Dolphin Browser on iOS is solid, but will you use it?

Boasting 9 million users, one the most popular third-party browsers for Google Android devices, Dolphin Browser, is now available for Apple iOS devices. The free software is my recommended way to surf the web on both smartphones and tablets running Android,and the iOS version retains several of the key features. The app supports true tabbed browsing, easy access to bookmarks and settings through the use of virtual screen space and a new feature that only just arrived on the Android version: Webzine mode, which shows blog posts in a pleasing, easy to read format.

I took the iOS version of Dolphin Browser for a spin on my iPod touch and found it useful, but limited as compared to its Android counterpart. I’m a fan of tabbed browsing, and it is faster to navigate through open web pages in Dolphin over the native Safari browser. I also like the presentation of Dolphin’s Webzine view over the Reader function in the upcoming iOS 5 software. Dolphin also supports more than two dozen gestures for browser navigation, toggling settings, or quickly loading a particular webpage, although the gesture function requires a tap before drawing. Full-screen / desktop mode is an option as is private browsing.

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Similar to Opera’s browser, Dolphin has a customizable Speed Dial feature where you can set up favorite sites; tapping the URL field on a blank tab brings up the stored sites. Next to the URL address bar is a button to share a web page via Twitter or Facebook. Standard bookmarking is also available and easy to get to. Just like in the Android version, you can swipe the browser “off screen” to the right to see bookmarks. Swiping the browser to the left provides one-touch choices for Full Screen mode, Downloads, a gesture, clearing browsing data or additional options.

Overall, the browser is relatively fast and feature-filled; at least for a first version. Just as Safari does, Dolphin scored the maximum 100 points when I ran the Acid3 test, showing compliance with JavaScript and other web standards. And for the SunSpider test, which checks JavaScript performance, Dolphin scored a laggy 11,512 milliseconds while Safari turned in a far faster score of 3,660.9 ms. Note: Lower is better, indicating that Safari will handle JavaScript much faster. Overall, I found Dolphin rendered pages nearly as quickly, however.

But there’s a huge barrier to adoption for any third-party browser on an iOS device which could keep many from even trying the Dolphin Browser: Apple allows one, and only one, app to be the native web browser, and that’s Safari. That means any tapped links from email, Twitter or other sources will always open up in Safari. It’s an inconvenience that some won’t want to deal with, which is a shame, because Dolphin for iOS looks promising.

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Dolphin Browser for Android turns web into a magazine

Regular readers know that I’ve long been a fan of the Dolphin Browser HD for Android smartphones and tablets. In February, I offered 8 reasons why it’s a “must try” for any Android device owner, and Monday, the free browser adds a new feature in conjunction with the launch of the software’s sixth version. Dolphin Browser HD still supports gestures, multiple tabs, and browser extensions, but now includes Webzine: a Flipboard-like, magazine layout style for reading web pages.

I upgraded to the new version 6 of Dolphin Browser HD on my Samsung Galaxy tab and had planned to spend a short bit of time using the software, but the Webzine feature kept me engaged longer than I planned. Adding content from websites I read — such as CNN, Fierce Wireless and Android Central — to my own personal webzine was as simple as tapping the “Add a column” icon. Doing so brings up a list of perhaps a few hundred sources, all categorized by topics such as “News,” “Science & Tech,” even “Social”, which adds a feed to Facebook and Twitter.

There’s also a search function if you know the name of a content provider. I don’t see a way to add any news sources however, say through an RSS feed, which is limiting. And the social feeds don’t seem to use screen space effectively: I see bunches of blank space, which could be due to using the software on a 7-inch tablet.

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Aside from those limitations though, the Webzine feature is an enjoyable way to consume content. It’s simple to browse through article summaries, either by scrolling down the browser page or by swiping the page right to left. Tapping a story opens the full article in a pleasant format, but also includes a link to read the original article; touch the link and the story opens in a standard browser tab.

When reading the full article in Webzine mode, you can swipe to the next or prior article as well. Other handy navigation tools include buttons to go back, immediately jump to the top of an article, switch to standard browser mode or share an article through email or any other installed third-party social networking app. Pulling the page down refreshes the Webzine.

While the biggest new feature in this version of the Dolphin Browser is the Webzine function, the overall browsing experience provided by the software is still outstanding. All of my earlier reasons to use this third-party software to surf the web still apply, and the app seems as speedy as before, if not even faster.

If you’re using the stock browser on an Android smartphone or tablet, you owe it to yourself to try the new Dolphin Browser, even if the magazine style layout doesn’t sound appealing to you, Google’s Android Market indicates that the software has been downloaded between 5 and 10 million times. After getting a taste of the improved version, I expect Dolphin Browser to cross the 10 million download mark sooner rather than later. Ironically, that figure equates nicely with today’s $10 million in Series A funding news for the popular browser. Sequoia Capital led the funding round for MoboTap, the company behind the Dolphin Browser, with Matrix Partners also participating in the deal.

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