14 DAY TRIAL // America Online has announced the release of the final version of AOL Explorer, the company's alternative browsing solution to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, thus ending the testing session for the IE-related browser, which has begun in October last year.
Even if the browser's engine is practically one and the same with that of Internet Explorer, the version offered by AOL provides a lot of improvements that will be included only in the already famous version 7 of IE, for whose release we'll still have to wait for quite a long time.
AOL offers tabbed-browsing capabilities, web thumbnails and a system for handling RSS feeds. The browser also includes a customizable lateral panel which allows the users to load third-party applications and add-ons, as well as a calendar and a mail-alert system. Moreover, AOL also offers its own desktop search solution.
What's really interesting is that, in the same time, AOL is also launching its own Netscape browser, which is not a direct competitor of the AOL Explorer, according to the company, even if it offers the same features. Obviously, the Netscape solution is based on Firefox's engine, which offers, at least theoretically, a superior level of security.