Develop Bugs

[Apps] Web Browsers

Hi all ,
I've noticed lately in the last week theres been a rush of updates on web browsers. Heres my short notes on them
Fennec :- Latest version isn't that bad compared to last release. Its quite stable now. Also it finally has auto updates so it will always be updated. At 11megs its quite large. http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/m/alpha <--- Use your phones web browser
UC Web 7.2.2.5something :- Lets just say I'm very biased with this browser, It was my default on my winmo phone. Its fast, Got a crap load of options , the best one being night mode (I use it to save power as background is dark). The only bad thing is that its a Proxy based browser like Opera Mini so I would advise you not to use it for anything sensitive like banking. Other then that its hell fast.
Use your internal browser on phone and goto http://wap.ucweb.com
Skyfire 2.x : Not bad but I don't use flash or multimedia on my phone so I rarely ever use this. But it does look like its improved since I last used it 6 months ago on Winmo. Www.Skyfire.com or MARKET
Xscope 6.06 : This is my current default browser as Its small, fast and not a proxy browser. Best option for me in it is "LOAD NEW PAGES IN BACKGROUND" . Theres not much to say other then I love it. Get it from MARKET

Fennec is VERY laggy..

AldasG said:
Fennec is VERY laggy..
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I'd recommend Dolphin HD. Not the quickest browser, but the most convinient to use. Easy gestures, great HD interface, background loading, addons, easy zoom, everything! Tried a bunch of other browsers, but I stick to that one.

you forgot to list opera mini and dolphine HD
my top choice goes to SkyFire,
2nd place opera mini
999999999999 place for Dolphin HD is the slowest browser available in the market right now

No i didn't They havn't been updated in the last week. Dolphin HD was updated yes but I've never been a fan of it. Opera Mini is ok but for some reason I hate it. I use Opera Desktop and want a decent Opera like on Winmo (opera 6.x?) not a proxy based P.O.S that was ment for nokia phones

AllGamer said:
you forgot to list opera mini and dolphine HD
my top choice goes to SkyFire,
2nd place opera mini
999999999999 place for Dolphin HD is the slowest browser available in the market right now
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I don't know why you say this, I have absulutely no problems with the speed. You might tried an older version? If it's indeed the slowest, it shouldn't be more than a few seconds behind. I'm using it every day. Let's say fudzilla.com loaded up in 10 sec. (just checked now)

The renamed Fennec (Firefox Now) is pretty nice and fast. Definatly something to keep out for

ickyboo said:
The renamed Fennec (Firefox Now) is pretty nice and fast. Definatly something to keep out for
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It's still very unstable on SGS...

AllGamer said:
my top choice goes to SkyFire,
2nd place opera mini
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agreed!!
3rd stock browser
4th dolphin HD

My vote is for opera. Very snappy on my vibrant.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

So far I've tried Opera Mini, Stock and xScope. I've liked xScope most of them all. I notice a lot of people here recommending SkyFire but not even mentioning xScope. Any particular reasons why?

Sooo..What's wrong with the stock browser? I find it to be good enough for me...

same here. i found that the stock browser works best for me.

Stock browser for the win!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Here I use Opera Mini and really enjoy it.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Today I learnt something nice, Xscope 6.06 saves bookmarks the exact same place as stock browser! so any widget/app that uses stock browser's bookmarks work fine like LauncherPro's new popups! SWEETTTT

UCWEB is very bad

i've tried dolphin hd and xScope, liked them on my nexus but on the galaxy they were not only slow but they also really slowed down the whole system and made it very unstable ....that was before i ran the lagfix.
That may not be the case after the lagfix but atm i am happy enough with the stock browser's limited features to risk sludging up the system again.

Talking of browsers, anyone know of a browser that lets you save the webpage to SD card for offline use?
My Nokia N95 had this as standard, and the iPhone has various 3rd party browsers offering this but so far not found any for android

Stock FTW !!! followed by skyfire...
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Which browser do you use and why?

can you help me to choose the best browser please?..
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

Deadly Sto(R)m said:
can you help me to choose the best browser please?..
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
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I use the stock webkit android browser. It does everything i need. Another good browser alot of ppl recomend is dolphin hd.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

+ 1 dolphin hd i dunno just like it, until chrome makes an appearance
Sent from a htc desire z

I personally use Miren browser. I just love the smoothness of it all as well as the quick bookmarks home screen. Now that the MIUI browser does the same thing I switch between the two. However, unless you use a MIUI rom you won't get that browser so Miren is your next best bet imo

I use the stock browser on CM7. Does what I need it to do and never crashes or breaks.
I'm not super heavy browser user though.

I have been using Dolphin Browser HD until I bought my Desize Z but I generally can't download apk files from filesonic server. It tries to save it like an htm file, as a result i can't install it. After these problems i decided to try other browsers but i couldn't read good feedbacks about opera and firefox because of they don't both have flash support. So I can't know how to download apk files without any problem.

I use the stock browser but when I was using MIUI, I found the stock browser on that to be really buggy and slow. During that time I used Dolphin HD and it was pretty fast, but I'm back to using Cyanogenmod so I'm using the stock browser again.

Personally, I use Dolphin HD because (so far) it's the one browser I've found besides Opera Mobile that actually handles bookmark folders properly
(Yes, I consider this an essential feature that is sadly missing with the standard browser. It's something I've been spoiled on since "dunce-phones" like the LG Fusic (and its version of Opera Mobile); almost all Windows Mobile browsers handle bookmark folders, and it was one of the things I BADLY missed from WinMo (and at the time Opera Mobile for Android was not quite ready for prime time).)
There's also some nice plugins, not quite as many as with Firefox Mobile (which is nice but IMHO also Not Quite Ready For Prime-Time) but including at least one implementation of Adblock (again, something I do consider essential due to malware being distributed by compromised banner ads).
I've also found occasionally that some wifi hotspots with "AUP logins" (requiring you to accept an acceptable user policy before using the free public wifi) don't work properly with the stock browser but do with Dolphin HD.
That said--the stock browser ain't bad. I just happen to be a bit of a power mobile user...

I use Dolphin Mini. It's like a scaled-down version of Chrome.

Dolphin HD. So far, it does everything well.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Deadly Sto(R)m said:
I have been using Dolphin Browser HD until I bought my Desize Z but I generally can't download apk files from filesonic server. It tries to save it like an htm file, as a result i can't install it. After these problems i decided to try other browsers but i couldn't read good feedbacks about opera and firefox because of they don't both have flash support. So I can't know how to download apk files without any problem.
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Click to collapse
miren is the only browser ive used that successfully downloads anything i throw at it. give er a whirl
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

sahaya said:
I use Google Chrome..It is the best browser,
--Google Chrome is designed to be fast in every possible way: It's quick to start up from your desktop, loads web pages in a snap, and runs complex web applications fast.
--Its browser window is streamlined, clean and simple.
--Chrome also includes features that are designed for efficiency and ease of use.
For example, you can search and navigate from the same box, and arrange tabs however you wish — quickly and easily.
--Chrome is designed to keep you safer and more secure on the web with built-in malware and phishing protection, autoupdates to make sure the browser is up-to-date with the latest security updates..
--When i first downloaded it, my internet was running at a lighting speed, i even checked my speed from ip-details and it was normal too..But the only one advantage with firefox is that it has more add ons, which makes things much easier..and for search engine i use Google its pretty good..
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.. what?
Opera Mobile - it's like surfing with a laptop. That virtual mouse is pretty cool.

No brainer: FIREFOX.
Those who say "not ready for prime time", I say "huh?"
-- works great,
-- GECKO rendering engine.

Kueber said:
.. what?
Opera Mobile - it's like surfing with a laptop. That virtual mouse is pretty cool.
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My choice as well. I've been using opera on my home computer for years so it was a no-brainer to go with it on my phone. Having the ability to sync every bookmark no matter what device I'm using is key for me. It's fast, as fast if not faster than any other, and it just works well. I tried dolphin for a few weeks but never liked it, and I feel like the stock isn't as fast as opera.

for me it depends. if i want to use flash faster than the stock i use skyfire and if i want to download an file on another folder than download i use opera mini or the mobile both are great for downloads because they have download managers.

Im still using stock browser. Work great for me.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

opera mini/mobile cause they are the BEST

Chrome Beta vs. Stock ICS Browser?

Just trying to get some feedback on the the launch of the chrome beta and how it compares to the stock ICS browser. Even after the 4.0.4 gapps update Im feeling they're pretty similar in speed. Overall Im not not yet sure which one I prefer. Hopefully your insight will help me out.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

The UI/UX is far superior, but it lacks critical features to make it a replacement - at least for me.
We'll see in a few months when a better developed version comes out.

I heard that Chrome is a good browser. I think i will download it once flash gets support on it. Still may give it a go than delete it afterwards. I have the newest GAPPS though so i do notice a difference in speed as far as the stock browser.

no full screen and hide status bar was a dealbreaker. hopefully it will be added in later.

The UI is good, love how the tabs work, and the speed is okay.
I notice that some pages will automatically zoom in, then zoom out, and then zoom in again while the page is loading, without me ever touching the screen. Very distracting.
Also sometimes the zoom goes too far in.
And I can't render pages in desktop mode.
I probably need to wait for another beta release or two before it's ready for me.

I've noticed it to be a bit more of a battery hog compared to stock browser. Once they add support for extensions and some more features I will switch.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

charlieb620 said:
I heard that Chrome is a good browser. I think i will download it once flash gets support on it. Still may give it a go than delete it afterwards. I have the newest GAPPS though so i do notice a difference in speed as far as the stock browser.
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Chrome will not be getting flash.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&q=chrome+android+flash

Hoping for improvements in the laggy typing (esp in URL bar) and "request desktop site" to show up then it'll be 100% primary.

I'm sticking with the stock browser, more than enough for me. I tried out chrome, wasn't a big fan but I don't hate it though. I didn't like was the look of it, it was disappointing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

I noticed that too :/ but hopefully that'll be improved
I like it overall, but I think i like the stock browser a little more

comparing a beta with a out of beta software is like comparing a pair of chop stick with toothpick.
as of right now, i set chrome as default because it is faster than the stock browser. chrome offer keyboard prediction, which hands down a win for me.

This
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

I still like dolphin hd best. Stock + as a close second. Chrome is nice for a first offering.

I personally can't stand Dolphin HD. I used to use it a lot back in the day, but now it just seems too bloated and laggy. I really like Chrome beta, though I'll stick with stock ICS Browser (especially with the 4.0.4 update) for now.
I did notice that Chrome beta cannot handle proxies. I can use the Wifi at work just fine with ICS Browser (I have the proxy info entered in the System Wifi settings) but Chrome beta cannot seem to use those same settings, so it just fails and gives a generic error message that is actually meant for the desktop version of the browser.

I'm really digging chrome so far. Tab handling is awesome and so much better than stock. Directly syncing open tabs from chrome on the computer is awesome. Syncing all bookmarks from chrome is awesome.
The only thing missing is flash but who cares. It is used little enough these days and I don't usually need to see those pages on my phone anyway.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Kupfel said:
I'm really digging chrome so far. Tab handling is awesome and so much better than stock. Directly syncing open tabs from chrome on the computer is awesome. Syncing all bookmarks from chrome is awesome.
The only thing missing is flash but who cares. It is used little enough these days and I don't usually need to see those pages on my phone anyway.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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Exactly.
I haven't run into any bugs yet, and it syncs. I even switched back to Chrome from Firefox on the desktop because I want tab sync (and Firefox Mobile just doesn't seem usable to me).

I really like Chrome but if I want flash I have to use stock browser. I think stock browser is excellent too though..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Adaptive zoom on double tap is a huge advantage of Chrome over stock in my opinion
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

Here i can find the historic log in Chrome?
And about native browser 4.0.4? Where i can find? Needs root for update it?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I'm definitely loving chrome . Already am using it as my default browser. Its fast and pinch to zoom is butter. The tabs are fun little add on too, I like the whole 3d effect. The only things I miss from stock browser are the on screen controls and ability to request desktop site easier. Even though it doesn't really bother me to scroll down the page to get the desktop site, and then from what I've noticed , once you click on desktop site for one website , every website after that automatically loads in desktop form , which I think is great. I think for the initial beta release Google has done a great job. Definitely like how it dominates all the HTML 5 tests too
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

LG nitro browser lag

Hello everyone. I'm noticing a 10-20 second lag when I open my Internet browser. I'm running dolphin hd. Any ideas?

Yeah I get the same problem,maybe I'll try a different browser. Any suggestions for a good browser?
Sent from my LG-P930 using xda premium

Its funny I don't have that problem.
I still haven't set a default browser so everytime I open something it asks me stock browser or dolphin.
Or maybe because I've only had the phone for 5 days
sent from LG OPTIMUS LTE using Tapatalk

Recently I have had a lot of lag in Dolphin HD when scrolling, maybe the latest update is the issue?

Yeah could be
Sent from my LG-P930 using xda premium

Lgnitro1 said:
I'm running dolphin hd. Any ideas?
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It homecalls your browsing history. it takes 10...20 sec. You should better try boat mini

Glad to know I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to keep the stored information deleted more frequently. If it doesn't help, I'll give another browser a try but man, I love the gesture feature a ton. Nothing like it...

Try Opera. It's a fantastic browser that's really fast and smooth.

+1 for Boat Mini. It's lightweight and fast. Switch to the grey theme.

A few thoughts...
* Dolphin HD is one of the few browser that will sync up with Google Bookmarks...Which is great, UNLESS you're like me and have HUNDREDS of links which will bog down the browser on startup tremendously.
* As has been warned about Dolphin, it apparently reports usage back to its' servers so that lag is likely due to that comm going on.
* Sometime bad things happen to even good apps...Check your running apps and kill/restart Dolphin and see if that helps.
* I have 4 browsers loaded, since there's still yet no perfect ONE browser.
** Boat Mini (when I just want to view something quickly and cleanly)
** Dolphin HD (Usually my general go-to browser)
** Opera Mobile (If there's any particularly content that Dolphin can't render properly)
** Firefox (Because I'm holding out hope that Mozilla will EVENTUALLY get it right with the mobile version so I can finally be in-sync between my phone and desktop!)

Found out where the delay in the stock browser was coming from. I disabled browser syncing in dolphin and it fixed the issue. Anyone else notice how choppy the stock browser is when scrolling? Any ideas what may cause it, or how to fix it?

Have you enabled "Force 2D Hardware Acceleration" (can't remember the name exactly) in the developer menu?

I'm actually running stock gingerbread, so no dev menu.
Sent from my LG-P930 using XDA

drummer07 said:
I'm actually running stock gingerbread, so no dev menu.
Sent from my LG-P930 using XDA
Click to expand...
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There's your problem right there. 2D applications aren't hardware accelerated in Gingerbread, and it's actually well-known that the stock Gingerbread browser is very choppy.
Try Opera Mobile...its probably the best you can do on Gingerbread.

That's it! I'm done with Chrome!

Such a horrible browser! Lags, freezes, slow, stupid checker board.... Horrible. Constantly refreshes every time I leave the app and come back real quick. The stock browser in my HTC incredible s is faster and more efficient... Even with 4 flash videos running at the same time!
I just used opera mobile just now and it is world's better than crappy chrome mobile.
The only thing it has going for it is the ability to sync desktop bookmarks and current tabs opened... But it's so laggy and slow, it's a pain.
opera Mobile is now my default browser
How can something so awesome on the desktop suck so badly on mobile?
#smh
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

I have been enjoying the latest dolphin browser beta: http://dolphin-browser.com/beta/
Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using xda premium

Wow... I keep going back to Chrome. Haven't found any that zoom and wrap any better. Have never seen a refresh. I tried Dolphin, Boat, FF Beta, and Xscope. Keeping Xscope for flash, Chrome for 90% of all other. I use Firefox on PC, so Chrome sync is not used, I don't like so many bookmarks anyway. While I have my favorites on my home page, I find this bookmark app helpful. I find the font and text size in Chrome much better than any other browser. If it would use flash, it's the only one I'd use.

Chrome and Dolphin are the best I've used so far, and neither make me super happy. Chrome lags big time on certain sites (Tumblr for example) and closes tabs as soon as you look away. Dolphin is faster, most of the time, but has rendering issues on some sites (ESPN for example, gives the mobile site vs the tablet site, no matter what the user agent is). As an iOS user historically, I was expecting the browser experience to be better on Android since it's an "open" system, but unfortunately that has not been true. Hopefully someone steps up to the plate.
I had a TF101, and I felt the stock browser on that was better than Chrome now. Especially small usability things like having a bookmarks bar. It shouldn't take 5-10 seconds to load my bookmarks (multiple taps + loading wait), they should be available quickly and efficiently.

I actually quite like chrome on a tablet!
Its always been really responsive and fast.
Tried, dolphin beta, Firefox & opera but none of them compare to chrome.
The lack of flash support isnt a huge problem for me.

Seriously? something must be wrong with your OS or hardware because for me is working great! I'm a ex- Transformer prime user with the stock browser and Chrome is by far the best browser experience I ever had in an Android tablet, although I have not tried that Dolphin Beta mentioned above

yeah, I feel you
I know that chrome is FAR from perfect as of now, and I even have dolphin installed, but something about it just keeps making me come back to it...

I click on the Chrome icon and it opens to my bookmarks home page in about 1 second. Click XDA BM and opens in 1-2 seconds. I find Chrome VERY fast, just lacks flash which is a BIG "just".
Dorkington said:
I had a TF101, and I felt the stock browser on that was better than Chrome now. Especially small usability things like having a bookmarks bar. It shouldn't take 5-10 seconds to load my bookmarks (multiple taps + loading wait), they should be available quickly and efficiently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Chrome is 2nd rate til they enable full screen option, and default desktop setting.
Boat browser swims circles around chrome right now.

If you put Chrome on a transformer prime, it's known to cause all the other browsers you have installed to then lock up and crash on a very regular basis.
You have to uninstall Chrome, and then flash, and reinstall flash to get back to normal. I was curious when they decided to use chrome as the default if they'd fixed this. I think the answer is sorta.
While the lockups arent near as frequent or bad as they are on the prime. It still happens. The best combo on the prime was browser, and opera. Which seems to work well on the nexus as well.

My only gripe with Chrome is that the new tab page opens up Mobile Bookmarks as the default bookmark folder, even though I have absolutely no bookmarks stored in that folder. Why can't I just be taken to the root bookmark folder?
Other than that, Chrome is smooth enough to be usable for me. Usually if it starts chugging, it's because I have another app open in the background eating up all of my system resources. Having to refresh the page after leaving the app for an extended period of time makes sense given the limited resources on this device, and it happens with other browsers, too. Android's memory management is only as good as the memory management of your third party apps, which is to say most developers are still terrible at it.

I too have problems with Chrome. Currently using the stock browser.

Turbocom said:
I too have problems with Chrome. Currently using the stock browser.
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Click to collapse
How does one install the stock browser on the Nexus 7? (Preferably without rooting)

thevuman said:
Such a horrible browser! Lags, freezes, slow, stupid checker board.... Horrible. Constantly refreshes every time I leave the app and come back real quick. The stock browser in my HTC incredible s is faster and more efficient... Even with 4 flash videos running at the same time!
I just used opera mobile just now and it is world's better than crappy chrome mobile.
The only thing it has going for it is the ability to sync desktop bookmarks and current tabs opened... But it's so laggy and slow, it's a pain.
opera Mobile is now my default browser
How can something so awesome on the desktop suck so badly on mobile?
#smh
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chrome on the Nexus 7 is great.. I've never had any of the issue you described. No lags, refreshed, anything. It's fast and perfect.
I've heard people complain about it but all I can think is that there's something wrong on their end.

You guys don't get the checkerboard effect either? Surely you must. I've seen it in video reviews too.
I fap to the porn forums on Tapatalk 2

Checkerboard? Never saw that, but then I've never watched a video in chrome. I either use the You Tube app or Xscope.

tcat007 said:
Checkerboard? Never saw that, but then I've never watched a video in chrome. I either use the You Tube app or Xscope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Checkerboard, meaning the whole page hasn't rendered and as you scroll, white squares will fill in spots on the page that haven't rendered yet.

Yeah I find the same with Chrome, good example is to load the Engadget website and scroll through it as its loading.
Using Dolphin, the best browser in my opinion. Might give the new beta a go.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

I love Chrome, it is my first option on all my devices. Never really liked Dolphin

Boat Browser. Android Chrome is still in its puberty. When it has matured, it will be something to reckon with.