The introduction of AOL Alerts highlights the ongoing turf battle between AOL Time Warner's online division and software goliath Microsoft. In October, Microsoft introduced .Net Alerts, the first in a series of services tied to its .Net strategy. Microsoft has touted .Net as the way to move software sales online, using subscriptions rather than shrink-wrapped packages.
But AOL spokeswoman Kathie Brockman denied the company is following in Microsoft's footsteps. She said the service is an evolution of "AOL Anywhere," the company's long-promoted attempt to offer interactive services outside the PC.
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