Labs

OpenRide is essentially an evolved version of the now discontinued AOL Explorer, which was largely based on Internet Explorer. Unlike most other modern browsers, OpenRide harks back to the days of browser suites, integrating instant messaging, an email client and a 'Media Center'. These are all available simultaneously, and a small widget is dragged around to define the screen space available for each. The user interface is unique but awkward, typically resulting in you not having enough room for any one component without

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minimising most of the others or maximising the one you're most interested in. Large-screen or dual-screen users may like it. Unless you have an active AOL account, the Mail and People components will be redundant, and Media Center is pretty superfluous at the best of times.

The browser part is actually quite impressive. Despite page rendering suffering from the same problems as Internet Explorer (OpenRide uses the same software engine), AOL's effort looks good and has some interesting features. Many of these lurk under the Power Browsing menu item, which enables you to highlight links or display in-site and external links with different coloured backgrounds. Contrast options also assist users who need enhanced readability, and the Tab Explorer, which shows thumbnails of all your active tabs, is a neat touch.

Ultimately, though, OpenRide's good looks can't hide the browser's sluggish nature, and while some of the added features are quite neat, the flawed interface is extremely off-putting, making us wish AOL had stuck with improving its browser, rather than bolting on unnecessary extras.