Help In Need of a New Browser

[EarlyMon]

Or try clearing data on Boat from the app manager (not Boat), uninstall and reinstall to see if there's some cruft left over causing compatibility issues.

If not, use an alternative until the next Boat update - they're pretty frequent.

 

[sardonicus87]

So basically, gone are the days of having actual options, we're not forced to just deal with everything we don't like just because most people don't care or have a different preference.

That's the whole reason I went with Android, was to have options. Now, you either have to purchase multiple devices, get one device that has a lot of stuff you won't use just so you can have different options for what you do use, or just deal with problems.

It's like how my phone doesn't have a "charge only" option for connection to a device (like the stereo head of my car). Putting tthat option in there wouldn't even be half a drop in a bucket of the total code for the device, used to exist on older devices, but now they took it away because to them, not enough used it so now I have to spend extra money on a different, specialty cable just to bypass something that could easily have been optional? Am I the only one that thinks that is ridiculous?

Then how should these browser tab views be any different, especially if they're already coding in the other views for other devices aanyway?

 

[EarlyMon]

I ran into losing the charge only option in Jellybean so you don't want my opinion on that sucking.

 

[MyUsernameRox]

I used Boat for a long time and loved it. However, on my new device (LG F60), the "reddit" website has the text way too small, and zooming in zooms too much. I'm on that site quite often, so dealing with constant zoom in/out isn't something I want to do.

I had to switch back to Dolphin, which is nice BUT downloading images is a beeotch. I often have to make several attempts, on every image, before it finally downloads.

Hoping someone can provide a fix, but I believe it's due to the screen real estate and the virtual buttons taking up part of it.

 

[chanchan05]

So basically, gone are the days of having actual options, we're not forced to just deal with everything we don't like just because most people don't care or have a different preference.

That's the whole reason I went with Android, was to have options. Now, you either have to purchase multiple devices, get one device that has a lot of stuff you won't use just so you can have different options for what you do use, or just deal with problems.

It's like how my phone doesn't have a "charge only" option for connection to a device (like the stereo head of my car). Putting tthat option in there wouldn't even be half a drop in a bucket of the total code for the device, used to exist on older devices, but now they took it away because to them, not enough used it so now I have to spend extra money on a different, specialty cable just to bypass something that could easily have been optional? Am I the only one that thinks that is ridiculous?

Then how should these browser tab views be any different, especially if they're already coding in the other views for other devices aanyway?

Actually technically false. The days of having an option are not gone. You do have a choice: cards or list. The fact you aren't considering is that app developers also have a choice, and they chose not to implement the tab bar type of browsing on their apps anymore. You have a choice, but remember that your choices are also affected by other people's choices. You can't call it 'a choice' when the option does not exist. You have a choice, the only problem being that the option you want isn't one of the available choices.

Actually this change came from the feedback of many, wherein they complain about not being able to see the tab titles anymore when opening multiple tabs because of the small screen estate. And as always, when serving customers, the needs of many outweigh that of the few. The devs decided to look after the majority, and thus removed the tab bar option on most browsers for phones. If I was a dev, and majority of my customers want cards based on feedback, then I give cards. Why would I continue selling/making something hardly anyone wants? That's the problem of being in a minority.

Choice is not gone. The problem is, the option you want seems to be something that developers would rather not do because of poor return in investment.

You can try mailing devs of various browsing apps regarding your concern.

 

[sardonicus87]

Again, if they're already still coding it for larger devices, why not offer it as an option on others? Some of the browsers still do... er well, one of the ones I tried still does.

What I mean is, if they write that code for tablets already anyway, why not offer that as an additional option to card or list? Also, the majority of the ones iI tried didn't offer and option of card or list, they mostly were one or the other; a handful offered a choice between card or list, but most were one or the other.

Basically: the code in the app already exists for tablets, so why not just offer it as yet another option on smart phones and set the default as stack or list since it is most wanted?

And I definitely have contacted devs before, about bugs mostly, to which no fix ever occured and only once was there ever even a response.

I contacted Boat about these crashes a while back with no response. Not long before that, I contacted them with the suggestion of an option of using the site's Favicon for the dialer rather than a screen shot. They thanked me then for the suggestion and said they would consider it, which could have been just some platitude.

The only time I ever had app issues and got a dialogue with a dev (or at least, their PR department) was with Asphalt 8. Which went in circles for ages because they didn't understand and kept rewording the problem until I broke it down very clearly with detailed screencaps. Then there was no response and the problem was magically fixed.

 

[mikedt]

For contacting the Boat devices, may get a response if you wrote in Chinese, they're in Beijing.

 

[EarlyMon]

I write devs in China very, very frequently - and rarely in Chinese.

Compilers speak English, as does typically someone on any dev staff with an English language product.

English is the worldwide standard for flight control and semiconductor engineering, probably others.

As an English teacher in China, I suspect you know better than most the value of the language.

~~~~~~~~

I don't see a difference between swiping down to expose tabs vs swiping right to expose a list from a requirements standpoint - so it has to be a list or cards or you lose real estate doesn't hold water. Both are presently implemented.

It's the post-Holo browser devs that don't speak tabs and the reason is as obvious as the condition - post-Holo devs.

There are at least 5 browsers on the market with true tabs.

~~~~~~~~

The thread isn't here because the choice doesn't exist - it's because it's developed a defect when used with a particular phone.

 

[DonMaxie]

In other words, someone needs to keep going with the Boat Browser project because that is the browser that Mr Sardonicus liked using best...Google Chrome should be working better now if you install the beta

 

[roadkill42]

I use opera for android works better then opera mini I'm on dirty unicorn 5.1.1 on zte awe works like a dream

 

[DonMaxie]

I am, and will always be using Firefox *also for android, use Chrome only when necessary

 

[androidlover9]

I use Google Chrome... it's really buggy and the animations crap out very often, the reason why I still stick with it is due to the whole Google ecosystem being connected making it easier for me to sync stuff

 

[androidlover9]

In other words, someone needs to keep going with the Boat Browser project because that is the browser that Mr Sardonicus liked using best...Google Chrome should be working better now if you install the beta

Even Chrome Dev runs better than the stable version sometimes, it seems that when they actually make it stable it decides to have problems and run bad XD

 

[fiancece]

So, a while back I asked for browser recommendations. I ended up using Boat because it had everything I wanted.

Well, now the developer of Boat is basically non-responsive and Boat has begun crashing a lot.

I tried to do a Google search for Android browsers that was basically a comparison chart of features, but apparently, nobody has made one. Not that I can blame them, most of the browsers are Chrome rip-offs with a few unnecessary/novelty features (like "Doodles" or something).

So basically, I want a browser like Boat, but with stability. Sucks that, of all the ones I have tried, Boat is the only one that has all the features I want.

Necessary features:
• A REAL tab bar and full-screen support, not that side-list bullcrap like Chrome where you hit a button and have tiles of "tabs".
• Home page dialer/speed dial
• Doesn't crash

Strongly preferred to have features:
• Find text on page
• Open links in a new tab or in a background tab
• automatically extends and scrolls the page so that your soft-keyboard doesn't obscure the text box in which you're typing
• Quickly request desktop site and/or change your apparent device (though many sites now work around that and force you to their mobile site regardless of those settings, but a few I use often enough don't and their mobile versions are atrociously annoying)
• Ability to turn off gestures/talk/swiping menus
• Save passwords/logins

Features that would be nice but I can live without:
• Ability to change the theme/colours

Features I don't care about at all and will never use:
• Emojis
• Desktop sync (bookmarks, tabs, whatever)
• Games/mini-activities/friend-sharing-activities
• Swipe, gesture and talk features.
• Crashing all the time

I am still surprised there's aapparently not one chart that has the browsers along one axis, the features along another, and checks to tell you which browsers have what features. No real way to compare features unless you read out-dated blog posts.

Will update shortly with which browsers I tried and hated, since I need to check them all as they may have changed since I last tried them. But I can already start that list:
• Naked Browser
• Puffin
• Web Browser and Explorer by Litter Penguin (constant bombardment of adverts)
• Firefox (no true tabs, just more Chrome rip-off, no true fullscreen)
• Chrome (no true tabs, basically no options, no dialer, no fullscreen)
• UC Browser (no tab bar, no dialer, annoying default home page)
• CM browser (too loud/busy, no real tabs, tab browsing actually more annoying than cardstack)

The "Maybe Pile":
• Opera (though its tabbed browsing option [tablet layout] is ugly as sin)
• Dolphin is looking better than when they began their v11 stuff.

It seems a big problem...


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http://www.coqueperia.com/category-housse-sony-xperia-z4-15.html

 

[Curtis1973]

In all honesty,all of the droid browsers are on the cheesy side. Either they look like pokemon inspired garbage or they look like very bland,uninspired clones of each other. And the majority are bloatware to an extent. They seem to be built for kids.. "hey kids!! we got that new whamoduper share to knucklehead book button!" "Come on...you know you wanna try... our new button!!" I use stock android on builds like spirit rom if they haven't went the chrome route...it gets the job done in most cases.

 

[EnterShikari535]

So, a while back I asked for browser recommendations. I ended up using Boat because it had everything I wanted.

Well, now the developer of Boat is basically non-responsive and Boat has begun crashing a lot.

I tried to do a Google search for Android browsers that was basically a comparison chart of features, but apparently, nobody has made one. Not that I can blame them, most of the browsers are Chrome rip-offs with a few unnecessary/novelty features (like "Doodles" or something).

So basically, I want a browser like Boat, but with stability. Sucks that, of all the ones I have tried, Boat is the only one that has all the features I want.

Necessary features:
• A REAL tab bar and full-screen support, not that side-list bullcrap like Chrome where you hit a button and have tiles of "tabs".
• Home page dialer/speed dial
• Doesn't crash

Strongly preferred to have features:
• Find text on page
• Open links in a new tab or in a background tab
• automatically extends and scrolls the page so that your soft-keyboard doesn't obscure the text box in which you're typing
• Quickly request desktop site and/or change your apparent device (though many sites now work around that and force you to their mobile site regardless of those settings, but a few I use often enough don't and their mobile versions are atrociously annoying)
• Ability to turn off gestures/talk/swiping menus
• Save passwords/logins

Features that would be nice but I can live without:
• Ability to change the theme/colours

Features I don't care about at all and will never use:
• Emojis
• Desktop sync (bookmarks, tabs, whatever)
• Games/mini-activities/friend-sharing-activities
• Swipe, gesture and talk features.
• Crashing all the time

I am still surprised there's aapparently not one chart that has the browsers along one axis, the features along another, and checks to tell you which browsers have what features. No real way to compare features unless you read out-dated blog posts.

Will update shortly with which browsers I tried and hated, since I need to check them all as they may have changed since I last tried them. But I can already start that list:
• Naked Browser
• Puffin
• Web Browser and Explorer by Litter Penguin (constant bombardment of adverts)
• Firefox (no true tabs, just more Chrome rip-off, no true fullscreen)
• Chrome (no true tabs, basically no options, no dialer, no fullscreen)
• UC Browser (no tab bar, no dialer, annoying default home page)
• CM browser (too loud/busy, no real tabs, tab browsing actually more annoying than cardstack)

The "Maybe Pile":
• Opera (though its tabbed browsing option [tablet layout] is ugly as sin)
• Dolphin is looking better than when they began their v11 stuff.

CM BROWSER FTW!!!
I've used it for almost a year now and it is absolute great!!

 

[funkylogik]

Yeah I went through a phase of using CM and really liked it (especially the download manager) but although I'm not a very security conscious person, I don't trust that company with my information so I went back to dolphin and chrome

 

[Curtis1973]

Do have to give a thumbs up for the latest release of Opera Browser. When the company transitioned from classic Opera Mobile to their current Opera Browser...it was a glitchy,uninspired and rocky start. It dtove me away from my old stand by Opera. Only tried it again just yesterday and was impressed with its progression. Think I'll use it again. It does tend to freeze up some on certain sites, generally sites not many frequent where opera hasn't spent much if any time debugging.