Free At Last! Free At Last! AOL is Free At Last!

We've heard alot about AOL going free. What does this mean? Can you get a free internet account with AOL?
"AOL access" does not mean "Internet access". If you already have an Internet connection (dialup, cable, DSL, or fiber) then you can now access all of the services that AOL offers for free. So if you've been paying for AOL and recently have switched to a broadband connection at home, you can stop paying for your AOL account.
Really. Just go to Keyword: Change Plan on AOL and click the Free button. No strings attached, no "customer retention specialists" to talk with. Nothing to install or download. Anyone with a connection to the Internet can get a free AOL account. If you cancelled your AOL account in the last few years in favor of broadband, you can even get your AOL screen name back.
Free AOL is only for people with some OTHER means of accessing the Internet. If you have AOL and a high-speed connection through some other provider, you can "go free" and pay nothing for AOL. But if you need the dial-up connection from AOL, you can still save a chunk of change.

What Does a Free AOL Account Offer?


First and foremost, an AOL account offers free web-based email onAOL.COM. This is the same as having a Hotmail or Yahoo! email account.
Here are some of the other services you can get with a free AOL account.

• Online Storage
  Xdrive is like a personal hard drive on the Internet, accessible from ANY computer. You get 5 GB of free online storage, and software for Windows that makes it easy to just copy files to and from your Xdrive. Stash music, photos, videos, or whatever you like on your Xdrive. And don't tell... you can use a different screen name and get another 5 Gb of storage.
• AOLVideo.com
  Here's a cool service for those who can see, similar to YouTube. In addition to user-created videos, you can search through millions of pieces of video, buy and download full-length movies from most major studios, or watch re-runs of classic TV shows.
• AOLRadio
  If you decide to sign up for no other reason, this should be the one. Listen to your favorite music online, including XM Satellite Radio stations. Over 200 streaming internet radio stations, from Classical to Country, Hip-Hop to Alternative, Pop to Rock.
• AIM Phoneline
  AIM Phoneline gives you incoming calls with voicemail, integrated with your AIM buddylist. Get your "AIM digits" to give out as a no-hassle phone number to marketers, people you meet at social functions, etc. It's a free, local telephone number that comes with voicemail, delivered right to your email inbox. When you're online, it lets you screen and answer calls, using your PC microphone and speakers.Security Tools
  The AOL Safety and Security Center includes comprehensive anti-virus protection to protect your computer and your e-mail. You also get spyware protection, as well as a firewall. I don't know the accessibility of this service, so you'll have to do some testing here.

I know what you're saying, I said it myself when I first found out about this, "you can get many of these services elsewhere on the Web". You're right, so take it for what it is. I think I'll sign up for the AOL Radio aspect.

To get your free AOL account, click this link to visit free.aol.com.