CNET editors' review

for AOL Communicator

Review date: 9/10/03

AOL Communicator is a welcome improvement to America Online's tired "You've got mail" interface. This standalone e-mail client, free to AOL subscribers, lets you grab mail from all of your AOL screen names, as well as POP and IMAP accounts, and view them from a single interface. It will even scan all of your accounts for spam (though to limited effect in our tests). And because it offers easy access to popular features such as instant messaging and AOL Radio, you can run Communicator solo and avoid all the AOL clutter. If you're an AOL user who's craving sophisticated e-mail and a tamer interface, Communicator is a must-have. But if you're not on AOL, Communicator isn't a reason to sign up.