List of Browsers for Android
The open source Android operating system for smartphones and tablet devices affords you a great number of options when it comes to Web browsers. From simple and fast browsers designed for casual browsing to highly technical browsers equipped with all the bells and whistles you'd expect to find in a desktop-based browser, Android has a Web browser for almost every need.
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Default Browser
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The default Web browser on an Android device, dubbed simply "Browser," is a basic Web browser with very few frills. Because the Web browser is native and lacking in advanced features, it is one of the most limber options on the Android platform. Launching the browser is nearly instantaneous and you will almost never suffer the instability issues that plague other browsers such as Dolphin and Firefox. Despite its simplicity, Browser is one of the few options available with full support for Flash on the Android device.
Dolphin
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Dolphin is one of the most advanced Web browsers available on the Android with support for tabbed browsing, extensions, session management and themes. Similar to the Firefox desktop browser, Dolphin features an extensive library of extensions that integrate Web services and expand the functionality of the Web browser to suit your needs. Dolphin also features strong support for Web-based bookmarking tools, including Instapaper, Read It Later and Delicious.
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Opera
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Opera offers Android users a variety of innovative browser features, including browser sync, accelerated browsing and visual tabs. According to browser speed tests conducted by Tech Radar, Opera is by far the fastest Web browser available on Android. This speed advantage is only heightened with the turbo boost functionality that routes Web traffic through a proxy to compress images and text, thus reducing the amount of data that you need to load when visiting a website.
Firefox
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Intended for those who use Firefox on their computer, the Android browser features an extensive synchronization tool that can sync your bookmarks, open tabs and history from your computer directly to your Android device. Unlike the desktop variant, tab management is handled using a sidebar that includes visual previews of your open windows.
Skyfire
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Designed for those who watch a lot of video on their phone, Skyfire is a multimedia oriented Web browser. The browser converts Flash video content found on a website to a format readable by Android phones, including those without support for Flash, so that you can more easily view video content from your Android device. Beyond the video conversion tools, Skyfire includes tabbed browsing support and integration with Web-based bookmarking tools such as Pinboard and Delicious.
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References
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