Instabrowser app for iPhone and iPad
Developer: Red Mage, LLC
First release : 19 Jun 2013
App size: 4.62 Mb
Instabrowser is the fastest web browser for iPhone. Inspired by read-it-later apps like Instapaper and Readability, Instabrowser lets you read-it-now by downloading just the HTML of a page and mobilizing it into a clean, one-column layout. It can cut data usage and load times by 90% or more. Its great when youre on a slow 3G connection or viewing a webpage that doesnt have a mobile layout.
"If your priority is loading speed or minimal data usage, Instabrowser is what youre looking for." - Lifehacker
How does it work?
Instabrowsers mobilizer only downloads the HTML of a webpage. It then parses the HTML to strip out things that arent content, like stylesheets and javascript. Finally, Instabrowser renders the content in a readable one-column layout. This cuts data use and results in pages loading super fast.
If you need to view the original version of a webpage, like on websites that require javascript, you can toggle to it by tapping the lightning icon. In this case, Instabrowser will switch to using the same engine as Mobile Safari. You can quickly switch back and forth, giving you the best of both worlds.
Finally, Instabrowser builds a Table of Contents for mobilized webpages. This lets you quickly jump to different parts of a webpage - like article titles or section headers. You can swipe left or tap the link icon at the bottom right to access this feature.
Who is it for?
Instabrowser was designed by a reader, for readers. All content is formatted into one easy-to-read column, and you can customize the font size and spacing. In addition, Instabrowser is great for users on the go, especially with older devices or slow connections, due to its blazing speed.
Instabrowser is also great for VoiceOver users - in particular, the Table of Contents feature helps tremendously with navigation. Instabrowser was very positively reviewed by Dr. Robert Carter, a blind iPhone user.
In short: if you browse the web on your iPhone, Instabrowser is for you.
Other features
‣ Webpage caching. Webpages youve viewed will still be there for you, even if your internet connection isnt.
‣ Accurate download readouts - you can tell exactly how fast your connection is.
‣ Instabrowser works great even on very slow connections, making browsing on 2G networks like GPRS or EDGE possible.
‣ Accessibility support. Instabrowsers mobilization engine and Table of Contents feature makes it great for visually impaired users.
‣ Since Instabrowser can display the alt & title text of images, its great for testing your websites accessibility (like for 508 compliance).
‣ Unlimited Tabs!
‣ All the other features youd expect from a browser, like search autocompletion, history and bookmarks.