Flock is built on the Mozilla Open Source and is a beautiful, capable Browser. It has all the standard features of other browsers and all of it presented in an eminently-usable, intuitive manner as well.

Perhaps due to the fact that all these social networking features that are on tap, Flock is a biggish download, as far as Browsers go. However, it is still smaller than Internet Explorer or Apple Safari. Flock is a little slow to start up too, in comparison with other Gecko-Mozilla based Browsers like Firefox and CometBird, though it is faster than SeaMonkey. Flock runs perfectly well alongside other Browsers and is stable as a rock - we have had exactly ZERO crashes with it, irrespective of the version number. Flock would be liked by younger people we feel, who would find it easier for their Social networking requirements.

Flock needs to add on the features that have quickly become standard on Firefox - for example, the ability to open closed URLs. Flock also needs to integrate with 3rd party Security products like Norton 360, Web of Trust, etc., as a second layer of security for the Browser. Not that Flock is not secure - we would definitely like to see a second layer of security in all Browsers though! Equally importantly, it also needs to be promoted far more aggressively, for, the competition is cut-throat - a basically-sound Browser alone is not sufficient!

Cracking Microsoft's base is proving to be a long-drawn-out challenge for Firefox. Netscape had decimated itself years ago, despite winning the court battle: they won the battle in court but lost it in the marketplace, with Mozilla having ceased support for it from the 1st of March, 2008. Apple Safari, despite its excellent reputation in the Mac world and rock-solid performance, combined with the best looks and proven security, is yet to create much of a ripple in the Windows world. Opera continues to be a small-time player that has a fanatic following in the Browser market with some nifty features. Google has now thrown its hat into the ring, with the introduction of Chrome: for good or for bad. And then there is the Firefox look-alike, called CometBird. Finally, there is the highly innovative Maxthon, the lightning-quick Avant and its Mozilla-based twin, Orca... these are what Flock is up against: nobody grants favors in this battle!

With the release of Version 2, Flock added support for Mozilla plug-ins and add-ons, including our favorite, FireFTP. While this is indeed a great step, the fact is that any Browser that intends to make it to the top needs to have very specific (and very special) features as well as widespread publicity. With Maxthon, Avant, Orca, Google Chrome and Mozilla CometBird entering the fray, Flock definitely has its task cut out... clearly, a USP is a great starting point, but it needs a great deal of publicity to become a great product!

The Bottomline: The Flock guys need to be more pro-active, lest Flock remain a niche Browser! Although Flock looks better than FireFox and CometBird, it needs to immediately build up on visibility, if it is to garner a sizable market share for itself!