Six Maxthon Features That You May Find Useful

With Maxton's latest version taking over Google Chrome's place in the HTML5 Test, I thought it would be a good idea to offer a closer look at some of the features that the browser has to offer, that other browser's do not at all, or only after installation of extensions.

The browser feels a lot more like SeaMonkey and Opera, and less than the world's current favorites Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox. The core reason for this is that it ships with a set of features that the other browsers do not ship with. While it would take too long to look at all of the differences, I'd like to concentrate on five that should have a large appeal. Lets get started.

2. Take Screenshots

You can use the browser's Snap feature to take a screenshot of a screen region or the whole page. Default Maxthon setups display the Snap icon in the browser's main address bar from where both options can be selected.

If you take a shot of a region you get basic editing options that include highlighting an area, adding text, arrows or blur effects to the screenshot before it can be saved to the local computer system.

3. Night Mode

If you prefer colors that are less bright to the eye (at night) use Maxthon's Night Mode for that. It basically changes the style of all web pages that you visit to darker tones. And if you do not like the brown-golden design, you can customize it to your liking.

Even better, you can configure Night Mode to kick in at a specific time, and have the browser return to normal display mode later on.

4. Resource Sniffer Downloads

If you download files regularly, you may like the browser's Resource Sniffer as it may make that process more convenient. A list of files available on the page is displayed in the Resource Sniffer when it is opened. Next to a listing of all files are filters for video, audio and image files, which can be selected and downloaded with just two clicks.

5. Note Taking

Use Maxthon SkyNote to take notes in the browser. The notes module comes with synchronization options which require a Maxthon Passport account to sync (which is free to sign up for and use).

6. Switch Between Webkit and Trident

Maxthon ships with two rendering engines. First Webkit which builds the core of Google Chrome and Safari, and then Trident which is Internet Explorer's rendering engine. Maxthon users can switch between the two, for instance to access pages that IE displays correctly, but the Webkit browser does not. A lightning symbol in the address bar indicates that Webkit is being used.

Closing Words

The developers have put some thought into the browser, and added features to it that a lot of users will find useful. The browser has more to offer, from extension and theme support to regular updates, an RSS reader or the option to launch external operating system tools straight from the browser interface.  Even if you are not ready yet to give it a try or switch to it, it is a browser to keep an eye on.

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