Layout and User Interface
A browser could have all of the best features in the world, but they wouldn’t be worth a thing unless you knew how to get to them. Layout and interface are especially important when working in the limited interface of a smartphone; however, it’s all very subjective, so instead of grading each browser’s UI on some arbitrary selection of points, we’re simply giving you a brief overview of what each is like on the surface.
| User Interface | Toolbars | Menu Accessability | Learning Curve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Minimal (Menu Button) | Basic | Low |
| Dolphin HD | SideBars | Semi-Advanced | Medium-High |
| Opera Mobile | Semi-Minimal/Shortcuts | Advanced | Medium |
| Firefox | SideBars | Semi-Advanced | Medium |
| Dolphin Mini | Minimal (Menu Button) | Semi-Advanced | Low-Medium |
| Opera Mini | Semi-Minimal/Shortcuts | Advanced | Medium |
| Skyfire | Multiple Toolbars | Advanced | Medium |
Toolbars are fairly universal across all of the browser platforms, placement, however, is not. Both Firefox and Dolphin HD have Sidebars that are accessible by swiping off of the page either left or right. This is great for adding quick routes to additional features, but it’s also a good way to lose your place on a page. Others prefer to hide their tools behind a press of the Menu button. Opera gives you the standard Search bar plus a few shortcuts along the bottom of the screen.
Just navigating through the menu can be a little tricky in a few of the browsers. Both Opera and Skyfire have a somewhat unique way of presenting their menu options that can be unfamiliar to users, though some may argue that it’s a superior way to go about it. The default browser is by far the simplest, but that’s mostly because it offers few options to tinker with.
The “Learning Curve” is nothing more than a brief assessment of how difficult it will be for the average user to learn to effectively use all of the features each browser offers – obviously, the more featured and more complex a browser, the higher the learning curve.
