Related
I noticed that Google has two different mobile versions of his pages. One for his default Android browser and one for the others. And the one for the others is much simpler. It's most noticeable when you try to display iGoogle. In the default browser you get fancy user interface with many features and widgets whereas in Opera Mobile 11, you get really simple HTML page with practically no settings. I set Opera to use the user agent of the default browser and suddenly I got the better mobile version too. And naturally with all functionality.
So I ask.. why Google does that? He thinks, that other browsers can't handle advanced features of his pages? Or is he simply trying to put off people from using alternative browsers? Or is there an official way turn on this better version? Because changing the user agent seems to break some other pages and even the Google search, although it looks much better and more modern, is for some reason displayed extremely wide.
I couldn't find anything about this weird behavior but maybe I just used the wrong keywords
Bump. I have wondered this too, and it forces me to use dolphin (which is essentially the default browser spiced up a bit). I like the google homepage with the default android browser because it uses my location. Withe firefox, its as if Im on a computer and is less helpful. Anyone have a solution/workaround?
Well, as I wrote before, I changed the user agent of Opera to the user agent of stock browser/Dolphin so basically Opera pretended to be stock browser and I really got the nice modern Google Homepage, including my location. However the layout was a little bit messed up, the viewport was strangely wide, so it was kind of useless. But I guess it's a problem of Opera. You could try it too in Firefox, but I don't know whether it is possible to change your user agent in mobile Firefox, maybe there is an addon for it?
Easiest way to get the stock browser user agent is to open stock browser, use Google to search "what is my user agent", go to first link and select and copy the text it displays. You can just past it then wherever you want to.
Btw. I tried Dolphin HD and I almost switched because I really liked the UI (Opera is a little bit old school I would say) but when it came to rendering real full webpages, Opera was way way faster than Dolphin. At least on my Nexus S.
I really like the Opera mobile also with the Google search from the stock android browser using the user agent. I really wish there wasn't so wide like others here have posted. Hopefully someone or Opera will come up with a fix.
The instructions found in the below post has seemed to fix all of the rendering issues I had with Opera Mobile.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1009719
I really wish that opera would fix the problem of Google search being to wide. I really like the opera browser but it is annoying when searching to have to scroll to the right in order the click the search button sometimes.
... what can we tweak on it to make it better?
The about:config option lists hundreds of things to play with. I'm looking for tweaks to improve memory optimization (so android does kill it so quickly) and better cache settings when using lots of tabs.
Let the games begin and the ideas fly
Does it still lack Flash add on in the TF?
Rumbleweed said:
Does it still lack Flash add on in the TF?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still no flash support, but browsing with the adblock extension makes surfing a joy
Is there an eta to add flash to firefox?
I also recommend installing the user agent addon and set it to firefox desktop to get around sites that try to force mobile versions.
Punchatron said:
Is there an eta to add flash to firefox?
I also recommend installing the user agent addon and set it to firefox desktop to get around sites that try to force mobile versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea when flash will be out. Installing that user agent addon was one of the first things I did Now, I just want to find out how to tweak FF from the inside to see how much performance can improve.
Firefox is awesome. Probably the best browser for android tablet. Loving it with phony and ad block addons. Eat that ipad.
There's no workaround to at least get flash to play in an external player?
can you guys play embedded youtube player (using iPad useragent) at all? The HTML5 video lags on my device a lot.
EP2008 said:
Firefox is awesome on the transformer, but...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dolphin HD is better
Firefox, backspace, and keyboard dock
This happening to anyone else? It only seems to happen in Firefox but whenever I use the docks backspace key in Firefox, two characters are deleted instead of just one.
I don't need a signature.
Search suggestions from url bar in firefox mobile?
I like firefox mobile, but unlike the stock browser, you got get google search suggestions from the url bar. I cant seem to find an addon that will allow this. Can anyone suggest one?
I'm noticing this same issue ... while using the keyboard dock in firefox the backspace keys removes two characters.
Did you ever find a fix for this?
Yes, the backspace problem and when typing, the cursor sometimes moves backwards, so you are typing over existing text... my most hated bug!
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
The only time I noticed the cursor moving back it was because I was apparently accidentally hitting the touchpad and it was registering as a tap to click. So now I just mainly keep the touchpad disabled.
sourworm said:
The only time I noticed the cursor moving back it was because I was apparently accidentally hitting the touchpad and it was registering as a tap to click. So now I just mainly keep the touchpad disabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's actually a known issue with FF mobile and hardware keyboards, but it only seemed to be fixed for some devices. Are you saying that in multi-line web forms, you get no typing issues?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Same issue here, but not in stock web browser. Only in firefox
Wow, I thought I was the only one, I didn't actually notice it happens only in Firefox, but now that you've mentioned it, I notice that I don't hate typying anywhere else... haha
Hehehe... so glad it's not only me and that it's only in Firefox, now there's one more reason to give dolphin a try. Too bad though, I really like the FF interface and tabs position.
I have notice the same problem, and When I'm using the "AZERTY" Dock it was recognized by Firefox as a "QWERTY" one.
This is the only application that make the mistake.
GoodLinux said:
I have notice the same problem, and When I'm using the "AZERTY" Dock it was recognized by Firefox as a "QWERTY" one.
This is the only application that make the mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem too, backspace deletes 2 characters, and the azerty keyboard is recognized as a qwerty one...
EP2008 said:
It's actually a known issue with FF mobile and hardware keyboards, but it only seemed to be fixed for some devices. Are you saying that in multi-line web forms, you get no typing issues?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if I just wasn't using it enough, but I hadn't noticed that issue. I certainly do now, and it definitely isn't better with firefox 5. It does seem like it is worse in some forms than others (typing this message wasn't bad at all). I've also noticed in some forms that pressing backspace quickly several times will just delete everything.
Is there anyway to get websites that use drop-down menus to behave correctly on the Transformer? Certain websites show the menus when highlighting or clicking them on a PC, but everytime it is tapped on the Transformer it will attempt to load the link, often times failing. The website that comes to mind is Mint.com. Selecting cateogies for transactions is a huge pain with the tablet.
I haven't specifically tried it on my TF, but on my phone I do sort of a cross between a tap-and-hold and a swipe which gives you the equivalent of a hover. It's kind of hard to explain, but basically tap and hold on the drop-down but move your finger before you would get the long-press options.
Thanks for the response. That tip works on the tablet. However, I'm still unable to click certain things on Mint.com. specifically the "edit details" button under each transaction. I also tried clicking it with the mouse pointer but had no luck.
I go back and forth between the stock browser and Opera. Both have their advantages, and when one doesn't work well for something I switch to the other. One of the nice things about Opera is that it uses hardware acceleration so it's noticeably smoother on a lot of sites.
The "edit details" button works in Opera Mini, but bedoig's trick for drop down menus doesn't. Hopefully, they come out with an update to enable the default browser to click with more accuracy. I love the hidden browser menus (bookmarks, back, refresh, etc.).
Sorry, I was actually referring to Opera Mobile. Mobile renders content on the device, whereas Mini renders it on Opera's servers then sends you a compressed version. Not sure if Mobile would give you different results in this case, but thought I'd clarify anyway.
Opera Mini actually works better on Mint.com than Opera Mobile. I can't even select transactions with Opera Mobile. Though it takes two different browsers, I'm happy that I can edit my transactions without having to be on my PC.
I personally think opera mobile (the newest version) is the best one out there. Absolutely zero lag. Compatible with everything I throw at it. I don't understand why people insist on hating it or not using it. It's the best one out there.
I like Opera but there are some things that bug me:
- Google always shows up in mobile view, its annoying to have to always scroll down to click classic.
- The tabs system is slow, I prefer the way the stock browser has them
- You cant always go back to the start page, most of the time you have to open a new tab instead of being able to use the speed dial.
The new Dolphin HD is nice but I don't like not having back and forward buttons, and that you have to scroll back to the top of the page to type in a URL. In the stock browser all you have to do is click the tab and the buttons show.
I don't like the blocks that happen in the stock browser when scrolling, but I really love the quick controls. It generally seems less buggy than the other browsers as well.
Opera actually almost is the best browser but on some pages they never load fully & on some pages even with flash enabled some things show up as a big arrow that would play just fine on Dolphin Hd.Opera is the only browser i can check my gmail just as i could on my desktop..Dolphin HD is lacking there.Opera needs another update to fix the bugs.Lastly why on earth does everything load on Opera halfway (for instance pictures).If you hold on the pic it will give you the option to "Reload image in full quality" !!! Wtf..how about loading that way in the first place lol...I'll stick with Dolphin Hd for now.
Toast95135 said:
I like Opera but there are some things that bug me:
- Google always shows up in mobile view, its annoying to have to always scroll down to click classic.
- The tabs system is slow, I prefer the way the stock browser has them
- You cant always go back to the start page, most of the time you have to open a new tab instead of being able to use the speed dial.
The new Dolphin HD is nice but I don't like not having back and forward buttons, and that you have to scroll back to the top of the page to type in a URL. In the stock browser all you have to do is click the tab and the buttons show.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird. Nothing has shown up as mobile view for me for a month now. I think you need to play around more with settings.
Toast95135 said:
I like Opera but there are some things that bug me:
- Google always shows up in mobile view, its annoying to have to always scroll down to click classic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can solve this by setting the User Agent to Desktop in Advanced settings.
---------- Post added at 09:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 AM ----------
Arun01 said:
Opera actually almost is the best browser but on some pages they never load fully & on some pages even with flash enabled some things show up as a big arrow that would play just fine on Dolphin Hd.Opera is the only browser i can check my gmail just as i could on my desktop..Dolphin HD is lacking there.Opera needs another update to fix the bugs.Lastly why on earth does everything load on Opera halfway (for instance pictures).If you hold on the pic it will give you the option to "Reload image in full quality" !!! Wtf..how about loading that way in the first place lol...I'll stick with Dolphin Hd for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look like you have Opera Turbo enabled, which means that Opera loads the pages though a proxy server which compresses pages for faster loading over slow connections. This will speedup your loading over slow connections, but if you've got a fast connection you should not use it.
You can disable Opera Turbo in the settings.
I find the Dolphin for Pad browser very good:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dolphin.browser.pad&feature=search_result
None
The day I can go to vimeo.com or youtube.com and play an HD 720p video without having to maximize the screen (without ANY stutter) is the day I'll name a best browser. As it stands, none to me are the best. They all have flaws with flash.
Argh nevermind the part about "reload image in full quality ".I see what it is now lol.Dolphin for pad needs an update bad!!!
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
I like dolphin for pad. Opera is not bad, but for me it's a bit slow to start showing the site, and some site I use quite a lot has a little bug in the render. Also, I don't like the tab system.
You can go to the top in Dolphin HD by using the gesture button on the bottom left. Just make an upside down V and it'll bring you right up.
All the browsers need to add some better swipe gestures however...like Atomic Browser for ios. It has 2 Finger swipe left or right to switch between tabs or 3 finger touch to maximize screen. They're customizable as well.
Goodintentions why dont you put a poll on this thread of the top ten browsers?
Opera
dolphin
skyfire
miren
uc
mozilla beta
etc etc
Sent from my tf101 using xda premium 1.59Ghz
I have to say opera mobile hands down. Not to be confused with opera mini. They are 2 different browsers...especially in terms of performance. But yes, opera mobile is an absolutely fantastic browser both on my nexus s and transformer. Blows every other browser out the water. Very fast UI. Very smooth scrolling and zooming. Flash content etc. It must have deep gpu / hardware acceleration i think. It behaves like a dream. What every browser should be.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Toast95135 said:
I like Opera but there are some things that bug me:
- Google always shows up in mobile view, its annoying to have to always scroll down to click classic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then change the UA to Desktop (you have Mobile, Tablet and Desktop) it's in the settings...
How card can it be?
---------- Post added at 11:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 AM ----------
voyager_s said:
It must have deep gpu / hardware acceleration i think. It behaves like a dream. What every browser should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, and it's the only browser to do so (which is why scrolling is silky smooth on Opera and crap on everything else). Even the stock Android browser doesn't have it yet...
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370756,00.asp#fbid=7tE7TmefXx2
The browser will be available for all versions of the Android OS. New features in this version of Opera Mobile include hardware acceleration and pinch-to-zoom. According to the company, hardware acceleration leverages the power of the mobile phone to allow for increased speed, faster navigation, and more fluid interaction with the phone. It also makes possible full pinch-to-zoom functionality for all sites.
CrazyPeter said:
Then change the UA to Desktop (you have Mobile, Tablet and Desktop) it's in the settings...
How card can it be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have it set to the desktop user agent, and Opera does the same thing on my phone. Typing a search in the URL or search bar always brings up the mobile version. I have gone through and changed the user agent in the about:config page without any luck either.
Toast95135 said:
I do have it set to the desktop user agent, and Opera does the same thing on my phone. Typing a search in the URL or search bar always brings up the mobile version. I have gone through and changed the user agent in the about:config page without any luck either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spoken like a true ipad user. Complain rather than try to find a solution.
The search bar is a mobile search bar, yes. Would it kill you to not use it? Just put google homepage (the desktop one) in your favorite and go there whenever you want to search for something.
Many of us have already written to opera about this. I'm confident they will fix this in upcoming updates.
To me, this is one drawback that is easily avoidable. With built in hw acceleration and functions... screw it.
Just don't use opera at all. If you prefer the lagginess of other browsers, be my guess. Don't ever try to go around anything. Just complain.
goodintentions said:
Spoken like a true ipad user. Complain rather than try to find a solution.
The search bar is a mobile search bar, yes. Would it kill you to not use it? Just put google homepage (the desktop one) in your favorite and go there whenever you want to search for something.
Many of us have already written to opera about this. I'm confident they will fix this in upcoming updates.
To me, this is one drawback that is easily avoidable. With built in hw acceleration and functions... screw it.
Just don't use opera at all. If you prefer the lagginess of other browsers, be my guess. Don't ever try to go around anything. Just complain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excuse me? Im complaining because I don't like a bug that lots of other people have reported? Ive tried every "solution" in the book to try and fix it but none work. I like Opera and have been using it for a year but it doesn't mean the mobile bug is any less irritating.
Toast95135 said:
Excuse me? Im complaining because I don't like a bug that lots of other people have reported? Ive tried every "solution" in the book to try and fix it but none work. I like Opera and have been using it for a year but it doesn't mean the mobile bug is any less irritating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already told you the solution. Its the same one I use. Just put Google homepage in favorite and go there when you want to search. How hard can it be?
I use the stock browser because it provides what I want (tabs, chrome bookmark sync) and performs reasonably enough for browsing; I still remember surfing at 3.4K/s .
Opera is what I use on my phone because it seriously kicks the Froyo stock browser to timbucktu on performance. I do think Opera Mobile's UI is much better suited to a tablet than the HC stock though.
Opera mobile is indeed faster and smoother in terms of scrolling compared to all the other browsers. UI response is also very quick. However, Opera has serious issues with Flash. Opera would crash on my TF for some flash content and flash videos are really slow to load and would stutter while Dolphin HD and even stock would play much smoother.
I like Opera, its my usual web browsing browser. But if I need flash content, I switch to Dolphin HD.
I usually don't have this problem, because I splashtop for my computer for all webbrowsing normally. I'm out of the house on wifi and splashtop dies, so I'm unable to connect to my computer :/ Then I pop up the stock browser to browse here, and work on my schoolwork (Which is a badly coded flash site x.x) Stock browser refuses to recognize flash (for whatever reason, I reinstalled and still no.) Thats out. Download Dolphin, flash works but, button 'Start class' (javascript) refuses to work, and the pages glitch and are wonky. That's out. Opera, won't recognize flash, out. Google chrome beta, crashes instantly, out. Firefox normal, no flash out. Firefox beta new, no flash for Tegra 2, out. Maxthon (my old fav from ARHD) Same problems as Dolphin... Broken buttons/page layouts. I feel like I'm trying to browse the web on my lg cosmos 2 dinosaur phone with all these app related problems (ok exaggeration but still...) The only one I got to work was Skyfire, but it's bugging the crap out of me with page layout and speed. Is there a browser that can perform exactly the same as a desktop browser does? Or at least load pages properly? It's extremely annoying that pages don't load or layout/flash doesn't work. Ugh. I use mozilla on my computer and it works amazingly connected through splashtop, but I need a backup...
/endrant
Are you stock, non-rooted, etc? Running any custom ROMs or kernels?
I love using dolphin for pad it's really good, fast too.
You can try Boat browser
Dolphin seems to mess up page layout and buttons don't work, but it is the fastest. I don't care about speed.. as much, as having perfectly layed out pages like a desktop browser. I'll check out boat and report back. I'm running Guevor's latest kernel on AOKP b37 euroskank build atm, so yes, rooted rommed cwm whatever's needed.
I know you said that Chrome Beta crashes instantly on your site, but in general it's my go-to browser when something's displaying not-quite correctly on other browsers, since its rendering is derived from desktop Chrome. It works on my university's sites, which are horrible in all of the other browsers I have tried.
If you have a static (or at least infrequently changing) IP address at home, you could try forwarding a port to use Splashtop from anywhere on the internet (expect a performance hit). I do that with Windows' built in Remote Desktop and "Jump Desktop", super useful.
Thanks for the suggestion! I already have that all set up though
It's just kinda slow to use just to quickly look something up, I was hoping that a browser exists that won't super bork webpages.
Hopefully chrome will work in an update