How to make web browsing a faster, more pleasant experience on Android

Using any mobile device can be a frustrating experience when browsing the web. You're usually stuck looking at one page and then tapping and waiting for the next page to load. Often times, web sites still are not made to be mobile-friendly, so you'll struggle with clunky designs with too many graphics that are slow to load which can make finding the right article a bit of a challenge.

But never mind. Here to the rescue are a few useful Android apps to take much of the pain out of the mobile browsing experience. Let's delve in...

Link Bubble

This one is really clever. This browser can help with tapping on a page link and having to wait for the next page to load. Instead, tap a link and the Link Bubble will appear at the side of the screen with a counter for how many pages it has loaded. The pages may then be displayed in a simplified manner to make them easier to digest.

The beauty of the process is that you can do other things with your device while the pages are loading up. No more sitting, waiting and being forced to browse one page, then the next page, then...

Pages can still be viewed in a regular web browser too. The Pro version adds multiple page loading.

Pocket

Pocket has been a favorite for PC, Mac and mobile users for some time. It used to be called Read It Later. The app lets you save web pages for later viewing (some people even use it as an informal bookmarker).

Pages added to a Pocket account can be read later using their own viewer which simplifies things down to a heading and readable text while cutting out all the fluff. The “Share with Pocket” menu item is added directly to the Android menu system which makes it a synch to quickly add pages to Pocket.

The app is particularly good when dealing with a lengthy article that has been split into multiple pages usually making it a dog to read on a mobile browser. Integration with Android is smooth with this app and a major selling point. Free and Pro accounts available.

Chrome Beta Just Got Better

The new Chrome Beta can be tried out by anyone who cares to download it to their Droid device and has a recent enough version of Android.

One of the cool new features is the ability to compress HTTP pages to reduce the code down and make the images load faster by converting them to the webp format which takes up less space.

There is also the option to enter chrome://flags/ into the main entry box in Chrome Beta. This will bring up many settings that can be changed. It is best to research this aspect thoroughly first though because this is the heart of the browser; it is easy to change the wrong setting and get an app you cannot reopen later. With that said, the app can be reset if running into trouble along the way.

Also see:

How to Add your Contact Information On the Android Lockscreen In Case You Lose It