ICQ LAUNCHES ICQ PRO 2003B AND NAMES OREY GILLIAM AS NEW GENERAL MANAGER
New ICQ Pro 2003b Offers Compatibility with AOL® Instant MessengerTM (AIM®) and AOL® Services
Former Gilat Executive Will Serve as New ICQ General Manager
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 30, 2003 - ICQ ("I Seek You"), a world-leading online communications community and international service from America Online, Inc., today announced the launch of ICQ Pro 2003b, now available for download at www.icq.com. It also named Orey Gilliam as the new General Manager for ICQ.
Among its new features, ICQ Pro 2003b now lets users of ICQ's full-featured client communicate directly with AOL members and users of the AOL Instant Messenger service, making it even more convenient to communicate in real time with friends and family around the world.
"With ICQ Pro 2003b, ICQ members can tailor the service to their own needs, communicate with more people in more places and in more ways than ever before, and rely on it wherever they go," said Steven McArthur, Executive Vice President for AOL Messaging. "ICQ continues to address the needs of each user with the most powerful and convenient features for a truly unique communications experience."
The new version of the popular ICQ service offers multiple enhancements to the service including:
- Chat with AIM & AOL: ICQ users now have the opportunity to communicate via IM with a wider audience including friends and family around the world.
- New Look & Skin Support: The ICQ Pro client sports a redesigned "Look & Feel," and all dialogs have new graphics. Users have the ability to change "skins", as well as the ability to work with or without "skins" ("Classic" Look).
- Private & Public Modes: ICQ now provides two modes, Public (Various Users) and Private (Only Myself). Public mode is for ICQ on computers that are used by many people, for example, in Internet cafes. Private mode is for ICQ on computers typically used by only a few users. When you register ICQ for the first time, you have the option of choosing your usage mode.
- Option to Login by Email: Users can now log in either by email or by ICQ number. ICQ numbers have grown to be nine digit numbers, which can be hard to remember; email logins are easier to remember for some users. Also, the new client makes it easy for users to memorize their ICQ number by displaying it on the main window divided like phone numbers.
- Better Integration with ICQ Lite: ICQ users can now install both ICQ Lite and ICQ Pro on same computer. Switching between clients is easy, and most preferences and settings are now shared.
Orey Gilliam Takes Reins as General Manager
America Online also today named Orey Gilliam as General Manager of ICQ. In this new role, Mr. Gilliam will be responsible for building, managing, and growing the ICQ business.
"Orey is a seasoned executive with a strong record of accomplishment in the industry. His background is ideally suited to manage and continue the success of ICQ. I'm confident Orey will make a significant contribution to our messaging team," added McArthur.
Gilliam was previously Vice President of Broadband at Gilat Satellite Networks, LTD, where he was responsible for Gilat's worldwide broadband business. He was also responsible for driving Gilat's broadband sales through new deals and consulting with existing customers in the areas of business planning, sales, marketing and operations.
Prior to joining Gilat in 2002, Gilliam was Vice President of Engineering and Operations, and CIO at StarBand Communications, America's first consumer and small business high-speed, two-way satellite Internet provider. During his tenure with StarBand, Gilliam oversaw the company's service launch and grew the subscriber base to more than 40,000. He was also responsible for the development and deployment of three new consumer products within 18 months.
Amit Shafrir, Acting General Manager for ICQ will be taking on a new role within the AOL Messaging group at America Online's headquarters in Dulles, Virginia.
About ICQ
ICQ is wholly owned by America Online, Inc. ICQ was created in 1996 by the Israel-based company, Mirabilis, and acquired by AOL in 1998. ICQ is a world leading communications community with over 160 million registered users worldwide. On days when connected to ICQ, users spend an average of over 4.5 hours on the service. ICQ offers the most robust instant messaging and enhanced communications features in the market today. The product is available for free at www.icq.com.