Dolphin Browser

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Not to be confused with Dolphin (file manager).
Dolphin Browser
Dolphin-browser-icon.png
Developer(s) MoboTap Inc. (United States)[1]
Stable release(s)
11.5.16 (Android), 9.23.2 (iOS)
Development status Active
Operating system Android, iOS
Type Mobile browser
License Freeware, proprietary
Website dolphin.com

Dolphin Browser is a free proprietary mobile browser for the Android and iOS operating systems developed by MoboTap using Google Chrome open source browser source code Version 33 which has been outdated since 2013. It was one of the first alternative browsers for the Android platform[2] that introduced support for multi-touch gestures.[3] Dolphin Browser uses the Webkit engine and its native platform rendering abilities, which allows for a small disk footprint.[4] It can also run Adobe Flash on Android.[5]

Features[edit]

  • Tabbed browsing – users can open and switch between web pages with multiple tabs either at the top of the screen[2] or a thumbnail button at the bottom.
  • Dolphin Sonar – users can use their voice to search, share and navigate in Dolphin. One can say "eBay Nike Shoes" and Dolphin goes into the eBay website, searches and displays all Nike shoes available on eBay.
  • Gesture browsing – users can draw characters to call websites. Dolphin comes preloaded with gestures for many popular sites, such as T for Twitter and F for Facebook, and users can create custom gestures as needed.[2]
  • Sync – across devices and desktop browsers using Firefox and Chrome extension.
  • Webzine – displays web content in a magazine-style format, serving content from over 300 sources on many topics, and caching content to be available offline.[2]

Versions[edit]

Both iOS and Android versions are free without advertising.[2] There is an advanced version called Dolphin Browser for Android 2.0 or later.[6][7] Dolphin Browser Beta[8] was also launched in May 2012 and at the time it was cited as the fastest HTML5 browser by scoring over 450 on HTML5test.[9] The new own HTML5 engine Jetpack is used. In December 2013 Dolphin Zero was launched, a version aimed at user privacy. By deleting all traces like downloaded files, caches cookies and history after each session, Dolphin Zero strives to give the user the opportunity to hide browsed sites from the eyes of other people having access to the device.[10]

Privacy concerns[edit]

In October 2011, privacy concerns were raised about Dolphin browser after it was discovered that all URLs loaded in Dolphin HD were being relayed as plain text to a remote server,[11] a process described by Ars Technica as "an unambiguous breach of privacy".[12] This breach was patched in the next update.[13]

Reception[edit]

Since its initial release for Android, Dolphin has received generally positive reviews from both the media and the public.[14] Both the Android and iOS versions have been particularly lauded for their gesture-based functionality, speed and ease-of-use.[15] Business Insider claims "Dolphin Browser blows Safari out of the water."[16] The browser holds an 87% approval rating on rating aggregator site Rouvou.[17] Only Safari, Firefox, and Chrome have higher ratings.[18]

As of November 15, 2011 Dolphin Browser iOS has maintained a 5 star rating across more than 6,500 reviews in the App Store.[19] Dolphin Browser HD for Android had over 600,000 5 star reviews on Google Play (highest among browsers) but in April 2014 this rating fell, following a flurry of 1 star reviews by customers dissatisfied with changes made in the version 11 release.[20]

Awards[edit]

Since its launch, Dolphin Browser has received several notable awards. The app was named one of PC Magazines Best Free iPhone and iPad Apps of 2011,[21] was a PC Magazine Editors Choice in 2012,[22] and was named to the CNet 100 in 2011.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Announcing Dolphin Zero, The First Ephemeral Mobile Browser" (Press release). MoboTap. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2016-07-24. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Jessica Dolcourt. "Dolphin Browser for Android". CNET.com. 
  3. ^ Chris Ziegler. "Dolphin browser for Android adds multitouch support on Droid". Engadget. AOL Inc. 
  4. ^ Ryan Paul. "Hands on: Dolphin HD browser for Android is swimmingly good". Ars technica. 
  5. ^ Bell, Killian. "Dolphin Browser Brings Flash Support to Android 5.0 Lollipop". TechnoBuffalo. Retrieved 4 June 2016. 
  6. ^ Hopkins, Brent W. "Dolphin Browser™ HD Review". PC World. 
  7. ^ Tofel, Kevin C. "8 Reasons Android Owners Should Try Dolphin Browser". Gigaom. 
  8. ^ James; MoboTap (2016-06-08), Dolphin Browser One of Best Performing HTML5 Mobile Browser, AndroidApks.Net, retrieved 2016-07-24 
  9. ^ "Dolphin Browser's new Dolphin Engine is the fastest HTML5 mobile browser out there!". Intomobile. Motorola il iDEN. 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2013-09-10. 
  10. ^ "Announcing Dolphin Zero, The First Ephemeral Mobile Browser", Dolphin, Mobo tap .
  11. ^ McCullagh, Declan. "Dolphin HD browser snared in security breach". CNET. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 
  12. ^ Paul, Ryan. "Major privacy flaw found in Dolphin HD browser for Android". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 
  13. ^ "Webzine Does Not Store User Data". Dolphin Browser Blog. Retrieved November 29, 2011. 
  14. ^ Mark Saltzman (September 12, 2011). "Dolphin Browser, Surf Web with gestures". USA Today. 
  15. ^ Adam Dachis. "Dolphin Browser Brings Its Gesture-Based Web Browsing to the iPhone". Lifehacker. Gawker Media. 
  16. ^ "This New iPad Browser From Dolphin Blows Safari Out Of The Water". Business Insider. 
  17. ^ "Dolphin (browser)". Rouvou. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 
  18. ^ "Browsers". Rouvou. Retrieved June 3, 2015. [permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Dolphin by Mobotap". iTunes App Store. 
  20. ^ "Dolphin Browser® HD - Android Apps on Google Play". 
  21. ^ "Best free iPhone and iPad apps of 2011". PC World. 
  22. ^ "PC Magazine's Editors' Choice". PCMag. 
  23. ^ "CNet 100". CNET.com. 

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dolphin_Browser&oldid=761331369"