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Internet browsers

3 “New” Web Browsers That Could Replace Your Default

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Web browsers
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Web browsers are the lifeblood of anyone who spends a fair amount of time online. Without a decent web browser, you’d be stuck in a hellish world rife with slow loading times, and probably crashing windows.

There are, of course, the usual suspects, but in this age where there’s a specialized something for everything, alternative web browsers are not lacking as well.

If you are on the lookout for different web browsers to suit your needs and preferences, take a look at 3 “new” web browsers that might just become your default browser in the near future.

Maxthon

Web browsers
Maxthon

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Dolphin Browser Hits the App Store for FREE

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What browser do you use on your mobile device? I think I am one of the perfect users for the iPhone because I don’t really look for much in terms of customizing my settings and apps. For example, I am perfectly content with Safari for mobile browsing as it works – and that is all I really need!

From what I hear from Android users, though, the ability to change little details is what gives their devices the edge. If you are an Android user, then you may already be using the Dolphin browser, which has impressed many. Yesterday, iPhone users got treated to the first release of the Dolphin browser in the App Store. I just checked it out myself and look what I found!

Dolphin Browser App Store
Dolphin Browser App Store
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RockMelt: Do We Really Need Another Browser?

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What web browser do you use now? The chances are that you have at least three installed on your computer, and you probably don’t use all of them on a regular basis – unless you’re a developer, maybe. I have Firefox, Safari, and Chrome and really just use the first two.

That’s why, when I heard about RockMelt – “Your Browser. Re-Imagined.” – I couldn’t quite fathom the need for it. The main thing that they are focusing on is the fact that the browser is very tightly integrated with Facebook, as well as other social networking platforms.

At this point, you are probably thinking of Flock, which basically tried to do the same thing. Unfortunately, it didn’t really take off. Anyone among you using Flock these days? My point exactly.

Even experts seem to look upon this venture as something that might not take off. With the heavy emphasis on social browsing integration, there is not much to sustain whatever initial attention RockMelt might gain. The three big players – Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome – can easily add those features.

Still, we can’t deny that they might have something here. After all, social networking is really the “in” thing right now. Who knows, RockMelt just might change the face of browsing.

Call me a dinosaur or whatever you wish to, but I just don’t feel the urge to apply for a RockMelt account right now. If you do, visit their web site and apply for that RockMelt invite yourself. In the meantime, I shall visit Facebook using good old Firefox. 😉

So tell me, do we really need a re-imagined browser?

Firefox 4: Not Going to See the Light of Day in 2010

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I still haven’t made up my mind whether I should use Safari as my main browser. I have been using Firefox for the longest time, but Safari does have its advantages. I guess old habits die hard! In any case, I just might be making the switch before the end of the year if things continue the way are going with the release of the new Firefox.

Earlier this year, Mozilla got Firefox enthusiasts all excited about the news that Firefox 4 should be out by October or November 2010. Unfortunately, the most recent announcement has pegged the release of the latest version of the popular browser to 2011. The news does not come as a surprise to many. The beta version has been released, but it seems that glitches regarding stability are being encountered, hence the delay.

Late last week, Mike Beltzner posted the announcement:

Development on Firefox 4 has not slowed down and strong progress is being made daily. However, based on the delays in completing the “feature complete” Beta 7 milestone against which our Add-on developers and third-party software developers can develop, as well as considering the amount of work remaining to prepare Firefox 4 for final release, we have revised our beta and release candidate schedule: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/4/Beta

The frequent beta releases have been extremely helpful in identifying compatibility issues with existing web content, so we plan on continuing to release beta milestones through the end of December. Our estimate is now that release candidate builds will ship in early 2011, with a final release date close behind. Please note that, as always, this schedule is subject to change based on feedback from users and community members.

So should I switch to Safari and forget about Firefox?

Fennec Alpha Mobile: Firefox for Android

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Considering just how dependent we are on the Internet, it is not a surprise that browser developers are in a perpetual race to deliver the “best” browser to consumers. With mobile phones being used by more and more people to get on the Internet, mobile Internet browsers, naturally, are in demand. While going online via your phone is quite convenient, sometimes, the features of mobile browsers are simply incomparable to the experience offered by browsers for computers.

Here’s a bit of good news for those of you who are yearning for a better browsing experience on their Android phones – Mozilla has just released the alpha version of mobile browser. Dubbed Fennec Alpha, the mobile browser can be used on Nokia N9000 mobile phones as well. The exciting thing about Fennec is that it is based on the same technology that is used for the Firefox we all know and love.

By the way, this mobile browser is not the first version. In April, Fennec prealpha was released. Early reviewers had a lot to say about that version – many of them negative. The Fennec Alpha, however, is set to offer enhanced performance and is supposed to be more responsive to user needs. More specifically, the newer version includes Firefox Sync capabilities, making browsing more convenient for users. Android users will also be happy to know that the Fennec Alpha supports browser add-ons – one of the main reasons that Firefox is such a joy to use.

You may download the mobile browser from Mozilla’s web site, but if I were you, do not expect too much. The software is intended for testing purposes and not for regular use.

Bit of trivia: Fennec comes from the Arabic word for fox. 😉

Facebook Chat: Is It Really Going to Be Better?

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We’ve all experienced it – one minute you’re chatting with a friend via Facebook chat, and the next minute, you’re cut off. Worse, you might be typing in novella detailing the funny experience you had during the day, and then having to refresh your browser because the chat window just froze and wouldn’t respond no matter what you do. Yes, no one is denying it – Facebook Chat is as buggy as stale bread full of weevils. (So why do we continue using it? Darned if I know!)

Anyway, if Rodrigo Schmidt of Facebook is to be believed, we are soon going to enjoy an uninterrupted chat experience. Right on our favorite browsers. He says:

The good news: We’ve already made progress, and we’re taking some more big steps in the coming weeks. For example, in the past couple of weeks, we’ve already made Chat faster and more stable, fixed bugs and improved the technology on which it runs.

We know you want Chat to be hassle-free and uninterrupted. In the coming weeks, we will be making important improvements in the way connections are established and messages are sent, so that Chat will be much more stable for you and your friends.

The biggest improvements come from changes that aren’t supported on older web browsers. After evaluating the alternatives, we’ve decided to make rapid improvements and provide the best Chat experience possible, which means we will no longer support Internet Explorer 6 browsers.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t really seen any improvements in the past couple of weeks. It’s not any worse, but it’s not any better either. Still, if Facebook wants to keep their users happy, they definitely will work on this feature. In the meantime, if any of you are still using IE6 (I highly doubt it), then you have a couple of weeks to switch.

The big question remains: will this move really make Facebook Chat better for all of us (regardless of the browser being used)? You tell me.

Photo credit: Greysquare