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Torch Mobile Iris Browser Beta 1 looking good

Hey guys some of you may remember way back earlier in the year a company called torch mobile launched a preview of their webkit browser called iris, it was a bit crap very buggy no real zoom etc etc most people wrote it off straight away.
Well now they have launched a proper beta and it has to be said its very impressive it has now got page overview zoom, mouse cursor, ability to import bookmarks and lots ofvother really quite kewl features.
It is a little slow to render pages, when compared to opera and is a memory hog but must say im quite liking it. not sure if flash works perhaps the experts in here may get it too work.
Anyhows just google torch mobile and you should be able to find the link to get it.
let me know what you guys think.

stevej26uk said:
let me know what you guys think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I spent the last couple of weeks comparing more or less all the available PPC browsers (IRIS, Opera 9.5 in different flavours, Opera mini, Opera mini with java addons, Netfront 3.5, Jataayu, Minimo, Skyfire and also IE addons such as PIE+, MultiIE, Webby etc.
I tested these on the road as well as at home, on WiFi as well as GPRS.
In the end I chucked them all except IRIS.
It basically has all I need (find in page, tabs, zoom, etc.) and runs very well on my Elf. It doesn't (yet) do inline videos like Skyfire does, but Skyfire is pretty useless otherwise.
Skyfire in many ways reminds me of a Java midlet like Opera Mini with pre-chewed pages. The advantage is that it doesn't cache pages on the PPC (just like Opera Mini). But it scores really low on usability and customisation
IRIS is similar in many ways to Netfront, but is open source and (so far) freeware. I also prefer the way IRIS zooms and has an option to present pages in one colums as defauls (rather than having to hit reflow in Netfront). NF visual bookmarks are pretty but rather useless. IRIS has a similar function for History, where it's much more useful. OTOH NF has loads of functions (including on-the-fly Japanese-to-English translation...) which may or may not be useful to you. And it's better at rendering non-Roman character content, such as Arabic or Hebrew pages than IRIS.
From PIE I only miss the possibility to search for bookmarks by typing the first letter of the bookmark title...
What I´d like to see in IRIS is more support for content, but the architecture with plugins will certainly take care of that. And extended copy and paste to page contents as well as in the address bar, as is currently the case.
Otherwise IRIS is my default browser and will stay that way.
Bernard

bfarkin said:
Well, I spent the last couple of weeks comparing more or less all the available PPC browsers (IRIS, Opera 9.5 in different flavours, Opera mini, Opera mini with java addons, Netfront 3.5, Jataayu, Minimo, Skyfire and also IE addons such as PIE+, MultiIE, Webby etc.
I tested these on the road as well as at home, on WiFi as well as GPRS.
In the end I chucked them all except IRIS.
It basically has all I need (find in page, tabs, zoom, etc.) and runs very well on my Elf. It doesn't (yet) do inline videos like Skyfire does, but Skyfire is pretty useless otherwise.
Skyfire in many ways reminds me of a Java midlet like Opera Mini with pre-chewed pages. The advantage is that it doesn't cache pages on the PPC (just like Opera Mini). But it scores really low on usability and customisation
IRIS is similar in many ways to Netfront, but is open source and (so far) freeware. I also prefer the way IRIS zooms and has an option to present pages in one colums as defauls (rather than having to hit reflow in Netfront). NF visual bookmarks are pretty but rather useless. IRIS has a similar function for History, where it's much more useful. OTOH NF has loads of functions (including on-the-fly Japanese-to-English translation...) which may or may not be useful to you. And it's better at rendering non-Roman character content, such as Arabic or Hebrew pages than IRIS.
From PIE I only miss the possibility to search for bookmarks by typing the first letter of the bookmark title...
What I´d like to see in IRIS is more support for content, but the architecture with plugins will certainly take care of that. And extended copy and paste to page contents as well as in the address bar, as is currently the case.
Otherwise IRIS is my default browser and will stay that way.
Bernard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the detailed comparison, I'll definitely link to it in my next story on Iris

I've had Iris installed since a very early public beta. I really wanted to like it. I love the browser on the iPhone. But Iris is still a memory hog, slow to render, and still crashes here and there.
Also, the overall design/layout if very amateurish. Some of the places they put options just don't make sense. Up until the latest beta, there wasn't even a way to go back to your home page.
Their favorite handling is just plan stupid. I want to scroll up and down to find the webpage I want to go to. What happens? I constantly ACCIDENTALLY move the favorite around instead of scrolling the list (which works sometimes but not consistently). Every version has gotten a little better, but it's nowhere close to a commercially viable product. PocketIE as old as it is renders most pages faster.
As a note, I view Mobile webpages when available and rarely go to desktop intended websites.
-Mc

Menneisyys said:
thanks for the detailed comparison, I'll definitely link to it in my next story on Iris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome, and I apologise for the typos - I did type in IRIS on my Elf virtual keyboard...
Bernard

McHale said:
I've had Iris installed since a very early public beta. I really wanted to like it. I love the browser on the iPhone. But Iris is still a memory hog, slow to render, and still crashes here and there.
Also, the overall design/layout if very amateurish. Some of the places they put options just don't make sense. Up until the latest beta, there wasn't even a way to go back to your home page.
Their favorite handling is just plan stupid. I want to scroll up and down to find the webpage I want to go to. What happens? I constantly ACCIDENTALLY move the favorite around instead of scrolling the list (which works sometimes but not consistently). Every version has gotten a little better, but it's nowhere close to a commercially viable product. PocketIE as old as it is renders most pages faster.
As a note, I view Mobile webpages when available and rarely go to desktop intended websites.
-Mc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting.... I'm very pleased with the performance on the Elf, but I did move the cache to my SD card. I do find that it has improved since I did that. But maybe I'm just imagining things.
I agree about the bookmsrks and the somewhat haphazard menu item placement...
In order to avoid moving bookmarks around I do use the d-pad, but that is not really satisfactory. I also tend to use the URL auto fill-in. I wish you could do the same on the bookmark page, like in PIE.
Bernard

And I just found out that Skyfire does indeed cache pages on the device as well....
B.

I wasn't really impressed with the original couple betas of skyfire and would usually uninstall shortly after install, but now I'm using it more than Opera Mini which I was a big fan of. This page helped me give skyfire another chance:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/mobile-browser-showdown-iphone-3g-vs-opera-mobile-and-skyfire
Check out the performance stats!
Just wish they would incorporate tabs...
Oh yah, my biggest gripe: LET ME IMPORT MY IE FAVORITES!!!
-Mc
p.s. I'm still hoping that Iris gets to be almost as good as Mobile Safari.

McHale said:
Check out the performance stats!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that *is* impressive!
And yes, I also feel handicapped without tabs....
Bernard

Quick Web browser test & comparison: latest Iris and Opera Mobile versions

I’ve quickly tested the latest, current Iris and Opera Mobile versions, 1.1.9 and 9.7b1, respectively. (The former is available HERE, the latter HERE) I’ve done so on both VGA (the IPAQ 210 and the HTC Universal) and QVGA (the HTC Wizard) devices.
Of the two, I’d definitely go with Opera Mobile as it’s definitely closer Safari (or iCab Mobile) on the iPhone. While Iris does get better and better over time, it’s still nowhere as fast and easy-to-use as Opera Mobile. Furthermore, it still has rendering problems affecting particularly QVGA users. (And, on VGA, causing pretty small character sizes, particularly in Portrait orientation. Needless to say, it’s not possible to change the character size in Iris, unlike in Opera Mobile [see Settings / Display / Minimum Font Size])
On QVGA: with some sites, no problems at all with OM; with Iris, you MUST switch to Column mode; otherwise, the text is unreadable
Some of the disadvantages of Iris 1.1.9 compared to OM 9.7:
Iris: Impossible to directly copy text from Web pages to the clipboard. In Opera Mobile, all you need to do is select the appropriate menu item from the page context menu.
Open in new tab: still not supported (while it does exist in OM’s link context menu)
Impossible to disable animations, which kinda slows down working
No plug-ins
Much slower to load pages than OM 9.7 on the HTC Wizard
No “stop page loading” icon or even menu at all
To see the rendering difference, check out the test suite pages linked from HERE (more specifically, the Formatting (first) group in the chart. Basically, Iris is still suffering from exactly the same problems as with the, back in January, tested version 1.0.16 (1.1.0 b3).

I tested Operamobile on my Universal with Tomal 6.5 and results were very slow.
I love Opera on desktop or mobile but havent found a way to make it work properly
I´ll try again...

Thanks for the topic, Menneisyys.
Anyway, to be honest, I largely prefer Iris over Opera (except in cases of needing to download something). I just like Iris' interface much better and it appears less cluttered than that of Opera Mobile.
But you know, after all this time, I'd would have to say Opera Mini is still the best mobile browser.
I stopped using it a while back after discovering Iris, but I recently decided to use it again, and I haven't been back to Iris since. I've really forgotten how good Opera Mini is. It lacks some nice extras, yes, but the interface/usability/speed is simply incredible. Text is very readable, websites are easy to navigate, and, of course, it's fast.
Even on phones with small screens, it's pretty good. Well, that is to say, it makes phones with small screens bearable.

New web browser - zetakey browser

On openmarket, looks good and is fast. Looks as though there's no flash support, but only looked at it for a few minutes.
http://www.zetakey.com/download.html

Thanks for the heads up, I'll check it out.

No double tap or pinch zoom either, but their website said open to suggestions for future releases (bombard them with flash )

This is a pretty nice browser. I just found this after SkyFire got canned on Windows Mobile. No tabs like Iris, but less clunky, nicer interface like Dorothy. This appears to be the only Webkit browser for WM (that I could find anyways) still under active development, AND it takes about half the installed space of Iris or Dorothy. As was said above, it's not exactly feature-rich, but it's my favorite new browser. Thumbs up. Maybe I'll try and get it working with the Internet tab via VJBrisk.exe etc.

I'm also in search of a webkit browser for WM 6.5, and I have tried all three: Iris, Dorothy, Zetakey
Iris is still a keeper for now, which displays the google iphone interface correctly. But the problem with Iris is the cache goes out of control - a few webpages later the cache is more than 30 mb! So I only use it for specific sites.
Dorothy looks nice so far, even though it has issues with google iphone interface. The problem is it doesn't display any non-English language, even though all other apps, including opera mini and opera mobile, do just fine.
Zetakey was suppose to be the most promising except a fatal flaw: it conflicts with QuickMenu for some unknown reason. Once Zetakey is running QuickMenu is disabled. Another problem is I can resize the font. It looks like it's sized but it's not, and the default font size is super small.
I guess the only way to get a real webkit browser on HD2 now is to go Android.

wearefree said:
(...) I guess the only way to get a real webkit browser on HD2 now is to go Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I thought about that too... dual-booting so I could have a browser with flash support and whatnot. But then I can't use OCT dang it.

I just tried to change the user agent for oepra mobile on HD2, and now most of the mobile sites will return the iphone browser interface. Some of it dosn't display correctly but at least it's better than before. I guess that is one solution.

Bumping the Zetakey threads to let people know there's a new version at Zetakey.com as of 14-Feb-2011. Webkit browser for WM that's still under development that installs into less space than Iris or Dorothy.

Zetakey Browser
Howdy All,
I've been on the lookout for a light, fast browser suitable to my unique needs. Due to Adwords for mobile not rendering on Opera and a host of other browers, I had to install Iris 1.1.9 (plus fix). Unfortunately, Iris didn't impress especially as far as the UI is concerned. I then came across Zetakey which so far ticks all the boxes. I have requested the Flash plugin and await a response and looking at editing certain features. but so far so good. And what a small footprint! I'd say give it a try.
I'm running overclocked (633) Touch HD with Blackstonehenge Rom in case you were wondering.

does it have flash

smungai said:
Howdy All,
I've been on the lookout for a light, fast browser suitable to my unique needs. Due to Adwords for mobile not rendering on Opera and a host of other browers, I had to install Iris 1.1.9 (plus fix). Unfortunately, Iris didn't impress especially as far as the UI is concerned. I then came across Zetakey which so far ticks all the boxes. I have requested the Flash plugin and await a response and looking at editing certain features. but so far so good. And what a small footprint! I'd say give it a try.
I'm running overclocked (633) Touch HD with Blackstonehenge Rom in case you were wondering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you in the right forum? This is an HD2 forum, and the CPU runs at 1Ghz stock. What would overclocked (633) mean?

Iris browser new (powerfull?) browser for wm

i'm allways,searching,testing for better borwsing experience in my wm devices.
after opera handrends versions,opera 10,skyfire (that stoped working out of U>S.) and fennec(that isn't working in leo)
i just (re) testing Iris browser for wm. it seems hopefull...
is lighter than any other full browser we use in wm(except opera mini)
needs some work but,i believe that,without testing and feedbacking an app,development dies...
unfortunatelly,developer's site http://www.torchmobile.com/ isn't working ..
maby someone from our great developers in our community in xda,could make some fixes/adds for this?just hopping to it
Why shouldn't you get the desktop browsing experience in a mobile environment? With the Iris Browser's revolutionary technology, you can access the full Web on resource-constrained device and get the same functionality as you would on a PC.
Some core features include:
* WebKit Rendering Engine - Our developers have unparalleled expertise with WebKit, the rendering engine that is quickly becoming the de facto standard for cutting edge Web browsing. We built the Iris Browser to bring you everything that WebKit has to offer, including standards-compliance, efficiency, portability and stability.
* Customizable Interface - The graphical user interface of the Iris Browser is highly customizable. This means that we can adapt it to your specific requirements.
* Touch Screen Control - The Iris Browser is equipped with intuitive touch screen controls, giving you more control than ever over your Web browsing experience without making you navigate complicated menus.
* Advanced HTML & CSS Support - We believe in being ahead of the curve. That's why the Iris Browser supports both HTML 4 and some parts of the upcoming HTML 5 (canvas), as well as CSS 2.x and 3.x, allowing you to view cutting edge Web sites with exciting new features.
* Languages - Devices are shipped all over the world. Your software shouldn't limit your market. The Iris Browser supports internationalization of the user interface and viewing Web sites with international encodings.
* Zoom & Tap Function - The Iris Browser lets you focus on what you want to see. When you view a Web site, you're looking at the full page that is shrunk down to fit the size of your display. Nothing is missing. You can focus on what interests you by tapping on the screen and zooming into specific sections of the page.
* Multiple Windows and Tabs - You want your Web browsing experience to be smooth and simple, so we designed the Iris Browser to support multiple windows as well as multiple tabs, allowing you to easily transition between Web pages.
* Input Methods - The Iris Browser can handle any input method that's on your platform.
Handwriting recognition. On-screen keyboards. iTap. Auto-complete. No problem! * Software mouse cursor - Not all Web pages are created equal. In fact, some are impossible to navigate without a mouse cursor. The virtual mouse in the Iris Browser lets you chart your own Web experience through all sites, giving you the freedom to take a desktop browsing experience with you on the go.
* Special Effects - You want your device to be unique. We do too. The Iris Browser provides a broad range of special effects, including animations and sound effects, letting you to tailor the application to your style. Some of the existing page transitions that you can choose from include slide-in/slide-out, tear away, shatter, swirl, and many more.
* Rotating Devices - Now you can get the most out of your hardware. If you're using a device with a rotating screen, the Iris Browser automatically and seamlessly rotates the contents and reformats the page between landscape and portrait modes.
* Advanced Security Features - We want your Web experience to be fun and safe. That's why the Iris Browser includes a number of advanced security features, including phishing and spoofing protection.
* Pop-Up Blockers
The Iris Browser offers unparalleled flexibility. Its browser layer and user interface are modular and can be easily customized to meet specific requirements. The component-based design provides manufacturers with complete control over the software. The Iris Browser is portable to many devices and platforms.
Other Features
* Advanced mobile key navigation
* HTTP cache optimized for low disk usage
* SSL and authenticated proxy support
* Styled Form Controls
* Netscape plug-in API
* JavaScript/ECMAScript 1.5
* SVG, XPath and XSLT support
* History Auto-Complete
* Efficient storage of bookmarks and cookies
* Bookmark editor, carrier specified list
* Favorite icons and history
* XHTML 1.x mobile profile support
* Customizable about: pages
a video preview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2a-EbanGsA&feature=player_embedded
Update Description:
v1.1.9
- Improved canvas support � curves, transparency fixes, and more
- Application cache support
- Some networking and javascript fixes
- Flash reliability fixes
- The link click animation has been removed, by popular request
- A security fix in SVG support
- Preliminary RTSP support and a Windows Media plugin. Also the beginning of HTML5 audio/video support (more to come here)
- Fixes for various iPhone sites, including Google calendar and reader
v1.1.8:
- Improved graphics performance.
- Faster networking and loading of local files.
- Improved memory usage.
- Improved asynchronous behavior while loading pages.
- Support for the W3C Geolocation API.
- Support for HTML5 SQL databases and client side storage.
- Rendering improvements.
- CSS transformations and effects.
- Improved Thai language support.
- Right-to-left language fixes.
- Many general bug fixes.
v1.1.7:
- More configurability:
o Click-to-play Flash can be disabled from the registry.
o Text reflow can be enabled from the registry.
- Some crash fixes.
- Improvements to block zoom region identification and calculation.
- Much faster page loading due to new networking code.
- Various site compatibility fixes.
- Support more encodings for RSS.
- Scroll point is now preserved when going back.
- Touch Pro gesture pad sensor no longer disables when opening a dialog.
- Minor rendering improvements.
- Improved text layout and glyph spacing, including preliminary Thai support.
- Plenty of other small fixes!
v1.1.6:
- Performance improvements:
o Some pages load up to 25% faster.
o Scrolling performance improved.
o Painting speed improved.
- History fixes.
- New registry flag to control the minimum and maximum zoom levels - use at your own risk!
- Zoom scheme changes based on user requests and bug reports.
- Some site specific fixes.
- EUC-KR support improvements.
- Some hidden features.
v1.1.5:
This release is focused on bug fixes and performance enhancement. Some highlights include:
- Noticeably faster scrolling.
- Up to 25% improvement in page load time.
- Improvements to text input.
- Rendering and layout improvements.
rapid link: http://rapidshare.com/files/414031651/iris-browser-1.1.9.cab.html
app's page link
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-iris-browser.html
regards Dimitris

zaharakis said:
unfortunatelly,developer's site http://www.torchmobile.com/ isn't working ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good browser, but the reason why the link it's working is because they were bought out by RIM/Blackberry a while back.

thanks, i'll definetely try it
off topic: rossi to ducati, i'll sue him 'cause he'll give me a heart attack one day...

antaed said:
thanks, i'll definetely try it
off topic: rossi to ducati, i'll sue him 'cause he'll give me a heart attack one day...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
off topic
i think the dream of all fans of Doctor,comes trough

working my htc hd mini. off topic sorry V.rossi forever the best driver in the world..

Going to check this out. Thanks for the tip.

Link
Here's a shorter download link for Iris 1.1.9: http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/get-iris-browser.html
Choose Mirror Download and be patient. It takes a while before it's downloaded as the download speed is about 9 kb/sec!
BTW, I always liked Iris much more than Skyfire.
regards, Kuzibri

kuzibri said:
Here's a shorter download link for Iris 1.1.9: http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/get-iris-browser.html
Choose Mirror Download and be patient. It takes a while before it's downloaded as the download speed is about 9 kb/sec!
BTW, I always liked Iris much more than Skyfire.
regards, Kuzibri
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link! This actually downloaded in a few seconds for me

Pandemoniumone said:
Thanks for the link! This actually downloaded in a few seconds for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. Glad that I could help you,
regards, Kuzibri

Address Bar
Either I'm stupid or blind, but I cannot seem to find the address bar in Iris, only adding bookmarks, which is no problem at all. But it would be far more easy to just have an address bar where you can type in the site you want to visit. Can someone point me into the right direction? Furthermore this browser is far and far better than Opera or Skyfire or whatever browser!
regards, Kuzibri
P.S. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I just cannnot find it!

kuzibri said:
Either I'm stupid or blind, but I cannot seem to find the address bar in Iris, only adding bookmarks, which is no problem at all. But it would be far more easy to just have an address bar where you can type in the site you want to visit. Can someone point me into the right direction? Furthermore this browser is far and far better than Opera or Skyfire or whatever browser!
regards, Kuzibri
P.S. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I just cannnot find it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
click on the navigate button on the bottom right and then select show address.
Hands down iris is the friendliest browser for wm ever! The closest thing to the almighty Safari on iPhone.

Dorothy Browser doesn't work outside the us? (Also based on WebKit like Iris.)

I was trying to get skyfire but it dint work...having hard time playing flash videos on HD2 Leo...i dint try this one!! does Flash players work in this???

So far the browser works for me, I'm only having trouble watching video's, everytime I click on a video to watch it, the browser gives me a message which says that if I'd like to watch the video, I have to enable plugins in the settings of safari. I don't understand where I'll find it, can anybody help me with this?

how to install this one in mobile no .cab file int this one

jordy1990 said:
So far the browser works for me, I'm only having trouble watching video's, everytime I click on a video to watch it, the browser gives me a message which says that if I'd like to watch the video, I have to enable plugins in the settings of safari. I don't understand where I'll find it, can anybody help me with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't watch that video. The reason it want's you do enable things in safari is because the website things you are using an iphone when you are browsing with Iris browser.

[Poll] Best Browser with Description!

Stock Browser​
Not much to say about this browser. This browser comes with the phone and is not on the play store.
Dolphin Browser​
PROS
Intuitive interface. Supports LastPass password manager, Evernote, screengrab taker. Syncs to Google bookmarks. Supports voice- or gesture-based navigation.
CONS
No desktop version. Slower than stock Android browser.
BOTTOM LINE
Dolphin Browser 8.8 isn't the fastest Android browser in Google Play, but the latest version retains its Editors' Choice designation for balancing performance with a thoughtful collection of mobile add-ons.
Credits: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383132,00.asp - More information about Dolphin Browser here.
Opera Web Browser​
PROS
Clean interface. Flash support. Opera Link syncs bookmarks, Speed Dials, search engines. Scrolls "like butter."
CONS
No Add-ons. Separate search, URL fields a cavalier use of mobile real estate.
BOTTOM LINE
Although it cannot be customized to the degree of Dolphin or Firefox, Opera 11 is a svelte mobile browser with full-throated multimedia support.
Credits: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383239,00.asp - More information about Opera Web Browser here.
Skyfire​
Interface
The interface itself is clean and familiar. The new social buttons seem to load up with slight lag. The twitter social but did not recognize me the second time I loaded it but the facebook remembered me so it might be a cookie issue. Other than that transitions and menus is fluid and everything else just work beautiful and it is just so nice. You will be up and running with this browser in no time if you are coming from different browsers.
Performance
I usually click a lot of links in twitter that takes me to website that take a while to load especially in dolphin browser mini. but Skyfire browser loaded up those usual pages in lightning quick speed. One site in particular that I visit often is Android Central and it usually takes longer with my previous browsers. Skyfire cut that loading time in nearly half. I must also point out that I am using Verizon 4g lte and that is why most sites load faster, your results may vary. Pages also render very quickly thus giving the illusion that everything is just faster.
Functionality
The app functions as a browser should; it takes you to websites the user directs it to. The difference here is that it does it better. I didn’t crunch any numbers to compare load times with other browsers, but it’s exponentially faster based on my experience with the stock Android browser, Dolphin Browser HD, Dolphin Browser Mini, and Mozilla Firefox Web Browser. The app itself is a bit heavy, and feels like all these features slow down the app itself, but not the browsing. Switching tabs, and user agents is pretty slick, and the app does it’s best to make everything quicker by laying out many shortcuts to help you out. I do wish the initial app load time was as quick as Dolphin Browser Mini, but by the time that app loads and then loads a page, it’s just about the same with Skyfire.
Credits: http://androidappreviewdaily.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/skyfire-4-0-4222011/ - More information about Skyfire browser here
Maxthon​
Mention the word "mobile browser," and most people will think that you are going to start talking about the likes of Opera Mini, Opera Mobile, Skyfire or the mobile avatars of Chrome and Firefox, or maybe even some of the very good default browsers installed on some phones and tablets (such as the versions of Safari and Internet Explorer on iOS and Windows Phone devices). But there are other browsers in the mobile world as well and some of them every bit as good and in some regards even better than these worthies. And one of the very best is Maxthon.
Tech veterans will be familiar with Maxthon which started out as a desktop browser and has since also come out with mobile versions for Android devices (both phones and tablets). The browser is available for free download from Google Play. It works with all Android devices running version 1.6 and above and at about 2MB is not the heaviest around. However, it is when you start using the browser that you get an idea of what's so special about it.
Maxthon's interface is on the stark side - the launch screen will show you a row of icons linked to some popular websites, giving you one touch access to them. You can of course add to or subtract from the list, depending on your inclination. In a very neat touch, the browser comes with an App Center that gives you access to shortcuts to a number of popular websites classified according to subject - all you need to do is check the ones you want on your launch screen. You can also simply add sites by just entering their URLs Tabs are arranged neatly at the top of the browser window and the navigation toolbar at the bottom is relatively unpopulated with just forward, back, home, boomark, other options and full screen icons. The app has no ads whatsoever and best of all, browsing seems to be incredibly brisk, especially as compared to some of the other browsers we have seen.
Beneath this relatively interface are lurking a number of very powerful features. There is a download manager, support for gestures (write a 'C' on the screen to close a tab), the ability to sync bookmarks between the desktop version of the browser and its mobile avatar, to select and copy text and images, to share links across social networks, and in a vey neat touch, the option to view a web page as it would be rendered on a desktop, on Android, and even on an iPhone or an iPad. You can customise the look and feel of the browser by using themes and if you are the types that likes messing around with add-ons, there is a fair collection of them as well, including ones that let you take screenshots, read RSS feeds, kill tasks, look at missed calls and so on.
The best part of Maxthon is, however its relatively clean interface and speed. At no stage do you feel overwhelmed or confused by options. In fact, this is the kind of browser that one can simply start using in the most basic manner and then slowly start discovering new features. Its earlier editions were a tad buggy but recent updates have proved to be more solid. It looks simple, packs in lots of features, works incredibly fast, and it costs nothing. If you have an Android device and have not at least tried Maxthon for browsing the Web, you have missed out one of the best mobile browsing experiences you can have. It is the default browser on our Motorola Xoom and Desire HD already.
Credits: http://news.efytimes.com/e1/Daily App Review Maxthon Browser Android/82894 - More information on Maxthon here.
Firefox​
Choice in browsers has been an integral part in the history of computing. Mozilla has been at the heart of the push for choice in browsers from its inception out of Netscape to the introduction of Firefox in 2004. Since 2004, Mozilla has been dedicated to giving users a choice in browsers not only on the desktop, but on mobile.
The latest version of Firefox for Android, available in Google Play today, comes in the midst of heavy competition in browsers for Android with Dolphin HD, Opera Mobile, Opera Mini, and Firefox each having been downloaded more than ten million times. Perhaps even more dauntingly, Google is in the process of making Chrome the default browser in Android. Chrome made headlines in the last six weeks as it surpassed Internet Explorer to become the most used browser internationally on desktops. Mozilla is keenly aware that by developing Firefox for Android they are competing with Google in a way that is much less obvious on the desktop.
Credits: http://www.droid-life.com/2012/06/26/review-firefox-for-android/ - More information on Firefox here.
Chrome​
PROS
Fast. Streamlined interface. Easy navigation. Voice search. Excellent tab implementation. Quickly syncs between all platforms and devices.
CONS
Requires Android 4.0 and higher. No Flash. No plug-ins.
BOTTOM LINE
Chrome first full release on Android is a speed demon of a browser, combining a minimalist interface with advanced HTML 5 support.
Credits: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406535,00.asp - More information on Chrome here.

Nice information! But chrome does support incognito mode which I assume you mean by safe browsing mode.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

shimp208 said:
Nice information! But chrome does support incognito mode which I assume you mean by safe browsing mode.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
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google chrome = lag city
my favourite browser speed wise is samsung galaxy s3 browser.
though overall (better tab multi task) stock android browser

boat browser ftw!

Chrome doesn't lag at all in my galaxy s3

Dolphin Browser with Dolphin Engine (beta) is, at least in my opinion, the fastest browser around. Except for maybe Opera Mini, but that one doesn't count . It has all the good things about Dolphin, themes, plugins, gestures etc. Gestures takes some time to get used to, but now that I remember them, I use them a whole lot. I like the interface a lot, the bookmark bar on the left is really useful, though on my old HTC Hero I had to disable it cause I made it expand a whole lot on that tiny screen. Not a problem on my One S. I kind of miss Chrome tab sync, but Chrome to phone is okay. Overall I would say it is by far the best android browser (even the Dolphin browser on Play Store doesn't compare)
Edit: found out the beta is on the market as well: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dolphin.browser.lab.en

I've been back and forth with chrome and dolphin although a feature I don't like about chrome is once you leave the app and once you open it again your tabs are still open. I usually forget to close which can get annoying but for some people this is a great feature.

Bump .

Bump .

Chrome does great Work.
Cheers.