Android TV web browser with decent remote and voice input? (some reviews inside)

by oroboros74

I have a Mi Box, and although I don't like to browse with my ATV, I find it useful at times. I was mainly looking for something that would allow me to use my remote as a pointer, and I tried the only two official ATV apps I found online (please let me know if there are others!).


1) TVWeb Browser for TV

PROS

  • The UI looks like Android TV.
  • I was able to do google searches using voice, which in itself is a lot compared to other apps I tried. I wasn't able to use voice input for other text fields, although the leanback keyboard does show up, or you if you have the Android TV Remote app you can use your phone.
  • At least Youtube (maybe others) videos work properly.

CONS

  • Voice input and speech to text limited to Google searches.
  • No way of setting pointer speed, so longer pages become annoying to scroll.
  • For some odd reason, pages are slow to load.
  • Personally, I don't like the pointer icon and would prefer the solid filled white (this one is transparent filled)
  • No easy way to go back to the Home menu.
  • No way of setting bookmarks or favorite websites.
  • Settings are a little weird: it seems you can add Categories to your left homescreen menu, which I imagine should be for quick access links, but I can't figure out how to add anything there besides the title. After I created one, I wasn't able to delete it.
  • Browsing history shows up on the main screen and it just looks bad. It would be more useful to have history as a link somewhere rather than showing up on the mainscreen. You can delete your history from the settings, but again it would be nice to have easy access to it.

2) Web Browser for Android TV

PROS

  • Homescreen has a fastdial, where you can toggle (not easily, see cons) between favorites and history
  • Pointer here is much easier to use! You can set pointer/scroll speed so it accelerates, and I prefer the pointer icon.
  • There's a setting for retrieve mobile/desktop page.

CONS

  • Although the homescreen UI is more functional than the other app, it is just ugly and primitive. Another annoyance is simple thing like toggling between favorites/bookmarks and history means you have to drag your pointer across the screen, whereas it would have been easy to make those as buttons like the other elements on the screen, where you just click once to select.
  • When you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you see an arrow, which would make you think that if you clicked it you'd scroll page down. Instead it just eliminates the accelerated pointer, so it actually all just slows you down.
  • The back button on your remote does nothing: I'd expect it at least to go pack a page, but it doesn't even do that. I'd also would have liked to have a double click back go to the homescreen.
  • No voice input.

Final considerations

Somethings are missing from both:

  • Zoom in/out would be useful depending on the pages, or the option to set a universal zoom for all webpages.
  • Both apps' devs seem to have thought about implementing things, but either they are incomplete or maybe they just don't work on my system, dunno.

Ideally I personally would want one app that has the best of both of these apps. By themselves, there's really no winner. I don't see the point of having to use my phone as an input device for keyboard, so I really like using the voice input of (1) even though (2) would be a winner for everything else (I could even live with the ugly homescreen).

I'd love to hear if anyone has anything else to add, or point me to a web browser for ATV that has a pointer input via remote and voice text input!


EDIT 1: Opera TV (sideloaded).

It definitely looks slicker. Still compared to these two, I don't find much improvement besides the looks of the UI. You can't change the homepage from the Sony page. There is the option to zoom, but it resets when you change the page. AFAIC, either of the other two apps work better.

EDIT 2: PuffinTV (I had to sideload this, but it will show up on your leanback launcher!)

PROS

  • Great UI, with lots of preinstalled speeddials!
  • Optimized for websites with videos
  • Launch icon from ATV leanback launcher
  • Back button shows a browse menu, where you can perform various actions like add bookmark, scroll mode, etc.; Long-press back takes you home
  • Sharing pages to Puffin TV from any devices via QR code
  • Google searches via voice input
  • Decent onscreen pointer, with accelerated movement
  • Fast!

CONS

  • No zoom

I think we have a winner! Thanks to /u/kawshik201 who suggested this!

kawshik201

Did you try 'Puffin TV' browser?? It also have Flash support

Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cloudmosa.puffinTV&hl=en

j0s3rubio

i sideloaded chrome and it works great. I am actually using it right now.

OttoNormalRedditor

I did the same a few months ago and gave up on finding an usable browser.

arrowrand

I got a keyboard with trackpad and USB receiver (mine is a Logitech that I got on sale at Microcenter for ,$10) and installed Chrome.

No voice input. Works almost flawlessly.

I don't believe what you are looking for exists in a browser.

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jakky567

I recommend minimal browser. It works well with my fire TV.

eastertsai

I am a designer from Puffin Browser team.

Thank you very much for trying out Puffin TV. Cloud you please describe in as much detail as possible about zoom function? Do you mean that zoom in/out the web page or video to fit the screen? Thanks again!

JohnSeeley

I have tried practically EVERY browser with my T95Z Plus Android Box and there is something major I dislike about every one of them. I'm still struggling with the default AOSP Browser which is the one I have settled with, but I would like to find something better. It browses great but it's limited in functionality. I'd like to find a browser that has voice input option with a single click where ever I want to voice input text (address bar or text field) like AOSP does. When I find time, I'm going to side load Chrome and give it another chance. What are the advantages of side loading Chrome vs downloading it from the play store? The last time I tried Chrome, I didn't like the scrolling. Some pages didn't scroll with my air mouse. Even through my air mouse has a full keyboard, voice input is the best. Thanks.

EDIT: Just tried Google Chrome again and it has voice mics on the address bar and text fields. The scrolling is good this time. Pages load SLOW out of all the browsers I tried. The biggest problem which is quite a nuance is the "Request Desktop Site" to display the desktop version of a webpage does not stay selected. HOWEVER, I did find a fix for that: http://www.guidingtech.com/16169/desktop-mode-websites-chrome-android-permanently/

EDIT AGAIN: I just tried Brave browser which is based off of chromium which also has built-in ad blocking. The pages load about 33% faster than Chrome. I removed Chrome and Brave browser is my new browser until something better comes along.