Develop Bugs

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

Best Mobile Browser

I had been using DolphinHD, but I was wondering about the other options. I switched to xScope browser yesterday which I am quite liking, and I personally preferred dolphin mini to dolphin HD when I used to use it.
Please post what browser you use and why you like it!!!

I've been using boat browser for a while, it's fast, and I like the ability to customize the tool bar.

I prefer Opera Mobile because it uses its own rendering engine. This means webpages look like their desktop counterparts. My biggest disappointment with Opera, though, is that I could never figure out how to get it to open a home page and not its Speed Dial page.
My second choice is Skyfire because of its simple interface, yet it still has a search box in the address bar.
I've tried Dolphin HD on my Incredible, but it just looked cramped and I got used to the other two browsers.
To each his own, though.

Opera Mobile for sure.
Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk

Here's another vote for Opera Mobile! It seems to render just about everything as close to desktop as possible; it also has the best html5 compatibility, IIRC...

I'm using Dolphin as well. I never tried others yet but coming from the G2x, I like the Dolphin HD the most... But tonight I'll experiment with other browsers. The dolpin used to suck with so much lag on my SU640, you need to do the adjust resolution thingy for it to work smoothly.

Opera Mobile (not Opera Mini) and Maxthon

limpbisquit said:
you need to do the adjust resolution thingy for it to work smoothly.
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wats that?

Billy Madison said:
wats that?
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Go to settings, display and press screen optimization.

i use maxthon browser and i like it very much...am i the only one?

I am anxious to try the google chrome browser but I have to wait for LG to send my bricked phone back.

GordonOSU said:
I am anxious to try the google chrome browser but I have to wait for LG to send my bricked phone back.
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you also need ICS .

Opera Mobile for normal browsing, Dolphin HD for porn and pages Opera can't load, which happens occasionally.

I can't remember where I saw this, maybe it was the boat browser thread in the apps and games section of the forums, but dolphin had apparently been sending all of the information from your browser use to its websites. 34 sent from dolphin hd compared to 5 from boat browser.
I personally use boat after seeing that information. If i wasn't so paranoid about privacy (i really have nothing to hide) then i would keep using dolphin. It is quite impressive with how fast it is.

xScope used to be my favorite, but the Devs seem to have abandoned it long ago...Except for most recently, but even then I believe that was only to fix for Galaxy Nexus.
Currently I have Boat, DolphinHD and Opera Mobile all installed. I find I mostly use DolphinHD, then Opera for the occasional page that Dolphin can't handle/render properly. Boat is nice, but I'll likely be removing it soon as I just keep gravitating back to DolphinHD.
I just installed Firefox Beta (v11.0.0) and so far I'm quite impressed!

Sandpapers said:
I can't remember where I saw this, maybe it was the boat browser thread in the apps and games section of the forums, but dolphin had apparently been sending all of the information from your browser use to its websites.
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[PRIVACY] WARNING: Dolphin's collection of your browsing history
Namuna said:
I just installed Firefox Beta (v11.0.0) and so far I'm quite impressed!
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If you have large collection of saved forms, passwords, do not sync it with mobile FF it will take ages before it become responsive after opening...Other than that It's good, but not yet there compare to Opera and Maxthon.

[email protected] said:
If you have large collection of saved forms, passwords, do not sync it with mobile FF it will take ages before it become responsive after opening...Other than that It's good, but not yet there compare to Opera and Maxthon.
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Yeah, and apparently the Flash support still isn't there yet either...So I'm back to liking Opera/Dolphin combo.

Try boat mini. It's lightweight and fast.
Sent from my LG-P930 using XDA App

Browsers

I have used numerous browsers since I got my first Droid in November of 2009. I have not really liked any of them. I think for my needs Miren and Dolphin HD were about the best for me. I settled on Dolphin HD and have been using it for two years with other new browsers for a week or so before going back to Dolphin. Lately I have been getting incomplete file downloads so I was on the prowl again.
I ran across an article on five best browsers for Android.
They mentioned a browser called "Boat" . It does not have a lot of bells and whistles but it has what I need and it has bee very stable on my devices as compared to Dolphin HD.
Give Boat browser a try and tell me what you think.
I will say this though, the standard browser is great and I think when Google Chrome gets the bugs worked out i will be another winner, even though it looks and acts like the standard browser.

seems pretty decent....i'll test it out this week...thanks for the heads up

I'm finding more out about the browser and it's functions. Like putting bookmarks in different folders. Scrolling up and down the screen with on screen controls etc.

I did a quick round up of web browsers for Android Headlines recently, and I quite liked boat, it didn't quite have what it takes to bear Chrome out of my daily routine but now, instead of going back and forth between that and dolphin its now chrome and the boat
Sent from my A100 using xda premium

It will be nice when chrome gets the glitches out. Of course it would be nice if firefox could make a decent mobile browser. I am not impressed with firefox's desktop version right now. It is very buggy.
Boat needs to say a bit more about it's features. I am finding them by accident and they make it easier to use.

wildrat58 said:
It will be nice when chrome gets the glitches out. Of course it would be nice if firefox could make a decent mobile browser. I am not impressed with firefox's desktop version right now. It is very buggy.
Boat needs to say a bit more about it's features. I am finding them by accident and they make it easier to use.
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Ive not been impressed with anything from Mozilla in years, the Desktop browser has lagged behind for ages now. It'd be nice to have another alternative to Chrome on mobile but, Firefox sucks for me, buggy, slow and looks like an alpha product.
Sent from my A100 using xda premium

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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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.
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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.

Best browser and why

Which browser you use and the reasons why. (Maybe compare features with other browsers) i used boat browser but after having problems viewing full site web i am indecided now between opera chrome or firefox...

I use stock browser... and chome... was using dolphin... but its just "TOO" much for me ... my only issue with chrome is lack of flash... but its hella fast... but stock browser seemms to be a happy medium in most cases for my usage

U should try dolphin browser beta. Fastest browser out it uses the new HTML5 . No flash but I have stock browser for that

Tried Chrome but caused massive battery drain. Uninstalled and great battery life returned. Currently use Dolphin browser and I like all the extras I never use.

I like Dolphin. Tried Firefox a few releases ago but found it very frustrating. Tried the stock browser after flashing my phone with a new ROM but ended up getting Dolphin anyways. Dolphin does have a ton of extras that I'll likely never use but I still find it fast enough and super intuitive to use.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Always used stock not having any issues its stable and works just the way it should..
Sent from my SGH-T999V using xda premium

JawjaBill said:
Tried Chrome but caused massive battery drain. Uninstalled and great battery life returned. Currently use Dolphin browser and I like all the extras I never use.
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I am also noticing chrome eats battery like crazy! Is fast though. Sucks that doesnt support flashplayer. And whoever mentions about what dolphin includes and blabla i think is just lies. Dolphin devs say they includ advanced stuff but truth is thwir browser is slower than chrome boat firefox and maybe opera.

Doesnt dolphin cause alot of battery drain as well? I switched to chrome because i always see tunny browser or something from using dolhin browser using up my battery a lot! Been using chrome for the past couple of months but I do miss the dolphin gestures!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

I use Chrome on the PC, so Chrome is the obvious choice, mostly because of the automated bookmark sync (I have loads of them). I like using the AOSP browser + CMarks, but it doesn't display the xda page properly after I log in (all text is gray and hard to read). Dolphin does the same thing. Only after I log in.
Not trying Firefox because the desktop version is a joke, why would the mobile version be different? And Opera hasn't been relevant for years.

sarni84 said:
U should try dolphin browser beta. Fastest browser out it uses the new HTML5 . No flash but I have stock browser for that
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+1
Sent from my Wicked Galaxy S3

Touchwiz browser.

BrownDevil said:
I like Dolphin. Tried Firefox a few releases ago but found it very frustrating. Tried the stock browser after flashing my phone with a new ROM but ended up getting Dolphin anyways. Dolphin does have a ton of extras that I'll likely never use but I still find it fast enough and super intuitive to use.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
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I concur. I found Firefox 14 to be incredibly slow. I don't like chrome (personal choice). Dolphin beta crashed too much for me.
I am using Dolphin 9.0.0. It seems to be the most stable and fastest to me. I don't like the menus sliding in from the sides. They tend to come up when I am trying to scroll sideways and I haven't figured out how to turn them off
Please remember that free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it :laugh:

I think im switching back to boat browser. I wish it had an appearance like chrome or firefox

I do recall switching from Boat to Dolphin for the extras I don't really use. Might switch back myself.
LIVE! ...from T999 Tapatalk 2 Broadcaster

Being able to swipe between tabs on chrome makes a big difference for me. It would have to be chrome in my book.

Chrome
I switched over completely to Chrome, I was using dolphin but I like the ability to switch between devices a lot easier.

Boat. Enough said.
They call me "Jelly" cuz jam don't shake like this!

Xscope Pro. It was the only browser I could find that would let me make an appt. for the DMV from work, I wanna say it was a java based website, but whatever it was, Xscope has been able to take anything I throw at it, and it's got a dark colored theme which is a plus for me because I hate looking at bright white light all the time. Also as a throwback, Steel was an amazing browser for it's time.

Try pushing menu => more => settings => lab => advanced swipe settings and choose disable
You may need to scroll down in settings to see the lab option.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Aerowinder said:
I use Chrome on the PC, so Chrome is the obvious choice, mostly because of the automated bookmark sync (I have loads of them). I like using the AOSP browser + CMarks, but it doesn't display the xda page properly after I log in (all text is gray and hard to read). Dolphin does the same thing. Only after I log in.
Not trying Firefox because the desktop version is a joke, why would the mobile version be different? And Opera hasn't been relevant for years.
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This must be the most stupid and ignorant post I ever read on Xda. Your comments about Firefox and Opera are ridiculous.
Sent from my HTC One S