In what seems to be the season for introducing new and improved Web browsers and enhancements, InKline Global's Oligo 2.0 is the latest to hit the mix.
This new Internet Explorer enhancement is offered as a free download (a 2.6MB zip file) on the company's Web site (www.inklineglobal.com). What sets Oligo apart from competitors is its abundance of skins.
To install the software you must already be running Internet Explorer (IE) 4.0 or higher. Oligo does not work with other browsers. Once Oligo is installed, an advertisement panel appears. Should you wish to get rid of the ads, you must pay a US$29.95 registration fee. In return you get a bit more viewing space on the browser as well as a year of updates.
Oligo's default browser design has a severely limited display. At the recommended minimum setting of 800 by 600 pixels, you need to use scroll bars to view a standard Web page, even if you pay the registration fee to get rid of the ad panel.
Oligo's main claim to uniqueness is its strong customisation features. You can change IE's appearance simply by installing one of the two dozen available skins. These skins can be freeform or rectangular, unlike those in Netscape 6.0, and you can download more from the Skin Library on the company's Web site. InKline also offers a free Skin Design Kit, a 117KB download that includes a step-by-step HTML tutorial. It took us less than 30 minutes to create our own skin. Oligo also includes a Manager feature that allows you to customise the display of any Web site you visit. For example, you can alter a site's background colour as well as font type and size. Although we enjoyed many of its features, Oligo is primarily a one-trick pony. It will appeal to those who want to customise their browsers. For the rest of us, however, Oligo does not provide a compelling enough reason to download yet another piece of software.
Product:Oligo 2.0
Price: Free with ads, permanent version with no ads available online for US$29.95.
Company: InKline Global
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