WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 9, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq:UNTD), a leading provider of value-priced Internet services, today announced the company has launched a new version of E-mail on the Web for its Juno and NetZero brands of Internet service. The new E-mail on the Web gives users new weapons to fight junk e-mail or "spam" and improves their overall e-mail experience.
Juno and NetZero users will now have the ability to customize and configure their e-mail to defend against junk mail and unwanted messages with the latest e-mail blocking and filtering techniques. All levels of service for both brands will have the new e-mail system, although additional features will only be available for Platinum, NetZero HiSpeed and Juno SpeedBand subscribers.
"The number one complaint about e-mail is spam and junk mail," stated Brian Woods, EVP and chief marketing officer of United Online. "The introduction of our new e-mail system focuses on this universal issue and implements powerful filtering and preventative technologies that curtail spam and give the consumer the power to control their e-mail and improve their online experience."
The market research firm Radicati Group estimates that 4.9 trillion spam e-mails will be sent globally in 2003. With this continued onslaught of spam and no end in sight, United Online has given its members control of their e-mail to protect and shield themselves from this barrage. Juno and NetZero have adopted new features that attack the issue head-on.
New features include:
Junk Mail Filter and Folder
All members who use E-mail on the Web, including those using the free services, will have a new Junk Mail filter. Based upon members' preferences, United Online will either filter all junk mail directly into a new Junk Mail folder, or delete the Junk Mail before it can be retrieved from our servers. The new Junk Mail folder is a clear and understandable way for members to sort new e-mail.
Block List
The Block List is a feature on the Platinum service that utilizes a predetermined "delete" option if the person sending the message is on the list. As soon as the system receives a message for a member, and the sender of the message is on the member's Block List, the message is automatically deleted before the member signs in to E-mail on the Web. The Block List feature can be used for known spammers, unwanted newsletters or mailing lists, or anyone else you do not want to hear from.
Safe List
The Safe List is a feature on the Platinum service that empowers the user to develop a list of member managed e-mail addresses. When the e-mail system receives a message for a member, and the sender of the message is on the member's Safe List, the message is automatically protected from being deleted or marked as junk mail. The Safe List is used to ensure that e-mail from specified people is never deleted or relegated to the Junk Mail folder.
Mail Assistants
Mail Assistants is a feature on the Platinum service that acts as a filter or sorter for all new incoming mail. Based on the logic defined by the member, the e-mail system can move messages to specified folders or the trash. Mail Assistants can be used in two ways: first to sort personal mail; second, as a supplementary junk mail filter. For example, you can set up a Mail Assistant so that all e-mail from work goes into a "work" folder and all e-mail from a known spammer goes into the Junk Mail Folder.
Report Junk
This feature allows users to report junk or spam directly to Juno or NetZero via a "Report Junk" button within E-mail on the Web. Users select a message then click on the button to report the junk mail. United Online then analyzes the junk mail message and determines how to handle the message for the reporting member as well as all other members.
In addition to the spam fighting features described above, E-mail on the Web gives users the ability to:
-- Read and write e-mail from any Internet connection, anywhere
-- Send photos & files through an improved interface
-- Maintain a personal address book
-- Customize E-mail on the Web settings
-- Check other POP e-mail accounts from one convenient location
The NetZero and Juno brands of Internet service consist of NetZero Platinum and Juno Platinum $9.95 monthly dial-up services, and NetZero HiSpeed and Juno SpeedBand, next generation dial-up Internet access services that deliver up to five times faster Web surfing (1). NetZero HiSpeed and Juno SpeedBand are $14.95 per month (2), include the NetZero or Juno Platinum Internet services, work from any phone jack using a standard dial-up connection, and do not require any new hardware. NetZero Platinum and Juno Platinum Internet access services offer easy-to-use, reliable Internet service with thousands of access numbers nationwide, feature-rich e-mail and E-mail on the Web, compatibility with all of the popular instant messaging products, and serve no banner ads. NetZero and Juno also offer limited free Internet service.
About United Online
United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq:UNTD) is a leading provider of value-priced Internet services through its NetZero, Juno and BlueLight Internet consumer brands. The company's standard services are offered at less than half the standard monthly prices of its major competitors and are available in more than 6,500 cities across the United States and in Canada. The company is headquartered in Westlake Village, CA, with offices in New York City, San Francisco and Hyderabad, India. For more information about United Online and its Internet access services, please visit www.untd.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the price, quality and performance of our Internet service and the new product and quotes from management in this press release. These statements are based on the company's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, that the product or the service does not perform well; and that the service is discontinued because it is not commercially successful. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov/) including (without limitation) information under the captions "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors."
(1) NetZero HiSpeed and Juno SpeedBand do not increase the transmission speed of files or attachments, including music or video. Speed references compared to standard dial-up.
(2) Additional phone and live tech support charges may apply. Service may not be available in all areas.