Web Browsers
Web browsers are the tools we use to access online information. I have to admit, I’m a little bit of a stickler and purist about the definitions of the Internet and the World Wide Web (Web).
The Internet is technically all the wires and servers that create the network that we access through the World Wide Web. So that’s why I’m talking about Web browsers in this week’s Tech Tool Tuesday post.
The icons that you see above represent the most well-known and commonly used browsers:
- Google Chrome
- Safari
- Internet Explorer
- Firefox
I started looking at alternatives to these four browsers because they all started bogging down. I found myself waiting longer for pages and email to load than I spent on the pages themselves. I was also concerned about security and wanted to make sure that my personal information was protected as much as possible.
I’m now using two very slick browsers and those are what I want to share with you. So here we go!
Opera Browser
I’ve been using Opera for a couple of years now. It’s really dependable, pop-up free, enables the add-ons and shortcuts that I use all the time … Evernote Web Clipper, Pinterest, Honey, and more.
It has an easy-to-use Speed Dial that appears every time a new tab or window is opened. This provides links to the sites I go to most frequently. So handy!
You can download Opera (click on the title above) for any device. Create an account to sync the browser across all your devices – access your searches, links, etc.
I use Opera for my email accounts – they load quickly. I always have multiple tabs open – up to 20-30 at times and the only bogging occurs when the Internet connection itself slows down. See all the features here.
Brave Browser
I started using Brave a couple of months ago. Like Opera, pages in Brave load super fast. They say 3-6 times faster. In addition, their top priority on privacy and security – which is concerning with some browsers. See all the features here.
I was concerned about losing access to all my add-ons, bookmarks, and taskbar shortcuts … but with one click everything was transferred over … too cool!
I use Brave to access Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and other media websites. Brave has a Speed Dial page, but it’s not quite as easy to use as Opera’s. So I continue to use Opera for my business, bank, and financial websites.
What browser or browsers do you use? Are you up for trying a couple of new ones?
Leave a comment after you try either Opera or Brave and let me know your experience.
Need to help with your technology skills? Let’s chat … I’d love to help.
