aol

AOL Reader is a solid offering for RSS fans, but there's not much new here (hands-on)

The new AOL Reader is now in beta and open to the public, and while it may not be a perfect replacement for Google Reader, it has a nice layout and a strong tool set for quickly scanning and organizing your RSS feeds. At this time, AOL Reader is Web browser-only (with plans for app-based versions in the works), but it can detect your mobile devices and give you a mobile-friendly experience.

To sign up, you can connect via Twitter, Facebook, Google, or your old AOL account (does anyone still have one of these?). Once logged in, AOL Reader prompts … Read more

AOL to jump into RSS-reader fray a week before Google ducks out

For something as sedate as RSS readers, Google's competition is getting fired up.

AOL plans to launch its own AOL Reader Monday, which will focus at first on being fast and simple, according to a person familiar with the matter at AOL.

The entry will be one week before Google Reader is scheduled to go dark. The service is supposed to close July 1, the search giant announced in March.

Keeping it simple at first is a similar strategy to rivals, which have had to keep goals narrow to roll out quickly before Google Reader closes.

A landing page … Read more

Radio chain picks up pared-down AOL music sites

Radio conglomerate Townsquare Media Group is dusting off some AOL music Web sites, plus a popular comics page, that have been skeleton operations for weeks.

The company, which operates 242 radio stations and just as many accompanying Web sites, bought music assets The Boot, The BoomBox, and NoiseCreep, and is tacking on ComicsAlliance too. Terms were undisclosed.

AOL slashed the workforce at the music sites in April. The popular comics page also appeared to be put on the shelf.

CEO Steven Price, in a statement Monday, said the property will keep pushing Townsquare's growth and scale to entice advertisers. … Read more

Hooked Up: The iPad-obsessed Christina Milian and her love of tech

In this week's Hooked Up episode, Kevin Frazier hangs out with Grammy-nominated singer, actress, and fashion designer Christina Milian. She talks about her love for technology, how she started off in AOL chat rooms during the early days of the Internet, and the technology and apps she can't go without.

She's also the social-media correspondent for "The Voice," and she talks about how it allows her to connect the performers to the audience in a genuine way.

Christina's truly a gadget girl and she's obsessed with Google Glass so I'll break down … Read more

AOL profit rises thanks to boost in ad revenue

AOL has continued to shed subscribers but managed to turn a decent profit last quarter thanks mostly to its advertising trade.

The online Internet provider scored a 9 percent increase in global advertising revenue for the first quarter, compared with the year-ago quarter. Global display revenue climbed by 8 percent year over year thanks to 6 percent growth in the U.S. and ongoing double-digit growth abroad.

AOL also saw a 9 percent rise in search revenue due to gains in global queries and higher revenue per search at AOL.com.

"Growth continues at AOL," AOL CEO Tim … Read more

AOL rolls out 15 original Web series of its own

It seems like the new trend these days is to create an original Web series. We have Yahoo, Netflix, and Hulu doing it, and now AOL is also giving more of a push to its online programming with 15 new shows.

The company announced Tuesday that it has enlisted A-list celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jonathan Adler to either host or star in original Web series. AOL plans to debut all of the shows on its AOL On Network, which is the company's video platform, and across its 1,700 partner sites. The series themes range … Read more

AOL shuts down music-related services

It's a sad day here at @aol. We'd like to say goodbye to our colleagues at @aolmusic, @thebootdotcom, @noisecreep, @spinner and @theboombox

— AOL Radio (@AOLRadio) April 26, 2013 AOL, which tried for years to become a player in digital music with several online music services, is ending that effort on a down note.

The company is shutting down The Boot, Noisecreep, The Boombox, and Spinner, according to tweets from people involved in those operations.

We've contacted AOL for further comment and will update the post when there is more information.

Earlier, Dan Reilly, who was the editor … Read more

Could this yellow blinking eye be Zuckerberg's first Web site?

Some religions worship relics.

Bones of saints and artifacts of old emerge seemingly from nowhere, with no one ever truly knowing how real they might be.

I therefore bare my skepticism with moves not dissimilar to those in a Haka dance on hearing that Mark Zuckerberg's first ever Web site might have been unearthed.

My inconsistent reading of Motherboard today offered the startling information that Zuckerberg's first site might have included a blinking yellow dinosaur eye.

It seems that someone posted to Hacker News that the Facebook CEO's first masterwork was still available on Angelfire.

It's … Read more

Phil Jackson's strange first tweet is an AOL ad

Sleep has possibly eluded you since you saw Phil Jackson's first tweet.

You wondered whether the former Lakers and Bulls coach was having severe trouble typing or whether he'd perhaps lost his senses.

You must now decide which of these is fact. For the tweet that read: "11 champ;ipnsikp[ ringhs" is actually, intake of breath, an ad for AOL.

Indeed, that very same AOL that you have always loved and respected, never more than now.

I am grateful to Deadspin for bringing me this painful information and making me believe that all humans have aspects … Read more