Cloud Browse Is Updated, But Remains Frustrating
September 9, 2010
Can an app make your iPad experience suddenly frustrating? It can, if that app is Cloud Browse, which was just updated to version 2.0 for Apple's device.
Created by AlwaysOn Technologies, Cloud Browse is supposed to give iPad users the ability to view Flash and Java objects, within websites, that are unavailable to us otherwise. On that point, the app works as expected. However, don't expect the experience to be an enjoyable one.
One of the nice things about the iPad and surfing websites using Safari is this: increasingly, website developers recognize that you are using Apple's device and alter site content accordingly. Therefore, even though some Flash components are missing, to the naked eye this isn't easy to see.
However, with Cloud Browse, those limitations are exposed. Suddenly you're shown objects not intended to run on an iPad. I am sure this wasn't what AlwaysOn intended.
The problem with Cloud Browse is the concept itself. Users navigate the web through a Firefox browser that actually runs remotely and is streamed to your iPad. Compared to the slickness (and speed) of your Safari experience, this seems cumbersome and slow.
Sure, you get to view objects that would have normally been unavailable on the iPad, but they seem choppy and second-rate. Flash videos, for example, dance around the screen slowly and sound is hit or miss too. I compare the experience to using a remote computer with GoToMeeting or PC Anywhere without a high speed connection.
While its developers claim the remote browser has "access to higher bandwidth, more memory and processor than that of any mobile device" this isn't what I experienced.
The 2.0 update includes a larger browser and ability to connect to websites when a connection is lost. Plus, it includes a number of bug fixes.
I'm not trying to rain on AlwaysOn's parade, because the app works exactly as intended. However, users are still limited by the connection speed to and from the remote site. And, on this subject, there are definitely some hiccups that many will find frustrating.
Still, since the universal Cloud Browse is free in the App Store, it certainly could be worth your time. Personally, I'll use mobile Safari and keep my iPad experience as it was intended to be.
