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One such extra-cost feature lets users send e-mail messages to wireless devices that support SMS (Short Message Service). The ICQ Web mail service also has features available for additional fees.
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The features in this Web mail service make it a real competitor to services from other providers, such as Yahoo, Microsoft, and Google, whose Gmail Web mail is still in beta test. The service offers a feature that translates messages into seven languages, the ability to compress large attachments and WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) support for access from a mobile device. The service also includes spam filtering and blocking, protection against viruses and a 20MB ceiling on files sent or received. ICQ, owned by America Online, on Monday will announce the service, which costs $19.99 per year, said Ronen Arad, ICQ director of product management. The increasingly competitive Web mail market has a new player: Instant messaging provider ICQ now offers a fee-based service that includes 2GB of storage, a calendar feature, task manager, notepad, wireless access, and support for both POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).
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