Database Users

My biggest annoyance with Android's web browser

Android comes with a seriously awesome web browser. It can easily browse regular desktop versions of web pages even over EDGE with no major problems. I'm so glad to leave crippled mobile versions of web pages behind me forever.
EXCEPT
Google, of all places, seems to have some kind of lock preventing the Android browser from gaining access to the desktop versions of their websites. They come up with the mobile versions by default, and even if you click the button to switch it to the desktop version, it doesn't. It takes you to yet another mobile version that is just styled a little closer to the desktop version, but it's by no means identical.
Google built this browser, they know that it can handle desktop webpages, why won't they let us do that with their own sites? I find it really annoying to deal with crippled versions of Google's web pages. In Gmail I can't edit my contacts, in YouTube... I don't know what the hell's going on... all I see is large ugly text, in Google Search I don't have the convenient switch to image search while viewing web results. It's FRUSTRATING.

chefgon said:
Android comes with a seriously awesome web browser. It can easily browse regular desktop versions of web pages even over EDGE with no major problems. I'm so glad to leave crippled mobile versions of web pages behind me forever.
EXCEPT
Google, of all places, seems to have some kind of lock preventing the Android browser from gaining access to the desktop versions of their websites. They come up with the mobile versions by default, and even if you click the button to switch it to the desktop version, it doesn't. It takes you to yet another mobile version that is just styled a little closer to the desktop version, but it's by no means identical.
Google built this browser, they know that it can handle desktop webpages, why won't they let us do that with their own sites? I find it really annoying to deal with crippled versions of Google's web pages. In Gmail I can't edit my contacts, in YouTube... I don't know what the hell's going on... all I see is large ugly text, in Google Search I don't have the convenient switch to image search while viewing web results. It's FRUSTRATING.
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I really dont know why your browser does that, but I have access to the regular google.com classic view page. I can pic between web, images, local, news.. etc.. I can also log to igoogle.com

I can aswell

Most mobile sites have a link to view the regular site. Google has this.
go to www.google.com then you see on the bottom Mobile is default choice, click on CLASSIC to view the regular website version

Anyone else having an issue with the browser where after a while it no longer renders the pages?
It shows the progress bar filling up and done, but just a blank page.

quedijo said:
Anyone else having an issue with the browser where after a while it no longer renders the pages?
It shows the progress bar filling up and done, but just a blank page.
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Yes I've had that problem as well as not being able to get into market have no clue why. Frustrating!!!

I keep having this problem too. The only thing that seems to solve the problem is a restart. I dont know if it has anything to do with me clearing the cache but it IS verry annoying.

Yeah, even killing the browser process doesn't do it either.

quedijo said:
Anyone else having an issue with the browser where after a while it no longer renders the pages?
It shows the progress bar filling up and done, but just a blank page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats network issues with thew the 3g when i disable 3g it worked but sometimes it wont

i think it has to do with your cache i wish they come out with a new firmware that lets you save programs to sdcard or cache to sd card

I'm having the same issues. It was working when I first got the phone, but now it only gives me the option for mobile view.

I found a solution to the most annoying, biggest mistake from Google. For those who loved iGoogle and cant find it, here it is:
www.google.com/ig/i?source=mofe
And here is an alternate BETA site from Yahoo as backup:
http://beta.m.yahoo.com/

brooklynite said:
I found a solution to the most annoying, biggest mistake from Google. For those who loved iGoogle and cant find it, here it is:
www.google.com/ig/i?source=mofe
And here is an alternate BETA site from Yahoo as backup:
http://beta.m.yahoo.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess Google found out the shut down the site.
Yahoo's Beta sucks.

Why does Google on the sense tab work differently than on the Opera browser?

I don't know if anyone else has tried this, but the google box that you can bring up on the Sense tab (the one for internet) is different than the one when you open the Opera Browser that is right under the address bar. The difference between the two is the one on the Sense tab gives you the results of the search, but anytime you click on any of the links for your results its TEXT ONLY. The one on the Opera Browser has links that takes you to the site, but still lets it stay as a "desktop" looking site. Anyone know why it does that? Is it a glitch? Can it be fixed?

I agree. I would like to know as well.
In the tab: you can change it in registry to the following and it will do every google search in desktop version :
google.com/search?hl=en-US&output=html&q=%s
however, if you are in the browser already, and did a google search, it will come up in mobile search results.
How can we change the one in browser to desktop searchers?

Hmm never noticed this before,might be a good idea to
change it to give proper search results

The search bar that you refer to invokes Google's specilaized mobile view rendering service. Essentially what Google does is to take all the websites out there and convert them to a mobile friendly version before diplaying it on your screen.
That's why it is different from the Desktop View and even the Opera Mobile View because Google is dong the conversion, not the browser.
It's quite handy if you want quick access to text information.

lemonspeakers said:
How can we change the one in browser to desktop searchers?
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custom user agent.
as you are now opera is telling google it is a mobile browser. spoof for example the FireFox desktop use agent and you will see desktop google.
as for the search tab, as mentioned above you can force the results and even use a different search engine if you like.
more details here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=656897

Browser: Load all pages as 'desktop' ?

Is there an easy way to make all pages 'think' that the browser is a desktop? Like if I go to google.com I want it to take me to classic instantly, and any other sites that automatically adjust to mobile sites if it detects a phone.

If you use Dolphin Browser you can set the user agent to desktop and it will load all pages that way.
EVO on Tapatalk

How does dolphin compare to the stock browser?

Dolphin HD is slow in my opinion, you could also try opera mini 5.1.
I still prefer the stock browser.
here is a trick to always view your favorite websites in desktop view. I don't know how to make every site open as desktop, just your most frequent ones.
Go to a website.. such as www.google.com
it will auto open mobile view...scroll down in the website and click on desktop. once desktop view opens.. set this page as a bookmark... now everytime you access the pg via bookmark, it will go to desktop view.
another option, if you want to set google.com desktop as your homepage.
again click desktop, when desktop google comes up, copy the link, paste this new link as your homepage. and your phone will automatically go into desktop google everytime you open your browser.
you can bookmark many webpages, so just set up your most favoritely frequented sites to be bookmarked as desktop view. simple!

There is a code you can enter into your browser that gives you more settings. One of those is the ability to make your phone appear as a desktop, not a phone.
However, I tried this and my browser crashed and I had to delete all data and cache to get it to work again. This DID work on the Nexus One when flash came out (allowed us to watch hulu.com)
The string is about:debug, then go to web settings. Last option is ua string. Change to desktop. Again though, I DO NOT recommend doing this.

s15274n said:
There is a code you can enter into your browser that gives you more settings. One of those is the ability to make your phone appear as a desktop, not a phone.
However, I tried this and my browser crashed and I had to delete all data and cache to get it to work again. This DID work on the Nexus One when flash came out (allowed us to watch hulu.com)
The string is about:debug, then go to web settings. Last option is ua string. Change to desktop. Again though, I DO NOT recommend doing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't seem to find this option :S

I don't know about everyone esle but i like SKYFIRE browser from the market: allows you to choose between Android, Desktop or Iphone i think as your default loading method. It's very speedy to load in desktop mode. Try that out

stepinmyworld said:
I don't know about everyone esle but i like SKYFIRE browser from the market: allows you to choose between Android, Desktop or Iphone i think as your default loading method. It's very speedy to load in desktop mode. Try that out
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Click to collapse
Yep, this works well. A few pages still detect the presence of a mobile browser, but 9 out of 10 pages load the desktop versions.

I always experienced Skyfire on other phones as laggy. Does it run as fast as Android stock browser?

Browser sync and differences

Hi,
one of the most important features for me (which makes me want to buy Honeycmob tablet) is browser.
As far as I know browser in Xoom is sort of a mobile version of Chrome.
So, my questions are:
- how close are they in reality?
- what can be synced?
- what can not be synced?
- what about extensions I use in my desktop chrome (one of them is freshstart to save open tabs! excellent)
- can I have my bookmarks bar in Honeycomb (I use it a lot)
I use three different PC's every single day and I work with browser a lot. All this makes Chrome so much pleasure to use... because I can finish work at one machine and easily continue (exactly where I was) on another machine few minutes later. I was hoping that tablet with Honecomb will fit right in
Will it?

Currently it only syncs bookmarks. All of your bookmarks sync just fine, folder structure is preserved. The only difference is that Bookmarks Bar shows up as the root folder with Other Folders as a subfolder in that. There is not a bookmarks bar, per se, but you can set your homepage to a Chrome-inspired "Most Visited" page which holds 12 pages (unfortunately you can't customize them, they are always your 12 most visited pages).
Chrome-to-phone still works on the Xoom, so you can always send pages from Chrome to the tablet, but you don't get any sort of tab syncing or extensions.

Is there any way to make web sites think it is chrome browser? Once the Flash is on the system it should be able to play all free videos as any other "desktop" browser.
I thought I read somewhere that phones with Android and Flash can do it.
Playon is not a solution. At home I can watch hulu on my desktop/netbook - the whole idea was to access it when I am not at home

galtom said:
Is there any way to make web sites think it is chrome browser? Once the Flash is on the system it should be able to play all free videos as any other "desktop" browser.
I thought I read somewhere that phones with Android and Flash can do it.
Playon is not a solution. At home I can watch hulu on my desktop/netbook - the whole idea was to access it when I am not at home
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Just like on phones, you can set it to use a desktop user agent. But for sites that check the flash version, you'll need to hex edit the plugin (there are other threads about that here if you look around)

At this stage I just need to know if it is doable - there is other thread about it... and I have been told -NO WAY (to do it) -either Hulu Plus or nothing :-(

Chrome Development For WP8

Lots of development for Chrome on WP8. Shame it's not actually from Google itself but I'm cool with Chromium or some like ported to it.
Reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/15wcxn/chrome_for_windows_phone_project/
Pocket PC:
http://www.1800pocketpc.com/chromeconcept/34410/

to try and clone the Google Chrome browser over IE's interface
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No, thanks

I've used chrome on my PC and I can honestly say that it sucks.

Chrome is best browser ever. Firefox sucks, about IE i don't want to hear.

IE, Firefox and Opera the best browsers, CHROME SUXX
robdevil said:
Chrome is best browser ever. Firefox sucks, about IE i don't want to hear.
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Ok dude...chrome is the best now tryIE10, FF or Opera and be amazed

robdevil said:
Chrome is best browser ever. Firefox sucks, about IE i don't want to hear.
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Click to collapse
In Windows 8 Chrome sucks , IE rocks :laugh:

i really like to see IE Team open more to the developers, ABP team showed interest to make it available on IE, but they said it is deep locked.
While i am not saying that Tracker Protection from IE sucks, but it doesn't do a great job like what ABP can do for both Firefox and Chrome. One of them is the ability to block and skip YouTube short 30 sec Apps on any video that are enabled with ads. (while using HTML5 in trial mode can do pretty much the same thing, but not all videos on YouTube are able to be viewed under HTML5 mode)
And , being able to customize the browser to the way you want with persona or theme is a neat idea, even the bookmark bar on IE always show silver and it doesn't match the Windows Color Theme.
There are some features that i do miss from others browser as well on IE, one of them is the ability to drag and drop anything to the tab bar and the Browser will automatically open a new tab for you. (There are a lot of webpage doesn't format other website link under hyperlink).
I am just a little nitpicking about the visual of the browser, i don't doubt the performance of IE10 at all.