The sleekest AOL yet still has problems, but it's a gotta-get upgrade for AOL veterans and a solid choice for anyone who wants the Web handed over on a silver platter.
Every year, AOL adds new interface features and services. And every year, AOL adds new members; its subscriber list now hovers around 31 million. Although AOL 7.0 won't put every other ISP out of business, it's bound to attract a slew of new users. Version 7.0 sports the sharpest-looking AOL interface yet, armed with the best content of any ISP. For both longtime AOLers and those looking for an ISP that hands over tons of content, it's a great deal. Savvy surfers who are comfortable digging through the Web on their own, however, should steer clear.
Get with it, AOL
AOL 7.0's interface is much cleaner than that of previous versions. The Welcome screen is more streamlined, with less text, larger graphics, and more white space, but you still have to contend with serious screen clutter. Version 7.0 opens a new window every time you head to a different section, including when you leave AOL itself and go to the Web. Before you can say "You've got mail," AOL litters your desktop with a slew of windows. Until AOL develops an integrated, one-window interface, longtime Net heads should stick with plain ol' browsers such as Internet Explorer or Netscape.
AOL has fees starting from AU$24.95 per month, with the release of AOL 7.0 due to hit the Australian market in late December. Mac owners...well, you're out of luck. This new interface works for Windows only. You're stuck with version 5.0.
Think globally, surf locally
If you're more interested in finding out what's happening in your own backyard than in wading through national news, put AOL at the top of your ISP list. AOL puts a new emphasis on providing local content in version 7.0, but it really succeeds only at providing content for those of you in large metropolitan areas. From the top right of the Welcome screen, you can jump to sites packed with information on services and current events in your hometown--from personal ads to restaurant reviews to local news and upcoming sporting events. This bounty of information is a huge deal; no other ISP comes close to delivering this kind of content. AOL gathers and presents the info for you, so you don't have to hunt for it yourself. However, non-AOLers can get much of this same localized content from Digital City (Web site) or Citysearch (Web site), and savvy surfers will probably find AOL's coddling annoying.
Another standout new AOL service is AOL@Radio, a one-stop site where you can listen to more than 75 different digital music channels organised by genre, such as classic rock and classical. It's not quite real Net radio--the channels are commercial-free (yea!), the lineup is skimpy on talk and news (nay!), and you can't "tune in" to online stations the way you can using Internet Explorer--but it's a solid start at a comprehensive and accessible music service. Again, it doesn't take much for Net pros to find online radio broadcasts, though commercial-free ones are as rare as hen's teeth.
Faster than ever
Under the hood, this version runs faster than before. In our head-to-head time trials, AOL 7.0's software loaded much more quickly than 6.0's after we established an Internet connection (between 15 and 20 percent faster). Plus, version 7.0 is one of two editions of AOL that works with Microsoft's new OS, Windows XP (a customised edition of 6.0 also operates in XP).
Not so fast, though, is AOL's actual performance when accessing the Web. Our tests showed that 7.0 often pulled pages from the Web slightly slower than other ISPs, such as EarthLink. AOL lags--sometimes as much as 25 percent longer--in part because requests for Web pages go through AOL's servers, adding another step to the page download process. (This slower speed doesn't apply to AOL's own content, which is stored on its servers and pops up fast.)
AOL sports quite a few dial-up nodes (head to AOL.com to check your local access numbers), as well as 67 number that you can use to connect to the Internet while you're on the road. We rarely ran into busy signals while using AOL's access numbers.
AOL 7.0 still looks messy; we prefer a one-window interface along the lines of the new MSN to this window-spewing monster, but that doesn't seem to have stopped millions from signing up. If you're using an earlier version of AOL, update ASAP. Looking for a reliable ISP and a glut of content? Despite its heftier price tag, AOL is a good dial-up and broadband bet for those who want the Web organised for them. Don't need help like this? You don't need AOL.
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