AOL software now free for members
Time Warner will be making AOL`s software, mail and various other products free to users in an attempt to improve their online advertising business.
President and COO of Time Warner, Jeff Bewkes said customers were not willing to pay for products over and above broadband costs.
The products that will be freely available include AOL e-mail and instant messaging as well as a local phone number with limitless incoming calls, security features and networking applications. Former AOL users will be able to reactivate their old usernames as long as they were discarded over the last two years. AOL will still offer its Dial-up service, but it will not be assertively marketed.
Meebo adds messaging to any page
Meebo will introduce a new Web page-integrated IM (instant messaging) product called Meebo me. This widget gives users the capability to access IM from any Web page and lets users see which of their buddies have accessed a particular Web page. Meebo says all companies are welcome to participate free, although CEO Seth Sternberg says a small fee will come into play at a later date.
Users can copy the programming code that generates the widget from www.meebome.com and add it to their own web sites. Meebo me uses the Jabber protocol, which makes this IM service compatible with products like Trillian or Google Talk.
The response from the industry has been positive with the likes of Sequoia Capital and Netscape listed as investors, Information Week reports.
Google Talk`s P2P
Google has packed Google Talk with several new features. Listed among these new features are: A peer-to-peer file transfer capability where users can send and receive files and folders from friends, the ability to leave voicemail if friends are not available online and the music status feature where users can show friends the track that they are listening to.
Users may also have noticed new buddy icons that are available in Google Talk.
According to Digitimes, Taiwanese company Alpha Networks are also preparing to begin production of a Google Talk enable WiFi phone. The company says that it will also make Gmail available on the new handset.
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