Apps that add to your browsing experience



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Whether you’re on a desktop computer or a mobile device, internet browsers are among the most-used apps. But while they all serve as a portal to the internet, each browser has different strengths and weaknesses. These four browsers can add features not included in the stock browsers that came with your iPhone or many Android devices.

Google Chrome

(iOS, Android; free)

If you use an iPhone or iPad, Safari is your stock internet browser. If you own a Samsung device, your stock browser is Samsung internet. But many users opt to switch to Google Chrome, the world’s most popular desktop browser. Chrome seamlessly syncs with your desktop bookmarks and Google search history to enhance your mobile browsing. Chrome also does a good job spotting malicious websites.    

Firefox

(iOS, Android; free)

This venerable desktop browser took a long time to introduce a mobile version, but the iOS and Android versions are now excellent choices. Many people prefer Firefox because unlike Google and Apple, the browser is owned by Mozilla, a not-for-profit company. As a browser, Firefox has a full set of features and can import bookmarks from your desktop browser.

Microsoft Edge

(iOS, Android; free)

Edge was introduced as a part of Windows 10 and has become a key weapon in Microsoft’s mobile internet strategy. The Android and iOS versions are aimed at Windows desktop users who use Edge and want a unified browsing experience from desktop to mobile. Its best feature: Do something on the mobile version and pick it up right where you left off when you return to your Windows PC.

DuckDuckGo

(iOS, Android; free)

DuckDuckGo is an increasingly popular internet search engine, and its browser is especially popular with internet users who want to remain anonymous. Subnamed the “Privacy Browser,” DuckDuckGo will block hidden ad trackers and let you know when you are being tracked. Unlike Google and Microsoft, DuckDuckGo doesn’t track your internet browsing. As a browser, DuckDuckGo doesn’t have all the features of its competitors, but it has more than enough to let you find what you want.  

FAFSA goes mobile

The 2019-2020 college financial aid season began Monday — and for the first time a FAFSA account can be fully managed from a smartphone. Using the Department of Education’s myStudentAid app (iOS, Android; free), you can open an account, file and sign forms and track your status. FAFSA — Free Application for Federal Student Aid — is a gateway to billions of dollars in financial aid for college students.

— PETER KING

More than a game

Esports, where fans pay to watch professionals play videogames, is more than a fad. And Nielsen wants to track how many people are watching. The company best-known for its TV ratings has bought analytics firm SuperData Research, which follows 160 million gamers. Nielsen says the acquisition will help it garner insights on who is paying to watch esports and how these people can be targeted by advertisers.

— PETER KING

Wakeup call

Nearly half of all cellphone calls next year will come from scammers or telemarketers, according to First Orion, a provider of caller ID technology. Spam calls were 3.7 percent of total calls in 2017 but jumped to 29 percent this year and are projected to hit 45 percent by 2019. More than half of all complaints received by the FCC are about unwanted calls.

— Washington Post

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