Shaw Wu, with the Kaufman Bros. analyst firm, reports that the first versions of the new BlackBerry browser could run 30%-60% faster than on other WebKit-based browsers (like on Android and iPhone). Apparently, this is because the BlackBerry Internet Service and push architecture that RIM has built cuts down significantly on bandwidth demands (possibly taking advantage of Opera-style server-side compression). Flash support is still a work in progress, but since RIM has acquired Torch Mobile, creators of the Iris browser, BlackBerry’s browser will get its much-needed upgrade in good time. RIM has been talking big about their new browser, but we’ll believe it when we see it. The iPhone has set a gold standard for the mobile web, and as the device’s primary sore point, BlackBerry desperately needs to catch up with their own browser.
[via Electronista]