Portable i-Br@wser

Getting on the information superhighway is easier than ever, with options to even keep your mobile phone connected at all times. However, your computer is still closely-tied to a web browser, with the market full of application that managed to make a name for themselves. However, others like Portable i-Br@wser don’t need to be overlooked, as they may handle resources more efficiently.

As the name clearly states, you don’t have to go through the effort of installing this application in order to function, which means you can carry it around on a USB flash drive to use on other PCs as well. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about the target computer’s health status, because registries are not modified.

On the visual side of things, the application keeps all of its features in a classic window frame, with an upper toolbar that holds all elements, such as navigation buttons, URL field and more. However, it looks a little rough around the edges, with design elements that don’t really seem to blend together.

You have to adapt to a fixed navigation space, which easily becomes frustrating, as it takes more than half the screen, and resizing is not possible, not even through the Windows Snap feature. There’s not even the option to enter full screen mode to view content in more detail.

Visiting multiple pages at a time can only be done through more instances of the application. Tabs are not implemented, and focus is awkwardly handled, in the sense that you need to interact with the page itself after writing down the URL, to avoid accidentally switching to a different page.

Bookmarks aren’t a part of the set of features, but there is a history tracker for a bit of comfort. The application comes with a built-in download manager to handle large tasks, as well as a CD-player to hear your favorite tunes while surfing the web.

Bottom line is that a web browser fitted with too many features isn’t necessarily the best, since there’s a change you don’t need most function, and the whole process uses too many resources. Portable i-Br@wser comes with good intentions, but somehow fails to deliver the experience you’re looking for.