With all the development some of the iOS features get, some tend to get neglected. Especially the native apps. We have pretty much seen no improvement in native iPhone apps like Notes, Weather and of yeah one of the most used apps – Safari mobile!
Safari browser is decent, fast and does what you need it to. But, it could be better. How do I know?
I just tried the Life Web Browser iPhone app!
On the surface, Life Web Browser looks like a plain vanilla browser app. But, it has many hidden features that involve all the gestures we are used to using in our iOS devices – swiping left and right, pulling down, etc.
Tabs
The first great feature I love in this app is the tabs implementation. As you open new sites with tabs, you just switch to tabs by swiping left or right. Just like you are viewing photos. You can also view all the open sites, by tapping on the cards like icon in the bottom right.
Queue Sites
Another unique feature in this browser is Queuing sites. For eg. if you are searching in Google, in Safari you would be taken to the new tab as soon as you click on an interesting link. If you want to go back to the search results, you have to hunt for that tab again.
In Life browser, just tap on the Q sign in the top and start clicking on interesting links on Google results. It will start loading the tabs in the background. Just use the up arrow by Q to tab through those pages.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks are also done very nicely. When you are on a site you want to bookmark, just tap the bookmark button followed by the + sign in the bookmark page. It saves the link with a thumbnail of the site so it is easy to visually identify than going through a list.
However, it lacks folders. This lack of organization ability could get the bookmarks out of hand.
Open sites
You can also quickly manage all your open tabs by tapping on the bottom right icon. You will see the open sites in a bar like the iOS 4 multitasking pane. Just swipe through to see all the sites. Tap on edit and you will get the familiar red minus sign to close tabs.
Also you can close tabs while on the main screen by tapping on the minus sign on the left bottom. Tap on the plus sign to open a new tab.
Google Quick Search
There is no search bar in the Life Web browser. This is because Google Suggestions are integrated into URL bar. Kind of like Google Chrome. It automatically starts giving you phrase and url suggestions as you type on the URL bar.
The browser also remembers your favorite sites automatically. There is also a helpful tutorial in the bookmarks for you to try out the browser features.
Pull to Refresh
This feature was created by Loren who created the Tweetie iPhone app. Now, it has become a standard gesture for refresh. Life Web has integrated it so you can pull to refresh any page you have open.
Cons
I am trying this browser as my Safari alternative by keeping it in my dock. Despite the awesome features in it, a few things leave me wanting more. One major thing is the bookmarks management. I get my Safari bookmarks synced between my iMac and all iOS devices when I sync with iTunes.
If the browser offered some kind of integration with a bookmark service like Xmarks or Google Sync, it will make it very useful. Of if the Xmarks iPhone app offered an option to open links in Life Web instead of Safari.
Other than that, Life Web Browser is a superior alternative to Mobile Safari in all aspects.
Pricing
Life Web Browser is built for iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4G, and Apple iPad. You can get the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G version for $0.99. Or if your have an iPad as well, you can get the Universal version for $2.99.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Availability: App Store
Price: $0.99 or $2.99 (universal)
Reviewed at version: 1.5
Developer: It’s About Time Products
