AOL broadband...Here is a short piece I ran across from the AOL 10-K regarding their plans to enhance the service for broadband users this fall, in conjunction with the rollout of AOL 5.0.
If the past is any indicator, there will be a marketing blitz about high speed enhancements arriving at AOL, with xDSL being the suggested ticket to ride.
Brian
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Service Platforms and Access Devices
The Company supports a variety of software platforms, hardware devices and conduits for access to the Company's interactive online services. Today, the vast majority of members and users of interactive online services access such services through personal computers. Software platforms that the AOL and CompuServe services are available on include primarily the Windows (3.1, 95 and 98) and Macintosh operating systems. The Company has established its "AOLAnywhere" strategy of making the AOL service and features available through multiple connections and multiple devices. The Company intends to make its interactive online services available on new and future platforms or devices, such as televisions, wireless telephones, hand-held or pocket devices, online appliances, and smart phones, as consumer demand and technology and commercial viability permit. The Company is developing versions of its interactive online software that are customized for use on the various platforms. Features that may be made available on the different platforms include e-mail, news, stock quotes, electronic commerce and instant messages. The Company's next generation software for the AOL service, AOL 5.0, which will be introduced in the fall of 1999, will include the new feature AOL Plus, which will enable members to connect to the AOL service through high-speed broadband technologies, including DSL, cable, satellite and wireless, and will provide additional online content to members connecting through such broadband technologies. The expanded content will include video, games, music and online catalogue shopping features. |
