14 DAY TRIAL // Each web browser has its own perks and unique features designed to gather fans willing to proclaim it the best in the world. RockMelt is taking its shot by trying to integrate your busy social life.
Currently in beta stage, RockMelt is intended to become a unique solution for various situations. Do you need to chat with your Facebook friends while browsing? RockMelt’s got it.
Do you want to keep an eye on your Facebook live feed? Check. How about Twitter? Yes, it’s also included. And let’s not forget about the RSS feeds that you can view with a click of a mouse.
Built on the Google Chrome engine, RockMelt still has functionality related issues but I must admit that the developers might be onto something.
The application is using your Facebook account to store your custom settings like the pages you want to have launched when you login, your bookmarks, feeds and applications.
The RockMelt team assures you from the beginning that it will not abuse your trust and you can find out more about how it is using the permission HERE.
Unfortunately, I encountered some issues when trying to login: the window kept loading for several minutes only to give an error message. This happened on several occasions, although not every time, so I believe that this is all about luck.
On the other hand, I observed that if you check the “Keep me logged in” box the access is granted instantly (keep in mind though that if you logout within the application, the setting is lost).
Complications also appeared when I added a new Facebook friend: within the application, for one user the friends list was updated almost instantly while the for the other the new entry showed up half an hour later.
Still, logging in using your Facebook account you will not have to start all over again each time you reinstall your system or web browser, but your customizations will be available at all times from virtually any location.
RockMelt gives you the possibility to browse without logging in but in that case the social related functions will be unavailable. Long story short, If you don’t have a Facebook account, get one or get on your way.
The Looks
RockMelt resembles Google Chrome in many aspects, starting from its clean design to some of the included tools and ending with the way it is trying to deal with different situations.
RockMelt may not provide the additional functions offered by Chrome via its extensions database (apparently it offers support only for the YouTube extension), still it does allow you to change its appearance using the Chrome themes repository.
On the other hand, RockMelt is featuring some quite innovative features that are mostly organized using two panels situated on the right and left side of the main window (called Friends and App Edges), while the others blend in the browser interface.
The latest version includes a Quiet Mode which by default disables both Edges, all notifications and allows you to specify the Chat status. This is great if you need to focus on the task at hand and, if you are not satisfied with the default settings, you can easily make your own adjustments via the Preferences window.
The Works
There are four elements that make RockMelt noteworthy: the Friends Edge, the App Edge, the Share link function and the fact that you can preview your search results.
First of all, RockMelt is gathering data about your Facebook friends and allows you to add the favorite ones to the Friends Edge (you can also choose to have on the Edge the currently online friends).
This why you will be able to send and receive messages in a floating window situated on the bottom left corner, that will remain active as long as you like, while you continue your browsing session. The communication worked flawless only if RockMelt detected the receiver as online.
The best part is that you can also choose to Tear Off the window and place it wherever you like, but it will not be always on top (the rule applies to most floating windows opened in RockMelt).
The same area allows you to see the latest status updates and shared links for each user, lets you write on its wall and change its status (favorite or not). You should also be able to access its profile page but I wasn’t able to make it work.
On the opposite side, the App Edge is the place where you keep all you RSS feds and custom applications. Currently there is only one app available, YouTube, that allows you to connect to your account and visualize videos in a window that will again remain active even if you choose to go to other webpages in the main area.
Twitter also gets a special treatment: you will log in automatically each time RockMelt is launched and you will have access to your feed, you will be able to send tweets and so on. Last but not least, you can also use multiple Twitter accounts at the same time.
As far as feeds go, you can have them added automatically (RockMelt is able to monitor your browsing history and detect the websites that contain feeds - you can add the feed with a single mouse click) or manually, and you can pick the ones you want to have displayed on the Edge.
You can access two of the most interesting features via the address bar. First of all, the Share button allows you to share the current website without going to your Facebook wall. You might encounter some hiccups when it comes to loading the thumbnail, but all in all it proves to be quite useful and eliminates the use of the Facebook website.
Another useful function, and I must say, my favorite, is the search preview: once you type in a term in the search bar, you will view and most likely choose one of the suggestions or you can directly press enter. In both cases once the search is performed, the results will be displayed in a floating window.
In this window, if you select a certain entry it will be opened in the current tab, while pressing the add button will launch the link in a new one, although the window remains active. I find the entire process quite innovative and I believe that it can greatly improve one's workflow.
The Good
No more going back and forth to the Facebook webpage if you want to see what is new or chat with your friends. With RockMelt sharing a link becomes extremely simple and you can even watch YouTube videos while you continue what you were doing.
Let’s not forget about Twitter and the fact that you can monitor your favorite RSS feeds without using an additional application. If the browser window becomes too crowded you can easily enter the Quiet Mode and focus on your task. The way in which RockMelt deals with all these issues makes it quite useful and innovative.
The Bad
Although you should be able to import bookmarks, favorites, browsing history, saved passwords and search engines from other bowsers, the function did not work even if the source was Google Chrome. Further, if you are a Chrome extensions fan, RockMelt comes short: you can only use custom themes.
I honestly cannot remember if I added RockMelt to my login items or not, but in the end there it was and when a new version was released, the update was installed automatically. I do not know about you, but I do not like apps that update without asking for permission first.
The Truth
As any beta application, RockMelt still has issues and patience has to be a must when working with it for the first time. To be fair, the RockMelt team released three versions in the last month, and things seem to go in the right direction.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
