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There are so many great Web browsers available today that the superpower struggle between IE and Netscape sometimes seems as distant as the Cold War between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. We recently became acquainted with Maxthon, a free browser that offers some unique advantages, such as its Dual Display Modes, Ultra and Retro. Maxthon automatically switches between Ultra Mode, which uses WebKit to render up-to-date sites, and Retro mode, which uses a legacy engine for older sites built with earlier tools. It also offers safe browsing; toolbar apps like notekeeping, translations, feeds, and screen capture; mouse gestures; smart drag-and-drop; autofill; multisearch; and ad and pop-up blockers.
Maxthon installed very quickly, a good start. Its tabbed interface, customizable toolbars, integrated search field, and Favorites menu give Maxthon a familiar feel that we quickly enhanced by importing our bookmarks, something Maxthon can do from IE or any HTML-based browser bookmark file. Like all contenders in the increasingly crowded browser field, Maxthon's look and features can be customized to suit your needs and moods. The highlighted Safe icon indicated we were visiting a validated Web site; clicking it opened information about the site. The Ad Hunter feature worked quite well, blocking ad pop-ups on the most annoying sites we visit without blocking content we wanted to see; in any case, it's easy to toggle on and off via an icon on the bottom right. There's even a mute button built into the lower frame to quickly silence noisy sites. In fact, Maxthon offers a full complement of features and options, and everything we tried worked well.
Now, on to the dual-mode browsing. It's, in a word, cool. To our knowledge, this is a unique capability that worked very well. A small square on the address bar changes from a yellow lightning bolt to a blue graph icon to indicate which rendering engine is in use. Browsing to a Web site rendered with WebKit tended to make the difference obvious, with crisp graphics that loaded with lightning speed. We could switch manually between Ultra and Retro Mode, too, for Web sites that didn't render perfectly in WebKit. Try it for yourself and see what makes Maxthon different before the others catch up.
Publisher's Description
From Maxthon International:
With Maxthon, quickly and easily navigate WebPages, browse the Web as you like. It features sync and see favorites anywhere, mouse gesture, ad hunter, magic fill, and Maxthon multi search. Block annoying advertisements and pop ups before they strike. The Ad Hunter is faster and more powerful than anything in its class. Securely save, review and manage all of your website usernames and passwords on one screen. Magic Fill will also pre-fill your username and passwords for your favorite websites. Compare search term results across Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Customize Multi Search by adding additional search engines yourself.
What's new in this version: 3.4.5.2000 [2012-09-19] Fixes: * Some audio/video play problem * No sound when clicked "Listen" in Google Translation * Could not delete cookies * Mouse Gesture did not work * Lock Tab did not work 3.4.5.1000 [2012-09-13] New Features: + Supported logging in Maxthon Account with connected Facebook and Twitter accounts + Supported opening internal pages of chm files + Added Certificate Management entrance in Maxthon Options Fixes: * Part of high CPU and memory usage problems * Freeze problem... See all new features
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All versions:
4.1 starsout of 76 votes
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Current version:
4.0 starsout of 5 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-5 of 5
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"Fstest Browser i ever seen!"
Version: Maxthon 3.4.5.2000
Pros
faster and better then google chrom!
Cons
i was erase chrome and firefox!
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"Another special browser"
Version: Maxthon 3.4.5.2000
Pros
Maxthon is another special browser I used apart from Avant browser. They both don't have beautiful skin but with fast speed and many a useful build-in features.That are just what I like.I don't like using extensions or add-ons, Build-in features are more attractive.
Cons
Take more resources compared with Avant but better than chrome.
Summary
It's a good browser, You will like it if you try.
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"Ugly but FAST!"
Version: Maxthon 3.4.5.2000
Pros
1. Very fast
2. Unique standard featuresCons
1. Somewhat dated looking interface
2. Bizarre, useless add-ons --the descriptions of most aren't even in English.Summary
The pros far outweigh the cons. While not as slick in appearance as either Firefox or Chrome, Maxthon compensates for this with speed and unique built-in features, just don't waste your time with the add-ons.
It makes an excellent secondary browser. Give it a try. -
"The best browser out there!"
Version: Maxthon 3.4.5.2000
Pros
-Blazing fast
-IMO the best speed dial of any browser
-Customizable and intuitive interface
-Optional cloud sync
-You can watch flash videos in a separate window or save them without installing additional pluginsCons
-Few avaiable add-ons
Summary
I really like Maxthon, I just wish it was more popular: for me it is the best browser avaiable
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"Registration Sucks!!!!"
Version: Maxthon 3.4.5.2000
Pros
Still trying to figure it out. I've been trying to get registered for awhile, so I really haven't found any pro's yet.
Cons
Well, let's see where do I start.
1) When I went to their website to download the software for my Windows PC, I thought it would be really easy to do. Well. that is not so. There was not a big "Click Here to Download" button. Instead, the button that is on-screen what me to provide my Facebook ID. Well, I'm not going to do that with a company that I have never heard of. So, I have to search and scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to find the link that would allow for a direct download.
2) After the install of the product, I opened the browser for the first time and was prompted to register for an account in order to save my bookmarks and other settings across browsers. However, there was a warning message that stated something along the lines of "accounts opened through the browser interface could have problems in other versions of the browser beside the currently installed version". The only other option was to register for a free acct at the company website.Summary
You would think that the issues described above were the end of it, however that was not the case. During the registration process at the company's website, I accidentally input my email address incorrectly and clicked Submit. Once I realized this, I clicked on the Profile link to update it with the correct email address.
As luck would have it, I can update any other aspect of my account, however there is absolutely no way to update my email address. When I visited the Help diectory, I discovered that the only solution is to contact support via email to delete your account. Additionally, it is stated that support will not update an incorrect email address, they will only delete email addresses that are input incorrectly.
So, I wish that I could give Maxthon negative stars however that is not an option.
My best recommendation is to make sure you have enough time and patience before embarking on this installation and configuration of this web browser because it is not polished and lacks the finesse of the other more established browsers of their competition.
I cannot say anything regarding their web browsers' ability to load pages quickly since even if that is true, Maxthon needs to desperately rethink their workflow regarding the initial signup process. It is not engaging, it does not capture the customer, it does not instill confidence in the software, it is not easy to use, and most importantly it is not efficient.
I can only hope that the experience gets better over time. And that your experience will be far better than mine.
Results 1-5 of 5
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