In one of my March posts, I discussed alternatives to the Safari web browser on the iPad. One additional question that I get quite often is how to access all of your desktop computer bookmarks right from the iPad. There are various ways to do this, but I will look at two – one involving a somewhat cumbersome syncing process, and the other through a simple app (although the service does have a subscription fee).
The first approach is to use a bookmark syncing service (Xmarks is my favorite and the one reviewed here) to sync your browser bookmarks (from Google Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer) to the Apple Safari browser. You then can synchronize those bookmarks with your iPad through the iTunes synchronization process. Here is a link to a blog post explaining the process.
The second approach, and my preferred method, is to simply install the Xmarks app on the iPad. You are required to have an Xmarks account, which comes in free and premium versions. To use Xmarks on the iPad, you are required to have a premium account (currently $12 annual subscription fee). The Xmarks app synchronizes your desktop browser bookmarks with your iPad, providing easy access to any bookmark you have set up previously. The app operates its own mini-browser, but in my experience, it works seamlessly with most websites. The app provides easy search capabilities and quick access to all bookmarks.
I highly recommend Xmarks as a bookmark synchronization tool, regardless of whether you use it on the iPad or not. All bookmarks are synchronized across your all your computers, which results in a similar experience regardless of which machine (or browser) that is used.
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