[Giveaway] Try A Speedy iOS Browser Alternative to Mobile Safari

[Anthony Bouchard]

WiBlaze is a speedy Web browser for iOS that uses the iDevice's hardware to its max potential.

Some people are tired of Mobile Safari. I admit, it is a great Web browser, in fact it's the world's fastest mobile Web browser on the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S. How about for those single core processors, though? WiBlaze comes packed with hardware acceleration that takes full advantage of the A4 and A5 chips and every aspect of the iOS device lineup. The developer, revblaze (Jay Bush) even took into account the iPhone 4S with its dual core processor and HSPA+ (4G) speeds. While the iPhone 4S doesn't have a jailbreak yet, WiBlaze is ready for the iPhone 4S's hardware as revblaze has coded in the necessary functionality to work with it. For now, we can enjoy this fast browser on the iPhone 4, iPod touch, and (soon coming to iPad).

There are two versions of WiBlaze. One is a Lite version which lacks a few features, and the other is called WiBlaze 2 which has all of the features. The browsers are built with neat looking interfaces which feel less cluttered. Additionally, they feature a unibar similar to Google Chrome. Upon launching either application, you will be welcomed warmly by a loading screen. The loading screens are below; the one on the left is WiBlaze 2, the one on the right is WiBlaze Lite:



After you are past the loading screen, you are welcomed by the Web browser itself. WiBlaze 2, being the more premium of the two Web browsers obviously has more buttons as it has more features than WiBlaze Lite. Below are the screenshots of the two Web browsers; the one on the left is WiBlaze 2, the one on the right is WiBlaze Lite:



From the image above you can see the minimalist design which is illuminated with the use of the unibar for searching and entering URL's as well as the simple back and forward buttons. WiBlaze 2 has more options, for example bookmarking Web pages, adding pages, and refreshing the page. WiBlaze 2 hasn't been officially released for iOS 5 yet, but WiBlaze Lite is up and running for iOS 5. We expect that WiBlaze 2 will be fully compatible with iOS 5 in the near future, although myself, I haven't had any problems running WiBlaze 2 on my iOS 5.0 iPod touch 4G.

So that's about all there is to touch on! It's a hardware accelerated Web browser for iOS that earns some browining points by me for being quick and cool looking. I find that it lacks a Nitro-Javascript engine like Mobile Safari has.

Name: WiBlaze 2
Price: $1.99
Developer: revblaze
Repo: ModMyi
Version: 2.0.1
Editor's Rating: / 3.5/5

Name: WiBlaze Lite
Price: 99¢
Developer: revblaze
Repo: ModMyi
Version: 1.01
Editor's Rating:  3/5

I talked with Justin Bush via email about WiBlaze and also to learn more about him:

Anthony: Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Jay: A little about me: My name is Jay Bush and I started coding for the iOS platform about 3 years ago. About 2 years ago, I built the first official version of WiBlaze for a school project. I ended up releasing it to ModMyi for fun and I got more downloads then I ever anticipated. To this date, the original WiBlaze has over 150,000 downloads and that sudden, unexpected publicity of my app is what has encouraged me to continue coding.

Anthony: What made you think to create WiBlaze as an alternative to Mobile Safari?
Jay: Mobile Safari has always been a troubling method of browsing the web for me, especially when on the go. I'm a long-time user of the iPhone 3G and for all of those users who use an iPhone 3G/3GS, they are familiar with the slow speeds that these devices have to offer. Now, Mobile Safari for the lower generation iPhone and iPod touch models are not slow because of bad internet connection, but due to Mobile Safari having so many features (and so many things going on in the background of the app) it causes lag and uniquely slow speeds which leads to an unsatisfied user. I will address this problem more in the second and third question. Anyways, back the question, the main reason I built the mobile browsing alternative is because I wanted to make a web browser that's more responsive and quick when using low-capability devices.

Anthony: Does WiBlaze have the Nitro-Javascript engine speeds of Mobile Safari?
Jay: I'm afraid not. I have not implemented any features enabling Javascript to work at nitro speeds (as seen in iOS 5's Mobile Safari, I'm guessing is what your referring to). Although we do not have the benefits of the Nitro-Javascript Engine (as far as I'm concerned), older iOS devices don't have the capability to run these nitro engine speeds anyways.

Anthony: What are some of the benefits of using WiBlaze over Mobile Safari?
Jay: Let's start with the main reason I built this app.. speed. WiBlaze Lite and WiBlaze 2 were designed specifically for people who want to access the internet quicker, in any situation. It's basically a simple web browser with small, yet needed features. Now, saying that, we don't want our users thinking that this app is only for people who want to access the web in a quick manner. We may not have all of the fancy features of the Mobile Safari application, but that's kinda the point. Big bulky apps like Mobile Safari tend to run slower and reduce the performance that's expected of the app. From some of the feedback I've been getting, people want something that runs smoothly and can keep up with the pace of the user, and that's what I've been trying to deliver to them.

The Giveaway!

Jay was generous to give away TEN copies of WiBlaze 2 to the lucky readers of Modmyi.

Follow me @BouchardAnthony
Follow ModMyi @Modmyi
Retweet this article with your Cydia number in the tweet; if you do not have the Cydia number in your tweet, you will be disqualified from the drawing. Within the tweet you must also mention @BouchardAnthony so that I can easily see who has entered the drawing. If you don't mention me, you will also be disqualified. The tweet must include the following text, "I entered a contest to win WiBlaze 2 a fast Web browser for iPhone!"

Winners will be announced on Thursday, December 8. Good luck to all of you that enter!

What do you think about WiBlaze? Share in the comments below!

Sources: Jay Bush

[2k1]

Wish I was jailbroken to give this a try. Safari is nice but like to try something new like this.

[kuhndsn]

You would think that with all the nice apps available in cydia now (paid apps). That the devs would try and capitolize on the revenue. Perhaps if they would we would have our JB's quicker.

---Nice looking app but with all the new (guaranteed regardless of JB) apps available it seems as though the need for JB is loosing its thrust. For me I still would like to use my paid app to allow facetime over 3g but.............................I must wait, perhaps someday....

[teej1410]

Its a nice browser built for speed. But I just have one question for the developer. Why isn't this on the app store?

[Anthony Bouchard]

Its a nice browser built for speed. But I just have one question for the developer. Why isn't this on the app store?

Probably because the hardware capabilities would break the App Store's terms of service.

[Blazinfosh]

Its a nice browser built for speed. But I just have one question for the developer. Why isn't this on the app store?

Source: Jay Bush's Project Site

Although the App Store has it's benefits, we have our dislikes. The App Store has over 500,000 apps. I can tell you right now that there is a large number of apps in that sum that haven't even seen the day of light yet. Not to mention the amount of people who are unwilling to purchase an application that has zero downloads and zero reviews, over the more popular applications of it's variety. When it comes to updates, the App Store may take a couple of days to check the submission and accept the package, while Cydia and ModMyi offer almost immediate support to these submissions.

It's also a fact that cracked App Store applications get almost 10x as many downloads as cracked Cydia Store applications (educated guess).

[Broomhead]

Test post

[imans]

For me I still would like to use my paid app to allow facetime over 3g .

[brianlg]

this app isn't very impressive.. and I can't honestly say I see an improvement in speed over mobile safari

[Anthony Bouchard]

this app isn't very impressive.. and I can't honestly say I see an improvement in speed over mobile safari

It is more so intended for the older devices with the slower processors. If you're trying it on the newer devices it probably will seem like its not too intense. The developer, when answering my questions, explained that. It's in Italics above.

[mikerlx]

It is more so intended for the older devices with the slower processors. If you're trying it on the newer devices it probably will seem like its not too intense. The developer, when answering my questions, explained that. It's in Italics above.

What newer device? No jailbreak for iPhone 4S

[krUnIzZlE3]

So My friend downloaded It... and i used it (we are Edge users...) and the speed is nice. but i dont understand one thing? How can we download files? i dont think its possible but maybe im missing something?

P.S. I do think its cleaner Looking then Safari...

[anmiller07]

I love this part:

It's also a fact that cracked App Store applications get almost 10x as many downloads as cracked Cydia Store applications (educated guess).


It's a fact that it's an educated guess!!

[LGgeek]

In cydia I see wiblaze, wiblaze 2 and wiblaze - fast web browser. I tried the fast web browser version as it is free ( there are lots of browsers available, wanted to see if i liked it before buying). after install and reboot all it does is crash. I'll pass.

[DQEight]

Is it worth using on an iPod touch 4g?

[Anthony Bouchard]

What newer device? No jailbreak for iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G aren't that old. They're still pretty new, they're only one generation off and the iPod touch is still the newest there is.

[mmaboi21]

The iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G aren't that old. They're still pretty new, they're only one generation off and the iPod touch is still the newest there is.

And a huge improvement from the older gens.

I won! Thanks anthony!

[dgc333]

I purchased the WiBlaze2 and have two issues.

1. It won't let me save favorites.
2. It did not import my favorites from Safari.

Unless it's pilot error on my part these two issues make it useless to me.

It does seem faster loading pages than Safari.

[kf4tut]

Just purchased the Lite version which will launch but crashes after displaying the startup png. Using iPod Touch 2G, iOS 4.2.1 jailbroken with Sn0wbreeze. Rebooting into safe mode didn't help. Any suggestions? Couldn't find the link to contact the developer directly which is what I normally would do.