One of the weakest points on any BlackBerry new or old is the browser. In today’s mobile content buffet, the quantity and quality of mobile data are both very important, hence the BlackBerry’s continuing decline as a hardcore consumer device. But after RIM purchased a third party browser developer called “Torch Mobile”, things took a quick turn for the better.
So far, the latest BlackBerry videos we’ve seen that highlight unreleased hardware have shown us all the ins and outs of the new BB OS 6.0, except for the highly sought after webkit browser that will now be coming standard. Happy to oblige, the folks at Driphter took the new browser for a little spin on a BlackBerry 9800 Slider running OS 6.0 in order to give us all a taste of what we can look forward to.
To be sure, performance drastically improved (as the reviewer notes) over the old java-based browser that’s stubbornly clung to BlackBerry devices up until now. Though, the fit and finish could still use a touch up here and there. All in all, it looks like a very compelling upgrade that many Berry users will lust after even more-so after seeing the video right after the jump
Make no mistake, RIM’s current BlackBerry browser sucks and sucks big time. It’s always sucked. Those who disagree obviously aren’t using the internet as it was meant to be used — flash, javascript, ajax, and so on. Flash is still a sticking point for many other mobile browsers in the market but the rest of that list is a rather common affair now.
After acquiring Torch Mobile last year, rumors and speculation of a completely revamped BlackBerry browser almost immediately began. After a solid two years of complaints centering around the archaic browser, it seemed RIM had finally opened up their ears to their customers. So what’s the current status on this new browser?
The latest info we’ve heard has the browser being completely re-developed from the ground up and based on Webkit — a far cry from the POS Java relic BB’s currently run. RIM is gunning to take it even further than “just a webkit” browser however. Previously leaked documents and other claims from various sources have RIM tightly integrating their BIS/BES services and server side technology into the mix (which any Opera Mini users should know…) greatly speeds up browsing speeds, rending accuracy, and manages to drastically cut down on bandwidth.
RIM is pretty damn good at doing some big things over limited bandwidth allotments so this frankenstein browser has to be good.
Even though I don’t use a BlackBerry day to day, I have connections and Berry’s available to test if need be. This new uber BlackBerry browser will certainly be one of the biggest updates for the BlackBerry OS in recent memory (if ever). Keep checking back for more info as the story develops.
Think RIM’s hybrid webkit/server cached browser combo will jump ahead of the competition (read: Android and iPhone browsers)?
Electronista
[Image Source]
- 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
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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
- February 20, 2009 11:30 am
Windows Mobile users who are all to familiar with the joke that is Mobile IE have yet another option in the mobile browser world. Torch Mobile announced at MWC that they have updated their browser, “Iris” to v1.1.0. Besides getting some new numbers, the beta tag has been kicked to the curb. For those of you unfamiliar with Iris, it is a web-kit based mobile browser that will display web pages just as if you were browsing on a desktop computer, however, they will of course be formatted to fit your devices screen ratio’s. Interested parties can find the download link right over here. I personally have never used Iris so if anyone who has would be as kind as to let me know how it is it would be greatly appreaciated.
Source: Mobile Burn, WMO Poweruser *pic*
