EarthLink Product Aims to Connect Newbies

EarthLink Network announced today
the release of TotalAccess 2.0 for Windows 95, Internet access software
targeted at new Internet users.

EarthLink said TotalAccess 2.0 features an intuitive interface and a simple
registration process that is coordinated by a virtual tour guide. A series
of short movies on topics such as “Connecting and Disconnecting,” “Using
email,” “Using the World Wide Web,” and “Using the EarthLink Toolbar” are
also featured.

The customizable EarthLink Toolbar allows members to log onto their
accounts, access online help and EarthLink technical support, change
dial-in phone numbers or other account settings, and launch Internet
applications.

TotalAccess 2.0 features third-party plug-ins, utilities, and tools that
are automatically installed and configured so they are ready to use the
first time a user launches the product.

EarthLink notes that the software also runs diagnostics designed to prevent
common connection problems by identifying and fixing them before they
occur. In addition, TotalAccess 2.0 detects missing Windows 95 operating
system components and is designed to install whatever is needed for
complete Internet access.

“Most other ISPs and online services take the Internet and dumb it down to
what they perceive as their customers’ level of sophistication,” said Sky
Dayton, founder and chairman of EarthLink Network. “We don’t believe in
spoon feeding our members like that, because that restricts where they can
go and what they can do. Instead, we try to lower barriers to getting
online and elevate newcomers’ skills so they can harness the full potential
of the ‘Net.”

A Macintosh version of TotalAccess 2.0 is slated for release in the
second quarter of 1998.