Tony Price |
Friday, December 3, 2010 at 4:04PM Rockmelt: Will It Rock Your World?
So I have been using Rockmelt almost exclusively for a couple weeks now, and I think that I am ready to give a verdict on it. First off, for anyone who is unaware, Rockmelt is a social browser, meaning that it is a web browser with extensive social browsing integration. It logs you into Facebook when you start it up, and then you are connected for the entire time that you have it open. This allows you to update your status, share a link, and even use chat from anywhere on the net. On top of that, Rockmelt allows you to set up a series of 'apps' on the right hand side. These allow you to tap into RSS feeds from various websites, keep up with Facebook status updates and wall posts, and see your tweets in real time.
All in all, these feature work as they should. I have experienced very few major issues with any of the major functions of the browser. It is based off of Chrome, and it is supposed to work with all chrome extensions. While a number of the extensions do work, I have found that a handful that add buttons to the navigation bar do not function as intended (read: broken.) I also can't seem to get themes to work as they should, and the blue color of the edges and nav bar are are less than desirable.
On top of the social integration, they have also built in a modification to the search bar. It now displays results in a selectable list without opening a new window. I find that fairly useful when I am curious about the meaning of a certain word, or want to quickly access more information of something I read.
The primary features of Rockmelt are excellent for a social junkie like myself. I can also see it being used by someone who enjoys the chat aspect of Facebook, but doesn't want to open a secondary program or continuously window hop. The app edge is great for news feeds, like the one for Tony's Brain, and the Twitter and Facebook integration are both fantastic. Overall, i give Rockmelt a 4 out of 5. Most of my issues come from its incompatibility with some of my favorite features of chrome. Its good, and has become my everyday browser, but not my exclusive one yet. We will see what the future holds.


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