AOL Explorer

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AOL Explorer 1.5 as of May 2006.

In July 2005, AOL launched AOL Explorer, previously known as AOL Browser, as a free download and as an optional download with AIM version 5.9. AOL Explorer supports tabbed browsing, and was also the first browser to use thumbnail previews of webpages in various parts of the browser. A feature called Power Browsing, allows users to customise the look of the current page, with styles like "High Contrast" and "I Need Glasses" available for selection.

Later that year in November 2005, the next version was released. Version 1.2 was very similar to version 1.1, but included two new features: Tab Explorer and RSS Widgets from Favourites. When the Tab Explorer button is pressed, a thumbnail preview of each tab is displayed in a full-screen window. The user can click on one of the previews to instantly access the page. Microsoft has implemented a similar feature in their Internet Explorer 7 browser, called "Quick Tabs".

Version 1.5 was launched in May 2006, and included many new features such as Desktop Widgets, Visual Themes, a Feeds Screensaver and various performance improvements. Desktop Widgets allow the user to "tare off" a side panel and use it independently from the browser. The panel will remain open and functional, even after you close AOL Explorer. When your computer is idle, you can set the AOL Explorer Feeds Screensaver to display the RSS feeds stored in the feeds panel. Another new feature in 1.5 is the Show Page Preview feature, which allows the user to preview a webpage without leaving the current page by simply holding down Ctrl and right-clicking on a link. This feature is especially useful when there are a large amount of links on a page, or when searching.

In 2003, AOL signed a seven-year contract with Microsoft to use Internet Explorer code in their products and as such AOL Explorer is based on Internet Explorer Technology. Because of this, users can use AOL Explorer to download and install updates from Microsoft Update. However, unlike Internet Explorer, AOL does not use the new Live Search as the default search engine.

[edit] Availability

Currently, AOL Explorer is available as an independent download or packaged with the latest version of AIM, AIM Triton. When the browser starts up for the first time, it asks whether or not you would like to use it as the default browser and encourages users to display AIM Today content, if installed with AIM. Both of these are optional and can be denied.

AOL Explorer 1.5 was the last recorded version of AOL Explorer. The browser, even though it can still be downloaded, is no longer in development in favor of the more powerful AOL OpenRide. The screensaver used in AOL Explorer is undergoing a drastic change for the new client and is still in Beta, packed with a beta version of AOL OpenRide, known as AOL OpenRide with AwayView.