While many of you are using the built-in Safari browser on your iPhone or iPod touch to surf the web, there are a few alternative browsers available in App Store that offers additional features. Here is one: VanillaSurf.
VanillaSurf is a free mobile web-browser app for the iPhone that rivals the native Mobile Safari app. The app is built-in on the same web browser engine as Safari but it offers some excellent functionality that is not currently available with the Mobile Safari app.
As you launch VanillaSurf for the first time, you should notice its interface is very similar to that of the built-in browser. You have an address line with a search icon at the top and number of icons at the bottom that lets you: surf back and forward, set your options, download, actions, bookmarks, tabs and full screen.
So, you can see what functions quickly set this app apart from the Mobile Safari: download, actions and full screen.
With VanillaSurf, you can download anything from the web, as you normally do on your computer’s web browser. Once you have download the file, you can view the file within the internal browser. Or you can transfer it back to your computer via a web interface. Simply follow the on-screen instruction and you should know to how do the transfer. The process is very straightforward.
The actions tab offers the following: New Bookmark (which I will assume all understand), Send URL, Screenshot, Open in Safari and Lock Rotation. The Send URL will send the URL of the current page you are to the email and embed the link into your email. That’s pretty useful. The Screenshot does just as it states, it takes a picture of the screen and places it in your camera roll (note: it is just a screenshot, not the entire page, just what you can see on the screen). The Open in Safari option opens the current page you are on in the mobile Safari app. Finally, the Lock Rotation sets the web browser to either landscape or portrait mode and disable the auto-rotation of iPhone. That’s handy feature especially you surf while lying in bed.
VanillaSurf offers an option tab to further customize its settings. In the options tab, you can turn “load images” on or off, “Ad-blocker” on or off and enable private surfing, if you wish. There are two different themes you can choose: Classic and Black. Also, you can clear your history and cookies. The options you can set for your tabs are many, everything from how new windows are opened to how they open for the same or different domain.
You can easily import bookmarks with the import/export bookmarks tab. Again, you use the built-in transfer function that allows you to link and authenticate with your computer.
The “tabs” window lists all the current open tabs that are available that you can tap on to view.
The full screen button hides the address bar and bottom icon buttons, but it leaves a little (+) button that, when you press, gives you your bottom icons as a see-through set of buttons. If you press (+) again it returns back to the regular screen view.
Performance-wise, it is as fast as Safari. All in all, VanillaSurf can be a great alternative for Safari browser. It may not replace your mobile Safari, but it will be very useful when you need to download a file. To try out the browser, you can download it directly via this direct iTunes link.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
wow thanks simon! i immediately downloaded this app after i read your article. this is definitely much better than safari! i’m still waiting for the full jailbreak solution for my 3gs, so i’m now using a stock unjailbroken phone. i really like the ability to download and transfer files, and of cos the most important two for me, full screen and lock rotation! all these jailbroken functions that i really missed are now back in my stock unjailbroken phone. i wonder when appstore will remove this vanillasurf app, they remove everything nowadays without any warning, better get this before it’s removed!
The download and lock screen features are great. Apple should implement them in mobile Safari!