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

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

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.

It's a nice sunny day here in Northern Virginia (with just a few clouds) and with the nice weather (not to mention some late night bug hunting and fixing!) the AOL Mac Team is pleased to release AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 16. You can find your very own copy at AOL Beta Central. Please make sure you understand requirements for beta (don't put any important mail in a mail archive and please wait until the final version is released before making it part of your mission critical home or business process). You can get more information on the beta process by reading Beta 101 on AOL Beta Central.

Here's what's fixed in Beta 16:

• Fixed problem where users sometimes experienced a beachball after launching the application after a crash
• Replying to an unread message while preview pane is off renders mail content instead of "message content loading"
• Fixed a refresh issue in the Sign In screen where some Screen Names would not appear until the next time the application is launched
• Disabled Empty Trash, Delete All Spam Messages, and Mark All Messages As Read options in Mail when offline
• Fixed intermittent crashing issue related to AIM
• Fixed issue with dragging Mail from local folders to host folders

Please continue to leave feedback here on the Mac@AOL Blog or using the beta feedback at AOL Beta Central.

thanks!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

Beta release on a Sunday? Yep, the AOL Mac Team is working through the weekend to get the new beta out to our testing community. Our focus areas are AIM and Mail. Please continue to send feedback (Beta Feedback icon on the AOL Desktop for Mac toolbar or you can click here).

Note for users having issues with Mail:


Here's what we fixed in Beta 15:

• Improved handling of mail attachments for text clippings, applications and Mac OS Classic applications
• Fixed issue when reading mail with preview pane closed
• Updated Buddy Info data being saved on AOL servers
• Fixed issue with 'Mail Link To This Page' to follow proper insertion point in mail
• Fixed intermittent crashing issue related to AIM
• Fixed 'Message Content Loading' error when reading mail in local folders
• Fixed window positioning for Send Confirmation
• Auto-suggest accepts friendly names and group names during lookup
• Fixed move folder issues under 'On AOL' folder
• 'Saved as Draft' button now grayed out for reply messages
• Mail message dates may display incorrect date in mailbox date column
• Fixed sorting of mail type in mailbox
• Fixed contextual menu option for emptying mail
• Fixed Reply-All to include all e-mail addresses in original message
• Fixed intermittent crash when editing Mail Preferences
• Fixed issue with mail read while online and then selected when mail is offline, resulting in blank Preview Pane
• Improved typing performance in IM conversation window
• AOL Desktop for Mac installer now verifying Mac OS X version (10.4.8 or higher)
• Updated tooltips and overall fit and finish

Enjoy,
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

And if you haven't, download AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 12 and use the AOL Beta Central Feedback or Message Boards to tell us what you think!

thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

As the AOL Mac Team fixes issues, we will be posting the betas as soon as we can. Today, we have made AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 12 available to our beta testers. We fixed some issues with Mail attachments and made some additional tweaks underneath :)

You can pick up the new beta at AOL Beta Central.

AOL Desktop for Mac Web Browser Tab Controls
Starting with AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 11, you can now set additional Tabbed browser window controls.


You can now go to AOL Desktop>Preferences>Web and enable/disable the following Tab window controls:

• Command-Click opens a link in a new tab (this is default)
• Select tabs and windows as they are created (off by default)
• Click opens a targeted link in a new tab (off by default)

We've been combing through our comments and message board posts to get as many new features into AOL Desktop for Mac beta. Please keep you comments coming!

thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

The AOL Mac Team has been working diligently to fix issues with mail and we even had a little time to add some new features.

For those active AIM users, we added a slider in the AIM Preferences that will allow you to set the size of the Buddy Icons so you can get more Buddies in your Buddy List.


Setting the slider to the left, you will be able to view more Buddies in your Buddy List. If you want more detail, bring the slider to the right. We also enabled a new preference to disable the Buddy flyout.

Here's a list of all the New/Fixed items in AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 11:

• Fixed issues with a variety of mail connectivity problems
• Fixed issues with mail message body not matching the mail message header
• Fixed issues with blank mail messages
• Deleting mail messages now supported
• Fixed display issue when toolbar would display when Flash (FLV) video was expanded to full screen
• Added Preference to increase number of Buddies displayed in Buddy List (smaller Buddy Icons)
• Fixed Buddy List status popup
• Fixed Buddy List search
• Fixed issues with Quick Away Message in AIM
• Fixed Report Spam button when user opens a Spam mail
• Fixed issues with updating the mail list after deleting messages
• Delete Button will now change to Undelete button when Trash folder is selected
• Fixed displaying of long Screen Names during Buddy Chat invite
• Fixed specific issues with Browser pop-up blocking
• Added "Save Message To" to contextual menu in mail
• Fixed handling for FTP: URLs when entered in AOL Desktop Browser
• Enabled "Report Spam" and "Empty Trash"

You can get the new beta from the normal locations - AOL Beta Central. Keep your comments coming!

Thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

Note: Beta test users for Beta 8 and 9 may have been experiencing issues with mail display, disappearing mail in the mailbox list view and problems deleting mail. The AOL Mac Team has been collecting feedback and bug reports from AOL Beta Central and we have fixed most of these problems in Beta 10. "Report Spam" and "Empty Trash" have been temporarily disabled. These issues will be resolved in Beta 11. Please report any issues using the Beta Feedback selection under the Help menu item.

• Fixed issues with displaying mail
• Fixed issues reported where users were unable to delete mail. However, some messages do not immediately leave the mail list if deleting messages quickly until the view is refreshed by receiving a new message or another folder is selected.
• Fixed issues with mail disappearing when an individual mail is selected in the mailbox
• Deleting a mail message will now select and display the next message
• Fixed application crash related to AIM when switching screen names
• Upon signing in, mail will now check to see if you have a mail away message set
• Fixed issues with offline buddy group
• Buddy chat invite will now message user if buddy is offline
• Fixed text highlighting issues with font toolbar
• Fixed issues with the AOL Proxy and parentally controlled accounts on Leopard

You can download AOL Desktop for Mac Beta 10 from the usual location.

Thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

Do you need 5GB of free storage to make backups of your most precious pictures or how about those files you need to share with your friends and family? How about 5GB of online storage that's absolutely FREE? All you need to do is download Adobe AIR (version 1.0 has just been released!).

Adobe AIR is a cross-platform system that will allow Mac or Windows users to run standalone AIR applications that offer a rich-media feel, similar to Apple's Dashboard widgets, but the apps reside in your Applications folder.

AOL's Xdrive team has released Xdrive Desktop Lite beta as an Adobe AIR app. This means you can get to your Xdrive account (you can use your free AOL Mail or AIM account to access Xdrive) quick and easy. No need to use a web browser to upload/download files, just launch the app.

Xdrive Desktop Lite gives you the power to easily manage and organize all of your documents, photos, music, videos and more in your personal online hard drive.

• Set up new folders to organize those pictures of your kids and friends.
• Make extra copies of those tax documents.
• Upload your music files so they're available to you from anywhere, no more CD cases.

AOL previously released AOL Top 100 Music Videos AIR app (back when AIR was still in beta) but you can view the top 100 music videos on AOL's music site.

Enjoy!

Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

• Standardized contextual menus for Buddy Chat
• Fixed application stability issues with built-in AIM client
• Selecting Report Spam from the Spam folder moves the message to the Inbox
• Fixed issue when moving nested folder
• Updated customization capability of the main toolbar

Note: If you see a message in your mailbox that says "To read this message, please connect to the Internet." make sure you are signed in.

We are working very hard to resolve the 'unable to view' mail issue some beta testers are experiencing. If you're encounter issues with your mail, please leave a comment and we'll try our best to collect all the info we need to get this fixed. We have collected all bug/feedback reports from Beta Central and working towards a solution. The issue seems to be sporadic but please leave feedback or a comment here on the Mac@AOL Blog.

thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

The AOL Mac Team has released AOL Desktop for Mac - Beta 2. You can download the beta at AOL Beta Central. We're busy adding features and squashing bugs, so please take a moment to download and use the Beta Feedback to let us know how things are going for you.



New Features and Fixed Issues in AOL Desktop for Mac - Beta 2:

• You can now sign in with your AIM account
• Updated UI for application toolbar and Mail
• Closing browser tabs with keyboard shortcut - Command+W will close the last tab opened
• You can now set your Away Message in the integrated AIM client
• Forwarding a mail with an attachment or sending a Saved Mail with an attachment should no longer remove the attached files
• Saving mail you sent has been implemented
• Handling of web links in an IM window are have been enhanced
• Many bug fixes and enhancements
• Display Offline Buddy Settings (Yay!)

We are reading feedback and bug reports closely and will be working to get some of the most requested features out in the near future (e.g., Import Mac Personal Filing Cabinets, Import Favorites, improvements with Leopard Mac OS X 10.5, hide offline buddies).

We will be rounding up comments on the Beta Central message boards and the Mac@AOL blog and posting a new "Feedback Friday" on October 26th (hmm...that day seems to ring a bell?).

Thanks!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead