AOL Launches Trial Version of New Travel Browser to Lure Netizens

America Online (AOL), the world´s largest Internet provider, has just unveiled a trial version of its new and sophisticated travel-oriented browser that will seek to captivate end users that click on online travel agencies and booking outlets to reserve hotel rooms and plane tickets.

Some buyers remain faithful to one agency´s trademark or brand, but we think a majority of surfers would be inclined to booking something through a dealer in order to save money on meddling agencies, said Jeffrey DeKorte, director general of Time Warner´s Online Travel Division.

With the release of the new travel-oriented browser, AOL is taking aim at Microsoft´s dominant Internet Explorer (IE) web browser, which has been the subject of many security vulnerabilities. Also, AOL is looking to piggyback on the popularity of other browsers.

Netscape Travel will identify sites known to be trusted, such as banks, online booking services and online travel agencies, with a green check mark. These sites by default will be displayed using the IE rendering engine, with most browser technologies enabled to maximize compatibility.

AOL is now breathing new life into the Netscape browser, which was marginalized after Microsoft introduced IE in the mid-1990s. The final version of Netscape Travel is due out in the second quarter and will be backed by some marketing efforts from AOL, according to sources familiar with the company´s plan.