"Chrome will never be as good as Safari," many lamented upon Chrome's iOS debut, "It doesn't have access to Apple's private Nitro Javascript Engine." If your device isn't jailbroken, that still rings true, but if it is, then not so much anymore.
That's because Nitrous — a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia — unlocks the Nitro Javascript engine for alternative browsers like Google Chrome. Does it make a difference? Yes. Check inside and see for yourself.
We all knew something better than Chrome Download Enabler was inevitable, and now it's finally here. Chrome Download Manager is a jailbreak tweak that was released just a few minutes ago to allow downloads via the Google Chrome browser.
Considering it has a name that's similar to the legendary Safari Download Manager, I'd say it has some pretty big shoes to fill. Does Chrome Download Manager live up to its expectations?
Now that Google Chrome has been out for a while on iOS, it's a good time to sit back and reevaluate its value. Should you ditch Safari for Chrome? Is Chrome good for jailbreakers? How do you get more out of Chrome?
Inside we'll take a look at various ways that you can make your Google Chrome experience more rewarding. Even if you're not a jailbreaker there are plenty of ways you can still benefit...
The way Google Chrome for iOS handles its refresh/stop functionality is a bit unorthodox. You have to first open a menu, and then tap the refresh or stop button to perform the action.
While it may seem like a small deal, I've found that this extra step is a bit frustrating in real world usage. Thankfully, as you may have guessed, the jailbreak community has responded with an answer.
EasyRefresh for Chrome is that answer — it's a jailbreak tweak that adds a traditional refresh button to Google Chrome for iOS...
Just a few minutes ago, a new tweak entitled Chrome Download Enabler appeared on Cydia. Excited about the prospect of finally being able to download files via the Google Chrome Browser on iOS, I quickly paid the somewhat steep $2.00 asking fare, and jumped in.
What did I find? Chrome Download Enabler works well, allowing you to download files that you ordinarily wouldn't be able to in Google Chrome. It's not pretty like Safari Download Manager, but as you'll see in the following video walkthrough, it does get the job done...
Google pushed out its widely popular Chrome browser to iOS last month to much fanfare. In fact, it took less than 24 hours for the app to reach the #1 spot in the App Store's list of top free offerings.
Now here we are, nearly a month later, and the initial buzz has warn off. So how many people are still using the browser? A new report from online advertising firm Chitika gives us some insight...
As you all have probably figured out by now, I'm a huge fan of Google Chrome. There are many reasons why I prefer Chrome over any other web browser, and one of the foremost reasons has to do with the Omnibox.
The Omnibox in Google chromes combines your normal address box with a search box for an all encompassing box that conveniently performs both functions. Other browsers have been slow about adopting this obvious improvement in navigation, but at least Apple is starting to show some signs that they plan on heading in that direction — Safari on OS X Mountain Lion features an Omnibox, after all.
When it comes to iOS, though, Safari is still lagging a bit behind. Even the iOS 6 beta version of Safari lacks this feature. That's where this new jailbreak tweak plans to step up to the plate. Safari Omnibar is a recently released tweak that adds an Omnibox to Safari, whether Apple plans to do so or not.
One of the few big complaints about Google Chrome is the fact that Google inexplicably left out TLD (top level domain) keyboard shortcuts in favor of their own custom keyboard layout.
In mobile Safari, these shortcuts allow you to tap and hold the ".com" button to bring up an alternate list of TLDs like .org, .net, etc. On Chrome, however, Google opted for a different styled keyboard that lacks these shortcuts.
As usual, the jailbreak community has come to the rescue with a fix — this one in near record time. The fix is called ChromeURL, and it's a free jailbreak tweak downloadable from Cydia's BigBoss repo. Its purpose is to perform one function, and one function only — replace the Chrome keyboard with the same keyboard present in the stock mobile Safari browser...
Chromizer is a free jailbreak tweak that will be available tomorrow on Cydia. Its purpose, as its name not-so-subtly alludes to, is to add additional functionality to the recently released Google Chrome browser for iOS.
A tweak that's compatibile with both the iPhone and iPad, Chromizer seeks to add a few missing features to the browser's otherwise excellent stock feature set. For its initial release, Chromizer focuses on adding three new functions to the iPad: Pull to Refresh, full screen mode, and iPhone styled tab switching. For the iPhone, you'll get the full screen mode and pull to refresh, since it already has the tab switching area covered.
Is Chromizer a tweak that you should consider if you have a jailbroken iOS device, and Google Chrome is your browser of choice? Check inside for the answer...
A few minutes ago John Gruber tweeted about the lack of bookmarklet support in Chrome for iOS. I responded to him stating that support is indeed there, it just wasn't as straightforward as it is on Safari.
To tell the truth, I too thought that bookmarklets, or the lack thereof, was simply a medium sized oversight made by Google; after all, such things are instrumental when it comes to using tools like LastPass, Instapaper, etc.
After some tinkering around, however, I was able to confirm that bookmarklet support is indeed included in the version of Chrome that shipped a few days ago. In fact, using them is a fairly straightforward exercise. Check inside for the full how-to...
Earlier in the day we covered BrowserChooser, a jailbreak tweak developed by Ryan Petrich, which allows you to assign Google Chrome as your default web browser.
It's a great tweak, and works exactly as expected; it was even recently updated with a few new additions such as the ability to have a dialogue to select your browser of choice when opening a link, and the ability to make the dialogue sheets say "Open with Chrome" instead of "Open with Safari".
One thing BrowserChooser doesn't do, however, (at least for the time being that is) is allow you to open Home screen shortcuts/bookmarks created via Safari with Google Chrome. Browser Changer is a tweak that's been around for a very long time, and it was recently updated to allow you to do just that.
Check out our hands-on walkthrough inside...
In less than 24 hours following its official introduction, Google's Chrome browser for the iPhone and iPad has risen to become the No. 1 free app on the App Store. That's a remarkable achievement, one clearly highlighting the popularity of Google's excellent web browser. Although it doesn't use the speedy Safari Nitro engine, Chrome for iOS is very zippy (speed test here) and enables seamless synchronization of browsing preferences and open tabs across desktop and mobile installations via your Google Account...