Ok, the browser is great in terms of the speed, layout, support for animations/javascript etc. But I think the interface sucks a little. Where's the home page? I have to press 3 buttons, and yet `share` and this other crap I'm never going to use (share a web page? what does that even mean?) is right in your face. I find bookmarks clumsy to navigate, and there doesn't seem to be and way of constructing a folder full of bookmarks in under 30 minutes. If I double click to zoom then half the time I'll not quite double click and it'll load whatever link I clicked on first, so I have to double click on a blank part of the page, or use pinch to zoom, neither of which is ideal. How do I stop a page from loading if I've made a mistake or changed my mind? I'm not used to browsers with no stop button. Seems that you're supposed to just wait.
When I'm zooming in , it would be nice if the text was reformatted to fit the current width of the screen. Otherwise I have to keep scrolling left and right as I read. Am I supposed to have to do that? It would be nice to have a `reformat` button. Oh, but not hidden away on a sub menu somewhere like the home page is, but accessible from a long-click on the current page.
It's as if the browser was coded by two entirely different teams - a really competent one which has produced a fast, powerful browser which handles most web pages perfectly; and some other guys who've knocked up some rubbish front end quickly.
1) About stopping the page. You can either click in the top-right, where the refresh icon normally is, or you can press the back hardware button.
2) I'm guessing your Desire is from Orange? They took out the re-formatting function for some crappy reason. Really pees me off as well
Try xScope browser, probably that will solve your problem.
gogol said:
Try xScope browser, probably that will solve your problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried a couple of other browsers, and they're usually rubbish (no multitouch etc). The stock browser just needs a few fixes and it'll be fine.
dpk said:
1) About stopping the page. You can either click in the top-right, where the refresh icon normally is, or you can press the back hardware button.
2) I'm guessing your Desire is from Orange? They took out the re-formatting function for some crappy reason. Really pees me off as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's Orange uk - home of the `yeah, lets take off Google Talk but leave the service running all the time` customization. The sooner there's a safe way of putting on a stock rom (with the possibility of putting back the crap Orange one if I need help from Orange) the better!
I'm in exactly the same boat as you mate, and it pisses me off too. I just wanna go generic, and i'll be happy.
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
poldie said:
Yeah, it's Orange uk - home of the `yeah, lets take off Google Talk but leave the service running all the time` customization. The sooner there's a safe way of putting on a stock rom (with the possibility of putting back the crap Orange one if I need help from Orange) the better!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's currently perfectly safe to flash a stock rom. An Orange branded rom will appear soon as a lot of operator specific roms are currently surfacing.
I have quite a few major annoyances with the stock browser although I like it best from the offerings. One of which was the stop button, the home button and the zoom. It always zoom in far too much and usually I'm one handed so that becomes a pain.
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Well, it seems you have not tried xScope.
It is pretty good and it does pinch to zoom etc.
Also, there is a new "Dolphin Browser HD".
But yeah, stock browser user interface sucks! I really don't understand why it does not have proper "favorites" feature.
poldie said:
I've tried a couple of other browsers, and they're usually rubbish (no multitouch etc). The stock browser just needs a few fixes and it'll be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the default browser is the best but it's too complicate to switch from a tab to another one.
Is there an android web browser that support the **file upload** ?
I really like the Android browser... but i've had crap phones in the past.
Omnia, 5800XM then the Tattoo which i loved and caused me to get the Desire.
gogol said:
Well, it seems you have not tried xScope.
It is pretty good and it does pinch to zoom etc.
Also, there is a new "Dolphin Browser HD".
But yeah, stock browser user interface sucks! I really don't understand why it does not have proper "favorites" feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have switched to Dolphin Browser HD, very nice.
It has tabs at the top so they are easy to switch between and also has swipe gestures to open a tab menu. Works almost exactly the same as the stock browser including pinch to zoom, I don't think it uses our flash lite though but flash lite isn't really worth it currently.
Orange took out the text wrapping? Crazy.
Related
This is my first non-HtC phone and am quite disappointed and frustrated at the lack of pinch to zoom as well as text rewrapping with the default browser on my GSM Galixy Nexus. I tried other browsers(Chrome, Dolphin HD and Opera)but all with mixed results. Dolphin didn't zoom at all, Crhome did but doesn't rewrap and Opera did both but only on certain sites. What's the deal here? Are HtC phones the only ones on the planet that are capable of performing this no-brainer feature on mobile web browsing, or is there a browser or custom rom that anybody can suggest to me, that will do this for me. Having to squint to read text is no fun and quite headache inducing, and text not fitting the screen properly, all but negates the point of having a large screen if I'm constantly having to zoom left and right to read it all. Thanks ahead of time for anyone willing and able to help remedy this maddening issue.
The text will reflow, you just have to double tap the text after you pinch. Its not like htc that doed it automatically.
RogerPodacter said:
The text will reflow, you just have to double tap the text after you pinch. Its not like htc that doed it automatically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm this and thankfully it isn't like the HTC way, it is optional and I love it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
issue pretty much solved
Well thankfully after going through a stock 4.0.1 rom to a custom 4.0.2 to now a 4.0.3 rom I finally have the more consistent pinch to zoom capability with the browser. It doesn't rewrap quite as well but at least it does it. I'm curious as to why you and other prefer it not to work like HTC does it? What's the downside to having it rewrap automatically? I'm fine with double tapping to do it too just as long as it does it. But if you can skip that step altogether, why not?
happyhd2owner said:
Well thankfully after going through a stock 4.0.1 rom to a custom 4.0.2 to now a 4.0.3 rom I finally have the more consistent pinch to zoom capability with the browser. It doesn't rewrap quite as well but at least it does it. I'm curious as to why you and other prefer it not to work like HTC does it? What's the downside to having it rewrap automatically? I'm fine with double tapping to do it too just as long as it does it. But if you can skip that step altogether, why not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just like options haha
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
happyhd2owner said:
What's the downside to having it rewrap automatically? I'm fine with double tapping to do it too just as long as it does it. But if you can skip that step altogether, why not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate this automatic text wrapping feature. The only time I really use pinch to zoom is when I want to fokus on something "small" and hard to hit like a link (I use double tap to zoom in on a paragraph for reading. I find that much more convenient). When the text automatically rewraps after zooming I almost all the time lose my original zoom target. It's so annoying that I was glad to see that Google only rewrap text on demand.
But I think many like the automatic text rewrap. All I can say is that I'm not one of them.
Just fyi the galaxy nexus works the same as my nexus one. Stock android browser has always functioned like this, its not new. Htc always changed it on their devices.
Well, I've since found a rom where the browser does a little better with the zooming in and rewrapping, so I can finally put that behind me. I guess the tid bit that you mentioned about the stock browser acting that way shouldn't have been too big of a surprise to me. When I had the HD2 with Windows 6.5, I was so excited at the ability to port Android roms to it, so I put one on there based off of a Nexus One rom. The browser acted just as you said. Only roms meant for HTc phones and of course genuine HTC sense roms all acted the way I'm used to. I guess I was just so flabbergasted and frustrated that automatic text rewrapping was either not as in demand by other users I would have imagined, or that HTC had some how weren't allowing others to tweak the browser in that way. Double tapping is a fine and fair compromise though.
gokpog said:
I hate this automatic text wrapping feature. The only time I really use pinch to zoom is when I want to fokus on something "small" and hard to hit like a link (I use double tap to zoom in on a paragraph for reading. I find that much more convenient). When the text automatically rewraps after zooming I almost all the time lose my original zoom target. It's so annoying that I was glad to see that Google only rewrap text on demand.
But I think many like the automatic text rewrap. All I can say is that I'm not one of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might try giving Chrome Beta a try. In the default ICS browser, double tapping pretty much just zooms you in by a random/arbitrary amount. Chrome Beta acts a little more like the iPhone in that when you double tap on an element (like a paragraph or picture) it zooms to fit that element on screen. Works perfectly IMO.
Hi everyone this is just a quick poll in regards to how your stock browser performs compared to Chrome (if you use it)
I'm not sure if this is just me or if everyone is experiencing this. I never really used the stock browser since right when I got my phone I installed Chrome, but lately its performance have been laggy on both my Transformer Prime and Galaxy Nexus..so I did a quick scrolling test.
1. browsed to www.engadget.com full desktop version
2. Wait for page to completely load
3. Scrolled up and down through the page.
I found Chrome even after the page was completely loaded continued to try the render images causing choppy scrolling while the stock was smooth.
Chrome belongs on the desktop, imo. Eye candy aside, it doesn't (imo) bring anything to the table, and is slower/fatter than stock.
I love stock not only cuz its smoother but it will open flawlessly any flash site lol..
Chrome looks good still need some work tho.. No flash support but hey keep in mind its still a beta..
So might get way better than stock or become a "safari like in apple" in the upcoming android versions
Galaxy Nexus AOKP m5 Franco kernel m3
Stock ftw.
...of the people, by the people, for the people...
I have noticed that the Chrome browser does seem to lag on the "heavy media" type sites...
Keep in mind though that it's based on the Google Chrome for Desktop code base, which in theory should be updated more frequently then the codebase for the stock browser...
Also, I believe it's been stated that it will never get Flash support (Officially...?)
Seems about the same to me. Admittedly I'm not a very heavy browser on my phone though. Few pages a day at most.
Chrome starts a bit slower but I find it's slightly faster going from one website to another. Stock browser remains the default as I want to keep Flash and full screen browsing.
ZachPatterson said:
Also, I believe it's been stated that it will never get Flash support (Officially...?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.
From Google: https://developers.google.com/chrome/mobile/docs/faq
From Adobe: http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2012/02/flash-chrome-for-android-beta.html
Chrome has lagged for me from day 1 since it released, while stock was always smooth. I've never understood all the people who see opposite. I just thought I lived in the twilight zone.
So your results are normal to me. Plus chrome runs a huge service that never closes and skews multitasking.
Plus stock has invert color option for all black web pages. And the quick controls on side of the screen. To me the stock browser pretty much destroys chrome in every way. I think chrome gets better html5 scores though.
I used to use the stock browser, but I recently switched over to Firefox Beta. Now, before you all say that Firefox is slow as hell, the current beta has a new UI that is actually pretty fast. Not as fast as stock is, but the fact that Firefox has addons more than makes up for that. Adblock Plus, and other addons are a must for me. Although I have AdAway to block ads globally, it does not get rid of the empty spaces inside webpages. Adblock Plus does this. I'm currently using FF as my main browser and stock as my backup browser.
I'm a big fan of Opera Mobile since WM6.1.
I like the start page with the thumbs/shortcuts. Stock doesn't have it.
I like that all the controls are at the bottom of the screen. Stock tab control is on the top which is not convenient to switch between tabs (and I'm using tabs a lot).
Go for Opera mobile!!
PS: I have no idea how slow/fast is Opera. Because I didn't compare it.
I have tried most of the browsers,they have beautiful features but they are not as fast as stock so i always return to stock after trying
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Chrome has potential but it is a resource hog just like on the PC and double-tap zoom bugs out a lot, and doesn't even work at all on images.
Stock still wins, unless you need to download a large file... Opera handles that much better.
-Sent via XDA Premium-
Chrome will never get flash because all new browsers are going to be using HTML5
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using XDA
I think they both have similar performance (minus one not having flash). But I think chrome does some things better than the stock browser.
It handles tabs much better vs stock without quick controls. It will also zoom in with a little popup window if you press on two links which are close together so you can select the right one. Also, when pinch zooming the browser doesn't wait until you lift your fingers to render the rest of the page.
Some people may also prefer the fact that the nav bar is persistent in chrome.
Sent via Galaxy Nexus
bullka said:
I'm a big fan of Opera Mobile since WM6.1.
I like the start page with the thumbs/shortcuts. Stock doesn't have it.
I like that all the controls are at the bottom of the screen. Stock tab control is on the top which is not convenient to switch between tabs (and I'm using tabs a lot).
Go for Opera mobile!!
PS: I have no idea how slow/fast is Opera. Because I didn't compare it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not use the quick control on stock browser? It has a real great tab control, just slide and hold. And the quick control appears on any part of the screen you want.
I keep switching between chrome, dolphin and the stock from 4.1......is it my imagination or is chrome still 3rd choice? It just seems so unintuitive to use. Are you guys switching to chrome or staying with one of the other browsers?
I think chrome is better than the default browser... but android beam still does not work with this app!
I love some of the Chrome features life the lateral-swipe to switch tabs and the zoom bubble that appears if you click in a small link, but I hate how it handles the bookmarks. We can't have everything, I guess :\
I use Chrome because it syncs with my desktop browser, but the Android browser is a lot smoother. Chrome stutters all the time when I scroll and often ignores input while it stutters, but I have a hard time getting the Android browser to stutter at all.
If you don't need the synchronization with your desktop, Android browser is still the better choice.
is it possible to have ALWAYS desktop version of a site without requesting it every time???
Thanks for the replies.....I keep expecting chrome to be the beez kneez but it always seems lackluster/less friendly than the android version. I dont know why, but after sandy when signals were extremely weak or non existent in my area, dolphin performed the best on a gnex (vzw) 4.1.2 and on an old droid 3
stock 4.2 browser is the best.
qandrav said:
is it possible to have ALWAYS desktop version of a site without requesting it every time???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you can do this in the stock browser under settings->advanced->user agent->desktop. No equivalent option in chrome that I know of.
thegtfusion said:
stock 4.2 browser is the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
glad you like it. the goog powers that be are probably glad too
Ive been trying to use it all day but its not working for me....a shame because i feel like im cheating on google when i use the other browsers haha
I think as long as they dont add the "quick controls" to chrome, the android browser will always have the lead. those controls are incredibly useful for one hand operation, and really anything involving the search bar at the top. no need to move the thumb up there(which is annoying on big screens), just press the side and swype to the url control and bam! and now with "swype" on the keyboard, its actually getting pretty nice having a big screen but only using one hand
thegtfusion said:
stock 4.2 browser is the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think there's a bug when refreshing the page if you are using quick control. there'll be a black block on top.
JoeSyr said:
I believe you can do this in the stock browser under settings->advanced->user agent->desktop. No equivalent option in chrome that I know of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the stock or opera or dolphin it's possible but it's very annoing click on "desktop version" every time....
qandrav said:
On the stock or opera or dolphin it's possible but it's very annoing click on "desktop version" every time....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't seem to find the option (user agent) on stock browser... Do you know where I can find it?
There are 2 things keeping mé away from chrome and that is:
-Quick controls
-full screen mode
Stock browser is also smoother IMO...
Torbennmadsen said:
There are 2 things keeping mé away from chrome and that is:
-Quick controls
-full screen mode
Stock browser is also smoother IMO...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It most definitely IS more smooth...
I use Google Chrome on PC, and it gets synced up very conveniently with Google Chrome on my Gnex, so I tend to stick with Chrome.
gideonMorrison said:
I can't seem to find the option (user agent) on stock browser... Do you know where I can find it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could not find the user agent on stock browser either. Yakju version. Just updated to 4.2.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
i use to like Dolphin browser but Chrome kinda feels solid. I have Dolphin browser with Jetpack on N7 and it indeed loads pages faster then chrome. They've recently added magnifier like in chrome it's still needs a little bit of optimization.
The stock 4.2 browser is faster and more fluid than chrome. Chrome is better in handling all kind of online forms.
I love stock browser but I want to give chrome browser a whirl. However, how do you guys adjust the font for chrome where it is readable? There are some fonts on the page which are perfect for viewing and at the same time , other parts of the page, the fonts are so small. Why can't all the fonts be near or equal on the same page like stock browser.
Stock browser: defaults to those useless mobile versions of websites for iphone 3 users or something, no integration with apps, bad flash support
Dolphin: tab functionality completely gone with updates, text doesn't wrap (with it enabled or not)
Firefox: no hyperlink support. Links do not work.
Opera: no text wrap, and it assumes my screen resolution is really small because
it
stacks
text
like
this
on
every
page.
Dolphin still the best choice, and there is no such thing as Textwrap anymore.
Twinsen72 said:
Stock browser: defaults to those useless mobile versions of websites for iphone 3 users or something, no integration with apps, bad flash support
Dolphin: tab functionality completely gone with updates, text doesn't wrap (with it enabled or not)
Firefox: no hyperlink support. Links do not work.
Opera: no text wrap, and it assumes my screen resolution is really small because
it
stacks
text
like
this
on
every
page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly Dolphin is still the best. It does have the tabs. Im not sure if you are using an older version but the newer version does. , Text doesn't wrap on any browser with the Epic 4g Touch since ICS came out. ICS broke the text wrap. Im not sure if it is completely an ICS problem or a Crapple lawsuit problem. It does have flash support, and I have found that downloading Adobe Air from the market helps where it falls through the cracks once in a while. It also has the hyperlink and My personal favorite, a customizable start page. :good:
I'm happy with this
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beansoft.browserplus
Stock jelly bean seems the best for me
+1 for the stock Chrome browser in Jellybean.
As far as the mobile versions of websites go, that's generally not up to the browser to decide (i.e. it is the website that is determining you are on a phone and pushing you to the mobile version).
I just got this phone yesterday, i am still using stock browser for now.
TY for the info on text wrap.
I've fallen back to Firefox, a new update has links working. The pages load badly though, as if the video processing is messed up. It appears in giant square chunks, not text then images. It is still much faster than the stock browser which waits a minute before it starts loading any site.
But I can't get them to work in Dolphin. If I click on a link, it makes the click noise and nothing happens. If I long-press, it brings up the menu of choices. But if I click an option, the menu just closes. I've reinstalled it a bunch of times, hoping an update has fixed it. It's pretty annoying. The only way I've figured out to get links to work is to long press the link for 5 seconds, then the menu pops up, wait 5-10 seconds or just put the phone down for a while, then long press for 5 seconds. That's 50/50.
My phone is dead stock. I haven't rooted because I moved to Phoenix, AZ and this is the land that Sprint forgot. There was no point in tethering, because there was no 3G or 4G in Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Apache Junction, Tempe, or Phoenix. I just complained to Sprint in hopes of getting to break my contract and they had me update my phone's ID, and I now actually get some data. I'm beginning to think the only fix to all the things that break is rooting. The ICS push broke half the functionality of my phone. I used to use this thing constantly.
elrey75 said:
I'm happy with this
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beansoft.browserplus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give it a try. Thanks.
Ok i used to dolphin but it kept my phone awake or something... So i use aosp web browser... But considering going chrome... Any input?
Sent from an Apple killing JellyBean
Chrome is my goto. Synchs bookmarks seamlessly with my laptop, and is quite fast.
.: :: Sent from USC-GS2~PACman via Tapatalk 2 :: :.
I've been using boat browser and I like it. It's sort of stock browser-ish but has working word-wrap when using pinch to zoom.
If on JB ROM, then Chrome. If on ICS or GB Rom, then ICS Browser+ (loved it and got paid version).
Sent from my Slider SL101 using XDA Premium HD app
Naked browser is so fast, dependable, and smooth.....now it doesn't look like other browsers hint the name naked but that's why is faster and smoother than other browsers :thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
Was sat yesterday in a really poor signal area and was trying to find some info on if some chocolate contained gluten as my missus has an allergy anyway the htc browser was taking an age so I thought I would try chrome it was much faster literally maybe 10times faster just thought I would mention incase people haven't tried it and get constantly frustrated with the standard browser I haven't tried any others
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
There are several insanly quick browsers.. on my old SGS I tended to use FireFox since it has low requirements, though it is actually really fast (and has full screen mode and 3 finger swipe shortcuts, and other stuff I dont use hehe) theres dolphin, an old competitor to any browser on android, has a brand new version (also very quick), theres chrome (only for android 4 and up) and much more.. the only feature I think that the default browser has better then chrome is that it supports flash (though firefox does to ^^)
Yes, the Chrome browser is very fast, but he is eating battery! Use stock browser, but it sometimes slows
The stock is extremely fast. Dolphin has lots of features, but I use Firefox as I could sync it with my PC.
Corduroy-21 said:
The stock is extremely fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, stock is fast, but sometimes in a really poor signal area - stock browser HTC is slows down and stops. In such cases, turn on Chrome, it does the job
Miha2e said:
Yes, stock is fast, but sometimes in a really poor signal area - stock browser HTC is slows down and stops. In such cases, turn on Chrome, it does the job
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly what i found yesterday i like the stock browser but chrome was considerably better in a poor signal area...
None of the other browsers aside from opera have working text reflow though. So i've stuck with stock (with quick controls enabled)
Cryosx said:
None of the other browsers aside from opera have working text reflow though. So i've stuck with stock (with quick controls enabled)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maxathon Browser is another one to add to the list also a insanely fast browser that is nice and easy to use and not terribly demanding on resources.
I actually use stock browser and got rid of google chrome. The latter seems to have problems with loading pages of my university electronic environment that needs authentication and secure connections (Blackboard Environment).
iLaurens said:
I actually use stock browser and got rid of google chrome. The latter seems to have problems with loading pages of my university electronic environment that needs authentication and secure connections (Blackboard Environment).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird. I get on Blackboard (using Chrome) all the time without an issue.
Sent from my HTC One
Simba501 said:
Weird. I get on Blackboard (using Chrome) all the time without an issue.
Sent from my HTC One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well blackboard itself does work, but the links to non-blackboard stuff, i.e. grades system and universities google bussiness accounts don't work.
does anyone really consider chrome or firefox better browsers than AOSP stock browser?
Try UC Browser...its quiet a good one...
Sent from my HTC One