<strong>the best web Browsers for iPhone and iPad

With the arrival of Chrome on iPhone and iPad, the browser wars for iOS have become a little more interesting. Here’s a rundown of our favorites.

Before we get into the best features of each browser, we have to address the factor of speed. mobile Safari will almost always be faster than Other browsers because it uses a special Javascript engine called Nitro (you find a full explanation of it over on Daring Fireball). Other apps, browsers included, are not allowed to use this built-in function. Therefore, by most accounts, Safari will always be faster, so we’re not going to take that into consideration here.

Speed isn’t everything, and the other top browsers bring more than enough to the table to make them relevant. We took a look Safari, Chrome, Dolphin, and Atomic Browser.

Safari

Safari is your default browser and it’s easily the most used browser on the iPhone. Safari is the easiest to use and since it’s built into every function of iOS, it’s also the most convenient.

The Good: easy to Use, Ready Out of the box, Speedy

Safari’s strengths are pretty obvious. It’s your default browser, so it’s integrated well into every other app straight out of the box. As we mentioned above, it’s also probably the fastest of all your options.

If you’re a Safari desktop user you can sync bookmarks between the devices (and across your iPhone and iPad). It doesn’t transfer your history or anything else, but it keeps everything in line on all of your devices.

Safari is also integrated into everything you do. If you want to open a link in an email, on Twitter, or anywhere else, the default place for that to happen is Safari. As a functioning web browser, Safari does just fine even though it doesn’t have a lot of special features.

The Bad: It’s a Little Boring and Doesn’t Have a Lot of Options

Safari is fine for most things and you won’t find anything terribly wrong with it. That said, the syncing features are a moot point since Safari isn’t that popular of a browser on desktop. It also has a lot of limitations on the amount of tabs you can use, and the fact it forces you into the mobile version of websites is a bit annoying.

More than anything, it’s just a simple, somewhat boring browser. It doesn’t have many features for power users and you can’t add any functionality or change how it works. It also stuffs a lot of it’s most useful features, like Private Browsing, cache clearing, and password info, all the way back in the Settings app instead of inside Safari. This means you have to make a few extra and unnecessary steps just to change up simple settings. For most people, this is fine, but if you’re looking for a bit more from your web browser, Safari is a bit bland.

Who It’s Good For: Most Everyone Who Doesn’t Want to Play Around with Settings

If you’re a Safari user on desktop than Mobile Safari is great because of the bookmark syncing. It’s also the easiest and most accessible one to use. If you open up a lot of links in other apps, or you just don’t want to futz around with settings, Safari is the go-to browser.

Chrome

Chrome is the newest player on the field, but the fact the desktop version is the number one browser means the iOS versions have a leg up on the competition. I’ve been using the mobile version of Chrome since it was released and have been mostly happy with the results.

The Good: Syncing, Incognito Mode, Speed Dial, and More

Chrome on iOS isn’t as fast as Safari, but it’s not slow by any means. That said, the best feature of mobile Chrome it is the fact it syncs across all your computers. Bookmarks, open tabs, and recently opened tabs on your computer can all be pulled up on the mobile version in an instant. You also get an Incognito mode for browsing privately, and an unlimited amount of tabs.

Chrome has a few subtle, but handy features as well. You get a speed dial page when you create a new tab, and you can open up the desktop version of any mobile site by selecting “Request Desktop Site” from the options menu. You even get some simple gesture browsing with the ability to swipe to the right to change out tabs. If you’d like to use it as to open URLs without jailbreaking, you can do so with a simple bookmarklet.

The Bad: Interface Takes Some Getting Used To, Crashes

The iPhone version of Chrome is smooth and responsive, but it takes a little while to get used to how the tabs and everything else works. Once you do it works like a charm, but unlike Safari you might not be able to hand it to a friend with the expectation they’ll know how to use it. It also has some issues with crashing when you load up more complicated sites. This only happened to me with the iPad version with consistency, but it was still annoying.

Chrome has its share of annoyances as well. For instance, the swipe gesture to change tabs (pull to the right) is easy to trigger on accident. The tabs work great on iPad, but they’re easy to lose track on the iPhone’s smaller screen and the card-stack layout of the tabsis a bit tricky to get the hang of.

Who It’s Good For: Desktop Chrome Browser Users

If you use Chrome as your primary desktop browser and you’re synced up with your Google account, then Chrome for iOS is a fantastic option. It’s fast enough, has lots of great features (seriously, the Desktop View is fantastic), and syncs everything across all of your devices immediately.

Dolphin

As the name suggests, Dolphin is the most playful of the bunch. Its core principle is gesture based control and it offers a very different way to browse the web. It’s our pick for the best web browser on Android, and the iPhone version is just as strong.

The Good: Sidebars, fun Browsing Experience, Webzine Feature

Dolphin is easily the odd-man-out amongst browsers and it’s the only one trying to do something new. For the most part, this comes in the form of using gestures to quickly load up web pages (draw a “T” to go to Twitter, for instance), and browse the app. While that’s Dolphin’s main selling point, it still has a lot of other great features.

One of the the best is the webzine format that works similar to Flipboard and makes browsing your favorite sites a little more fun. It also has a great sidebar function where you can quickly glance at your bookmarks and history without fumbling around.

The Bad: No add-ons, a Little Confusing At first

One of the great things about the Android version of Dolphin is the add-ons. These mini-extensions can do the same sorts of things you do with extensions on your desktop, but on your mobile browser. The iPhone version doesn’t get these.

Dolphin is also a different looking browser that takes a little getting used to. Hand your phone over to a friend and they’ll probably be a bit confused if you give them Dolphin instead of Safari. Still, it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it and once you do it’s a fun way to browse the web.

Who It’s Good For: Anyone Looking for a Different Way to Browse

Dolphin has a lot of fun features and the gestures make it an enjoyable browser to use for pretty much anybody. That said, it doesn’t have a lot of really powerful features or options. It can do a lot of the things the other browsers can, and it’s certainly the most original on this list. If you want a new way to browse the web and interact with your web browser, Dolphin is for you.

Atomic Web Browser

Atomic Web Browser has been our pick for the best web browser on iPhone for a while. It’s easily the most feature-rich browser on the iPhone, although it doesn’t come with a lot of design flare.

The Good: Tons of Options, Settings, Browsing Modes

Atomic has a ton of options and settings that we’re not going to list off here. Our favorites include ad block, Dropbox support, and the ability to download files. You can customize Atomic in a lot of ways as well. You can set up themes, turn features on or off, and even configure your own gestures.

It’s also a less weighty browser that doesn’t keep junk around you don’t want. You can automatically delete cookies, clear history, and clear out autofill directly from the app itself. Basically, you can make Atomic into your favorite browser if you’re willing to play around with the settings a bit.

The Bad: It’s a Little Ugly

We didn’t have a lot of complaints when we picked Atomic for our favorite iPhone browser and we still don’t now. It certainly isn’t the prettiest to look at of all the options, but the interface is functional and works well. It’s a little overwhelming to use at first because of all the various settings, but once you get used to Atomic it’s a terrific browser. You can grab a free version, but the full-featured Atomic Browser is $1, making it the only browser on this list you have to pay for.

Who It’s Good For: Power Users Who Like Options

Atomic is all about options. You can easily change nearly any setting, drop into private browsing, run in full screen, and even block ads. If you don’t care about syncing to your desktop browser, Atomic is a good bet.

One last thing we should note is if you’re jailbroken, you can set any of the above browsers as your default browser with the Browser Changer tweak available in the ModMyI repository. Once you set it up, every link you open from any app will be your browser of choice.

We couldn’t cover every single browser on the iPhone, so if you have an opinion about one we didn’t cover, tell us what you love (and hate) about it.

In 2005, programmer Henrik Warne developed RSI—repetitive stress injury. Over the course of six months, the condition progressed so severely that he considered a career change. Fortunately, through a combination of actions, he managed to get rid of the pain and fully recover.

Early in 2005 the muscles in my forearms started to hurt. In the beginning it was only a slight irritation, but over the course of six months it gradually got worse, until it was so bad I actually thought I would have to switch careers and stop programming altogether. I realized fairly quickly that I had RSI—Repetitive Stress Injury.

After about a month of pain I went to see a doctor. He thought my joints were inflamed, and gave me anti-inflammatory pills (which did not help). A little later I went to see a specialist, and after some tests he concluded that there was nothing wrong with the nerves in my arm. However, he could not answer how I could get rid of the pain.

I also went to a number of physical therapists, and tried many different exercises (e.g. weight training), as well as acupunture and heat treatment. Nothing helped. It was also pretty clear to me that my problem was something they had not previously encountered.

So I started doing my own research on the web, and tried different things. I read the book “It’s Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory & Therapy for computer Professionals” by Jack Bellis and Suparna Damany, which I thought was pretty good.

I also experimented with many different kinds of mice and keyboards. I found that theGoldtouch split keyboard and a gel-filled wrist rest works well for me. The split (and angled) keyboard allows my hands to stay at a more natural angle when typing. The mouse I use is anUllman Penclic Mouse. You hold it like a pen and move it like you move a normal mouse. Since I hold it like I hold a normal pen, I don’t have to turn my hand like I have to when gripping a regular mouse, and this helps a lot.

I also did 10 sessions of rolfing (yes, that’s rolfing, not golfing), which I feel also helped in relieving my muscle pains.

But the biggest part of the solution for me was starting to use a break program that forced me to take regular breaks from typing—before I would program for hours without breaks. At the time I was using Linux, and it was not easy to find a program that worked for Linux. Eventually I found a really great one called WorkPace. I set it up to force me to take micro-pauses for ten seconds every five minutes, and longer breaks (with exercises) every 45 minutes.

A few years ago, when changing jobs, I switched from Linux to Windows, but I kept usingWorkPace. Recently (without changing jobs) I switched to using a Mac, and unfortunately WorkPace is not available for Macs. After some testing I switched to using RSI Guard instead, which is comparable to WorkPace.

I believe that the break-program together with the ergonomic keyboard and mouse really saved me. Over a period of about six months, my problems gradually disappeared, and I can now work without problems.

In the hindsight, it feels pretty obvious that you should treat the cause and not the symptom (just like when fixing bugs). However, none of the doctors and physical therapists I saw realized this. Instead, they were all in one way or another treating the symptoms. This was six and a half years ago, so there may be more awareness today about RSI and computer-related injuries, but you never know.

So my advice is that if you feel any pain when typing, do something about it right away. Don’t ignore it and hope that it will go away by itself, because it most probably won’t. Most people have no problems, and therefore do not pay much attention to ergonomics (why should they—they have no problems). But I was programming for more than ten years without problems, and then it started to happen. It’s called Repetitive Stress Injury for good reason—it is the many repetitions of the same movement over many years that cause the problems.

In my case, the combination of a break program, an ergonomic keyboard and mouse made all the difference—without that, I would probably not be programming today.

The AudioQuest DragonFly is a USB-powered (it doesn’t use batteries or an external power supply) digital-to-analog converter. I usually need some time to get a handle on the sound of a component, but within minutes of plugging in the tiny $249 DAC I knew exactly what made it so special. It sounds clear and clean, so there’s less standing between the music and my ears.

The AudioQuest DragonFly

(Credit: AudioQuest)

The DragonFly is a bona fide Audio component, designed by Gordon Rankin, a man known in audiophile circles as a great tube electronics engineer, but Rankin is also a computer audio guy. He’s one of the few DAC designers with equal depth of knowledge in analog and digital audio technology.

The DragonFly uses an ESS Sabre DAC, a high-performance chip more typically found in higher-end CD and Blu-ray players. The DragonFly works with MP3s and CD-standard 16-bit/44KHz to 24-bit/96KHz file formats. Inside, there are 107 components mounted on a 0.6×1.7-inch four-layer board including regulators and custom capacitors.

The DragonFly was designed with the audiophile in mind, so instead of relying on a digital volume control that might reduce signal resolution and sound quality, the DragonFly’s volume control works in the analog domain for the best sound quality. The analog volume control tracks the movement of the volume slider on your computer. The DragonFly has a 3.5mm output jack.

It can be used with desktop speakers, like my Emotiva Airmotiv 4s, or a component hi-fi system, or it can directly drive headphones. I tried it all three ways, and the DragonFly’s stunning resolution was always a joy to listen to.

To put the DragonFly’s performance in context I compared it first with the Halide Design DS DAC ($295) that I raved about earlier this year. The DS DAC has a softer and richer sonic balance, which I still like, but the DragonFly’s sound is clearer and more precise. bass is tighter and better defined. Listening over the Airmotiv 4 speakers, the DragonFly’s more expansive stereo image floats freer of the speakers than it does with the DS DAC.

The DragonFly trounced the DS DAC, but how would it fare in a shootout with the $495 Halide Design DAC HD? The DragonFly didn’t win that one; the DAC HD had more bass and sounded more dynamically alive, and had better overall tonality. The stereo image was even bigger, and still had razor-sharp detail. When you hear a truly great DAC, like the DAC HD, on a desktop system, you’re a giant step closer to the sound of a first rate high-end hi-fi.

At first I was less happy with the DragonFly’s sound when I listened to it as a headphone amp. I plugged in the Audio Technica ATH M50 and Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, and found the DragonFly’s sound lightweight. Bass oomph was lacking, which overemphasized midrange and treble frequencies. Then I popped on my Velodyne vPulse in-ears, and the DragonFly sounded positively awesome! My JH-13 custom-molded in-ears were also fantastic, so all I can say for now is the Dragonfly might not be a great match with some full-size headsets. We’ll see.

Granted, it’s a $249 desktop DAC, so you can’t really expect it to be a giant killer on every application, but the DragonFly still has a lot going for it.

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Soundfreaq’s $100 SFQ-04 sound Kick is a decent portable Bluetooth speaker. Its sound, looks, and features all strike me as acceptable, if unremarkable.

the Sound Kick weighs just 1.6 pounds, and it measures 10.5 inches wide, 4.2 inches tall, and 1.6 inches deep when collapsed. Collapsed? One of the defining features of the unit is that, for portability purposes, it can fold in on itself to that 1.6-inch depth. When you want to listen, you exert some force on the rear of the unit to pull out the back. Once you do that, the Sound Kick sits about 2.5 inches deep. Soundfreaq refers to this extendable section as the XKICK Speaker Chamber.

This extension also acts as a stand for tilting the Sound Kick back for a better listening angle, although the position is a bit precarious—bump the Sound Kick, and it usually returns to the upright position.

The Sound Kick’s body is made of black plastic with a metal grill. On the top sit eight identically-shaped, round, touch-sensitive buttons: previous, play/pause, next, pair, UG3, volume down, volume up, and power. The Pair button, unsurprisingly enough, puts the Sound Kick in Bluetooth-pairing mode; pairing the system was effortless when I tested it with my iPad, iPhone, and Mac.

The UG3 button triggers a proprietary audio mode of the same name. Soundfreaq says it’s meant to “enhance audio separation.” The effect, though artificial, does indeed widen the stereo image noticeably. However, it can also lead to some distortion, especially at louder volumes.

On the rear of the Sound Kick, ports sit at the left and right ends. On the right sits a 1/8-inch (3.5mm) auxiliary-audio input. On the left, there’s the power-adapter connection, a USB port, and a light that reflects the status of the internal rechargeable battery. This indicator isn’t as useful as it ought to be: It glows green when fully charged, red while charging, and blinks when you’re nearly out of juice. A line of lights indicating the amount of remaining charge would be more helpful. Soundfreaq says to expect about seven hours of battery power at moderate volume; I got six with the Sound Kick dialed up fairly loud.

The USB port isn’t for playback. Rather, it’s there to let you charge other devices via USB, even when the Sound Kick is running off its own battery. Of course, charging another device reduces the Sound Kick’s playback time, but it also limits the system’s maximum volume.

A thin status light glows from behind the speaker grill when the Sound Kick is powered on or is in pairing mode. Annoyingly, you also need to rely on that light to determine the status of UG3 mode, since the UG3 button itself doesn’t offer an indication of the current setting—the light flashes once when you turn on UG3 and twice when you turn it off. (It’s possible I got that backwards, which is exactly why it’s a poor indicator.)

Macworld’s buying advice

The Sound Kick’s audio quality isn’t bad, but that’s the highest praise I can offer it. Although the system’s dual 2.3-inch drivers offer decent performance and can get plenty loud, bass presence is negligible. I found that music too often tended to sound a bit thin, lacking the oomph and clarity you’d hear from the $150 (and larger) Logitech Wireless Boombox (). The Sound Kick can certainly get louder than the tinier Jawbone Jambox (), but I prefer the smaller speaker’s audio quality. And the Big Jambox () bests the Sound Kick in both volume and quality. Of course, all these systems are also more expensive than the Sound Kick—in the case of the Big Jambox, three times as pricey—but sometimes you get what you pay for.

They call it the “dog days of summer.” By that, they mean the weather’s hot and it’s more than just unbearable. But I think the term should refer to the scratching and itching that goes on from being outside — and I don’t mean fleas.

I do mean mosquitoes — those insidious and nefarious bloodsuckers that zero in on bare skin to give it a “kiss.” If you ever wondered where that bump came from, after a session outside by the pool or a nice read on the patio, now you know. What’s even worse is that these little guys can follow you inside — a place where that bug zapper won’t do any good (as if it could anyway).

But where mosquitoes don’t fear to tread, there’s the InaTrap GR-330 mosquito trap. Before we go into how it does, check out the design — looks sort of like a small table lamp from one of those Swedish “hoity-toity” stores, right? Well it ain’t — it’s a mosquito killing machine. And by that I mean it doesn’t hurt you, your pets or any of the furniture.

Rotating the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap around, you can see there’s a glass rim with a translucent blue color at the base of the “shade.” Below that, on the main body at one side is a power port and below that, a wide mouthed grill. I’m thinking that when this thing is active, mosquitos are going to be entering into the opening beneath the “shade” and then, like the roach motel, they won’t be leaving.

Setting up the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap is safe and non-toxic (a good thing). Plugging the AC power plug in causes the touch-sensitive button at the top to pulse orange — it’ll keep doing this until a full charge is completed. Then a touch of the switch either turns it on until I touch it again for it to go off, or turns it green to signify that it’s in the 12 hour timer mode. So okay, I get all that.

Now when I turn the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap on, two things happen. A glow across that glass rim occurs, and I can hear a fan making a “shwoozing” sound. What I can’t see is the UV light that is being used to attract the mosquitos — combined with carbon dioxide that is being given off in minute quantities. And the lighting being given off is intermittent and geared towards the spectral sensitivities of the mosquitoes. So you could say all this contributes to simulating the breath and warmth of the human body — both being tasty incentives to mosquitoes. They come by, get drawn in from below the shade into the body of the trap by the fan and…well you know what happens next and there’s no zapping. Later, pull the grill/tray out and dispose of the refuse.

A few simple rules to use it. Get it up off the floor, like on a small pedestal, so that it’s about 2 feet up. And don’t sit or stand near it — the manual points out that the “grease” of the skin will be more attractive for the bloodsuckers than that of the device. So I’m on my patio, with the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap near the wall light which has an AC outlet — and I’m seated at the other end.

If you read the small manual, you’ll see that the manufacturer points out that you can help the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap along by introducing added carbon dioxide or steric acid. You do this by placing a bit of wine (carbon dioxide) or some cosmetic creme containing steric acid (check the ingredients) in a plastic bottle cap. Then you place the cap at the bottom of the catch container (the grill) to entice. You’re not placing anything inside at all.

Now the best way to test the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap is to use it and then check for mosquitoes afterwards. Over a two week period I had it on the patio as well as using it during a picnic in the park (near an AC outlet I was allowed to use). The problem is that if there’s no mosquitoes you don’t know that — but going to a stagnant pool of water isn’t my idea of a goodtime. Or any time, for that matter.

Editor’s Rating:

Great

Bottom line: All I can say is that I’ve gotten a mosquito bite or two on the patio in the past — but during the time I had the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap working, no. It’s ease of use lets you set it up and forget about it (not waterproof so remember to take it back in after use outdoors), and its design makes it okay for use indoors where decor issues could crop up. If you’re looking to free yourself from the days and nights of the living bloodsuckers, and get queasy at putting on lotions or hearing things go “zap,” then spend $64 bucks instead. It could be worth it.

Pros

• Photo-catalyst reaction
• Safe for use around humans and pets
• Porcelain-like design

Cons

• CCFL lighting needs to be replaced in about 2 years to maximize the effectiveness of the device