Unlimited Free Internet. Has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Yes, the prospect of 24/7 internet service free of charge is the great lure of Netzero. But, of course, there must be a catch.
Like other free internet services, Netzero employs advertising to make their profit. A short movie file plays every time you log on and banner is present the entire time you're online. The movie file is no big annoyance, it's just a matter of turning down the sound on your speakers for 30 seconds or so. The idea of a constant banner, though, is always the big issue for most people. While I do admit that banners are annoying, Netzero's banner is much less problematic than those of other free services. First, the Netzero banner can be "docked" at either the top or bottom of the desktop, and browser windows acknowledge it as the edge of the screen. What this means is that, unlike other free service banners, the Netzero banner doesn't have to be constantly moved out of the way. Rather, it simply sits wherever you want it, always completely out of the way of the webpage or program you're working with.
The connection speed of Netzeo is also up to par with other services. I haven't noticed any significant difference in download speeds (it's actually a good bit faster than AOL, though that's true of pretty much ANY ISP). The connection speed almost always hits 53333 every time I sign on.
So, basically, Netzero stands out above most of the free internet services available. Sadly though, Netzero suffers from a few crippling weaknesses that keep it from being truly great. First of all, the Netzero software tends to be really buggy. About once out of every four times I sign on the banner refuses to load completely, and a part of it remains transparent. When this happens, the Windows Start button and everything on the Start bar freezes. In addition, the Netzero software refuses to close normally, forcing me to hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete and "end task" the program. Once I do this, everything returns to normal and I can usually sign on again with no problems, but it is a major annoyance. I checked the Netzero page about this problem, but the closest answer I found is that it might be a software conflict. While this is a reasonable possibility, I know of at least one other person who has experienced the same problem, so it can't be just me. The next major flaw of Netzero is that it automatically logs you off every 30 minutes or so unless you press "OK" on the notification window that pops up. The notification comes up regardless of wether you have been idle or not, making it a big annoyance to deal with. The final major flaw of Netzero is the recent addition of pop-up windows. (This is the point where I scream "why, why, why did you have to screw up an otherwise fine service). The pop-up windows are a big problem that should never have been instituted in the first place. Thankfully they don't come up often, 1-2 times an hour or so. The only other flaw with Netzero is a minor one. A couple of times the Netzero software has been unable to connect due to server problems. While this certainly is a bad thing, it is very rare and is barely worth mentioning.
Overall, Netzero is a pretty decent little ISP. It is probably the best free service available, and if the company will tweak their software a little and eliminate the pop-up windows, Netzero will easily be top of the heap. If you want an ISP for casual use or simply something to use as a backup should your usual service go down, Netzero is the way to go.



Recommended: Yes