Bitstream announced that its Bolt mobile browser will get widgets support in the upcoming version 1.7. From what we’ve heard, widgets will work inside the browser and will be accessible via a new widgets menu. Similar thing was offered via Opera Mobile back in the days of Symbian UIQ.
Bolt already supports JavaScript and some other web-based languages, and the widgets engine will do that as well. The release is scheduled for February 15th, when a small set of widgets will be launched alongside the Bolt 1.7.
Shaw Wu, with the Kaufman Bros. analyst firm, reports that the first versions of the new BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 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.
Since Google (NSDQ: GOOG) doesn’t stand a puppy’s chance in a mosh pit of getting Voice into the iTunes App Store, they’re resorting to a new mobile website that handles all the usual functions (like checking transcribed and audio voicemail, dialling out with your GV number, and send text messages). You can find out more about Google Voice here, but it’s basically ties all of your phone numbers (cell, work, home, wherever) under one number, and stores a lot of pertinent information in the cloud. While I wasn’t too thrilled about this strategy when it came to Latitude, it seems like this particular implementation actually does a great job. Third parties had already taken the “web app” approach successfully, but it’s HTML5 (that provides cool stuff like local databases and offline functionality) that’s bringing the boys to the yard for Google’s version. Anyone rocking a webOS device or iPhone and are registered with Google Voice should hit up m.google.com/voice, and give it a shot.
Just when we talked about NetFront’s popularity, ACCESS announced the latest version of its mobile web browser – 4.0. The company that is usually known as the Garnet (Palm (NSDQ: PALM)) OS code owner is emphasizing the NetFront’s fast JavaScript engine, which was developed from the ground up and is therefore up to 20 times faster than the engine found in NetFront 3.5.
In addition to the improved JavaScript handling, NetFront 4.0 also comes with a brand new UI, featuring smooth scrolling (Swift Navi), animated zoom, and pan and zoom navigation (PagePilot).
ACCESS has initially released the new browser (concept version) for Windows Mobile, whereas version for other major mobile platforms will follow in the near future…
ACCESS, the company which is best known as an owner of the Garnet (Palm (NSDQ: PALM)) OS, announced that comScore has once again confirmed NetFront Browser as the leading mobile browser deployed on handsets in the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain. The feature phone web browser is available in 28% of handset models shipped in the U.S., rising from 27% noted in a comScore study earlier this year. NetFront Browser also maintained its leading position in the European markets surveyed.
Which brings me to the main point – smartphones are still used by a (vocal) minority of users, myself included. Hopefully that will change as prices go down…
The folks at Vlingo, creators of a handy voice search and service app have released their top 10 voice-powered mobile web searches of 2009. The data was gathered via the millions of Vlingo-powered mobile web searches over the past year.
The Top 10 Mobile Voice Searches for 2009:
YouTube
Facebook
MySpace
Weather
Movie Times
Twitter
Yellow Pages
MapQuest
craigslist
White Pages
President and CEO of Vlingo Dave Grannan commented on the results:
“Unlike traditional Web searches that focus on specific search terms such as ‘Michael Jackson’ or ‘Twilight,’ our data shows that on mobile phones, people tend to search for specific destinations sites and resources… Mobile Web search is very popular on Vlingo, accounting for over 20% of all usage. Based on our users’ top searches, we are seeing mobile extending far beyond SMS and voice communications to encompass multimedia and social networking.”
Vlingo is available for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), iPhone, the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) S60 and select Windows Mobile devices. For more information visit Vlingo.com, or hit up the Vlingo blog.
As expected, the first public release of Firefox Mobile (a.k.a Fennec) is available today for the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N900. I haven’t seen a lot of big changes in this particular version, but you can check out the changelog for highlights. Obviously the big feature is support for plug-ins, but the iconic Awesome Bar, tabbed browsing, and overall excellent internet browsing experience are solid selling points. The N900 already has a great native browser though – the real test will be when Firefox comes to a platform that actually needs it, like BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM). To get downloading, go to firefox.com/m on your N900.
Firefox’s official debut on mobile is mere “days away”, according to Jay Sullivan at Mozilla. If you’ve been following the string of betas for Windows Mobile and Maemo 5, and the rumours of Android and iPhone apps, you’ll know what Fennec is all about. The status of the latter two have changed a bit, especially the iPhone version. Sullivan says "Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is very restrictive. It doesn’t allow other browsers… As it’s a pretty closed platform we don’t see that happening soon." Conversely, it sounds like work on the Android version is well underway.
Sure, security and usability rank high on the browser’s priorities, but the big feature in mobile Firefox is add-ons – plug-ins that customize and tweak the internet browsing experience to meet your particular needs. Add-ons are what made desktop Firefox the success it is today and precisely what is giving Internet Explorer a run for its money. Cruising through some of the add-ons currently available for the N900, Mozilla is pushing Weave pretty aggressively; it’s a lot like Opera Link, in that it syncs bookmarks, history and passwords between desktop and mobile, but Firefox has the decided advantage in that it actually has a desktop following. As great as add-ons are, tabbed browsing, the Awesome Bar (which somehow figures out what you’re looking for, no matter what you type into it), and the promise of deep geo-location functions are all things to look forward to from Firefox mobile in the (hopefully) near future. The public release for the N900 is first up, with other platforms to follow – keep an eye on the official mobile Firefox page to see what’s up.
On the heels of the updated version for Windows Mobile, Skyfire is bringing its famous web browser to Symbian S60 touch-enabled devices (S60 5th Edition). As you probably already know, Skyfire is one of the most promising mobile web browsers, bringing the full desktop experience to your mobile phone. This includes JavaScript (Ajax), Flash 10 (streaming video), and other goodies of modern web pages. Bare in mind, however, that Skyfire 1.5 is still in alpha, hence it may not be the most stable app out there. You can download it from this post on DailyMobile’s forums.
Opera is rounding out their OEM Opera Mobile offerings with a new version of the mobile web browser for smartphones running the Android operating system. If you’re not a smartphone maker with Android wares in the pipeline or a wireless carrier with plans to offer customized Android phones in the future, this news doesn’t affect you directly, but it does set the stage for future Android smartphones running the Opera Mobile browser. And, going forward, Opera will be using the same Opera Mobile user interface across all supported platforms – a “unified UI,” so to speak.
Smartphone makers like HTC have been bundling the Opera Mobile browser on their Windows Mobile handsets – Symbian and BREW to a lesser extent – for a while now, while their Android phones were stuck using the vanilla Android browser. We’ll probably see new Android offerings running the Opera Mobile browser at CES Las Vegas 2010.
Since Google (
