NEW YORK (Reuters) -- America Online on Tuesday launched stand-alone, advanced e-mail and instant messaging software as the AOL Time Warner unit tries to offer more choice in hopes of stemming subscriber defections.
The product launch comes as America Online also rolls out the latest version of its Internet service, AOL 9.0 Optimized, and as it tries to curtail the sharp decline in its dial-up subscriber base while trying to woo high-speed users.
The company said the stand-alone product, AOL Communicator, can consolidate e-mail from multiple accounts into a single application and offers more flexible e-mail management and better spam filters. It will be free to AOL subscribers.
Probes into accounting
The release comes at a time America Online faces federal probes into its accounting of advertising deals, questions about discounted bulk sales of Internet subscriptions to its marketing partners in 2001 and concerns about its shrinking dial-up subscriber base.
The SEC recently requested documents related to the bulk deals, a person close to the company said last week.
Analysts have been encouraged by early peeks at AOL 9.0, calling it one of the biggest changes in the service in years and a step in the right direction, but they said it is unlikely to be enough to offset the company's near-term woes. AOL is part of CNN's parent company AOL Time Warner.
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Source:
CNN
