Atomic Web Brings One Killer Function to iPad/iPhone Browsing

I don't care about 99% of browser functions. Plug-ins are nice, but what I use most on a daily basis are tabs. And that one feature makes the Atomic Web Browser ($1) better than Safari/iCab browsers on the iPad/iPhone.

It's a revelation.

iPad Safari, despite its plentiful screen real estate, still uses the iPhone's technique of handling multiple tabs—you go to a separate page that lists all of your windows as thumbnails, then choose what you need.

It's not horrible; it's just slower than browsing multiple sites should be in the grand year of 2010.

iCab, $3 in the App Store, handles multiple pages in a similar manner to Apple. But theirs are fitted into an aesthetically pleasing dropdown menu. It's nicer than what Apple offers with Safari, but it's not any faster.

The Atomic Web Browser? Real tabs. Tapping one switches to its page instantly. And you can even two finger swipe from one tab to another without messing with buttons. As for the rest of the browsing experience, in about 10 minutes of testing with several heavy sites open, it performed admirably—loading and navigating as quickly and fluidly as Safari despite the heavy workload I threw its way.

Sure, you can also take advantage of full screen browsing and other little perks like that, but whatever. I have my tabs. I'm happy. And because of it, I'll be ditching Safari for the Atomic Web Browser. If you're like me, you may want to spend the buck and make the switch, too. [iTunes]