Borrowing a design trend from Web browsers, AOL has made the toolbar icons larger and added descriptive text below them. The buttons provide quick access to your mailbox, the Internet, and AOL's Channels. With the new version, you no longer have to sign off and start a new session to switch screen names. AOL has received criticism for problems with junk mail. AOL 4.0 E-mail also lets you embed images in messages.
Parental controls help parents keep tabs on the in-line images.
Since AOL plans to add IMAP4 support to its mail servers by summer, members will soon be able to use standalone clients such as Qualcomm's Eudora Pro, Microsoft Outlook 98, and Netscape Messenger. 4.0 E-mail is a quick and easy way for AOL members to keep in touch.