Free AOL web-based email

AOL is now offering free web-based email for AOL Instant Messenger users. And it'll have 2GB of storage. It's about time. The decision is part of AOL's broader strategy to integrate communication channels (AIM, email, voicemail, SMS, etc.). AOL's decision is great news for a friend - who has continued to pay AOL monthly fees (even though she has Yahoo! SBC DSL) solely because her email address is her "first name"@aol.com.

But the best part of this article, besides Chamath Palihapitiya's title of "AOL VP and GM of AIM," is his backhanding of Google's Gmail contextual ad targeting: "That's creepy."