AOL releases communications suite for free

AOL, Time Warner Inc.'s Internet unit, is offering free software that helps organize e-mail, multimedia, and other online tasks as part of the company's effort to keep broadband users from switching to other services.

The AOL OpenRide software puts e-mail, instant messaging, a Web browser, and a music, photo, and video center on the same page, making it easier for users to handle several tasks without opening multiple windows, said Joel Davidson, an executive vice president at Dulles, Va.-based AOL. The service was offered beginning yesterday, he said.

``It's an all-in-one experience," said Davidson, who is in charge of products and technology at AOL.

AOL started giving away e-mail and software to broadband users last month to prevent them from moving to free sites offered by rivals such as Yahoo! Inc. The company aims to lift online ad revenue to compensate for the decline in subscribers to its dial-up Internet service. OpenRide is designed to entice broadband customers to keep using AOL.

The OpenRide software creates an interface similar to what AOL's paying customers were already using, except the new service is free. OpenRide divides a computer's screen into four pages that can be expanded by clicking on them, depending on which task the user is performing. The software also lets users search the Internet and files on their computers.

AOL will start promoting the service with an online advertising campaign this week, Davidson said. He declined to say how much the campaign would cost.

Shares of New York-based Time Warner, the world's largest media company, rose 23 cents to $18.57 at 4:01 p.m. yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have risen 6.5 percent this year.