Developer: Dolphin Browser
Price: Free
Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Welcome back, fellow Appaholics!
Yes, I know this article is a little late, but I had a run in with the weight set at my gym (the weights won) that resulted in a sprained left elbow. Had my arm wrapped tightly for a few days, but I am glad to say that it is feeling much better and has been set free from the prison that is known as a compression sleeve.
Now, we last left off with the Opera mobile browser taking top honors in the mobile web browser role, scoring a perfect appaholics rating of five out of five. This week, we dive into the Dolphin web browser to see if it has what it takes to oust the king from his throne. I’ve had a good amount of time messing with the Dolphin Browser, and let me tell you, it’s no slouch. It’s extremely fast, and easy on the eyes. It is also extremely functional.
There are some similarities with other browsers, such as a voice search function (which Dolphin calls “Sonar”) and a speed dial function that is available on the home tab. An extremely cool function is the side bars that can be accessed by swiping your screen. The left side bar has all your bookmarks, and the right side bar has your add-ons. This is great because there are no extra tabs to open up to get to your bookmarks. Just one swipe and they are right in front of you.
Earlier I mentioned that this browser was easy on the eyes. Well, it’s not hideous, but it’s not a knockout either, the Dolphin browser falls somewhere in the middle. It does look a bit dated when compared to the other browsers, and it is just a little bit bland. The one thing that sets it apart from the other browsers is the ability to install add-ons to the browser. These add-ons supplement your browsing experience with functionality or style. There are tons of add-ons, so I won’t mention every one. However, you can change color theme of the browser and boost your browser speed with add-ons that disable all other open apps when you open the Dolphin browser. There’s also an eBay search add-on as well. These are all designed to keep you within the Dolphin browser’s eco system. Similar to the Opera web browser, the Dolphin web browser does not have an Incognito tab.
Overall, the Dolphin web browser is extremely function, especially when you factor in the add-ons, and the looks may not blow you away, but they will get you by. While it was a close race, I think that the Opera browser is just a more polished app and overall a better choice. I have to give this app a rating of 4.75 out of 5.