AOL launches OpenRide for multiple panes on one page

AOL is now free to folks who arrive via speedy broadband connections. And as part of that free service, AOL this week launched downloadable software called OpenRide.

The latest software is built around a "quad-view interface" with four visible panes on a single screen. When you click on any of them, the pane in question automatically resizes, taking up most of the screen. You can manually resize the panes as well.

What you'll see:

•The Mail pane. Shows you not only AOL or AIM mail but also mail from other e-mail providers. For example, all I had to do to set up my Google Gmail account was to provide the e-mail address and password; AOL prepopulated the rest of the required settings.

•The People pane. You can organize your buddy list and address book and handle instant messages with the usual icons that let you know if a contact is online and available to receive a message.

•AOL's Media Center pane. Features an AOL media player, and content segregated by movies, radio (including some XM radio stations), video, plus your own digital music files and photos.

•The Browser pane. This is a traditional Web browser with such features as desktop search, tabbed browsing (a way to keep multiple Web pages open in the background), and, not surprisingly, a one-click button to the AOL.com welcome screen portal.

I generally like the OpenRide interface, at least on first impression. But I encountered a few snags. The software was exceedingly slow to respond to my clicks at times, requiring me to shut down and relaunch.

AOL loyalists who are content with version 9.0 of the software can stick with what they have. No Mac version of OpenRide is currently in the works.