Handoff Review

Its use is quite limited, but what Handoff does do, it does quite well. The goal of Handoff is to make it easy to transfer webpages from your computer to your iOS device. Sure, you could email the link to yourself or use some kind of syncing note service, but nothing is easier than just clicking a button and going.

What makes Handoff so easy is the bookmarklet that Handoff has you download into your web browser. After the install, which works on the most popular browsers (I'm using Chrome), a new little button pops up next to the URL entry area. By matching your user names, the button identifies your phone and allows you to send over the like with just a click. No hoops to run thought, no weird verification screens; just a click.

Once your site is sent over, it appears in your Handoff app, just waiting for you to read. The web pages, once clicked, will be the exact page that you were looking at on the computer, not the sometimes annoying mobile version. From the app, you can also share the page with a number of services, including Facebook, Google Reader, Instapaper, Twitter, etc.

As far as the functionality of the app goes, I couldn't find any major faults with its implementation. Transfers worked well, buttons made sense, and the options were all there. As a reviewer, though, it is my job to complain, so I'll toss in a few issues/suggestions for good measure. The first issue I had was with the + button on the apps home screen. When I clicked on it, it asked if I want to add an article that I was reading a few weeks back. I liked the article, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to change the link. I'm not sure why I'd ever need to add a page from mobile Safari to Handoff, but it would be nice to be able to control. My other complaint, and this one is petty, is that IdeaSwarm uses this off color combo of dark gray with black text on its website and help documentation. It's all legible, but reading the getting started link in the app without turning the brightness way up is almost impossible. I'm no designer, but I think I would migrate to an easier to read shade of white.

Aside from my minute complaints, Handoff really does serve as a great way to transport websites from big screen to small. Not everyone will need this functionality (I've gone for years without such ability), but if you are in the market you should definitely give Handoff a shot.