When you bought an iPad I bet one of the first things you starting thinking about was ways of changing the desktop. Probably one of the first things you started looking into changing was the browser.
While I like Safari, it just doesn’t have the same kick to it that other programs boast; however, not all browsers have a device compatible option that you can download. With Apple especially, it is slim pickings if you want to change it up without jailbreaking the system. This is due to their rather intense opposition to all things third-party, even after being told by the courts that jailbreaking is fair game as long as it isn’t used for piracy.
Luckily, that doesn’t mean that there is nothing out there you can use. There are at least four great options for iPad browsers that are easy to download, simple to use, and best of all 100 per cent free.
Most users hate constantly having to log in their accounts information every time they use my Safari web browser. This is a standard security feature that almost all mobile devices with web capability maintain. But it is also one of the most useless safeguards you can have, as people are less likely to share hand held devices as they are actual computers.
LastPass works by saving all of your passwords and keeping you logged in through the browser itself. You can then find everything signed in at once, and surf each website through the main page. You just have to sign them on to the free service. Easy, functional and very convenient.
Have you ever been showing someone something online when a URL or search history pops up that you would rather wasn’t seen? It can be so embarrassing, whether it was an adult site or a search on the latest release by Justin Bieber. That is what makes the feature on Google Chrome that allows for incognito Internet use so popular. Terra has that same incognito option for your iPad. But they also have a full screen mode that takes advantage of the tablets large screen.
Everything is run through toggles in the corner of the screen, which also allows you to enjoy the touch function. The settings are large enough that it provides ample fingertip space, which is a bonus if you don’t have an available stylus.
Like many other people, you probably like to read in bed at night. If you prefer to read in bed, you know that even a small reading lamp is enough to keep your spouse awake. Therefore you’ll be excited to discover Night Browser, the one that has a good dimming option.
It allows you enough light to see by, but it is low enough that it would be very difficult to disturb anyone. It takes advantage of the way the iPad screen glows to create a shade that is non-disruptive but readable without straining your eyes.
The best feature of this browser is that it allows you to manually adjust the brightness, so you don’t have to rely on the dimmer. You can change it to whatever is comfortable for you and those around you.
Social networking addicts who love to share will adore this browser, as it uses media integration right in the application. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, YouTube…they can all be customized to allow easy access. It is like putting it all on one page to give you a clear path while you surf the web.
It is more settings-based than many other sites, which makes it perfect for tailoring to your own needs or tastes. If you have trouble reading some font sizes you will love it, as you can adjust that easily without distorting the picture.
Jennifer Moline writes about freelancing, small business and design for the PsPrint Blog. PsPrint is a web company providing high-quality online printing services.
Here is the official roadmap for Firefox.
Firefox 5 will absorb the Account Manager and F1 Simple Sharing add-ons to become built-in features. It looks like Windows 7 64-bit will be officially supported with FF5, too.
Firefox 6 will have a focus on the Web applications framework, JavaScript optimizations, and support for OS X 10.7. For Web applications, some missing pieces of CSS3 and HTML5 will be added to Gecko, the rendering engine.
Firefox 7 feature list is less clear. Electrolysis (splitting everything into separate processes) and changes to XBL support are mentioned, but nothing certain.
There seems to be a very big emphasis on the responsiveness and user interface within Firefox.
Opera has released the new Opera 11.01, which adds security fixes and stability improvements to the popular web browser.
The full changelogs are linked from the blog post announcing the new release.
The security issues that have been fixed in Opera 11.01 are the following:
- Removed support for “javascript:” URLs in CSS -o-link values, to make it easier for sites to filter untrusted CSS.
- Fixed an issue where large form inputs could allow execution of arbitrary code.
- Fixed an issue which made it possible to carry out clickjacking attacks against internal opera: URLs;
- Fixed issues which allowed web pages to gain limited access to files on the user’s computer;
- Fixed an issue where email passwords were not immediately deleted when deleting private data;
- Fixed an issue which could cause the wrong executable to be used to display a downloaded file in its folder
Opera 11.01 is a recommended update for every Opera 11 user. It is possible to update the web browser directly by clicking on Help > Menu > Check for Updates.
The latest version of Opera can also be downloaded directly from Opera Software.
StatCounter published a chart representing the top 12 browser versions existing; which we can distribute among continents or even particular countries. In this data I’m pretty sure you can find some surprises, take a look.
Ok, there’s no surprise if I say Internet Explorer is ruling over the world (Microsoft already had a lot of problems regarding this); but what do you think about Internet Explorer 6 (developed in 2001) being the third most used browser? Or that Firefox 2.0 has more popularity than Opera 10?
Here are some other facts:
- Worldwide data says that Internet Explorer 8, 7 and 6 are the most used browsers.
- In the US, Firefox 3.5 is the third most used browser; behind IE 8 and 7.
- In Africa, IE 6 is the most used browser with 29% of the current share.
- In Antarctica the most used browser is Firefox 3.0. Yes, I said Antarctica.
These charts are using one year stats, from May 09 to May 10.
And you? Which is your favorite browser?
Multifox, Firefox exentsion
Firefox is the crown jewel when it comes to extension friendly browsers. In the beginning IE could not compare, but more recently other browsers have started to adapt to extensions, but Firefox is by far the leader in this field. Many of us have tried to switch to other browsers like Chrome, but we felt naked with out the extensions. Personally it was a hard transition for me, but over time I’m getting used to it.
+Continue Reading
Mozilla team is working really hard on brainstorming the idea and design of Firefox 3.7 (currently in 3.5, 3.6 it’s just around the corner). What’s the main idea? Hide the Menu bar and use a very similar look-n-feel of Office 2007/Office 2010 Ribbon.
They are using their Wiki to give us some of the advances made so far, the ideas floating in the air and of course receive feedback from most of the Mozilla lovers (and non-lovers as well, why not?). And here are the ideas that they have so far:
- Embracing Glass: Toolbar and Tabs using Glass. Raised translucent buttons that are slightly glossy to meld with the toolbar. Raised 3D look to achieve tactile “feel”.
- Neutral Tones: Overall neutral color scheme that can transition among platforms. Can remain attractive and slick without fighting for focus from web content.
- Hiding the Menu Bar: Hiding the menubar by default (on Vista/7) allows us to use Glass, free up vertical space and retain platform consistency.
- Page and Tools Buttons: Condense and trim existing menu structure into two buttons “Page” and “Tools”. Similar to Safari and Chrome.
- Combine Stop/Reload: Combine Stop and Reload into one button. Reduces visual “clutter” and combines two buttons that have mutually exclusive functionality.
- Home Button/Tab: Remove “Home” Button from default toolbar. Move functionality to a “Home Tab” containing your homepage.
More info: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Sprints/Windows_Theme_Revamp/Direction_and_Feedback
Personally I think those are very nice and significant changes. Office, Vista and 7 seems that they are setting the standards of any UI (no surprise there, Windows will still be the world’s main OS for a few years more). But the good news is that Mozilla it is also trying to establish browsers standards, like the “Page and Tools Buttons” that is a common feature in Safari and Chrome.
And also the “Combine Stop/Reload” feature it is something that I’ve been waiting to see in Firefox for a long time. I know, it’s a very tiny thing, but don’t you love having the same functionality in different browsers?
And what are the other changes that you would include?
