Browsing gets better
Posted by Offbeatmammal on 05/30/08 in Browsers, PocketPC, Smart Phones
With the advent of Safari on the iPhone there’s been a bit of a shake-up in the mobile internet experience – or at least the expectations.
Out of the box Windows Mobile comes with cut down version of Internet Explorer called IEMobile (aka PocketIE) which, while reliable, is getting a little long in the tooth.
IEMobile is based on IE5 so there are many sites that can take advantage of the capabilities available on mobile devices today. With the advent of IE6 for Windows Mobile things should only get better.
Of course, that’s in the future – what can you do today for a better browsing experience?
Opera extends "Gears" Support
Posted by Jay Donovan on 05/29/08 in Google, Opera, Press Releases
…from Opera.com
Opera Software announced today it will support Gears in its desktop and mobile browsers. The inclusion of Gears in Opera’s main browsing products supports Opera’s vision of transforming the browser into a full platform for applications, regardless of device.
“Opera will have full support for Gears on mobile when they launch this year,” said Charles Wiles, Product Manager for mobile web apps at Google. “Opera Mobile 9.5 will be a great example of a high-quality browser on a mobile platform that supports Gears. This marks the coming of age of the browser as the platform for application development on mobile devices.”
Ok, great. What the heck does this mean?
Well, if I understand correctly (and by all means if I have this wrong, someone comment and let me know) Gears allows the browser to run offline applications that are stored locally on a device or a computer (i.e. it installs a local server, database, etc). This means the browser could hold the interface of a local application that does not require an Internet connection.
Skyfire Update Version 0.6.0.4489
Posted by Doug Smith on 04/30/08 in Browsers, Software, The Internet
It’s no secret that I have really liked Skyfire. Version 0.5 was excellent with a few bugs. I sent some feedback to them along with what I am sure is a ton of other Beta Testers and they listened! Some of my suggestions was editing bookmarks, and multi line editing for Google! Version 0.6 has all of these in it! I am really excited about this release and have been playing with it all morning. Update came at 6:30am! (zzzzzzz)
Here are the updates log:
- Multi-line text entry (2000 character limit)
- Auto-complete text entry
- Paste into URL or search
- Ability to delete bookmarks
- Multiple zoom modes for touch screen phones
- Double tap to zoom in and zoom out
- Support for custom virtual keyboards (SIP)
- Web search shortcut in softkey menu
- Access to Windows Mobile Taskbar in softkey menu
- Persistent settings for Smartfit, Mute and Zoom size
- Support for 12 key and 1/2 QWERTY Devices
- Password Masking
- Backlight usage based on system settings
- OK button sends Skyfire to the background
This is a lot of updates! I think Skyfire may have launched themselves to the front of the Browser Race with this latest release. Check out a ton of screen shots after the break.
$5000 Worth of Software Just For You!
Posted by Steve Laser on 03/3/08 in Browsers, Opinion, Software
Not everyone wants to pay hundreds of dollars for great software such as MS Office, Photoshop, or anti-virus, and let’s face it, the economy is peaking - the wrong way. So watching our spending habits seems like a good idea right now. How do you do that without sacrificing productivity? Yahoo! shows you how. They highlight an article by PC Magazine called, “The Best Free Software.”
PC Mag starts the article, “We did the math: If you bought popular apps instead of trying their gratis counter-parts, at the manufacturers’ list prices you’d be out $5,183 and change! Why spend money when you can get what you need for nothing? Sometimes, you do get what you don’t pay for.”
Indeed, they feature a veritable treasure trove of software including office software, browsers, operating systems, anti-virus, firewalls, security and much more. I’ve been using some of these titles and have found them to be excellent. How many do you use?
NetFront 3.5 First Impressions
Posted by Steve Laser on 02/8/08 in Browsers, NetFront
JK on the Run today reported that the new concept version of NetFront 3.5 is out now instead of on Monday. I downloaded it and will give you my first impressions.
Read on for more photos and comparisons to Opera and IE.
NetFront 3.5 Wages War on Browser Front
Posted by Steve Laser on 02/7/08 in Browsers, NetFront, The Internet
The iPhone’s Safari Browser has woken up the Windows Mobile world by showing them what is possible in a browser. Now nobody wants the same, staid, Pocket IE. People want to zoom, scroll and navigate through pages with their finger and simple motions. We’ve seen some attempts at this, specifically with Picsel.
Opera just announced plans for Opera Mobile 9.5, a browser with more iPhone-like features, but it’s not out yet. Skyfire says their bringing an iPhone type browser out as well, but it’s in beta now. NetFront 3.5 is due out in four days as a “concept”, not just beta, as they are looking for feedback. Looks very promising.
