Big Boi

Whats the benefits of replacing the oem browser with something like Chrome or FireFox?

KageBeast

It depends. Browsers like those definitely have more features than the stock browser such as switching between desktop viewing mode and mobile viewing mode. Also some boast more speed. But if you're contempt with it no need to download a new browser.

leeanne172

I personally use Boat and love it, quick, clean and just the right features that I need and use on a regular basis that the stock browser does not have.

chanchan05

The same reason why people don't use Internet Explorer on a PC: More options, features and better speed. Different browsers on Android have different engines, unlike on iOS where everything is forced to use the Safari engine.

A few examples of differences:

1. Opera - has an engine with turbo mode option, allowing for server side compression making you use less data and less time to render a webpage than other browsers

2. Chrome- uses the Google Chromium engine, so its lean fast and allows for sync between your device and PC Chrome app. You can even see what tabs are currently open on your PC if you leave it running at home

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tcat007

If you're on Jelly Bean, you have to add a different Browser to get Flash to work (why on earth would Adobe/Google not support flash, it's on about every page I open!).

Other browsers can wrap text better, give you more text size options (sometimes), give you more add-ons (Adblock), better tabbing, better bookmarking...

You just need to try a couple to see what you're missing (or not).

Chrome came on my Nexus 7, but I have it disabled. Been using Boat, but thinking of moving to "Naked", very fast....

RyanB

Chrome is treated as "third party" for ICS only, and is "OEM" going forward. That being said, like everything else on Android, it's all about choice. Don't like what ships on your device? Find something you like better and use that instead.

Edited for typos

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jefboyardee

Typo of the year...

I use stock because my tiny Optimus can’t handle the extra space.

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funpig

On my Galaxy Tab 7 plus (3.2), I cannot open any videos on Yahoo with the stock browser. I need to use Boat, setting the user agent to Safari.

gtbarry

It's personal preference. I find Chrome to mimic the desktop experience I am used to (with Chrome on the dekstop) the best.

The only one I would recommend against is Opera. It caches some sites in order to serve them faster. This can often cause encryption and authentication problems. Many government agencies actually ban access for employees trying to use the Opera browser.

Maritzay

I always use Chrome on my phone, safe and fast for me, and that is why I like it so much.

c1atsite

tcat007: I wondered too, then I saw this explanation from a tech writer about why Flash on Android is an issue. It's from this summer. Great comments too. A few are combative with others but there's usually some nuggets to be learned when folks argue anyway.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/134551-why-flash-failed-on-android-and-what-it-means-for-adobe

Last edited by c1atsite; December 24th, 2012 at 12:05 AM.

pegs520

Chrome seems slow to me. I've been using Dolphin browser for a while now, it's fast and feature-filled.

I'll give Boat a try because this is the first time hearing about it, but I'll probably just stick with Dolphin.

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Big Boi

Thanks for all the info guys! I will try Chrome out, and see if I notice any difference. Should make it more enjoyable, since Im running it on my PC.

RyanB

If nothing else, you can do things with Chrome (and a few others) like synchronize your bookmarks across the board, and enjoy tabbed browsing on mobile.


Edited for grammatical clarity

Zero Hunter

I use chrome too. Hope it works out for you.

c1atsite

IIRC, I read a recent opinion somewhere that Chrome doesn't look so hot on mini and regular tablets, even the Nexus 7 & 10(!). But on the Nexus 4 (phone), the absolute best browser °is indeed° Chrome. I'll try to find the link to that article. It's from this month (Dec. 2012)

nieltab

I use dolphin browser on my tablet and phone, its fast, looks good and has nice features like hand gestures (which I thought was just a gimmick, but I use it alot)

Raley

I also use dolphin browser, it's an easy to use browser with plenty of amazing add ons you can get at no expense.

lexluthor

+1 for dolphin. I like the way it handles tabs and like their gestures.

c1atsite

As an Android fan, this article re content owners' big dilemma concerning live video streaming to Android devices (from Streaming Media magazine, in their December 2012/January 2013 issue) makes me cringe a little, but I remain optimistic, as usual http://ow.ly/gqU9q This article is just as good as the one by Ryan Whitwam.

The title is Google Needs a Strategy for Video on Android Devices by Dan Rayburn

Excerpt: "Right now, content owners are left in an awkward state if they want to deliver live video to Android browsers. If Flash is present, you can deliver a basic Flash video player. If it is not, you can try to deliver HLS, but the HLS manifests must either be hand-coded or created using Android-specific tools. If the HLS video can play without buffering, you’ll find that there is no way to specify the aspect ratio, so in portrait mode it looks broken. The aspect ratio problem seems to have been fixed in Android 4.1, but it will often crash if you enter video playback in landscape mode and leave in portrait."

Last edited by c1atsite; December 30th, 2012 at 08:34 AM.

c1atsite

I love Dolphin too. My wacky gestures are in this article, written by me after about 2 weeks using Dolphin http://neatandclean.wordpress.com/dolphin-brings-out-the-kid-in-me-and-the-productive-adult-in-me/

I find myself using the custom gestures much more often than the voice command, which sometimes mishears me. Super tabs, so easy to close and switch. Their support team is nice too.

Last edited by c1atsite; December 30th, 2012 at 08:31 AM.

chrlswltrs

I see no reason to. Chrome is the default pre installed browser in JB and it is the only one on my phone

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sohguanh

To me for smart-phone screen size of 4-5 inch using browser is not ok for me with all those zooming and scrolling going on. If that app has a native version I would gladly use it over the browser version.

Samsparkin

I really like the chrome browser but I've found it drains a lot of my battery. Is it so with others? I'm not a big fan of the native browser though I read it has better benchmarks. What should I do? I've deactivated the tilt to scroll operations as I've read in another thread that it consumes battery. Is dolphin better in this regard? Pls help. I'm using an unlocked S3 on jellybean 4.1.1

c1atsite

Samsparkin I always thought tilt to pan and zoom was a device/OS issue, not entrenched in a browser. With the 4.1.1 native browser, my personal preference is to absolutely must have tilt °on° because having it off is maddening. Edit: Oops, it seems I'm wrong. Tried just now to tilt to zoom and pan on Dolphin and it totally didn't. So now I will be vigilant to see if either browser eats up alot of battery as well as what I'm doing on them.

Last edited by c1atsite; December 30th, 2012 at 11:38 PM.