Maxthon is an interesting web browser that aims to combine the best features of the competition, with plenty of new additions of its own.
The program includes two rendering engines, for instance. It can display pages using IE's Trident for compatibility, or Webkit, as used by Safari and Chrome, for much improved performance.
Maxthon opens with a useful Quick Access display that resembles Opera's Speed Dial, with large icons for commonly visited sites. It's easy to add more links for your favourite pages, and so build a useful startup portal that gets every browsing session off to a speedy start.
A clean browsing interface means that navigation via the toolbar is easy. But in another feature borrowed from Opera, you're also able to use mouse gestures. To go one page back through history, say, hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse from right to left. It's all very easy, and once you're used to the technique then it can feel a very natural way to control the program.
There's also a favourites manager that can synchronise your bookmarks. Magic Fill automatically completes logins and web forms. And the latest version of the program's Ad Hunter technology now blocks even more unwanted popups and unnecessary ads, speeding up your browsing.
Verdict:
Maxthon shows promise, and is worth a look if you're not happy with your current browser.
Changelog
What's new in 7.1.8.9000 (see changelog for more)?
+ Comprehensive upgrade of data synchronization mechanism for faster and safer data syncing
+ Added Search Tab button located at the top left corner of the tab bar, allowing users to view and search open and recently closed tabs through an expanded menu. This feature can be enabled or disabled in 'Settings'->'Appearance' and supports keyboard shortcuts.
+ Added Video Download Acceleration: For full video downloads, videos from certain sites can be downloaded at high speed by clicking the acceleration button in the download popup to download the 720P version of the video.
+ Added Vertical Video Download Support: Resolution for full video downloads is adjusted to match the original video playback resolution.
+ Added Custom UserAgent: Added the ability to set a custom UserAgent string in Settings->Advanced->Laboratory.
+ Added intelligent recognition of extension file format: The download manager intelligently recognizes extension file (.crx) formats and prompts users to install them after successful download.
+ Added Password Manager shortcuts. Users can modify shortcuts in Settings->Mouse Gestures and Shortcuts->Shortcut Settings->More Shortcut Settings.
* Optimized display of extension management quantity: The extensions management page now displays the total number of installed extensions.
* Optimized interaction of Super bookmarks bar: Setting and unsetting 'My Favorites' will not close the bookmark menu, allowing consecutive settings in the bookmark bar.
* Updated translations for multiple languages.
- Fixed issue where changing bound accounts caused the new account to become a local account.
- Fixed known crashes and issues.
Your Comments & Opinion
Get the best of IE, Firefox and Chrome in a single browser
An interesting browser with a lengthy feature list
Maxthon delivers IE's compatibility and Chrome's speed in one powerful browser
An interesting browser with a lengthy feature list
An interesting browser with a lengthy feature list
An unusually feature-packed browser
Protect your personal privacy with this exceptionally thorough portable security tool
Quickly preview all your fonts on a single page
A versatile messaging app for all your devices
Find out everything you'll ever need to know about your PC with this comprehensive system information tool
Notepad replacement that is well designed for editing code