Topic: AOL

Remember AOL were offering free laptops to new customers a couple of months ago?

The offer is still open, but now AOL are offering a Playstation 3 to new customers who sign up to it's AOL Broadband Wireless Plus product. It comes with a (up to) 8 Mbps connection speed and has a 40GB download allowance, free connection and a wireless router are also thrown in, as is a AOL Talk PAYG Plan.

As with anything which is 'free' there are some conditions on the offer, for one thing it's subject to a 24 month minimum contract, although the PS3 is yours to keep after that time period. Potential customers outside an AOL LLU area and connected via BT's network will also have to pay an extra £10 a month. There is also a £14.99 delivery charge on both the PS3 and laptop.

Just after Orange announced that they were giving away 'free' laptops, AOL promptly did the same.

But now it's transpired that there is a limited number of £500 laptops to be given away, 100,000, and not until September so it will be on a first come first served basis. Both the Orange and AOL promotions have been criticised as customers can get far better broadband deal for the same money, and not get tied into a two year contract, although the lure of a laptop will no doubt attract many.

The Carphone Warehouse has been criticised for charging it's AOL customers and extra tenner if they are not on a LLU exchange.

uSwitch, the price comparison site, claimed the two-tier policy was unfair as it mainly affected those in rural areas who had little chance of their local exchange being upgraded. It called it a "a huge divide that emerges" and claimed that this would be a model that other ISPs would follow.

Carphone Warehouse responded saying that broadband prices have fallen 17 percent this year and that even non-LLU customers are still getting "a great-value-for-money broadband deal", although not sure a great deal as their LLU cousins. The response seems to be a typical 'political reply' where both the question and the problem is talked around.

Ofcom have replied to the problem:-

If ISPs decide on this two-tier policy, which makes financial sense to them, then customers can always vote with their feet.

AOL have decided to follow it's owner The Carphone Warehouse and ask punters not on any of it's LLU exchanges to cough up some more cash for their services.

This means that an AOL Silver package jumps from a respectable looking £14.99 to £24.99 which makes it seem unattractive compared to many deals around, especially as this also involves signing an 18 month contract.
As AOL only have 300 or so unbundled exchanges this is likely to affect around 40 percent of the UK population.

It's not known if this will affect current users of AOL products, but it seems likely that any increase would only be applied after the contract term has been reached.

ISPreview have reported that AOL, who is now owned by The Carphone Warehouse, has lost thousands of it's customer e-mails after a hiccup with it's archives. Reports of users losing thousands of mails is quoted, although the scale of the problem is unknown.

AOL deny any problems and have sent the boys out to investigate.

AOL have decided to change it's T&C's and to introduce a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) from 1st February 2007.

One part which will will be of interest to those who use AOL because of being an unlimited connection is the plan to introduce traffic shaping. Basically this means those who AOL decide are using their service excessively, by using P2P for example, will find that their transfer rates will be reduced.

Most of AOL's users will be unaffected by the change, but it is consistant with the growing trend among ISPs to try to discourage heavy users from residential products.

AOL Europe has a new top bod after president Karen Thompson resigned, leaving a space for AOL France CEO Carlo d'Asaro Biondo, to take over.

Thompson has been with AOL for 11 years, becoming CEO of AOL UK in 2001, and chairman in 2005, before taking on the role of president in March this year.

She leaves the job on a high note as advertising revenues at AOL are up 46 per cent, and it recently sold it's UK customer base for £370 million.

AOL is offering photographers a change to visit the big apple in it's latest competition.

The digital photography competition is to let users share life experiences with their counterparts through photo albums, with those wishing to enter uploading their photos on the AOL website using their AOL screen name.

The winner will get a three-night trip to New York for two, £500 spending money and a camera, although the must already have one to enter the competition.

If you feel the urge to enter you have until 12th November, with the winner announced on the 17th.

AOL is giving way a free anti-virus software package, based on technology from Kasperesky Lab.

Called Active Virus Shield, it will protect users from viruses, spyware, malware and Trojans before they attack, as well as real-time scanning of files and email. It updates itself hourly with the latest virus signatures rather than weekly as some anti-virus products which is a good thing.

Also included with the package is a security toolbar for Internet Explorer which includes a a password manager, pop-up blocking technology, and a link to the Whois domain registration database so allows users can find more information on suspect material or sites.

An email address, is all users will have to supply to use the service.

AOL in the US is looking to offer a free version of its service to customers of rival ISPs.

This would include both the AOL email service and it's traditionally subscription based content, with the ISP having to rely on advertising for it's revenue. But according to reports this would mean they they would have to find up to $2biillion (£1.1billion) to make up the shortfall.

Whether this will mean anything this side of the pond is doubtful, as the UK broadband market is very different from that of the US.