AOL launches new mobile portal in UK

AOL's new British mobile portal is said to provide an experience closer to that of the desktop portal, and should more closely match the US version.

For example, the site now allows for pages intended for desktop browsers to be transcoded to fit the screen of the mobile device being used.

However, a new option called "Web Surf" would allow a user to enter a URL to be transcoded on the fly. In the US version, users can only access this transcoding feature by first using the search engine to locate the native site. From there clicking on a link activates the process.

Other features are specifically aimed at ease-of-use, including saved preferences and persistent sign-in. The content is pulled directly from aol.co.uk, meaning users can go between either service and still receive the same information.

At launch, the portal is slated to include sports, news, and entertainment channels. AOL plans to expand the list of available features as it completes work on integrating the two sites.

Other than content, the portal will allow access to AOL e-mail accounts. Search functionality will be built into the client, and users will have full access to their mail folders as they do on the desktop.

As mentioned previously, AOL's mobile search client is also slated to be included, allowing both Web site and image search. Once a link is clicked on, the company's transcoding algorithm will format it for the specific device.