Fastest mobile browser on Android

Based on my experience, the fastest mobile browser on Android is Opera Mini. However, this browser does not support Adobe Flash like the standard browser found on most Android smartphones.

Opera is also available as Opera Mobile, but Opera Mini is faster. I've tested Skyfire and Firefox. I've looked at a few other Android web browsers. Opera Mini is simply the fastest browser when it comes to loading web pages.

I often wonder if the native mobile web browser on future versions of Android (like Gingerbread) will be faster than the Opera Mini experience. Let's wait and see.

Opera Mobile 10.1 on Android is fast!

Opera Mobile 10.1 is now available as a beta app for your Android smartphone. I'm running it on my Motorola Droid X and it's a very fast and responsive web browser. I plan to use it as my main browser for the next few weeks. Opera Mobile supports pinch-to-zoom and you can find it in the Android Marketplace.

Remember that Opera Mobile is a different browser from Opera Mini.

RIM soon launching a new web browser (WebKit) for BlackBerry

Will this new BlackBerry web browser compete against the browser found on the Apple iPhone?  How about Opera Mobile or Skyfire?

Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry phone, unveiled an overhauled Internet browser for its devices today to attract more non-business customers.

You can read about the details at BusinessWeek.

I wish I could be at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. 

Skyfire 1.5 is great!

The latest version of Skyfire (1.5) is a great mobile browser for Windows Mobile. You get full-screen functionality plus FLASH support. I've been using Skyfire for a while and I have to say that version 1.5 is the best version yet. In the past, the images used to appear distorted as they passed through a proxy server. Now, the images are much better (thanks for changing that Skyfire!). You can get it by directing your mobile browser to m.skyfire.com

So, now I'm mainly using Skyfire 1.5 and Opera Mobile 10 beta on my HTC Touch Pro2.

Very impressed by Opera Mobile 10 so far

I haven't spent a lot of time testing the new Opera Mobile 10 (beta), but I'm very impressed by the results so far. I'm testing this beta software on my HTC Touch Pro2 running Windows Mobile 6.1 and it's far better than Opera Mobile 9.5 or 9.7. If it supported Adobe Flash, then it would be a true winner. Over the next several days, I hope to spend more time testing this new mobile browser and comparing it against others such as Skyfire.

Video of Opera Mobile 10 (beta)

Here's a short video that highlights some of the innovative features found on the new Opera Mobile 10 (beta):

Opera Mobile 10 (beta) now available

I love the Opera mobile web browser. Opera is available in 2 different flavors for the smartphone/PDA:

1. Opera Mobile
2. Opera Mini

Opera Mobile is now available as version 10 in beta mode. To get it, visit: m.opera.com/mobile

I've been running the latest beta of Opera Mobile (which was 9.7), so I'm eager to see how version 10 will perform compared to version 9.5 and 9.7.

Version 10 beta is currently available for Nokia smartphones (Symbian) and Windows Mobile smartphones.

Opera Mobile 10 beta works on Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson smartphones running Symbian/S60, 3rd edition FP1 and FP2 & 5th edition.

Opera Mobile 10 beta works on both Classic and Professional editions of Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Mobile 6.0 and on Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC.

http://www.opera.com/mobile

Refreshed Internet Explorer Mobile (Pocket Internet Explorer)

Pocket Internet Explorer (Pocket IE) should really be called Internet Explorer Mobile or IE Mobile. I'm still in the habit of calling it Pocket IE (that's how long I've been using Windows Mobile)

The refreshed version of IE Mobile in Windows Mobile 6.5 is a considerable improvement than the browser found in 6.1, but I still prefer using either Skyfire or Opera Mobile. I'm eager to see Firefox Mobile (Fennec) when the final release gets out there. The refreshed version of IE Mobile allows you to zoom in and out of web pages much more effectively. Since the majority of Windows Phones use resistive touch screens (passive) as opposed to capacitive touch screens, we won't see any multi-touch gestures that allow you to zoom in and out by pinching or spreading your fingers in the current generation of Windows Phones.

So, if the one major benefit of upgrading from Windows Mobile 6.1 to 6.5 is to get the newer, more functional IE Mobile. Is that a real benefit if you're already using Skyfire or Opera Mobile?

HTC Touch Pro2 (Verizon): initial impressions from day 1

I got my HTC Touch Pro2 (HTC Rhodium - CDMA version) from Verizon Wireless today. Here are some of my initial thoughts after using it for a few hours:

• What? No LED flash for the camera? (I need a flashlight!)
  
• This thing is HUGE! (of course, the screen is 3.6" and I'm used to the old Windows Mobile smartphones that had 2.8" screens). Actually, the phone isn't that big. It's just taller than most.
  
• I love the big screen. The 480x800 resolution can be good and bad. This may cause some problems with some software.
  
• My TomTom navigator software doesn't work (must be the display setting)
• I don't really need a world phone...
• This thing is fast, even with TouchFLO 3D
• Love the chiclet keyboard (think of Chiclets gum)
• Thin and wimpy stylus, but who needs it?
• Very finger-touch friendly (thanks to TouchFLO 3D)
• I wish it had a 4-way directional pad (or D-pad)
  
• Great sound and speaker phone quality
• Love the tilting screen when I have it on my desk.
  
• Thank you for staying with a mini-USB connector. I can use all my old USB cables and chargers!
  
• Opera is very stable (no crashes, although I mainly use Skyfire)
• Can't wait to load a custom ROM
  

When I set the HTC Touch Pro2 next to an Apple iPhone, the screen sizes look very similar. The height and width are also very similar. However, the iPhone is much thinner. My old HTC XV6800 (HTC Titan) seems small compared to the Touch Pro2 (it's actually shorter, but thicker). For the last few days, I've been using the XV6900 (HTC Touch/Vogue) and that phone is tiny.

So, my overall impressions are a bit mixed. I think this is one of the best smartphones that Verizon has ever carried. If I could change a few things on this device, I would add some type of compatibility mode to change the screen resolution so that older software will run on it. I'd also bring back the LED flash (I used that all the time as a flashlight). The hardware keyboard adds bulk to this device, so that's unavoidable unless you get a different phone that lacks the keyboard. 

Opera Mobile 9.7 for Windows Mobile

Opera has updated its smartphone browser for Windows Mobile devices. Beta version 9.7 is now available for Opera Mobile (not to be confused with Opera Mini).

I've been testing Opera Mobile for several months and I frequently get "out of memory" alerts that shut down the browser. It seems like it would be a great browser for smartphones that have enough memory and horsepower to handle it smoothly. Unfortunately, my outdated HTC phone just can't handle it so I'm left running either Skyfire or Pocket Internet Explorer.

Opera Mobile 9.7

I'm waiting to try Opera Mobile 9.7 on my HTC Titan XV6800 (Sprint Mogul). I've been using Opera Mobile 9.5 and it's been working quite well so far. However, it's slow compared to Opera Mini, and Opera Mobile 9.7 is supposed to have Opera Turbo. So, when is Opera Mobile 9.7 going to be available?

Iris Browser Update

The Torch Mobile Iris Browser has been updated again. It's a good mobile browser for my XV6800 Windows Mobile PDA/Smartphone, but I occasionally get an "out of memory" error if I visit busy web pages. Like many other mobile browsers, you can zoom in and out very easily and scan pages quickly. I've also been playing around with Opera Mobile, Opera Mini, Skyfire, and Pocket Internet Explorer. Proxy servers speed things up if they're configured properly.

Prevent Opera Mini from Freezing in Windows Mobile

I've been testing Opera Mini on my Windows Mobile device and I was pleased by the speed and performance, but I noticed that it would freeze up occasionally. My entire device would crash and I'd have to reset the phone. I decided to change the Network Protocol from Socket to HTTP. Now, I have yet to experience a freeze or a crash. Opera Mini 4.2 has become my favorite mobile browser on my XV6800 (HTC Titan, Sprint Mogul) Pocket PC because it's so much faster than Skyfire, Opera Mobile, Iris, or Pocket Internet Explorer. So, if you use your mobile device to browse medical websites and participate in CME activities, I would urge you to try Opera Mini. You won't get any "out of memory" messages and if you switch your Network Protocol, you shouldn't get any frustrating freeze-ups. Caveat: you won't get Flash content on Opera Mini.

Iris Browser v1.1.2

The Iris Browser (by Torch Mobile) has been updated to v1.1.2

It may not be mobile Safari, but it's a really nice browser for Windows Mobile. I also use Skyfire, Opera Mobile, and Opera Mini. I'm still waiting on mobile Firefox (I haven't tried the sub-beta alpha test version because of reports that it's so slow). My experience so far with the new and improved version of Pocket Internet Explorer has been quite positive on my XV6800. I'm running Windows Mobile 6.1 and I don't think my device can handle 6.5 so that's somewhat disappointing.
At least I should be able to find a good mobile browser that will work on my device.

Improvements to Skyfire

If you use a Windows Mobile device, I hope you've tried Skyfire. It's probably one of the best mobile browsers currently available. I think it beats Pocket Internet Explorer, Opera, and Iris. I say this because you rarely run into a "out of memory" error using Skyfire (although you may not get this problem if you use a different phone. I've only tried it on my XV6800).

Skyfire is still in beta, but the most recent version adds social networking Web 2.0 features.

Opera Mini vs. Opera Mobile

I've been testing both Opera Mobile and Opera Mini on my XV6800. Both are currently free and they represent some of the best mobile web browsers that are currently available. In fact, I would even say that they are the best browsers.

Opera Mobile consumes too much memory. I often get "out of memory" messages when viewing web pages.

Opera Mini is much faster and more efficient. Hence, I've been mainly using this as my main browser. You'll need a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to run Opera Mini on the XV6800 or on any other Pocket PC / Windows Mobile device.