Good news– HTML5 coming to Windows Phone IE Mobile after all
A few months ago we reported Microsoft Technology Evangelist Frank Prengel telling the world Microsoft had no concrete plans for HTML5 in Windows Phone 7.
We can now thankfully report that things have changed at the software giant.
Microsoft has posted a job description asking for a Senior software Development Engineer for the Windows Phone Browser, Search & Maps team responsible for the IE browser in Windows Phone 7.
The division is looking for “a strong senior engineer that is excited about the product and technical opportunities with the mobile web experience” to work on “building the next generation IE platform for the next Windows Phone release” which would include “a major overhaul of standard support and new approaches to make significant advances in performance, power consumption and bandwidth utilization", with the candidate needing “ a strong interest in JavaScript, CSS3, HTML5 and Windows programming”.
Now the only question is if this software will come as an update to Windows Phone 7, or will wait till Windows Phone 8.
Read the full job post after the break.
Windows Phone 7 browser surprisingly good
Pocketnow have had a hands-on with the LG Panther and published this extended browser comparison of the Windows Phone 7 browser compared to the Nexus One and the iPhone 4.
As can be seen from the video, while the IE7 Mobile browser is not the fastest, its still pretty fast, and the experience pretty competitive with the webkit browsers on the other platforms.
Given that at present on Windows Phone 7 its IE or nothing else, that’s pretty good news indeed. The browser is also modular, meaning the software can be updated independently, hopefully to IE9 code eventually.
Do our readers think they could live with IE Mobile on Windows Phone 7? Let us know below.
Via Pocketnow.com
“No concrete plans for HTML 5 support” for Windows Phone 7 browser
During a press event in Hamburg led by Frank Prengel, Technology Evangelist for Microsoft Windows Phone in Germany, told attendees Microsoft had no concrete plans to add HTML 5 support to Windows Phone 7.
Prengel was giving a demonstration of the Windows phone 7 hybrid IE7/8 browser, noting the smooth, hardware-accelerated text scaling and other features.
On flash support, he said this only awaiting a suitable final version from Adobe, hopefully available within 6 months of the introduction of Windows Phone 7.
HTML5 is an evolving web standard which substantially increases the capabilities of browsers to perform complex functions without plug-ins, including display video and use hardware capabilities of devices. It will be fully supported in the next version of desktop Internet Explorer, version 9.
See the demo video after the break.
Via winfuture.de.
Skyfire withdraws service from Rest of the World
MobileRoyal reports that the server-based browser, Skyfire, has now stopped offering service to clients connecting from countries other than UK, USA and Canada.
Users from other countries encounter the following notice when trying to connect:
Dear Skyfire User, As, of July 1st, 2010 Skyfire will no longer be providing service in your country for the windows mobile and symbian browser. In order to offer the best possible service level for our officially supported customers and countries , Skyfire is consolidating the countries in which it operates. We apologize for this inconvenience and hope you have enjoyed the Skyfire will work on your phone until July 1st 2010,at which time the service will be de-activated and your browser will no longer function. You can direct inquiries about this to [email protected].
Users complaining in Skyfire’s forums were told Skyfire regret it is hard for them to provide coverage to the whole world at once, and that the rest of the world was never officially supported.
Are any of our readers affected by the move? Let us know below.
Google Buzz gets Windows Mobile web-app
Its not a full-blown mobile client, but at least Google has gone to the effort to make their HTML5-based Google Buzz app a bit more dumbed down for Pocket Internet Explorer.
The XHTML website is suitable for Android pre-2.0, Blackberry, Nokia S60, and Windows Mobile browsers and can be accessed by visiting buzz.google.com in your phone’s browser.
Now all we need is a reason to run another twitter clone …
Via MSMobiles.com
Opera announces Opera browser for Win CE, other tablets
Microsoft is not making a tablet, but that does not mean many companies are not already shipping Windows CE-based tablets. Opera is making a play to be the browser on these ARM-based devices, and will be showing off their designs at Computex in Taiwan to potential customers in the tablet and e-reader marker.
“The Opera browser engine supports various cross-platforms required to enable a competitive e-reader and tablet solution,” said Rolf Assev, Chief Strategy Officer, Opera Software. “To be able to adapt to changes in technology and standards, OEMs that manufacture many different kinds of devices will be able to take advantage of the platform-independent, cross-device capabilities of the Opera browser engine.”
The web solutions for e-readers and tablets are powered by the Opera Devices SDK and Opera for tablets. Opera Devices SDK allows e-reader OEMs to develop custom browsers based on the latest Opera Presto rendering engine that powers Opera’s range of browsers. Browsers based on the Opera Devices SDK are market-proven, expandable and have also been already deployed on a wide range of products such as TVs, games consoles, media players, and more. Opera for tablets provides a touch-optimized tablet browser user interface and out-of-the-box productive quality on Android and Windows CE. It also has the web-application platform, such as the end-to-end widget solution, the W3C-compliant widgets, the application store and the developer community.
Read more about Opera’s tablet efforts at WindowsforDevices here.
ZetaKey, a new webkit browser for Windows Mobile now available
If you are still mourning RIM’s purchase of Torch Mobile, cry no more, as a new webkit-based browser for Windows Mobile has just become available.
See a video of the software in action and the download links after the break:
Skyfire 1.5.015073 reviewed
SkyFire brings the full-featured PC versions of your favourite websites onto your windows mobile device. This modern browser supports a lot of format that other mobile browsers cannot handle. Check out the full review to see if its time to change your browser.
Read more at BestWindowsMobileApps here.
Mozilla dropping mobile Firefox development for Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7
In a blog post Stuart Parmenter, Mobile Team Technical Lead, Mozilla Corporation, announced that the company will cease all development of Firefox for Windows Mobile.
Just like on Android prior to the release of the Native Developer Kit, the company blames it on the inability to develop native applications:
While we think Windows Phone 7 looks interesting and has the potential to do well in the market, Microsoft has unfortunately decided to close off development to native applications. Because of this, we won’t be able to provide Firefox for Windows Phone 7 at this time. Given that Microsoft is staking their future in mobile on Windows Mobile 7 (not 6.5) and because we don’t know if or when Microsoft will release a native development kit, we are putting our Windows Mobile development on hold.
Mozilla will soon disable the builds and test automation, and will only return to further development if and when Microsoft opens up the Windows Phone platform. The move comes as another blow to Windows Mobile, which is rapidly entering dead man walking status.
Via Techie-buzz.com
Thanks Cristian Adam for the tip.
Opera Mini 5 and Opera Mobile 10 introduced in final, consumer-ready versions
Press Release: Today, Opera Software released the final versions of the world’s most popular mobile Web browsers, Opera Mini 5 and Opera Mobile 10. Now, nearly any mobile phone can support an Opera-driven Web experience, complete with unmatched speed, style and cost savings. Simply go to m.opera.com/ to download it directly to your phone today.
Today’s release puts the finishing touches on the Opera mobile-browsing duo. The focus is on delivering the best Internet experience on nearly any mobile phone, along with a unified look and feel and innovative favourite features, such as Speed Dial, password manager and tabbed browsing.
“Keeping in mind the needs and wants of our 50+ million users, we have emphasized speed, desktop-like functionality and data savings in our mobile browsers. Today, we have made it even easier for everyone to surf, search and socialize on the Web,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software.
Top 5 reasons why you cannot live without Opera on your phone
-
Get the best Internet experience on your phone
Opera delivers the full Web experience on nearly any mobile phone, and it is easy and free to download.
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No more slow surfing
Opera mobile browsers are designed to boost your browsing speed significantly. Opera brings the best and fastest browsing experience on any mobile phone.
-
Get your mobile phone bills under control
Opera Mini’s compression technology reduces the amount of data sent to your phone by up to 90 percent, resulting in lower costs on pay-per-MB data plans or when roaming.
-
Web made easy, even on your phone
Opera keeps it simple with a sleekly designed user interface, regardless of the phone you are using, and with the same great feature set, such as Speed Dial, tabs, and the password manager.
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Never leave your personal information behind
Opera Link lets you synchronize your bookmarks, notes and Speed Dial between your computer and your mobile phone. Make your information available wherever you are – at work, at home or on the road.
Download
Bring the power of the Web to your phone. Download Opera Mini 5 or Opera Mobile 10 directly to your phone at no cost from m.opera.com, or read more at www.opera.com/mobile.
Opera Mini released as a native application on Windows Mobile
Opera Software launched a native version of Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile 5- and 6-based handsets.
By integrating Opera Mini with the Windows Mobile platform, Opera is able to deliver an optimized version of the popular Opera Mini browser that dramatically improves performance and the overall user experience. While Opera Mini traditionally requires Java, the new Windows Mobile version does not, which means that Opera Mini will work on any Windows Mobile phone.
The Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile includes the same rich feature set as the Java-based version. Renowned features, including tabbed browsing, the password manager, bookmarks and Speed Dial, are built-in to deliver convenience while on-the-go.
One of Opera Mini’s major benefits is that it compresses data traffic by up to 90 percent, resulting in significantly improved page-loading and speed. This results in a dramatically reduced data load, which can translate to lower browsing costs when on a pay-per-MB data plan or when on expensive roaming.
"Windows Mobile deserves a mobile browser that looks better, handles better and delivers better than the default browser," said Dag Olav Norem, Vice President of Products, Opera Software. "Even though Opera has 50 million satisfied Opera Mini users, we always seek ways to improve our browser for each and every mobile phone user out there. Now, we are pleased to offer the world’s most popular mobile Web browser as a native Windows Mobile application."
Download
Windows Mobile 5 and 6 users can download Opera Mini directly to their phone for free from m.opera.com/next/ or read more at www.opera.com/mini/next/. Java is not required on the mobile phone for this download.
Source:MSMobiles.com
Fennec Alpha 4 now available
Mozilla has announced a new Alpha for their Mobile Firefox product on Windows Mobile. The timing is opportune, as their project has been seen to be in doubt after comments by one of their executives suggesting they may wait till Windows Phone 7 is released.
New in this version is:
- Improved interactions with the software keyboard
- Fixed painting artefacts from panning
- Faster .exe installer option
- More responsive "fuzzy" zoom
- Option to become default browser
- Opening downloads from download manager fixed
- Password echoing
- Improved panning/scrolling performance
- Improved start-up time
- Numerous bug fixes
- Improved painting performance
- Improved UI polish
- Improved kinetic panning with directional locking
- Ability to scroll frames
- Improved zooming support
The 10 MB cab can be downloaded, here.
Will Fennec be delayed for Windows Phone 7?
Jay Sullivan, VP for Mobile at Mozilla, told TechRadar they were no longer sure about delivering Fennec for Windows Mobile 6.5.
"Now we have the decision: do we target Windows Mobile 6.5 or 7? How much architecture will there be to work with?"
Mozilla was meant to deliver a beta for Fennec on Windows Mobile in the next few months, but it is now no longer clear if they will proceed with this.
The situation is further complicated by the lack of information regarding backwards compatibility in Windows Phone 7, and if 3rd party software will even be able to replace the default browser for example.
Hopefully more will become clear after MIX10 next month, but Mozilla’s quandary is the same facing many developers – should they still pursue new Windows Mobile software plans, or wait for the new rising star, Windows Phone 7. It is unfortunately likely we will see a further reduction in the release of new titles until Windows Phone 7 itself reaches the market.
Do our readers agree? Let us know below.
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