UC Browser – Fast Mobile Web Browser with Voice Control
by Paul Wilks
Apr 9, 2012 12:47 PM –
Install
UC Browser is an original, intuitive and user friendly means to browse the web on your Android device. Using its voice recognition feature you can quickly browse to the pages you want, and the multi-touch elements makes using the web a far more tactile and responsive experience.
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC One X
Content Rating: Low Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Multi-touch control!
- Voice control!
- Integrated RSS reader!
- Cloud acceleration makes it very fast!
- News tab which aggregates the top news stories from around the world!
Cons
- Does nothing if it doesn’t recognise voice command.
Features:
From the start I should point out that UC Browser functions very well, just as most other Android browsers do. You can do the usual things, search and access websites, save bookmarks, save pages to your SD card and open lots of tabs. You can rotate the screen to view in landscape mode. There is also a smorgasbord of preferences and settings that enable users to customise their experience.
I think that most browsers have these kind of features, but then UC browser takes a step ahead with its voice control feature. Instead of typing your favourite websites, try saying them! I found this works for the big websites: Twitter, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, etc. but doesn’t really respond to ones it doesn’t recognise. In my experience, it sadly doesn’t try to guess what you’ve said, or search for the item. For big websites then it’s fine, smaller ones not so useful.
The voice actions do extend further too, simply by pressing the voice recognition symbol and saying BACK, FORWARD, REFRESH, CLOSE TAB, NEW TAB, HOME, ADD A BOOKMARK, BOOKMARKS and HISTORY. By stating any of these the app will obey your command. I found all these to be very responsive. Perhaps an issue might be if it’s not convenient to use the voice commands at a certain time (shouting HOME on a bus might get you very strange looks). For example, manually adding a bookmark takes a user-unfriendly 4 taps on your screen.
The developers highlight this as one of the app’s top features and the controls are executed mostly very well. However, I found that if it doesn’t recognise the command, or search term, it doesn’t do anything. The video below demonstrates some of these functions quite well. Although, why girlfriends are chosen as a reason why someone would lose the use of an arm is a little strange, the video puts the point across that you can use the app quickly and effectively to search the web, mostly with one hand if necessary.
The other highlight within UC Browser is the multi-touch controls. Using two fingers together you can swipe upwards to close the current tab and downwards to open new tab. These controls also let you succinctly move between open tabs; swipe left to view previous tab and right for next tab. I think this is pretty cool and, although it takes a little getting used to at first, it becomes quite natural with practice. As mentioned, there are obviously little niggles with it, but with some updates it could be a great alternative to your existing browser.
Watch on Mobile
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UC Browser – Home screen
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UC Browser – Fast browser with neat features
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UC Browser – Full page
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UC Browser – Fast browsing experience
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UC Browser – News story opens browser
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UC Browser – Bookmarks
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UC Browser – RSS news tab
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UC Browser – RSS news reader
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UC Browser – Voice controls
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UC Browser – Open tabs can be displayed along the bottom
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UC Browser – History
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UC Browser – Multi-touch controls
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UC Browser – In-page settings
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UC Browser – Settings
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UC Browser – Advanced settings
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UC Browser – Help
Usefulness:
While UC Browser is pretty good, I’m unsure if it will wholly replace the browser you are using now. For example, the syncing and integration of Chrome, the add-on’s and functionality of Firefox and Dolphin Browser HD might be too much for users to let go of in favour of something new.
Where I think UC Browser could be of benefit is as a compliment to these. There might be times where voice controls are useful and UC Browser could be pretty handy. Given time it could perhaps be something more, perhaps with a great range of voice controls. As of right now it’s pretty cool to try out and fun to use plus the multi-touch controls are a nice feature, but I’m unsure this functionality will be enough for users to switch completely.
Ease of Use:
Typical use is quick, the browser is pretty fast, certainly comparable to the fastest of other Android browsers. Voice controls (when it recognises what you are requesting) is straightforward, and the multi-touch experience is very intuitive and easy to use. Screens are fast and responsive, and there are a whole host of preferences and tweaks you can alter to customise your user experience.
I think the issue may come when you need it to recognise something you are saying and it just doesn’t. For example, when I say “AndroidTapp” it should (if it doesn’t immediately recognise it) put what it heard into Google or something, perhaps ‘Android tap’. However, in my testing of it, nothing happens. Its at this point you just pick it up and start typing, thus this ‘feature’ is lost. When it works it’s great- just saying ‘Facebook’ will swiftly bring up the website, when it doesn’t work it’s a little frustrating. 
Frequently Used:
I think that the better it recognises your voice, the more you might use it. Features aside, it still works as a very nippy and simple browser, but whether this alone is enough for you to stop using your existing browser is something I’m not yet convinced about. It might then be something you use on an infrequent basis, or when voice controls would be helpful and beneficial.
Interface:
The interface is highly responsive and well designed. The visual element of the browser perhaps isn’t as crisp as other alternatives, but this aside I think it looks good and is easy to navigate. I found the more I used it the more intuitive it became, so it’s certainly worth playing with to get the most out of it. There are some subtle animations that look great too, such as moving or opening new tabs.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Browser,
Chrome,
Firefox,
Mobile Web Browser,
Multi-touch,
UC Browser,
Voice Commands
Categorised in: Communication
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