There are a variety of web browsers, including Firefox, chrome, and Internet Explorer Similarly, there are many mobile browsers, and new ones continue to enter the market. These browsers and versions of the same all work differently. Tools for assessing browser compatibility are available online. Such tools assess the speed of a browser and they can do so across several operating systems and geographical locations.
Some testing tools like Browser shots are free. Others like Sauce Labs, Gomez.com and Power Mapper are purchased.
1) BrowserShots Compatibility Test
This one tests nearly 80 versions of common browsers. Most of the major operating systems are available. However, Internet Explorer is not available.
On opening BrowserShots.org, almost all the available browsers are usually already selected. If one desires to test all present operating systems and browser versions, they should enter their website URL into the open field and click. Submit. When one wants to be more specific about their testing, they should click the ‘None’ button at the bottom of the webpage and clear all the check boxes. Then, click on each box for each browser for each OS one would like to test.
Testing can take 3 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the amount of browsers selected. When each browser test completes, a screenshot appears on the ‘queue’ on the BrowserShots webpage. The disadvantage of using BrowserShots is the 30-minute queue time frame.
2) Gomez Cross-Browser Compatibility Test
This test has a set of tools named ‘Instant Test Center’. Its tests include Cross-Browser Compatibility, Multi-Browser Performance and others. The test can take up to 24 hours to complete. One begins by going to the Gomez.com Instant Test Center at the top of the ‘Resources’ drop-down. One can also use this URL for direct access http://www.gomez.com/resources/instant-test-center.
Six tests that can be performed for free appear. Fill out the required information in the test form on the right of the screen and click ‘Submit’. An email will be received from Gomez within 24 hours with access to the test results.
3) PowerMapper SortSite Test
This one works like to a desktop browser test, but provides more useful information. It checks accessibility, broken links, and search engine optimization. On completion of a test, a report is produced with graphs of any issues detected during the test. To start, one goes to PowerMapper.com and clicks on the ‘Products’ header. Two tools appear, ‘PowerMapper’ and ‘SortSite’. One clicks on the one they desire to use. The results will appear in the browser and the report will also be emailed back.
4) Perfecto Mobile Handset Test
This test allows merchants to test websites for mobile compatibility across hundreds of mobile devices and geographical locations. To start, one goes to PerfectoMobile.com set up and logs in to their account. After, one selects a handset from the models widely available from the big brands. A reservation is then made for a testing session on a specific date and time for testing. Once testing is complete, testing of individual apps in the same cloud testing environment across the same geographical locations is offered on this platform as well.
