails. In other words, the same email account content can be accessed via the following new web sites (web mail services).

Hi,

On behalf of the entire AOL Mail team, I’m happy to announce the all-new Web Suite Basic Beta and an upcoming update to the Web Suite Standard web mail products. Both were released a few hours ago into Beta, and are accessible for everyone to try out. I think you’ll find the Beta Basic version fast and streamlined for those of you who want mail, and mail only,—fast. And for those of you who want a more full experience, with calendar, Panels, Pictures, etc, and have a fast internet connection with a fast computer, then the Web Suite Standard may be more to your liking. Either way, AOL gives you the choice.

There are two big announcements:

1) The new Web Suite Basic is now available in beta (once there, you can switch to the Standard version via a link at the bottom of the screen). Basic is designed for those of you who want only emails, and as fast as they can be served up. It’s optimized for those of you who:

- Are on a slower internet connection (ie: 56k dialup modems),

- Are using an older operating system such as Windows 98, Windows 2000, and older versions of the Mac OS,

- Are using an older web browser (ie: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x, Firefox 1.x, Safari 2.0.3 and below, etc.),

- Use screen readers or other accessibility software, or

- Just want a faster Web Mail experience without needing access to your Calendar, AIM, or Pictures. Faster systems can also use the Basic version if you prefer.


The AOL Beta team will begin a more formal test of the Basic version starting next week, but it is available as a sneak peek. You can subscribe to the Web Suite Beta Alert if you'd like to be notified of that and other Web Suite beta events.

2) The Web Suite Standard in beta, which will be the new version of what most of you have been using to date, has new features that you’ve been asking for. Once there, you can switch to the Basic version via a link at the bottom of the screen. The new Standard version has many new features, some of which are:

- Six different screen colors (“skins”) to choose from.


- Twelve different Panels with a wide variety of topics, such as:

o News — Headlines from AOL Top News, CNN, USA Today, New York Times, and Strange But True

o Business — News from the marketplace from AOL Business News, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fortune, and The Motley Fool

o Sports — Scores and game highlights from AOL Top Sports, USA Today Sports, New York Times Sports, and ESPN

o Technology — Feed your inner-propeller-head with tech information from Techcrunch, CNET, Engadget, Digg, and Gizmodo

o Entertainment — News from Hollywood to Bollywood via MovieFone, TMZ.com, People.com, and the AOL Music Top 11 Show

o Directory — The AOL Channel lineup: quick links to close to twenty major portals for the information and content you've come to expect.

o Daily Quote — Random quotes from great (and some not so great) minds throughout theages

- New link at the bottom of the screen to toggle between the Basic and Standard versions of the Web Suite (with compatible browser).


- Many more AIM Panel features, such as separate sign in/out capability, “invisible” mode, multiple conversations within a single window, Buddy sounds, offline IM capability, expressions, additional preference settings, auto-sign-in capability, and much more.

Below is a screen shot highlighting some of Web Suite Standard’s new features.



With the various versions available to you, it can get a bit confusing until you get familiar with the differences between each one. I recommend you create a browser bookmark for your favorite Web Suite version (or all of them so that you have them at your fingertips). Bookmarks can be created easily in Windows XP by following these steps (see your operating system’s documentation for steps in other OS’):

1) Log into the version of web mailthat you prefer.
2) Resize the browser window so that you can see a part of the Windows desktop behind it.
3) Drag-n-drop the IE icon from the browser window to the desktop. See screen shot below--drag the part that’s highlighted in red. A shortcut will be created on the desktop. Double-clicking it will take you straight to your login page. No more remembering web site addresses.




Tell us what you think of both the beta of Web Suite Basic and the new features in the Web Suite Standard. And thanks for choosing AOL.

Tae Kang

“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”
http://mailblog.aol.com
Keyword: mail blog

Introducing Web Suite Basic

About Web Suite Standard and Basic:

If you are using the soon-to-be-discontinued “webmail1.webmail.aol.com” version of the Web Suite, you have two alternatives to use from now on: Basic and Standard versions. The Basic version was created for those with slower connection speeds and older systems that may not have enough computing “horse power” to be used with the Standard version.


The Standard version is designed for use with modern computers (with current OS, browsers, and full AJAX support) that have a fast, broadband internet connection. As long as your computer is compatible with both versions, you can switch back-and-forth between the two at any time by using the link at the very bottom of the screen after logging in.

As long as your computer is compatible, you can use the following web addresses to go directly to either version. If your computer does not meet all the system requirements, the Basic version will be the only option. If you experience any difficulty logging into either one, make sure to clear your browser’s cache AND cookies files.

Web Suite Standard - http://mail.aol.com

Web Suite Basic - http://basic.mail.aol.com



Written by guest blogger Rose, Product Manager, AOL Web Suite

Hi Mail Blog readers!

I’m guest blogging for Tae today to let you know about an exciting new offering from AOL Mail. For the past few months, my team and I have been working on something called Web Suite Basic. As you may remember, Tae had previously mentioned an upcoming lightweight web mail in this entry.

So, what is Web Suite Basic?

Web Suite Basic is a web-based mail and address book product that is ideal for narrow band, legacy systems, and accessibility. It is a lightweight application that, in technical jargon, uses minimal DHTML and JavaScript (is easier for older computers to handle). We also stripped down the “bells and whistles” so it’s optimized for speed. Web Suite Basic is also screen reader friendly. We have included basic tabbing and keyboard controls for ease of use. Best of all, it looks and feels like Web Suite Standard, to provide you (our loyal users) a seamless experience!

Is Web Suite Basic for you?

- If you are on a dialup connection (56k, 128k, etc)…
- If you are using an older operating system (Windows 98, Windows 2000, Mac OS 10.4.9) or browser (Internet Explorer 5.5, Firefox 1.0, Safari 1.3, 2.0.1-3.) …
- If you are an accessibility user or use a screen reader…
- If you want a faster e-mail experience without needing access to your calendar, pictures or AIM…

Then Web Suite Basic is for you! The product will be available on the Beta site starting later this week. Stay tuned and I’m sure Tae will let you know when the big day comes. You can also subscribe to the Web Mail Beta Alert, and the beta team will notify you of this and other Web Mail beta events (via email)." :-)

Hope you enjoy Web Suite Basic. Let us know what you think by leaving comments here after you’ve had a chance to test drive it.

PS. If you want to continue using great features such as AOL Calendar, AIM Panel, AOL Pictures or linked screen name, you’ll be able to keep using our Standard version!

Rose

UPDATE: In order to make the Basic version as fast as possible, we had to defer a couple of items, such as the "address auto-complete in the To: field" and the "Linked Screen Names" features for now. We're looking into how we may be able to add those features soon to this new product, while keeping it still faster than the Standard version. Stay tuned.


Tags: Standard, Basic, differences, Barbados, phase-out

Check out the NEW My eAddress

Written by guest blogger Teya, Product Management, AOL Mail Team

Have you checked out the all-new My eAddress? AOL made it even easier for you to express yourself with a personalized email address. I like that you get to choose an email domain (the part after the @ sign) that suits your personality, with the same ease as signing up for AOL's free email (takes around 1 min.). Oh and don’t worry, it still won’t cost you a penny!

AOL has quite a few domain name choices to pick from—30 of them in fact. Some of my personal favorites are @luckymail.com, @writesoon.com, @totalfoodnut.com and @when.com. I can just imagine some of the creative email addresses that will ensue. Take a look at the new page and tell us some of your favorites. Let us know what you think. Here is a screen shot showing some of the new domain names you can choose:




Here’s how to get your own free personalized email address:

1) Go to http://domains.aol.com.

2) Click on one of the 30 popular domain names you want. They’re all free.

3) Register for the email address just like you would for AOL’s free email. Again, it only takes around a minute to get one.

That’s it! To use your new email account, you log in just like before (http://mail.aol.com). Just remember to enter your entire email address as the Screen Name, even the part after the @ sign. Example: chattingchuck@luckymail.com as the screen name. You can start sending and receiving email with your new personalized email address right away.

Keep checking http://domains.aol.com to discover cool new email domains.

Teya

Multiple ways to read your emails

There are many ways to access your AOL, AIM, or My eAddress mail account (let’s call them all AOL Mail for the purpose of this article). The most commonly known ways are via the web browser and the installed program (aka client).


But did you also know that there are a total of 8 ways to access the same mail account? In other words, the look-and-feel may be different depending on which method you use, but the same emails will be there (dependent on features). The complete list of the various ways is below, with links to details on how to access them. I recommend bookmarking the web sites below for easy access. You can also create a “shortcut” on your Windows desktop, but we’ll cover that in a separate article.

1) Web browsers

a. Method 1a) The latest full-featured version of the Web Suite can be used by entering into your browser’s URL address: mail.aol.com or mail.aim.com.

b. Method 1b) The older version (fewer features than the one above, but doesn’t require as much “horse power” from your system) can be used at: webmail1.webmail.aol.com.

2) AOL installed program (aka client). The latest beta version that gives you a choice of an Inbox or the AOL New/Old Mail folders is now available.

3) Almost any 3rd party email program can be used with your AOL Mail account, such as Outlook Express, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, etc. since AOL offers both IMAP and POP3 for free. I recommend IMAP if you want folders too. Setup instructions are here.

4) Any email-capable cell phone

a. Method 4a) use your cell phone’s browser to go to a new upcoming mobile mail service (stay tuned for more info soon!)

b. Method 4b) many phones have an email program built into them. If yours does, use the server names here to read your emails while on-the-go. iPhone specific info is here.

5) Coming soon: a new “lite” version of the Web Suite, called Web Suite Basic. I’m really looking forward to this one because it’s intended for those who’ve been experiencing very slow performance with older computers, on dialup connections, or anyone who just wants email without all the “bells and whistles” of the full Web Suite experience. Note: no Calendar for now in the Web Suite Basic.

6) Classic web mail, which is one of the first (translation = dated/unsupported) web mail product but it still works for now. Note: this works only with AOL-branded accounts. Classic.webmail.aol.com.

Remember to bookmark your favorite ones so that they’re at your fingertips. Enjoy accessing your emails in the many ways that are possible.

‘Til next time,

Tae Kang
“The Mail Blog Guy”
(coming soon: http://Mailblog.aol.com)
Keyword: mail blog


Tags: Multiple ways, read, emails

Emails with color?

Which color do you prefer?

Below are six screen shots of the top-left corner of the Web Suite in different colors. Which of them would you prefer to read your emails in?

I like a few of them, but the second one (blue) is my preference. Which one is yours? The first one? Second or third one?... Maybe a different one for each day of the week? :-) Want the ability to choose yourself? That's what we're planning on actually.


Tell me which one you like the best by leaving me a comment below. Don't tell anyone I showed you this exclusive "preview"--these pictures haven't been officially disclosed anywhere yet. :-) And thanks for choosing AOL.

PS: I’ve been out of the office for the past 5 days and just got back online, so I’ll be replying to comments and direct emails soon. Thanks for being patient.

Tae
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”



Tags: AOL Web Mail Web Suite Skins Colors

How to email faster & easier

Hi,

There are many, many new keyboard short cuts in the Web Suite that are handy, but there are 5 that every Web Suite user should know about. These will not only help you save calories, but also help your index finger and mouse last longer. :-) Seriously, they help you read, compose, and send email faster, which are the repetitive things we do often.

Notes: Your mileage may vary depending on which browser you use; these may work in other browsers, but they are intended for Internet Explorer 6/7 and Firefox. Mac users, should substitute the Apple key for the Ctrl key below.

To Write an email quicker while in the Inbox or any folder:
Just press Alt-W, which is short for Write email. (while holding down the Alt key, press the letter W)

To Reply to an email quicker while reading an email:
Just press the R key by itself (short for Reply). Guess what it is to reply to All? The A key of course--see how logical we made it?

To Forward an email quicker while reading it:
Just press the F key by itself (short for Forward of course).

To mark an email as New:
Just press the N key by itself (remember, emails marked “Keep as New” are never auto-deleted in AOL-branded accounts; AIM-branded accounts keep emails forever without any action).

And my favorite, to Send the email quicker:
Press Ctrl-Enter (while holding down the Ctrl key, press the Enter key)

There are another 50+ short cuts available in the Web Suite. If you want to see the full list of them, send me an email (websuiteblog at aol dot com). The list is too long to post here.

After you try these keyboard short cuts for a few days, you’ll love them. Enjoy managing your emails a bit faster.

Tae
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”


Tags: keyboad, shortcuts

Panels, Panels, and more Panels

Written by guest blogger Jeremy, Product Manager, Mail Business Operations

What is a Panel you may ask. A Web Suite Panel is a “drawer-like” (can be opened or closed) portion of the Web Suite on the right side of the screen. The Panel area contains various content that makes the Web Suite even more handy (think Swiss Army Knife). Currently there are the People, Events, TMZ, and To Do Panels but there are more coming soon. As Tae has announced before here, one of the newer Panels is the AIM Panel that’s being beta tested now; the next release will add even more functionality to that AIM Panel.

So what other new Panels will be coming in the future? Many of you have asked for an easier way to access other services, so we’re adding a new Directory Panel. This panel will easily take you to other great areas, to see TV/movie times, sports news/scores, business news, music, shopping, etc. See the screen shot below for a sample of what’ll be available in the Directory Panel.



If you’re looking for something a little more fun, then you can have the new Quote of the Day Panel shown. This panel will show popular quotes from famous people. If you ever wished Ralph Waldo Emerson sent you an email, you can read off his quote and pretend he wrote it for you.



The Panels area offers a great way to spice up the Web Suite. We are actively creating many more panels that satisfy your different wants and needs. Some of the new upcoming Panels will be: News, Entertainment, Technology, Business, Sports, and Weather to name a few.

Future plans also include creating a way for users to create their own, or import other 3rd party widgets. If there’s a particular Panel idea you’d like to see, or know of a great 3rd party widget you’d like to add, tell us about it. We’re listening. We’ll try our best to base what gets added, on your input.

Thanks and enjoy the great new Panels coming your way (coming within a month or so).

Jeremy

New AOL 9.1 Beta available now

The Web Suite and the AOL Program (also known as "installed-client") both access the same email accounts, just through a difference look-and-feel. For those of you who also use the installed AOL Program on Windows, did you know that there’s a new beta version 9.1 with the following changes?

The ability to browse the web without signing on when you have a broadband or third-party dial-up connection.
An Inbox-style mailbox with unlimited storage.
Increased flexibility, with the addition of Express and Customized installation options.
The ability to easily find and add RSS Feeds to your Favorites while browsing.
Increased safety while web browsing with SurfLight™, which automatically warns you of malicious or suspicious websites.
Quick access to the latest News by clicking or hovering over the newly added News icon in the Toolbar.
Details about the new version are in the FAQs.

I’ve been trying out the new beta version and it looks great. Give it a try. You can use both the Web Suite as well as AOL 9.1 and switch back and forth on-the-fly.

Enjoy!

Tae
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”

How will the new Apple iPhone(TM) work with my AOL/AIM Mail service?

It’ll work perfectly! Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you probably know that the new Apple iPhone comes out tonight at 6pm. If you’re one of the lucky folks who get their hands on one, know that it’ll work straight-out-of-the-box with your AOL or AIM mail account without any configuration. You’ll be able to read and send emails directly from the Apple iPhone. I wanted to briefly tell you how it will work, and as soon as I see one personally (hint, hint, anybody?), I’ll elaborate on it further.

It’s real easy to read and send emails from the Apple iPhone, as well as to set it up. All you have to do is enter in your AOL or AIM screen name and password in its email program, and that’s it! It knows what to do from there (knows which servers to go to). Now, if you have a My eAddress account, you can use the following server names to configure the Apple iPhone manually. AOL offers both IMAP and POP3 services for free. You probably paid a pretty penny for the Apple iPhone—no need to pay any more with AOL. (Did I mention that your AIM and My eAddress accounts now have unlimited storage for free!)

Incoming mail servers:
IMAP: imap.aol.com or imap.aim.com Port #: 143
POP3: pop.aol.com or pop.aim.com Port #: 110

Outgoing mail servers:
SMTP: smtp.aol.com or smtp.aim.com Port #:587

Technically, you can use the same info above to configure most email-enabled cell phones or email programs for use with your AOL/AIM mail account.

Enjoy and let me know if any of you were one of the lucky ones who got an Apple iPhone.

Thanks for choosing AOL,

Tae
“The AOL Mail Blog Guy”

The new AIM Panel

Hi everyone,

Have you noticed the new, subtle, but convenient changes in the Web Suite? There was a new update recently that contained a bunch of new features as well as the new AIM Panel. When I say the Web Suite released an update, that means that our web site was updated, so that your browser runs new software when you access your account—no software is installed onto your computer.

If you want to check out the new beta AIM Panel, you have to use a different web address to see it. It’s an open, public beta, and you can give it a try without virtually any risk. It is at: http://beta.webmail.aol.com. The normal version of the Web Suite is still at: http://mail.aol.com. The two versions are almost identical, but the beta version has the AIM Panel turned on and you can switch back and forth between them whenever you want. I wrote about the AIM Panel in more detail here.

Below are some of the highlights included in the new update that everyone got:

• New separate AIM Panel (in beta version only for now).
  
• The rest of the features below are in the normal (aka new or standard) version of the Web Suite too.
  
• AIM-branded and My eAddress accounts now have unlimited storage (was 2 GBs before).
  
• More ways to get to your emails. FREE POP3and IMAP access to your account so that you can use an email program, such as Outlook or Thunderbird to get to your emails. Under Settings | General.
  
• Can sort by various columns in the Contacts list (in the full Contacts list on the left side). Click on any column to sort by it.
  
• Ability to right-click a column heading in the message and contacts lists to select desired columns to display and change its width that’ll remain even after re-logging in. See the following screen shot of the columns available in the message list:
  
  
  
  
• As you can see above, we’ve re-added the email size column in the Inbox (some of you really wanted this back).
  
• Easily transfer email and addresses from other email services to your AOL/AIM account. Under Settings | Accounts.
  
• An indicator (buddy icon) in relevant places, so that you can see whether the sender is online and available to chat instead of email.
  
• A new setting to always show full headers in the Read Message window. Under Settings | General.
  
• Enhanced and improved keyboard shortcuts (CTRL and ALT keys no longer required in most places). Detailed list can be found here.
  
• Improved context menus (right-click menus).
  
• Remembers the settings for re-located or width adjusted columns in message lists (such as Inbox, Sent). Drag a column to change its positionor adjust its width.
  
• Closing the Panel on the right side, will keep it closed, even when you log in again.
  
• Shift-clicking a range of emails now selects all of them in between (put a check mark in the first one before shift-clicking). CTRL-click pops open the email in a new browser window. Handy, huh?
  
• The print icon is back in the Read Message window for some browsers that were missing it before. We just couldn’t squeeze it all into the previous release.
  
• Improved handling of freezing browsers with a recent Microsoft Windows update and improved experience of popup windows when a popup blocker is found.
  
• In printed emails, show any attachments that were included.

I, and the entire mail team, hope you enjoy the new version as well as check out the new AIM Panel. If you have any suggestions on the AIM Panel or any of the new features, please let us know. Please provide beta feedback here.

Thanks for choosing AOL.

Tae
"The Mail Blog Guy"

The New AIM Panel is coming this week!

Hi,

Later this week, we'll be unveiling the new AIM Panel in the Web Suite! (on 6/28) This is the highly-anticipated feature that's been talked about by the press recently and it'll be available for you to see it very soon. We'll be beta testing the next version of the Web Suite, which contains this new AIM Panel. The only way you'll be able to see it is by clicking a link after it's released--it will not automatically show up in your account. As usual, you can always switch back and forth between the upcoming beta version of the Web Suite and the version you are using now.

Some of the details of the new AIM Panel include:
* A new Panel on the right side of the screen, which can be slid open or closed
* You can set your availability and away message
* Independent login for the Web Suite and AIM - just one click away
* Allows multiple chats in the same window
* Presence Icons in the message header so that you can IM them with a real-time reply instead of email
* All the Panels on the right side can be closed and its opened/closed state will be remembered the next time you log in
* Supports most of the main features available in the full AIM program, such as custom Away Message
* Works with the Linked Screen Name feature


Below is a screen shot of the upcoming AIM Panel and what a chat window will look like. As most things in technology, it'll be refined as we receive your feedback on it, so let us know what you think by leaving a comment here.


Although unrelated to the new AIM Panel, there is now full support of both IMAP and POP3 for accessing your account using an email program, all for free. Some companies charge extra for that service.

'Til next time,
Tae

Solutions to transition issues

Updated solutions below as of Mon, 6/11, 5:40pm PDT.

If you're experiencing technical difficulties with the new Web Suite, on behalf of the entire mail team, I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Below are some solutions/suggestions that may help you get back on track.

If you are totally locked out of your account or you cannot send emails from it, you can access the old version of the Web Suite at:
http://webmail1.webmail.aol.com This will at least get you back on track if you cannot use the new version for some reason.

An easier way to get technical assistance has been created since blogs don't lend themselves well to threaded-topics. There are also more people there who are helping out with questions and I'm jumping there too to answer technical questions. That message board is at: http://messageboards.aol.com/aol/en_us/articles.php?boardId=569193&func=3&channel=People

If you're running into any of the following issues (the majority of you are not based on internal usage reports), please check back here daily as I'm editing the text below often as soon as I get the news.

If you think you're "missing some emails," then try clicking the Sign out link at the top-left corner of the screen, then log back in and you should see everything. A few accounts may need this done once, in order to get everything synced back in.

In Internet Explorer 6 or 7, if you can't log into your account fully and you get a "this.txtAdvertisement.domNode is null or not an object" error, then see if you have the ICQ 6 Toolbar installed and try disabling it as a temporary workaround.

The Contacts list (Addresses) is sorting differently than the old version. A user option has been made available so that the Contacts list can be sorted by the First name or Last name, just like the old version had it. This capability is now under Settings | General.

FireFox 2.0 no longer crashes when logging out as of 5/25 (URL should contain 27481 or higher). Side effect: the "You've Got Mail" sound won't be heard in FF for now, only if you have QuickTime 7 installed.

It's painstakingly slow and it takes around 20+ seconds to open or send an email - that's not the norm and we know it's happening mostly on Macs with the Safari browser. We highly recommend using Firefox, which is free at www.mozilla.com. Alternatively, Mac users who don't want to upgrade to Firefox can use the old version I spoke about above.

When printing emails, the attachment's name and size weren't displayed. That's been addressed in the next release coming in mid/late June.

Symptoms like stuck loops, not showing the list of messages or a folder's contents, error: “An error occurred while Retrieving your message,” not being able to log in, error: “error loading address book,” etc. that are NOT specifically identified here, can be resolved usually by clearing the browser's cache/cookie files. How this is done is very important on some computers/browsers, depending on what state your account was in at the time of an upgrade.
Please follow these steps EXACTLY to ensure that you've completely cleared your browser's cache/cookies.
1) Make sure you are logged out of your account before doing any of the following.
2) Clear all of your browser's cache and cookie files (very important for quickest resolution).
3) Then log back into your account.

If you are getting an error when trying to send an email, it may be because some other software has changed your normal settings in the browser. This can be fixed by a simple change.

If you are using IE6, please follow these steps to adjust your setting. Other browsers will have different steps so see its documentation for specific steps):
1) Go to the Tools menu and click Internet Options
2) Click the Security Tab
3) Click the Custom Level button
4) Scroll about 2/3 of the way down and look for "Navigate sub-frames across different domains" and make sure it's set to "Enable-ON."

If you can't log in at all to the new Web Suite, it may be because some other software has disabled ActiveX in your browser.

Here are the steps on how to turn on ActiveX Controls in IE6 (if using another browser, see its documentation or search on the internet):
1) Go to the Tools menu and select Internet Options
2) Click the Security Tab
3) Click the Custom Level button
4) Scroll down around two pages and look for items marked "Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins" and "Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting." Select the "Enable-ON" option for BOTH of those and click the OK button. You should be able to log in now.

If you need help, please copy/paste the questions below and add your answers to the end of each one when leaving a comment about your issue.
1) Detailed description of the issue and exact error message.
2) Operating System and version.
3) Browser name and version.
3.5) Type of connection to the Internet (broadband or dialup).
4) Whether you've already cleared the browser's cache/cookie files. Make sure to click the Sign Out link near the top-left corner of the screen first, clear the cache/cookies (click here for steps), then close and restart the browser. The order of these steps are very important and fixes 80% of the recent issues being reported here.
5) Whether the same problem occurs on multiple computers (if you can try that test).
5.5) Can you temporarily try turning off any firewall, ad blocker, security or anti-virus software, just as a brief test, to see if it works then?
6) What's the 5 digit number in the web address (URL)?
7) Whether you're getting the same results at webmail1.webmail.aol.com and mail.aol.com.
8) Same problem with another account too? (to rule out any account-specific possibilities)
9) If on Windows, what does your Task Manager show for the average CPU utilization ~10 seconds after everything finishes loading? If on Mac, this is found in Activity Monitor (Applications | Utilities folder).
10) Click the Help link while holding down the Shift key and you'll get a Mail System Summary page that gives more technical details. Give me with all the text on that page please.

The entire Web Suite team is focused on addressing any remaining critical issues and we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thanks for being patient while we resolve these transitional issues.

PS: For technical issues, a lot of solutions are being offered at the Web Suite message board since it's much easier for everyone to find the topics that are of interest to them. It's also easier for us to provide the answers there since each technical topic is separated and more visible.

For answers to technical questions, please post them at:
http://messageboards.aol.com/aol/en_us/articles.php?boardId=569193&func=3&channel=People

If you have a non-technical question (about features, how to do X, looks, etc), please leave them here for me. Thanks.

Tae