10 Reasons RockMelt Browser Rocks and 2 Reasons it Doesn’t

by Extreme John on November 13, 2010 11,570 views

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RockMelt is a new browser currently in beta testing. Rock Melt is built on the Google Chrome browser platform, which means those of you us that currently use Google Chrome as our default browser will have no problem getting comfortable with RockMelt. One of the key reasons that I see RockMelt becoming a power player in the browser game is due to the fact that @RockMelt is built on the premiss of taking full advantage of social media and social networking through sites like Facebook and Twitter.

I was fortunate enough to receive an invite to try RockMelt browser out as it sits in it’s current beta testing stage, being the social media addict that I am I couldn’t wait for the invite to show up in my email. I wondered if RockMelt would be the browser to put my Google Chrome and HootSuite social media manager to sleep, I mean if it has ALL of the social tools I need then why bother with anything else.

Here’s a list of the things that I found were best about RockMelt and a couple of things I don’t like so much about the new social browser.

Reasons RockMelt Browser Rules

1. Centralized Workspace

With RockMelt there’s less of a need to leave my current browser window and tab because of the handy little “edges” that RockMelt adds on each side of the actual browsing area. Without leaving my current page I can see how many new tweets and Facebook status updates there have been since my previous look.

RockMelt Browser Video

2. Google Chrome Extensions

Because RockMelt is built on the Google Chrome platform you can take advantage of those Chrome extensions you’ve come to love. Note this comes with a disclaimer, see below.

3. Facebook Integration and Options

The Facebook edge is pretty sweet it allows you to mark specific family members, friends and other connections as favorites. You can toggle between your favorites” and a handy little option to see what connections are currently online, not limited to your favorites.

4. Twitter Integration

RockMelt works Twitter integration into the social browser very nicely, it looks good, it’s fast and simple. I can easily see what mentions I have @extremejohn or check the latest tweets from the people that I follow, not to mention it highlights the unread tweets and shades the ones I’ve seen already. Big time saver when I’m skimming.

5. Sharing

Duh… #RockMelt is a social browser, which means that sharing is not only caring, but super easy. No leaving my browser to share a few things with people I connect with on Facebook and via my Facebook Fan Page.

6. Simplicity

Adding, and adjusting things with RockMelt browser is very simple. Drag and drop your friends on the Facebook edge to align them the way you want, align your Google Chrome extensions the way you want on the extensions edge.

7. Search Design

I like the search feature, it displays your search results instantly with a short summary and when it’s clicked it is lightning fast opening up for full display in an actual tab.

8. Google Chrome Sync

I probably should have payed better attention to the sync process when I decided to move forward with that process, everything went smooth with the exception it dumped my synced bookmarks into a separate folder and it failed to sync the bookmarks bar directly. Even with not being a fan of exactly “how” I synced things with RockMelt and Google Chrome, I’m just excited about the fact that RockMelt offered to sync with Chrome in the first place.

RockMelt can also be synced with Firefox and Safari.

9. Design

RockMelt looks great, let’s face it… it’s Google Chrome with some wings slapped on the side and maybe a few leather accents on the inside. If you like Google Chrome design, your going to look at the RockMelt browser design and think, “Why didn’t I think of this?”

10. Weight

I’m a MacBook Pro user and certain software or applications that aren’t native to Mac can really hold performance down, RockMelt is Mac compatible and it doesn’t hold anything down. RockMelt performs quick, connects you to your Facebook, Twitter and just about everything else and does it like a 135lb Urijah Faber would. FAST!

Reason RockMelt Browser Doesn’t Rule

1. Google Chrome Extensions

I know I mentioned that one of the reasons I liked RockMelt was that I get to use Google Chrome extensions. When it comes to Google Chrome extensions and browser add-ons they play a major role in my continued use of a browser. When I used Firefox the add-ons were a key reason behind why I used it, then it became to heavy and I tried Google Chrome, I love the Chrome extensions and they have the ones I am use to. When I tried Safari for a few months I did it because I wanted to take advantage of 1Password for Mac, up until recently that wasn’t an option in Google Chrome.

Bottom line the extensions and how they function are important to me, and all though almost all of my extensions perform the way they are suppose to there are a few that don’t. A good example would be the Google Voice extensions for Chrome, it doesn’t perform the way it should, failing to play a sound upon incoming message and forcing a new tab vs a bubble pop-up. Same goes for the Gmail Checker extension that I use, no such luck on it showing me the total new messages waiting in my inbox.

2. Extension Placement

RockMelt puts all Google Chrome extensions on the right edge of the screen vs placing it above the bookmarks bar like traditional Google Chrome does. I don’t mind the social stuff on the right edge but I would prefer to have my extensions at the top above the bookmarks bar.

In Closing

Before I get out of here and enjoy the rest of the day I’ll say the same thing I always say when it comes to this type of stuff. Don’t base anything off of what I say, go out there and try it once RockMelt becomes available to the public. Try it, if you’re anything like me there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself using both Google Chrome and the new RockMelt browser.

Final Thought

Much like anything else I’m going to need a little more time to get use to RockMelt, time always seems to be the factor in how much I can tolerate certain things missing vs appreciating the new things something offers. I know at this stage of the game I still have Google Chrome open and I still have HootSuite open via my Fluid application HootSuite seems to be one of those tools that I just can’t live without as a small business owner, and thus far MarketMeSuite, Tweet Deck and Seesmic still can’t touch replacing HootSuite.

I also think it’s kind of funny that I am comparing the RockMelt browser to the HootSuite application, I guess that just goes to show you how powerful RockMelt is and stands to be moving forward.

P.s. In the middle of writing this post I was alerted via a Growl notification that RockMelt was ready for an update, the RockMelt browser update was simple and really happened so fast I barely had time to get the screen shot below.

Leave a comment with your thoughts on trying a new browser. What browser do you currently use and do you think your going to give RockMelt a try when it’s in full release?

Between A RockMelt And A Hard Place: The Quest For The Social Browser (techcrunch.com)
RockMelt Brings Social To Your Web Browser (hypebot.com)
Goodbye Firefox, chrome and safari – Here comes RockMelt! (shoutmeloud.com)

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Hey John, what an awesome and thorough! I watched someone’s screencast for RockMelt and it made my head spin. But you broke it down and compared exactly what I wanted to hear. HootSuite rules! and I can’t see replacing it with any other Twitter tool even if it does come as part of a browser. I’m also a Chrome fan and based on what you said (especially at the end), I’ll probably wait until after a few more updates before I dive in and download it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend John.
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