Wymea Bay offers a product entitled iRider, an Internet web browser, which makes browsing the web an easier and more fun task. The main thing I worry about when I am browsing the web for some of my interests is will I be able to find it again. One of the great things about any web browser, or at least all of the ones I have used is that you can make a list of “favorites” that will let you go to the page on the Internet directly and with only a click of the mouse. iRider is a program that lets the user organize and save web pages in a simple, painless way without using a favorites menu. The primary positive characteristics of this browser include its speed, efficiency and organizational features. In my experience using this web browser, the speed of using this web browser with its many features exceeds that of the competition. As you read further, I believe you will understand why I am making that statement.

What you need is for your system to be running at least Windows 98/ME/2000/XP on a Pentium-II PC or equivalent with 100 MB free hard disk space, at least 64 MB RAM and a 16-bit color display at 800 x 600 screen resolution. All things considered, these are fairly basic requirements. I am testing it out on my new computer, which has an Intel P4 3.06 GHz CPU, with 512 MB of RDRAM, running Windows XP Professional, with 80 and 160 GB hard drives. Once I installed it from the CD, I was ready to go. Unlike some software programs I have installed in the past, this program has worked flawlessly from the get-go. There is a built-in demo movie, which explains the basics and there are lots of help and support pages that provide reasonably clear and helpful directions for how to accomplish specific tasks with this powerful tool.

This is a browser unlike any I have ever used before. What are you able to accomplish with iRider that sets it apart from other browsers? The first thing that should be mentioned is the fact that it uses a page list that operates in a seamless way to give you access to multiple web pages at the same time. All you need to do is click on a page from the list and you will be taken there instantly. Each page can be “pinned” and when you close and re-open the browser, the identified list of “pinned” web pages is automatically opened again. If you want to edit the list, you simply unpin the page and it will no longer be opened as part of the initial iRider page list.

You can either pick one of the pages you have opened and click on it, or use the forward and back button to traverse the page list. You can even do it the old-fashioned way by typing in an address yourself. Having a large list of your most commonly used pages open up automatically with your browser opening is pretty cool. The only drawback I noted in using this software was that the higher the count of pages, the slower it opened. Of course, this makes sense if you realize that each page is being opened and stored within the browser, so that you have instant access whenever you click on that page from the page list.

If I understand the process correctly, iRider controls the memory accessed by open web pages in order to minimize memory demands while at the same time, allowing great flexibility. If no memory is available or if memory is running low, iRider relinquishes control of the memory addresses back to the system, allowing other applications to continue efficiently multi-tasking. Finally, iRider further controls it’s own memory access patterns by limiting memory use based on how often you use certain web pages, with more frequently used pages being given priority in the scheme.

What other features make it worth paying money to buy and use? First, you can use the page list to preview what is on the web page. For example, you might select a web page that you visit often and when new information is added, the thumbnail icon on your page list changes as well. These thumbnail images can be changed from smaller to larger as you desire. Second, to enhance web surfing even more, they have developed a technique they call “surf ahead” which works by right-clicking on a link or multiple links on the page you are viewing, these pages are successively loaded so that you no longer have to wait when you want to enter one of these links, they are simply there waiting for you. Third, if you surf for a long time or go through many links or searches, your open pages list grows, but you have toolbar buttons that will allow you to close a page, add pages to your favorites menu, close all pages from a particular site or close all “unpinned” pages with one mouse click. Fourth, I have to describe how easy it is to conduct a search. Much like the best search engines, you can select a search item and then check what you want iRider to use to search for the item. It is categorized so that you can check for all images, videos, music or audio files using a variety of search engines or you can select one or several search engines from the list that you want to use to complete the search. This allows you to search from one or two-dozen (or more) search engines for your search term. One final comment, one of my favorite things to do in Internet Explorer 6.0 is to type a word in the address bar, then hit CTRL + ENTER and have IE add the “www.” before and “.com” after the word I typed, saving me from typing them. That function is preserved in iRider, except that you use SHIFT + ENTER to accomplish this task.

The iRider browser program is available directly from their Internet web site for $29.00 at . It is 3.1 MB in size and can be easily downloaded from the Internet. I really love this browser and I give it two thumbs up for its power, usefulness and timesaving properties. Best of all, you can try it free for a limited time and if you do try it and do not buy it, I will be surprised. If you want iRider on a CD, it is available but it will cost you an additional $12.95.