Related
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. THE WAIT IS ALMOST OVER, HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE, I'M TALKING ABOUT FULLY EMBEDDED ADOBE FLASH 9, AJAX, FULLY EMBEDDED QUICKTIME 7, FULL DESKTOP CLASS JAVA RUNTIME, FULLY EMBEDDED WINDOWS MEDIA AUDIO AND VIDEO, AND I BELIEVE SILVERLIGHT AS WELL.
WATCH ANY VIDEO ON SITES LIKE YOUTUBE, DAILYMOTION, AND BREAK
LISTEN TO ANY MUSIC ON SITES LIKE LAST.FM, RHAPSODY, YAHOO! MUSIC, AND NAPSTER
STAY CONNECTED WITH FRIENDS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES LIKE FACEBOOK AND MYSPACE
BROWSE WHATEVER YOU WANT WEATHER, NEWS, SPORTS, AND MAPS
SIGN UP FOR THE PRIVATE BETA AT http://skyfire.com/
whats up with the caps?
post some pics of your experience with this browser.
he's excited? I don't think anyone has gotten into the private beta yet...
read privacy policy, they track everything, incl. personal information.
There was a compiled at PPCGeeks regarding SkyFire. It looks fantastic (it always does). The private beta is due soon for release for the first-come, first-signed few...
I signed up about 5 days ago but I would imagine that it may take some time before public beta and I hope it does; if they are doing their homework and researching the triumphs & failures of Piscel, Opera, MiniMo, etc then I would expect to wait for a truely functioning & worthwhile WM browser. Hopefully SkyFire reps have been sitting in these forums and watching.
We have all suffered so many near hits and misses with a browser that would give us WM users the Safari-like browsing ability...
I signed up for the public beta a few days back as well when I saw the post over at PPCGEEKS. Personally I want to see if it will play the romp.com shockwave files I've had for years, they seem to still render in desktop browsers, but haven't found a way to render them on the PPC.
theFear13ss said:
I signed up for the public beta a few days back as well when I saw the post over at PPCGEEKS. Personally I want to see if it will play the romp.com shockwave files I've had for years, they seem to still render in desktop browsers, but haven't found a way to render them on the PPC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aw man I forgot about those. We used to play with them back in the day.
Also, regarding "they track everything, incl. personal information", I believe that is the case with any browser that uses any server side caching or compression. If I'm not mistaken, the same could be said for Opera Mini. Everything goes through their server first. Someone said this browser is like manipulating a full browser window open on their server.
neodorian said:
Aw man I forgot about those. We used to play with them back in the day.
Also, regarding "they track everything, incl. personal information", I believe that is the case with any browser that uses any server side caching or compression. If I'm not mistaken, the same could be said for Opera Mini. Everything goes through their server first. Someone said this browser is like manipulating a full browser window open on their server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opera Mini's privacy policy is:
Opera does not store any users' private information. Opera generates statistics of the usage of Opera Mini, but these are aggregated numbers and no information can be linked to a single user.
All information gathered by Opera Mini is subject to Norwegian laws regarding personal data. More information about the Norwegian Personal Data Act and Regulations can be found here.
I'm surprised spam like this is allowed here.
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS NEW BROWSER, A MUST FOR PDA OWNERS WITH DATA PLAN:
www.SKYFIRE.com
Watch The Intro On The Home Page
It's kinda nice, but it's another of the page through a proxy as an image browsers. The page is reformatted on their servers and then sent to the phone.
This has been around. It is in a Beta right now that you have to sign up for and be invited to. Been waiting months for the invite and basically giving up. Getting mixed reviews.
This is kinda old news. I have the beta of skyfire, it actually works fairly well. I have several wishes/bug fixes that I sent to skyfire, but overall it is fairly fast and pretty much plays any website you can navigate to.
I still use opera for most of my daily browsing, but I hope that skyfire gets better after the beta testing.
Skyfire
i got the skyfire download but everytime i've tried to browse..it keep saying that the network was lost eventhough i have data plan, i can browse internet with opera mobile 8.5
thanx
I didnt like it....will stick with Opera and PIE+
Meh, I just got the beta2 today. I'm not too impressed with it so far. There's lots of great things incorporated into it, but when you try to flow through pages you just can't do it. When a page loads, you have to zoom into it before you can enter text into any field.
I like to get online, do what I need to do, and get off--bam--finished. This new beta makes it very hard to do that. I've looked for ways to fix it this in its menus, but I just can't find anything. If someone knows how to fix it, let me know .
The things I love about it most are you can get on java based sites, watch embedded video, and hear embedded audio.
All in all, I'd have to say this is just a so-so browser. Great for the casual user who is multi-media focused.
I have the beta as well and I'll stick with opera 9.5. Plus I'd rather not do password work through a proxy server.
I use mini more. But sky is nice for some things. Mini is faster for me....beter syncing. rss. better rendering. better ui. sky does flash.
I just downloaded Sky today, I was let into the beta. And I will say that it's a little harder to use then the other browsers, but in making up for that. It actually delivers on what it says. I can't watch youtube on PIE or opera. I can on Sky, once flash is in the other browsers, Sky will have nothing, but until I find a browser that can play flash.. This rocks for all kinds of things, last.fm, and youtube are great, though I hate the zoom, and it needs some kind of volume control built into the browser.
Opera mobile when it is fully released will have flash. Last.fm plays better with pocket scrobbler. Hit me up over IM and I can send u a cab.
I actually like skyfire, but i noticed I can't go to any .Net sites. Whats up with that? Anyone?
Just got the beta this weekend
Good:
Renders pages well
Plays flash movies
Bad:
Stupid long startup time
Retarded "First you need to zoom!" UI concept. Just awful. Really awful
Text doesn't go into textbox, pops up for input.
Pretty much zero configuration
They should just rename this this to what it is: Streaming online pron viewer.
If they cut the start up time in 1/2, eliminated the need to zoom first (Start in desktop view, tap + hold to bring up the zoom box), and let you customize the way the interface works, they could have a winner. As it is now, Im suprised they consider this even a beta. It has nothing more than core funcitonality, which is more alpha to me.
anybody else get the feeling that even though the page load itself is pretty quick the browser on the whole sorta lags
I downloaded it tried it uninstalled it. it was a memory hog, makes you sign in every time (why can't it remember user information?), it's another one of those we reformat the web for you portals.
Crashed on my device almost immediately.
Got my E-mail yesterday and it works great. It uses a lot of memory though. But so far I like it.
another browser that will require money
I don't get these browsers, instead of updating HTML tags via the W3C we get these browsers that reformat pages before delivering them to the PPC.
I installed this, tried it, had it first complain about memory issues, then crashed when I tried to open the crosswords link on the NY Times page, and uninstalled it.
What exactly are the memory requirements for this thing?
Some specs would be nice.
It's not something I'm going to use.
emkorial said:
Just got the beta this weekend
Good:
Renders pages well
Plays flash movies
Bad:
Stupid long startup time
Retarded "First you need to zoom!" UI concept. Just awful. Really awful
Text doesn't go into textbox, pops up for input.
Pretty much zero configuration
They should just rename this this to what it is: Streaming online pron viewer.
If they cut the start up time in 1/2, eliminated the need to zoom first (Start in desktop view, tap + hold to bring up the zoom box), and let you customize the way the interface works, they could have a winner. As it is now, Im suprised they consider this even a beta. It has nothing more than core funcitonality, which is more alpha to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROTFLMAO, streaming online pron viewer. BWAAAWBWAAA
I love this program. It's awesome. It does have some limitations others have noted, but if you're looking to stream media, or view a page as it's shown on a PC it's the way to go.
If you're looking to USE a webpage, read, etc, I'd rather use pIE. But I like having both.
I love that it can play ANY streaming media I've thrown at it and look / sound great.
If you haven't already, check out this streaming media site: http://www.hulu.com
It has full episodes of many online shows, with very limited ads, for free! No signup! it's sponsored by NBC and FOX and it's 100% legit. It works GREAT in Skyfire!
Finally
A browser that does all. Opera+PIE+Skyfire. I can now with all three do everything I need to lol. Lets see if firefox can integrate the three. or someone.
I want to make a (more recent) comparison of web browsers available to us on the ASUS TF101 and TF201 tablets, something that is useful. In my experience we don't have all that many threads that are Really Good on this subject, that don't get bogged down with noise and opinion drowning out the signal after a while.
The browsers, web sites, and procedures I will use for testing are being collected HERE as they are written.
I am open to suggestions of things to test as long as they don't cost me $$$, are legit, and hopefully widely used by communities of people in general. If it has issues with the stock browser in HC/ICS/GB/Froyo in fast/simple usage, like crashy crashy! Then I am more likely to test a suggestion.
Note for mods: this is cross posted in the forum for both tablets.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
One test i would like to see is which browsers you can put into desktop mode and fool HULU with.
Neither. Hulu knows it's an android because you're running an android version of flash.
Joey563 said:
One test i would like to see is which browsers you can put into desktop mode and fool HULU with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, its the Flash version that matters.
In the Apps forum there's a hacked Flash plugin that works with Hulu.
@topic
Great idea. Looking forward for the results.
The things that i'd like to see reviewed are the rendering speed and image quality while browsing.
Speed will be noted somehow but I really don't know how to scientifically do image quality, past "Looks ...." to me, lol.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Lifehacker is a good website to test. See if any browser can reproduce the two different scrollable objects properly, like it would be on a browser in Windows or Mac. A lot of browsers will simply choose to lock the two scrollable columns into the page, such that if you try to scroll one, the other follows.
I'd suggest testing a website like Verizonwireless.com, specifically the Explore, Shop, My Verizon, and Support buttons. On a computer, a mouse-over shows a drop-down menu, and a click takes you to the next page. The iPad does this very smart where tapping once on "Shop" for instance will bring down the dropdown menu, tapping it once more will take you to the webpage it links to. So far, the Android browsers I've tried have an awkward execution for this mouse-over effect where you have to hold the button like "Shop" for around half a second and then swipe away your finger to avoid going to the link it points to. See if you can find a browser that works mouse-over in a similar fashion to Safari.
+1 for lifehacker/deadspin/gizmodo sometimes (usually) first load is a blank screen and I have to hit reload. After reload its marginally functional, but not 100%
Also try facebook in desktop or iPad mode... Some stuff works well... Other stuff is total fail, like inviting people to events.
I'll post more as I remember them. I've actually been thinking of making a list like this, but you beat me to it.
Edit: thought of one more: google docs... Word processor, spreadsheets, the whole lot of them...
Spidey,
One thing I find very helpful in web browsing on my Transformer is the ability of a browser to scroll using the scroll wheel on a bluetooth mouse. I've noticed some browsers will scroll with the mouse, and some will not.
If possible, during your testing, you might want to add that as a yes/no feature, it would only take moments to test and include in your results.
Thanks for taking this on, I'm looking forward to your results/conclusions, and the inevitable "discussions" that will follow, either agreeing or disagreeing with your results.
Hi!
Can you test logmein.com as well? In stock and Dolphin it is not working.
I know there is .apk for Android, but it's costly.
@ERamseth gdocs is on my list and whenever possible I'll be testing desktop versions of sites. Can't say that I use Facebook very deeply though so a grain of salt may be needed..
@dm36415 Sorry, don't have any bluetooth mice to test with but great suggestion!] If the Windows box doesn't get pissy maybe I can try yanking my wired one off the desktop, but I can only test that on the TF101 as my Prime won't be getting a dock for a while :-(.
@stenc55 my word that site pissed off the stock browser, just trying to scroll the front page. Not sure how much I can test it but I'll try. Out side of Opera/Firefox, everything will probably barf at it though, and those two might as well lol.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Are you just planning on testing rendering quality/performance, or are you going to sum up some of the other UI features that get mentioned (how tabs work, gesture support, how fluid/laggy scrolling down the page is, is there an incognito mode, etc)
How easy/difficult to import bookmarks from a PC browser, with or without folders.
Most browsers use the same back end as the stock browser, i.e. they do about as much work as Maxthon used to do. So the most use on quality/performance I can give versus the stock, I'm sure will usually be load times and usability. Opera & Firefox are the only two that I know of who bring their own magic for the back end. Unless I get something like native libs in the app data to suggest they included their own rendering engine, I'm marking it as "Stock".
I've been testing the Prime's stock browser, Angel, and Boat for part of the day in between taking care of my mother. Current data that I've recorded:
App name (in launcher, usually), market page, version tested, demographic (mobile, tablet, ...), rendering engine, approximate start time and page load times, exit method (menu, closing last tab, etc), available user agent settings, bookmark storage, sync, and folder support, gesture support, quick control support, plugin support, password remembered, speed dial support, max # of tabs, and "Editorial Remarks" like what I've written for Angel Browser:
My remarks on Angel Browser said:
Has a handy sidebar on the left, similar to what you can do in Opera Desktop; quick controls interfere with sidebar.
You can configure what toolbars are visible.
You can configure by pattern, what app handles what URL.
You can configure by pattern, what UA is given for what URL
You can configure the heck out of what clicking stuff does.
You can configure where most data is stored.
You can configure quick controls, UI, and most everything.
Bookmarks UI can have ads unless you purchase the Angel Browser License app.
Handy scroll down button (by default).
Has "Notes" and "Read Later" features.
Good alternative to the stock browsers UX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For websites tested, App/Site/Load Time/Rendering/Date and Editorial remarks are also being made for websites, like this one for the stock ICS browser on the Prime:
Prone to crashing and input lag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For rendering, it's mostly focused on does it look/work like the desktop site and is it usable? For example, mail.google.com is gitchy in Boat browser and may give you a seizure.
Try editing a document in Google Docs (right now in every browser I tested it's almost impossible and does really strange things).
Note well: I no longer have a TF101 available so tests off TF201 by me are scrapped. People seem to have settled down post Chrome on ICS enough that I may just scrap it totally. If someone would like to pick up on TF101, PM me with your Google Docs address.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Zooming, text reflowing and hardware acceleration.
The most important aspects of a browser, and the only browser that does these properly on mobile, is Opera.
When running Firefox on the stock rom, the status bar turns white while the text remains white so that the time, date, signal, and other status bar items are unreadable. I tried changing the system themes and the Firefox themes without any change. Is there any other possible solution to force the status bar to any color other than white with Firefox? I guess I could use an unofficial build, but I wanted to try out the play store version for a while.
dweekie said:
When running Firefox on the stock rom, the status bar turns white while the text remains white so that the time, date, signal, and other status bar items are unreadable. I tried changing the system themes and the Firefox themes without any change. Is there any other possible solution to force the status bar to any color other than white with Firefox? I guess I could use an unofficial build, but I wanted to try out the play store version for a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a known Firefox bug, and they are working on it. If you must use Firefox, install the beta version, which will give the fix a little quicker.
Firefox is my favorite browser on desktops. But, It's still a little too buggy for me on Android.
tsongming said:
This is a known Firefox bug, and they are working on it. If you must use Firefox, install the beta version, which will give the fix a little quicker.
Firefox is my favorite browser on desktops. But, It's still a little too buggy for me on Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I guess I'll have to be patient since the beta and nightlies exhibit the same result.
I thought Firefox Focus was great and wanted to try Firefox Quantum across the platforms after years of using mainly Chrome. Chrome for Android still freezes and crashes on pages with heavy ads (including ESPN), and it has been that case for years. I'm still not sure why....
dweekie said:
Thanks, I guess I'll have to be patient since the beta and nightlies exhibit the same result.
I thought Firefox Focus was great and wanted to try Firefox Quantum across the platforms after years of using mainly Chrome. Chrome for Android still freezes and crashes on pages with heavy ads (including ESPN), and it has been that case for years. I'm still not sure why....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you update to 5.8.21s ?
If so force close the browser and clear the cache in the browser app settings
Also try the stock browser, it's pretty decent.
dweekie said:
Thanks, I guess I'll have to be patient since the beta and nightlies exhibit the same result.
I thought Firefox Focus was great and wanted to try Firefox Quantum across the platforms after years of using mainly Chrome. Chrome for Android still freezes and crashes on pages with heavy ads (including ESPN), and it has been that case for years. I'm still not sure why....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried ESPN and it works just fine. I've got a Pro3 Elite (x722) with a SD820 on 20s (a cleaned vendor ROM from Banggood). Then again, I've uninstalled all LeEco apps, save for Phone and Contacts, and I'm running Adguard for adblocking. You really need VPN adblocking, my friend. It will revolutionize the way you browse on mobile. And I'm not talking about uBlock Origin on Firefox for Android, which isn't always reliable (sometimes it simply doesn't load).
Either that, or try a browser that supports adblockers natively, like Samsung Internet. Firefox Quantum on desktop is great--I'm using it right now, but FF for Android sucks. You can try Waterfox, a popular fork of Firefox. It has an Android app too.
tsongming said:
Did you update to 5.8.21s ?
If so force close the browser and clear the cache in the browser app settings
Also try the stock browser, it's pretty decent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sk8223 said:
I tried ESPN and it works just fine. I've got a Pro3 Elite (x722) with a SD820 on 20s (a cleaned vendor ROM from Banggood). Then again, I've uninstalled all LeEco apps, save for Phone and Contacts, and I'm running Adguard for adblocking. You really need VPN adblocking, my friend. It will revolutionize the way you browse on mobile. And I'm not talking about uBlock Origin on Firefox for Android, which isn't always reliable (sometimes it simply doesn't load).
Either that, or try a browser that supports adblockers natively, like Samsung Internet. Firefox Quantum on desktop is great--I'm using it right now, but FF for Android sucks. You can try Waterfox, a popular fork of Firefox. It has an Android app too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on 21s. The Chrome freezing bug has been recurring for years as far as I can remember, through my Nexus 4, 5, 6, and 6P. I think adblocking helped, but it still freezes regularly on some sites.
I installed AdGuard Premium and am still testing it (page loading delays and errors, battery, whitelisting, etc). I may just break down and root this phone to compare to Adaway for fun. I've been hesitant to try custom roms as I prefer maximum battery life over other benefits.
LeEco was a slight deviation and a breath of fresh air for battery life. It's just annoying to have merely a few months of software support from the company.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
dweekie said:
I'm on 21s. The Chrome freezing bug has been recurring for years as far as I can remember, through my Nexus 4, 5, 6, and 6P. I think adblocking helped, but it still freezes regularly on some sites.
I installed AdGuard Premium and am still testing it (page loading delays and errors, battery, whitelisting, etc). I may just break down and root this phone to compare to Adaway for fun. I've been hesitant to try custom roms as I prefer maximum battery life over other benefits.
LeEco was a slight deviation and a breath of fresh air for battery life. It's just annoying to have merely a few months of software support from the company.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adaway is pretty fantastic. In fact, I haven't seen ads since installing it. You do a have a few options for ad blocking without rooting: Brokada is excellent, and blocks Ads in apps as well. But, you will see the occasional ad.
Another non root option is Ad Clear, which places a firewall on IPV6. I haven't used AdGuard premium, is there no where in the settings for filter addons/updates or firewall blocking?
If you decide root the phone, be very careful if you haven't gone through extended steps of unlocking the bootloader. As you know, you could brick your device.
If you decide to go for it. I recommend AICP, or Omnirom both will give you continued long battery life, and allows you to use the Pixel Modded camera with zero issues.
If you need help with unlocking your bootloader, rom installation and rooting, let me know and I can send you detailed instructions. Just so you know once you unlock the bootloader and install Twrp, the rest is easy and you can always return to stock if wanted.
dweekie said:
I'm on 21s. The Chrome freezing bug has been recurring for years as far as I can remember, through my Nexus 4, 5, 6, and 6P. I think adblocking helped, but it still freezes regularly on some sites.
I installed AdGuard Premium and am still testing it (page loading delays and errors, battery, whitelisting, etc). I may just break down and root this phone to compare to Adaway for fun. I've been hesitant to try custom roms as I prefer maximum battery life over other benefits.
LeEco was a slight deviation and a breath of fresh air for battery life. It's just annoying to have merely a few months of software support from the company.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chrome freezing in general, or just on ESPN? If it still happens with adblocking, then the issue lies with ESPN. They're not doing a proper job of optimizing their mobile page for Android. As for Chrome freezing in general, I've never seen that happen... well, except when trying to type a reply on reddit in desktop mode. Then again, I don't visit any heavy websites. Just a lot of text-based ones.
I used to use Adaway a lot, but the lack of good lists for it makes it kind of... useless. Like it doesn't block ads in the mobile version of Google.com. Or mobile version Twitter ads or sponsored tweets. It's nowhere near as useful as, say uBlock for your PC or Firefox Android (whenever it works). It's up to you to create a list of your own with all those blocked elements. Neither do AdGuard, DNS66, or Blockada, for that matter. Mobile adblocking is still in its infancy, unfortunately.
sk8223 said:
Chrome freezing in general, or just on ESPN? If it still happens with adblocking, then the issue lies with ESPN. They're not doing a proper job of optimizing their mobile page for Android. As for Chrome freezing in general, I've never seen that happen... well, except when trying to type a reply on reddit in desktop mode. Then again, I don't visit any heavy websites. Just a lot of text-based ones.
I used to use Adaway a lot, but the lack of good lists for it makes it kind of... useless. Like it doesn't block ads in the mobile version of Google.com. Or mobile version Twitter ads or sponsored tweets. It's nowhere near as useful as, say uBlock for your PC or Firefox Android (whenever it works). It's up to you to create a list of your own with all those blocked elements. Neither do AdGuard, DNS66, or Blockada, for that matter. Mobile adblocking is still in its infancy, unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AdClear is the strongest ad blocker app that I have used. But, it seems to sometimes cause applications to hang.
The newest version of Adaway is very good. But, for it to work extremely well, I update the host files daily and use my own filter links.
I tried DNS666 and didn't see any blocking at all. There is a Adblock module that can be installed through Magisk called: Unified Hosts. Install that in conjunction with Adaway and you will not see ads.
Yeah, the issue is that Adaway, DNS66 and Blockada depend on hosts files and I haven't found any thorough ones yet. The repositories uBlock Origin uses aren't hosts files AFAIK and you'd have to convert them to hosts files for use with those apps. Adguard will accept uBlock filters though.
sk8223 said:
Yeah, the issue is that Adaway, DNS66 and Blockada depend on hosts files and I haven't found any thorough ones yet. The repositories uBlock Origin uses aren't hosts files AFAIK and you'd have to convert them to hosts files for use with those apps. Adguard will accept uBlock filters though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AdAway now has the ability to use links.
Here is an excellent source for links updated daily: https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts
Go down the page to : Sources of hosts data unified in this variant
Use can either use the link and add Adaways user links, or you can generate you own host files by using tool here: https://hostsaway.appspot.com/
Note:
This page is in Japanese, it will convert to English if you set Chrome to always translate Japanese to English.
Instructions here: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/173424?co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop&hl=en
sk8223 said:
Chrome freezing in general, or just on ESPN? If it still happens with adblocking, then the issue lies with ESPN. They're not doing a proper job of optimizing their mobile page for Android. As for Chrome freezing in general, I've never seen that happen... well, except when trying to type a reply on reddit in desktop mode. Then again, I don't visit any heavy websites. Just a lot of text-based ones.
I used to use Adaway a lot, but the lack of good lists for it makes it kind of... useless. Like it doesn't block ads in the mobile version of Google.com. Or mobile version Twitter ads or sponsored tweets. It's nowhere near as useful as, say uBlock for your PC or Firefox Android (whenever it works). It's up to you to create a list of your own with all those blocked elements. Neither do AdGuard, DNS66, or Blockada, for that matter. Mobile adblocking is still in its infancy, unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a lot of random sites as well as ESPN; Business Insider is another one that will hang on me randomly. Adguard defaults don't prevent it. I've kind of just accepted Chrome freezing as normal expected behavior over the years.
Thanks for all the input everyone. I haven't really explored VPN adblocking prior to this thread, but I'll definitely play around with it further. I am rather curious what to expect from Chrome's built-in minimal adblocker in the future. I'm actually okay with some ads to support websites, but the bad ones truly ruin it for everyone.
dweekie said:
It's a lot of random sites as well as ESPN; Business Insider is another one that will hang on me randomly. Adguard defaults don't prevent it. I've kind of just accepted Chrome freezing as normal expected behavior over the years.
Thanks for all the input everyone. I haven't really explored VPN adblocking prior to this thread, but I'll definitely play around with it further. I am rather curious what to expect from Chrome's built-in minimal adblocker in the future. I'm actually okay with some ads to support websites, but the bad ones truly ruin it for everyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be a number of things. Again, uninstall LeEco bloatware via adb. Try other browsers like Samsung Internet, which is purportedly much faster than Chrome. And use it with an adblocking add-on like Adhell. I doubt Chrome's adblocker will be very effective, considering that Google makes the bulk of its money from ad revenue and those Analytics scripts aren't exactly lightweight.
Record your screen and visit those sites in Chrome. I'm curious about how bad it gets.
I'm with you about supporting websites through ads, but too many websites run ridiculous ads that drive up your CPU use. And what about all those stupid websites that use cryptomining ads? No thanks. As long as the ad industry stays shady, and websites aren't transparent about the ads they run, I'm going to keep using an adblocker.
It's time to show a little more love for arguably the best browser for the NST/G
I've been reading up on the whole TLS 1.2 thing and bemoaning the gradual eroding of the NST/G internet capabilities as various apps wink out of usefulness due to the recent change. I felt the same way about Opera Mobile 12.10, especially when I had finally figured out an app for Google News, only to find that many of the external links could not be opened, presumably due to this new security protocol.
Imagine my surprise today when I revisited the configuration screen for Opera Mobile and saw that even on this nearly prehistoric app there is an option for TLS 1.2!! Once I had selected that I could suddenly navigate to all kinds of sites that were previously snubbing me! Woo-hoo!
The procedure, in pictures, below. Love live Opera Mobile (at least until TLS 1.3).
Edit: I should mention that this has nothing to do with the recent NST/G update to 1.2.2. B&N only added TLS 1.2 handshaking for their own purchasing system, not anything else. I have one device running 1.2.1 and one updated to 1.2.2. They are identical in their need for and response to this change in settings for Opera Mobile.
Edit, Edit: I've been looking at this issue again recently and found sites that actually test the browser and recommend changes in settings. It turns out that ONLY the TLS 1.2 should be enabled, not older protocols. One site also recommended disabling the SSL v.3, but my tests with two devices trying to access the same sites indicated that was a bad idea.
My most unexpected discovery was a post on an Opera board somewhere that suggested simply clearing cache (from the Menu: Settings>Privacy>Clear Cache) will often allow access to sites that initially give a security connection error. This actually seems to work in many cases. I have no idea why, but it prompted me to try unticking ALL cache settings except for "Empty on Exit" (last screenshot below). Don't forget to "Save" at the end of that section before exiting.
This is great, thank you!
Has anyone gotten this tweak to allow you to sign into Overdrive (online library) websites? New York Public Library's Overdrive page, nypl.overdrive.com still won't let me sign in, even with both TLS 1.1 and 1.2. For the record I think I'm still actually on firmware 1.1.0
jptiger said:
This is great, thank you!
Has anyone gotten this tweak to allow you to sign into Overdrive (online library) websites? New York Public Library's Overdrive page, nypl.overdrive.com still won't let me sign in, even with both TLS 1.1 and 1.2. For the record I think I'm still actually on firmware 1.1.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was the second thing I tried. No joy. Unfortunately there is zero information in a logcat of my unsuccessful session, almost as though the system was ignoring the browser activity entirely, so nothing to work with there.
Out on a limb here, but it could be a case of no contact with systems older than the oldest one to still support an Overdrive app (2.3, I think?). When I encounter a site that still won't connect with Opera Mobile, despite the addition of TLS 1.2, I think that's similar. Such an old browser (and OS) is seen as a security issue. Now exactly how the determination is made, that I don't know. It seems unlikely that it's something as simple as the User Agent string, as I have two NSTs, one running 1.2.2 and the older one with 1.2.1. I'm pretty sure I have not done anything with the UA string on the 1.2.2 device (it's a beast to type in) but I know I altered the other one to match the original stock browser on the device. I'll have to run down both values to see if there's something about the OS in there.
If the sites have a way of querying the system to recognize whether it is "safe" or not, then there's not much to be done. There was that one older version of UC Mini Browser which was able to negotiate a login at one time, but even if you could get into the library's Overdrive section, the closest you would come to a book is downloading the acsm file and then what? AFAIK there is no way to deal with it on the device itself. It would have to be processed on a PC and then transferred to the NST.
Login would allow you to checkout Kindle books and even confirm the download at the Amazon site (painful as that is), but I don't see how to make the epub thing work solely on the device any longer short of a new OS. That's way beyond my pay grade. I'm curious about it but recognize that it's not something I'm going to pick up at this stage of my life. Too bad the few projects directed at that weren't more modest in their goals. A change to just Gingerbread would have made a huge difference, although even with that, the handwriting is surely on the wall.
but even if you could get into the library's Overdrive section, the closest you would come to a book is downloading the acsm file and then what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open the file with Aldiko! I actually used to do this all the time, it was the main way I used to interact with Overdrive for years. Worked great... until I wasn't able to log into Overdrive sites and access my holds any more.
You might need a specific old version of Aldiko, I'd bet I found it on these forums somewhere. I'm writing this on my phone on a subway, otherwise I'd link here. Moot point atm anyway.
jptiger said:
Open the file with Aldiko! I actually used to do this all the time, it was the main way I used to interact with Overdrive for years. Worked great... until I wasn't able to log into Overdrive sites and access my holds any more.
You might need a specific old version of Aldiko, I'd bet I found it on these forums somewhere. I'm writing this on my phone on a subway, otherwise I'd link here. Moot point atm anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There may yet be a magic version of Aldiko that can do this, but I think the operative word in your response might be "used" to interact with Overdrive.
I don't know why but I decided to look at this issue again and stumbled on @straygecko's post re: Overdrive and Aldiko here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=35917607&postcount=2
I scrounged around for a "2.0" version of Aldiko and came up with 2.00.081 (maybe close enough?). Anyway, it does install and the first few steps of the procedure @straygecko outlines actually work great, even the sign in with Adobe--which I found shocking. I was able to painfully add my local library's Overdrive URL to the "My Catalogs" section and actually "browse" to the URL, if you can call it that. If we think Opera Mobile is antique, think more along the lines of the stock NST browser. Mostly floating text appears here and there, lots of broken images, and Search does not seem to work. Oh, and scrolling up the page? LOL! If you can get lower on the page to something like "available now", the screen will not update. It may not be absolutely necessary but while I was chortling and grimacing I also tried the "sign in" option. In little tiny letters across the top of the screen comes the "oops! something went wrong" message, all too familiar.
I hope, I really do hope that there is another version of Aldiko 2.0 that would work. But the post by @straygecko was from 2012 and while at my age that seems not so long ago, in the world of Android, it might as well be 500 BCE.
For your entertainment, I attach the version of Aldiko I was able to scare up. YMMV.
Odd. I think you might be trying to make Aldiko do a different part than I was referring to. Here was my usual workflow after installing Aldiko and logging into my Adobe ID on it:
1 open opera mobile
2 navigate to my library's overdrive page
3 sign in (not currently working)
4 browse and check out an epub ebook
5 download the ascm file
6 when prompted about what to do with it open it aldiko
7 Aldiko then downloads the epub using your Adobe ID and shows it in your library until it expires
If those are the steps you're following, where do you hit the unreadable text? After the book downloads?
jptiger said:
Odd. I think you might be trying to make Aldiko do a different part than I was referring to. Here was my usual workflow after installing Aldiko and logging into my Adobe ID on it:
1 open opera mobile
2 navigate to my library's overdrive page
3 sign in (not currently working)
4 browse and check out an epub ebook
5 download the ascm file
6 when prompted about what to do with it open it aldiko
7 Aldiko then downloads the epub using your Adobe ID and shows it in your library until it expires
If those are the steps you're following, where do you hit the unreadable text? After the book downloads?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, those were not my steps. On my local library Overdrive site it is not possible to check out an eBook without eventually signing in. Catch-22.
nmyshkin said:
It's time to show a little more love for arguably the best browser for the NST/G
I've been reading up on the whole TLS 1.2 thing and bemoaning the gradual eroding of the NST/G internet capabilities as various apps wink out of usefulness due to the recent change. I felt the same way about Opera Mobile 12.10, especially when I had finally figured out an app for Google News, only to find that many of the external links could not be opened, presumably due to this new security protocol.
Imagine my surprise today when I revisited the configuration screen for Opera Mobile and saw that even on this nearly prehistoric app there is an option for TLS 1.2!! Once I had selected that I could suddenly navigate to all kinds of sites that were previously snubbing me! Woo-hoo!
The procedure, in pictures, below. Love live Opera Mobile (at least until TLS 1.3).
Edit: I should mention that this has nothing to do with the recent NST/G update to 1.2.2. B&N only added TLS 1.2 handshaking for their own purchasing system, not anything else. I have one device running 1.2.1 and one updated to 1.2.2. They are identical in their need for and response to this change in settings for Opera Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. I have tried every other browser. This is definitely the only one that works. Thanks so much for the info.
lz199366 said:
Could you share your Opera Mobile.apk? I can't get opera 12.1.0 install on my NST(firmware1.1.2).
Besides, which app did you use to take screenshot in Black&White color ? I tried screenshot ER before. It is good but producing shots in colors only.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opera Mobile: https://ftp.opera.com/pub/opera/android/mobile/1210/
For screenshots, I made two apps. The original produces slightly gray b&w images. The second gives better quality color images. Here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/themes-apps/app-screenshot-t3648855. When I post images I always convert to greyscale anyway since that's what will be seen on the device.
That older firmware may be a problem. B&N did actually have reasons to update firmware now and then. If the Opera Mobile will not run you might try Opera Classic. Some people said it worked for them.
Some additional discoveries
Just a bump to bring this post back up again. I've done some additional tests with different settings lately and have improved the connection success rate quite a bit. Changes reflected now in the original post.
Since you're bumping the thread maybe you can help me with a problem? I think I've tried this APK on my last three Nooks (Glowlight Plus, NG3, and now Glowlight Plus 7.8) and every time I launch Opera Classic from my launcher I get a short splash screen that says "Opera Mobile" and then it immediately dies. Nothing shows in my "running process" screen either (so it's not just hidden in the background).
Any idea where to start looking as far as logs, etc. go? I've never really had much use for a browser on a Nook before, but with the 7.8" display my interest is somewhat piqued again...
spedinfargo said:
Since you're bumping the thread maybe you can help me with a problem? I think I've tried this APK on my last three Nooks (Glowlight Plus, NG3, and now Glowlight Plus 7.8) and every time I launch Opera Classic from my launcher I get a short splash screen that says "Opera Mobile" and then it immediately dies. Nothing shows in my "running process" screen either (so it's not just hidden in the background).
Any idea where to start looking as far as logs, etc. go? I've never really had much use for a browser on a Nook before, but with the 7.8" display my interest is somewhat piqued again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm.....first, this is Opera Mobile 12.1, not Opera Classic, although I don't think that is the issue. Not sure about the Glowlight Plus, but I think the others run at least KitKat? My first suspicion was that Opera Mobile (or Opera Classic) might be too old for those devices, but I just tried installing it on my SIM-less KitKat "phone" and it did just fine.
So maybe screen density? It's hard to know. Like @Renate NST says, a logcat might reveal the cause of the crash--or not. Meanwhile I should think that with a KitKat device there must be a number of more modern browsers that would work OK. I recommend Via Browser. Slick and simple, small footprint. Requires Android 2.3 and up (too bad the NST just missed it...). I run it on my Oreo 8.1 tablet and love it.
nmyshkin said:
Mmm.....first, this is Opera Mobile 12.1, not Opera Classic, although I don't think that is the issue. Not sure about the Glowlight Plus, but I think the others run at least KitKat? My first suspicion was that Opera Mobile (or Opera Classic) might be too old for those devices, but I just tried installing it on my SIM-less KitKat "phone" and it did just fine.
So maybe screen density? It's hard to know. Like @Renate NST says, a logcat might reveal the cause of the crash--or not. Meanwhile I should think that with a KitKat device there must be a number of more modern browsers that would work OK. I recommend Via Browser. Slick and simple, small footprint. Requires Android 2.3 and up (too bad the NST just missed it...). I run it on my Oreo 8.1 tablet and love it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes, I forgot that the original NGP was where the jump to KitKat occurred which opened up more options for apps. I'm going to give Via a try - thanks for the quick response!
First problem:
Our (at least my) /system/lib/libgui.so does not have
status_t GraphicBuffer::lock(GGLSurface* sur, uint32_t usage)
The Opera libOS15.so requires it
Eclair had this function, I don't think KitKat has it.
I think this Opera "Opera_Mobile_12_1_Generic_Opera_Armv5v7.apk" was designed for Eclair and uses stuff no longer in KitKat.
You need to find a different APK.
@myshkin Once again, you've answered one of my questions before I asked it! I am going to use an NST to interact with my online scheduler for a sweet e-ink, easy on the eyes, scheduling unit.
First I want to thank for well written guide how to set things up to make any browser (in this case obviously Opera) working on NST. I read several threads about browsers and wondered how those could be solved. It seems to me that some of those problems could be solved using web grabber or offline browser or some of those plugins that redirects to cached version of the web page on Wayback machine (Brave browser is gone incorporate that option so I have been told). Naturally that might work for reading cached content on NST inside your browser if it supports page rendering and so. Still for pages that need user/reader interaction that won't solve anything. Would application like Gapps browser resolve at least some of the issues you experience? It should run on Eclair but I am not sure will it run on NST. That need to be tested.
SJT75 said:
First I want to thank for well written guide how to set things up to make any browser (in this case obviously Opera) working on NST. I read several threads about browsers and wondered how those could be solved. It seems to me that some of those problems could be solved using web grabber or offline browser or some of those plugins that redirects to cached version of the web page on Wayback machine (Brave browser is gone incorporate that option so I have been told). Naturally that might work for reading cached content on NST inside your browser if it supports page rendering and so. Still for pages that need user/reader interaction that won't solve anything. Would application like Gapps browser resolve at least some of the issues you experience? It should run on Eclair but I am not sure will it run on NST. That need to be tested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had never heard of Gapps browser but I can tell you now that it does not work properly on the NST. It never gets past a partial, immobile screen of Google News. None of the other options do anything at all.
While I still prefer Opera Mobile for general browsing and value its ability to open local HTML files (something I have exploited in a number of my news apps), Opera Mini 7.6.4 also functions on the NST and can skirt around some of the SSL issues because the pages are initially picked up by Opera's up-to-date servers, rendered, and then passed on to the user. However, sites with complex constructions and modern WebView requirements will not display properly, if at all. Opera Mini also has a "picker" that will allow you to open media files (like videos) in an external player. This is something Opera Mobile will not do. It just refuses to deal with them at all.
On the whole, the browser issue is the proverbial straw for the camel's back when it comes to older Android OS. I have seen this working with KitKat ROMs where already many sites cannot be accessed because of the outdated WebView. Lollipop, which is the first OS version with a WebView that can be updated, is a little better. But custom ROMs (or ROMs like on the NST) that are not properly updated for SSL are never going to be able to hold on forever in this regard.
Thanks for thorough reply. I fear that it is not only updates of the software that is hampering factor but very nature of e-ink devices that hold us back. Even Kindles from Amazon have the issues in that regard and it is certainly not from lack of funding that firm can provide to solve the problem. That is why I mentioned web grabber approach. As last resort someone might try to print some web page as PDF for later reading but that would not solve problems like logging in some web services etc. I even considered text based browsers as alternative. My friend who is proficient in programming, web administration and computer related stuff said me the same thing as you did that Opera is by far best browser for mobile device.