You're browsing on your Mac (hopefully using AOL Desktop for Mac :), and your buddy sends you an IM to say that last nights Daily Show or Colbert Report was must-see TV, but you forgot to record it on your PVR. Guess what, you can now view the ENTIRE show on AOL Video's Hulu channel. Did I mention it's FREE. Yep, no fees and you can watch a variety of shows from other AOL partners as well.

Stop by today and get caught up on your favorite shows. You can also add the AOL Video button to your toolbar, check out the AOL Toolbar customization instructions for more info (not to mention adding Write Mail, AOL Radio and even TMZ to your toolbar!).

Enjoy!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

My blogger cohort Laura - on the AOL Desktop for Windows blog posted a great article on some of the work the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) social media team is working on...

http://desktopblog.aol.com/2008/07/01/a-dedicated-chatroom-for-the-deaf-community/

Stop by and check it out.

thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

We understand that some of our users have been vocal (well, that's an understatement for some of our loyal users :) so AOL is continuing our commitment to the Mac platform by releasing the second beta for AOL Desktop for Mac 1.5, the next version of the all-in-one Internet application.

If you haven't gotten your copy of AOL Radio 2.0 beta, powered by CBS Radio, make sure you head over to AOL Beta Central to get a copy today!

I want to answer some questions from our users:

How do I set Presets?
After switching to a station you want to make a preset, right mouse click or CTRL-click an open preset. Press Option to set presets 6-10. Presets that are grayed, out do not have a station assigned.


How do I view stations when browsing through Genres?
Just double-click any of the Genres and you will see all stations in that category.

When will [enter your favorite feature here] be released?
We're working hard to make AOL Radio 2.0 the best standalone radio client on the Mac. We're also making changes on the back-end to support HD-Radio stations. You can stay tuned by e-mail or RSS feeds of the Mac@AOL blog so you can the most up-to-date info on AOL Mac software.

Yes, we now say farewell to AOL Radio 1.2.1...But now we have the new and improved AOL Radio 2.0 beta powered by CBS Radio.

You can get your copy at AOL Beta Central or if you're on an iPhone, drop by the Apple App Store. Tell us what you think by leaving comments on the Beta Central message boards or submit a feedback or bug report - everything's on AOL Beta Central.

Requirements
This application requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later. (If you have 10.5 or 10.5.1, please use the Apple Software Update to upgrade to 10.5.2 or higher). Tiger users, please stop by AOL Radio on the web, you'll get the same great stations and same CD-quality streams if you're on broadband.

Features in AOL Radio 2.0 beta 1

• Currently supporting 10 presets with 5 available presets on the player window. Right-click or Control-click to set one of the 5 presets or you can go to the Controls menu item.
• Favorites & Local Channels panes will be available in a future beta release.

I would like to thank our award-winning developers Dan Gilliam and Ron Anderson on their great work getting this beta out the door.

Also, thanks to Moncef, aka "DJ Monfresh" for QA'ing the new app Josh and Bryce on AOL Beta Central and all the support we received from the AOL Radio and Member Services teams.

Thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

Some of our loyal listeners have discovered that AOL Radio on iPhone, powered by CBS Radio is now streaming ALL stations on both EDGE/3G and WiFi networks (Thanks to the AOL Radio and CBS Radio Team!). This has been the most requested feature and we've been happily listening to streams for the past few days. Here's a snippet of the 4 latest reviews from the Apple iTunes App Store (I did not cherry pick, these are the 4 most recent reviews posted as of 7:37PM EDT!)...





If you just picked up a new iPod touch or iPhone 3G (or upgraded your original iPhone, stop by the Apple App Store and download today!

We have exciting news to announce: AOL Radio 2.0, powered by CBS Radio, will be coming to Mac OS X Leopard. (Mac OS X 10.4.x users can listen to AOL Radio on the Web at http://radio.aol.com ).

AOL Radio 1.2.1 and previous versions will be discontinued on July 30, 2008 and replaced by AOL Radio 2.0 beta. AOL Radio 2.0 beta, powered by CBS Radio, features more than 200 stations spanning at least 25 genres of music -- plus another 150+ CBS Radio stations from across the U.S.

In the meantime, you can take a peek at AOL Radio for iPhone and stop by the Mac@AOL Blog next week for more information on downloading the beta!

Thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

The AOL Mac Team is not taking a break this summer. We released AIM for iPhone and AOL Radio for iPhone and now we'll be following up with AOL Desktop for Mac 1.5 beta. This new beta program will focus on the next major update of the AOL all-in-one Internet software.

Our goals for this release are:

• AIM File Transfer now enabled. Users can send files directly to other AIM users.
• Users can now tear off browser tabs (and merge browser windows back to tabs).
• Users can now log in with their .Mac user IDs and passwords.
• All AOL Screen Names associated with an account will now appear in the Sign-In window drop-down list.
• Mail header switching issues have been resolved.

We're looking to make window management better and pull all screen names associated with an account after you first log in. For all you AIM fans, you can now use AIM File Transfer to send files to your Buddies without firing up FTP or attaching to e-mail.

All of these features have been requested by our users and we're making sure we continually make AOL Desktop for Mac the best Internet app on the Mac. Please continue to use the Beta Feedback or leave a comment on the Mac@AOL Blog.

thanks!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

Posted: July 10, 2008

Instant Messaging, Online Radio and Video Search Applications for the iPhone & iPod touch

NEW YORK – July 10, 2008 – AOL today announced three new iPhone OS applications: AIM, the leading instant messaging service; AOL Radio, the most popular online radio service and recent recipient of an Apple Design Award; and Truveo, the leading video search engine are available as free downloads from the Apple App Store beginning today.

"With AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo for the iPhone, consumers now have access to the world's largest instant messaging network, over 350 streaming radio stations and millions of online videos," said Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President of AOL. "Over the past twelve months, AOL has revitalized its Mac development efforts and we're thrilled to be bringing our world-class communications and multi-media experiences to iPhone users around the world via the App Store."

The new AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo applications for the iPhone were built using Apple's iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) and provide users a rich, full-featured experience, with added features unique to the iPhone.

* AIM for iPhone brings together all of the core features of AIM – such as real-time communication, the Buddy List window and the ability to see when friends and contacts are online and available to chat – and combines them with a host of new capabilities that make IM'ing from the iPhone easy and convenient, whether over a Wi-Fi, EDGE, or 3G network.

AIM has been designed from the ground up to take advantage of the iPhone's unique user interface and advanced capabilities. New features developed specifically for the iPhone include the use of Gestures, which allows users to simply tap to start a new message or to swipe a finger to switch between conversations; Favorites, which puts the buddies with whom you keep in touch at your fingertips; and the ability to easily incorporate a photo taken with the iPhone's built in camera as a Buddy Icon. AIM for iPhone will be available to users worldwide.

* AOL Radio for iPhone gives users in the U.S. immediate, free access to more than 350 best-in-breed stations including more than 150 local CBS RADIO stations and custom channels and more than 200 AOL Radio stations spanning 25 musical genres. AOL Radio for iPhone leverages the iPhone's Core Location framework to detect a user's location and automatically displays CBS RADIO stations nearest to the user. Additionally, AOL Radio for iPhone automatically adapts to the current connection speed of the device providing low-bandwidth streams when on a cellular network versus higher quality audio for Wi-Fi connections.

At Apple's World Wide Developer Conference in June, AOL Radio was highlighted during the iPhone Developer Showcase and received the Apple Design Award for "Best Entertainment Application."

* Truveo Mobile Video Search for iPhone maximizes the device's premium video experience and makes it easy for users to search and browse through millions of online videos while on the go. Truveo's leading video search engine provides direct links to video content that's been optimized for the iPhone from a wide variety of video sources including CNN, Discovery Channel, HBO, NBC, PBS, Channel, Comedy Central, MTV and YouTube. Localized versions of Truveo Mobile Video Search for iPhone will be available for the U.S., Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK, with support for additional countries to follow in the coming months.

All three applications are available for free from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/

More information on AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo Mobile Video Search for iPhone can be found at http://mobile.aol.com/iphone.

In addition to the AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo applications for the iPhone, AOL has also optimized many of its popular websites and services for the iPhone's Safari browser including; AOL.com, AOL Mail, AOL Mobile Search, AOL Money & Finance, Moviefone, AOL Food, AOL Horoscopes, AOL TV Listings and AOL Shopping.

AOL: Getting Back to the Mac

Over the past year, AOL has reinvested in the Mac platform and created new mobile and desktop experiences for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Macintosh computer. Using Apple's tools and SDKs, as well as working closely with Apple's design and development teams, AOL has launched a series of new applications including AOL Mobile Search, an optimized AOL.com portal and AOL Desktop for Mac.

About AOL
AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.

Contact:

Derick Mains
AOL
(650) 937-2603
Derick.Mains@corp.aol.com

Wow! What a week. Five days of sunny weather, 5000+ Mac developers and the AOL Mac/iPhone team received a small grey cube that has a light-up logo.


It's not just any cube, it's a reaffirmation of AOL's dedication to the Mac (and now iPhone) platforms. The 2008 Apple Design Award for best iPhone Entertainment Application went to Ron Anderson and Dan Gilliam, our two most senior Mac developers who built AOL Radio for iPhone (powered by CBS Radio).

I want to congratulate the entire team (including our user experience/visual designer, AOL management and the entire Mac team) on this outstanding achievement. With WWDC '08 winding down, it's back to the Xcode to work on the next (award winning?) Mac/iPhone application.

Enjoy!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

If you're a Mac developer and interested in integrating AOL's Open AIM into your application, you can download the source code for the Cocoa WIMFramework.

This Objective-C/Cocoa wrapper implements the logic for AOL's openAIM WIM protocol. Protocol documentation and AIM Network license requirements can be located at http://developer.aim.com

Description
If you want to integrate AIM into your Objective-C based application, this project is meant to make it easier for you. We're using it ourselves to build some AIM experiences.

This library is just beginning. We will be continuing to make available enhancements. The Framework concentrates on making the WIM AIM server protocol easier to consume. It does not make any assumptions about user interface.

Take it for a spin!

Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

We're Listening to Our Users!
The whole Mac team reviews comments from the Feedback button and posts on the AOL Mac Message Boards. We have addressed the top issues reported by our customers and we released AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 18 on the AOL Beta Central site.

If you're using the GM 1.0 version and haven't participated in a Beta program in the past, please wait until we release AOL Desktop for Mac 1.1 in the very near future!

Fixed Issues for Beta 17/18

• Fixed mail performance issues. Now, mailboxes with hundreds of messages (or even thousands) are synched on first run without slowing the system
• Fixed mail display issues with incorrect content
• Fixed Address Book issues that may have not properly switched to the correct screen name when syncing
• Fixed Address Book sync failures which resulted in no contacts
• Address Book sort by last name has been added to this release
• Fixed sorting in Address Book when clicking the column headers
• Fixed sporadic Leopard crash when clicking mailto: links
• Fixed Mac OS X 10.5.3 issues with Buddy List search
• Fixed Mac OS X 10.5.3 issues that may have caused a crash in AIM
• Fixed performance for auto-complete for AIM when user has a large Address Book

Note to Beta Users: If you are running the AOL Desktop for Mac released version, we are now separating the Application Support folders for Beta and GM releases. If you have imported or saved mail using a pre-Beta 16, you will need to move the mail folder (in the ~/Library/Application Support/AOL Desktop/Users) to the new AOL Desktop Beta folder. The GM (released version) saves all application support files in the AOL Desktop folder, Beta 17 and 18 save all data in AOL Desktop Beta folder.

We packed our bags and headed out to sunny San Francisco for the annual Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference. WWDC '08 is getting more attention than most developer conferences and the iPhone SDK is generating a lot of buzz.

You can check out AOL at the March 6th iPhone SDK announcement in Cupertino.

Cheers,
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

We can place info and downloads of the Cocoa AIM frameworks.