AOL releases beta of new Mac interface
Monday, December 18th, 2006
AOL has released 
a beta version of its new Mac client, known as “Cheshire”.
I don’t have an AOL account, so can’t really put it through its paces, but AOL makes some strong claims:
Cheshire is designed to make it easy for users to read and write email, surf the web, listen to AOL Radio and dial up to the Internet. Cheshire includes AOL’s Parental Controls and works seamlessly with Apple’s built-in applications like iChat and iPhoto.
The interface is nice and plain, one hopes by design, but perhaps it only reflects the app’s beta status.
The web browser works fine (even without an AOL account to log into):
It’s possible that an existing email client has influenced the look of the app’s email interface. There’s a hint of it in the mailbox view:
The layout of the new mail window makes the influence unmistakable:
It’s a Universal binary and comes bundled with AOL Radio for Macintosh (some kind of iTunes-esque app?) and AOL’s Pictures plugin for iPhoto. It only runs on Tiger.
It you have an AOL account and a taste for adventure, you can download it from AOL’s Greenhouse web site .
Or if you have an AOL account but like the look and feel of Mail.app and Apple’s other iApps, take a look at AOL’s Service Assistant.
[Via TUAW ]
