Archive for: mobile browser
- November 2, 2010 11:13 am
Following several other concessions on Apple’s old iron grip, another awesome iOS app has finally broken though — Skyfire.
For those unfamiliar with Skyfire, it’s a pretty awesome mobile web browser that’s been around on Android for several months now. The way it works is that it helps navigate Flash-heavy websites by stripping said content and then sending it back to Skyfire’s servers to compress and convert to HTML 5 video. From there, it’s back to the handset in a much more mobile-friendly format. In this case, the handset in question is the iPhone/iPod Touch.
Users looking for interactive Flash game compatibility and other non-video Flash-based services are still out of luck. Because of how Skyfire works, such things aren’t possible. But then again, if they were, Apple probably wouldn’t have approved Skyfire in the first place.
Look for SkyFire to go live in the App Store this Thursday (November 4th) at 9am for $2.99.
- November 13, 2009 11:29 am
I remember the day that I read about the rumors of a touchscreen BlackBerry. I was sitting in Chicago O’Hare Airport waiting for a flight to Houston. At that time, scouring the specs on BGR’s site left my jaw dropping and my heart racing. That was the pinnacle of my CrackBerry days. I have since moved on to many different platforms though my enthusiasm for the BlackBerry platform has never truly waned. All it will take is one breakthrough device (with better software of course) and my lusts will again be turned to the Canadian born giant again.
Rumors of an end all be all BlackBerry are nothing new. Well over a year has gone by since they first started circulating. But this time, a research note by Shaw Wu, a Kaufmen Bros. analyst, cites various “contracts in the industry” and parts suppliers who all claim or depict a touchscreen + sliding qwerty Berry. A phone just like the Droid but with a better keyboard and who knows what else? I’d love to see one.
Along with the obvious excitement over a touchscreen + qwerty BlackBerry, this new rumored BlackBerry (Is this the often rumored BlackBerry 9900?) device will surely come with a completely revamped WebKit browser. A new browser also isn’t a surprise per say as RIM’s recent acquisition of Torch Mobile — a company that developed a webkit browser — all but confirms it’s coming to BlackBerry devices in the not too distant future. RIM knows they need a new browser. Their current one sucks. With the iPhone and Android browsers being two of the top mobile browsers, both based on webkit, means RIM can’t afford not to. The device is currently in “prototype state” so any immediate release is out of the question. But next year its on…
CrackBerry meltdown in 3..2..
Electronista
{Image Source}
If you actually use the internet on a BlackBerry for anything worthwhile, you already know how terrible and downright useless the standard browser is. Thankfully there are options. Today’s focus will be Bolt. A new browser relative to other players’ time on the market such as Opera mini doesn’t mean that Bolt is eons behind. Far from it actually. Even the first 1.0 build was awesome. With 1.5 that awesomeness only gets better. The list of updates is rather impressive and just goes to show how dedicated the Bolt team really is.
The New Features:
- Cache Support to speed users’ ability to move quickly back and forth between the currently and previously viewed Web pages through the use of backward and forward navigation.
- Download Manager for easy download of files directly from BOLT and the ability to save them to specific folders on the mobile phone (requires JSR75 support on the device).
- Support for Streaming Videos of Any Length that overcomes limitations on some phones’ ability to stream videos of longer lengths. The new approach ensures video clips will play on all devices, for any length video.
- Video Wizard to assist users in configuring their device for optimal video playback.
- Dedicated Search Bar on home page, for easier and faster online searches.
- Improved Ability to Manage RSS Feeds by allowing users to arrange and file feeds just as they do with their favorites and bookmarks.
- Enhancements for Touch Screen Devices such as simple volume controls for the BOLT media player which now offers volume controls on the screen.
- Enhancements for BOLT Servers in the cloud, which increase the already fast BOLT mobile browser by an additional 10 to 20 percent.
I’m sure you’re tired of reading by now and just want to try it out for yourself. As you wish…
CrackBerry
- September 15, 2009 5:54 am
Can you imagine a world without squirting? While many die hard Zune users and honest to goodness geeks stayed up until the wee hours of the morning waiting for the Zune 4.0 software, others retired to their sleeping chambers ready to conquer another day. The reason for the all nighter of course was the release of the Zune 4.0 software. With the 4.0 update comes many new features (and removal of some) such as device apps with more to come, download-to-own, and “Smart DJ” playlists to name a few. However, a casualty has appeared to show up this morning. The often mocked “squirting” feature that allowed two Zune users to wirelessly share a DRM laiden song has reportedly been yanked. Why remove such a feature that not too long ago Microsoft put big marketing behind? Eh? Beats me, but, when I used my Zune daily for a good year long stint, I never once used it. So in reality it probably won’t be missed by many. Still, it’s sad that the new Zune is removing features isn’t it? Sound off, do you already find yourself shaking because you can’t squirt?
**BTW…anyone care to clarify or confirm this feature is really gone?
Source: Engadget, Cnet, Image Source
While I currently use an iPhone (for the time being) and am setting my sights on Android as my next purchase, I still have a place in my heart for RIM and their beloved BlackBerry. Even though the OS looks and operates as if it were written in 2004, the sheer simplicity of any type of messaging on a BlackBerry is hard to knock or challenge. Since the iPhone and Android have ushered in browsers that are actually worth doing any type of mobile browsing on, BlackBerries have struggled to keep up with the grossly outdated BB Browser based on java. A quick solution is to download a 3rd party browser such as Opera Mini or the up and coming Skyfire Browser for BlackBerry. But 3rd party solutions don’t always blend in perfectly. RIM, seeing their trials and tribulations in this sector of the market have managed to come up with a solution to get them back in the game.
Today, RIM announced their acquisition of Torch Mobile, makers of a spectacular web-kit based (ala iPhone and Android) mobile browser known to many as “IRIS”, in hopes that the information and knowledge shared between the now partners can help propel BlackBerries even further into the limelight. I personally cannot wait for a proper web-kit based browser on a BlackBerry. Heck, if RIM can manage to put a heavy hand on some other areas of the OS, I’ll be a happy BlackBerry user once again. Until then it looks like we’ll have to play the waiting game and dream of what goods will soon come out of this union. Excited?
Source: BGR, Torch Mobile
Yes we know, you want flash, flash, and more flash on your mobile web browser. So far it has proven to be easier said than done. The puny processors and limited amounts of other resources limit flash playback performance to utter crap. Enter the new wonderful world of Android + Opera Mobile. Opera Mobile will bring forth what pretty much every other browser has failed at so far – reliable, stutter free flash playback, oh so they claim. I have high hopes though I won’t be too disappointed if it is another fail as I’ve already been through it several times. Guess we’ll just have to cross our fingers huh? Look for the good times to start rollin’ sooner than soon!
Source: Gizmodo, App Scout
The Creative Zii EGG is the companies latest attempt to steal some of the iPod’s crowd. With iPod sales are starting to decline, one has to wonder just how much Creative can capture. Moving forward, the unique dual OS nature of this new beast will allow developers and end users alike to truly benefit. While we all know what and how the Android browser works, it is the new found friendship on the in-house Plaszma OS side that is getting the attention. Creative has teamed up with Opera to bring users who don’t quite get the whole Android buzz another option on their PMP/mobile web browsing device of choice. While one could go on and say we all already know how Opera operates too, and which is of course a valid statement, they are kind of missing the point. I guess the real story isn’t so much the “new browser”, but instead the partnership. Does the Zii have your interest piqued?
Source: Engadget, Anything but iPod
- February 2, 2009 12:53 pm
So your little Billy is fortunate enough to be the only kid in 4th grade with an iPhone. With the iPhone literally comes the world in your hands, a potentially dangerous thing for a 4th grader. There is all kinds of information on the web that little Billy shouldn’t see for at least a few more years. Until now however, you had to pray that he didn’t use his beloved iPhone for naughty things. Parents, you can sit back and relax. Safe Eyes mobile allows you to protect little Billy and his iPhone from the naughties and creepers (just for you Gib) of the web. Billy, don’t worry about performance issues. Safe Eyes is reported to be just as fast and smooth as using the normal browser. Safe internet. Fast internet. Everyone is happy! The browser is available through the iTunes App Store for $19.99. A small price to pay for the innocence of your little snowflake, isn’t it?
Source: Mobile Whack
Coming from a Blackberry, I can attest to the fact that the stock Blackberry browser is a joke, plain and simple. If you plan on doing any amount of web browsing, up until now you had Opera Mini as you only good choice. However, a new player is coming to the market. BitStream is working on a new Blackberry browser called the “Bolt”. BitStream claims that Bolt is a great deal faster than Opera Mini (and OM is pretty darn fast), as well as using a considerable less amount of resources. So far, after a few minutes of playing around with it I must admit that I am really liking Bolt so far. It will be exciting to see it further developed! Check the gallery on the next page to see a whole slew of pictures courtesy of Blackberry Cool.
