Overview
Shaking Web is a web browser app that is supposed to be easier to read while you’re on the move. Like… literally moving- in a car, on a bus, on a train or walking. The app features “anti shake” technology. That way, when you’re moving, it’ll seem like you’re not. Or at least that’s the idea. Yeah… that’s the idea…
Features (Or Lack There Of)
A sophisticated algorithm has been added to Safari’s basic browser that compensates for movements you make. The app “feels” the movement you’re making and applies an opposite movement to the screen you’re looking at. This is supposed to keep your eyes focused on the same part of the screen… yeah, emphasis on “supposed to.” For an “anti shake” technology, it sure does shake a lot. (Note in the picture below how the Google screen has moved up over the URL bar. Okay, now picture it constantly moving back and forth and you've got yourself a shaking web browser.)
Shaking Web offers a very simple browser that works in both portrait and landscape mode. By simple, I mean just that. There are no special features, other than the shaking. You can view a page, go back and forward, but that’s it. No history. No bookmarks. Just a shaking web browser.
Breakdown
The Good:
Um… I’m sure there’s something. Give me a second.
The web browser works. You can use the Internet. It’s got that going for it. Yes sir. I don’t know what else to say, really. It’s a web browser that shakes.
The Bad:
This is what a web browser would look like if it had Parkinson’s. I can’t stand looking at the screen for longer than a couple minutes. The shaking kind of seems to emphasize the fact that the phone isn’t being held still. The opposite reaction, (which is supposed to be small and subtle) seems to be too much. I move it a little and the viewing screen jolts. It’s distracting.
I tried it in a car on a trip back from Sundance, (Yeah, I was at Sundance, were you?!) and it didn’t impress me. It just shook a lot. I tried it walking around town and it didn’t impress me there either. It just shook a lot. You see- that’s really all it does. It shakes. Maybe the app would be awesome if my eyes hadn’t gotten used to focusing on small screens while moving for the past 20 years of my life. (From the Gameboy to the iPhone). But we’ll never know.
Rumor has it that there’s an update coming that will include bookmarks and shaking improvements. It may or may not include a history. Let me tell you, those features aren’t just a nice thing to have on your browser. They’re essential. I don’t want to have to type in the websites I want to visit every time I turn on the app. That’s annoying and it makes me want to use Safari, since I’ve never had any problems with it (other than the fact that it can’t load flash pages, damn it!)
Verdict
You know how SNL calls their cast the “Not Ready For Prime Time Players?”This app would belong there. It’s just not ready. There are more features on the way, and maybe then it will be worth purchasing. But at the moment, for what it is- I can’t recommend it. I especially can’t recommend it for two dollars. No way, Jose. Wait for an update, wait for more features… and then think about it. Safari ain’t that bad, after all.
