Raven, A New Site-specific And Social Networking Web Browser For Mac OS X

Raven is a new Web browser for Mac OS X. At first glance, Raven resembles an iPad app, but its main innovation is in how it handles Web apps. When you install an app, it shows up in the sidebar from which you can access site-specific commands with a click. When the content in any of your apps is updated, a subtle blue reminder light next to its icon in the browser sidebar will appear.

Raven uses a technique called “site specific browsing” to create a dedicated browser and debuts with the most widely-used social networking websites including Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Quora. Within each app Raven provides yet another instance for key features. This provides a whole new level of multitasking within a single window. The Raven Smart Bar unifies navigation across many different websites allowing access to features quickly, without effort and with little instruction.

The developers say they created Raven with the belief that if a browser provided a more helpful hand, Web apps would not have to work as hard to mimic their desktop counterparts. The only barrier between the web app and the device you are using is the browser, so it needs to be more than just a browser, but also a partner in providing a platform for software development, similar to the way an operating system does. Like the phone, the browser can become smarter.

Raven is based on Webkit, the Open Source rendering engine Apple created that powers Safari and Chrome as well as most any Mac app that leverages HTML to display content like Mail. At its core Raven is just as good a browser as those mentioned. However, the developers have created our own user interface from scratch. Many other products simply leverage what Webkit provides, but they decided to forego that stuff in order to create their own unique UI framework. That means they didn’t need to compete on rendering on HTML and instead and put their efforts into creating innovative features that are not dependent on what Webkit provides. While they will take a hit on performance in the beta phases, later they’ll be able to accomplish tasks that other browsers won’t be able to match.

Raven is still in those beta stages, so it’s for users who can stomach the changes and problems that will persist in early versions. If Raven stalls, crashes or feels like it is running slow simply force quit by typing Option+Command+Esc at the same time on your keyboard. Restart the app and see if the issue still persists. If so you may want to file a bug request so the developers are aware of the issue. Check back periodically by launching Raven and selecting “Check for update” from the Raven App Menu. For example, there are currently many known issues with Adobe Flash Player and various Javascript incompatibilities being worked on.

Browsing history is usually relegated to a simple list of links or a menu in most browsers. Raven’s history browser provides an organized list of pages you’ve visited with a preview pane, allowing you to preview the page before you visit it again. The search box above your history list lets you find that page you have trouble remembering. History will forever be altered thanks to Raven.

Raven’s developers believe people have two types of bookmarks – ones you use everyday which they call favorites, and pages you find that you want to read later but don’t necessarily want to keep cluttering you bookmarks menu in perpetuity. With Raven you can simply tap the “add” icon in the menu bar, decide if it is to be a favorite or a bookmark. Raven can also automatically send your bookmarks to Instapaper or you can read them in text only mode. Favorites will be added to the menu for quick access.

Raven’s new suggestion feature scours both your favorites and your history to provide a number of links to sites you commonly visit or have visited before. No need for a bookmarks bar, simply type the first view characters and “boom!”: – a list of pages that match what you’re looking for will appear. Raven also combines the address bar with the search box. Simply enter a keyword instead of an address and Raven will search Google for you and provide you more results to find what you are looking for.

Raven debuts with a handful of menu items which include the ability to add a new favorite, access your favorites list or create new tabs. Single column mode will make Raven pretend it’s a mobile web browser. This allows you to reduce the width of the window to experience the site just as you would on a smartphone.

System requirements:
• You must have at least Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard in order to install Raven.
• At least 1GB of memory recommended,
• A 1Ghz Intel or A5 processor or better
• 1024×768 display resolution

For more information, visit:
http://raven.io/