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Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Firefox for Mobile Beta now available... if you own a Nokia N810 or N900

All ten of you that don't own a BlackBerry or iPhone... rejoice! I just can't believe I get to use the new Firefox for Mobile logo twice in two days.

It might be buggy, it might be slow, but the Fennec web browser has finally been branded a Mozilla product and dubbed the 'Firefox for Mobile Beta 5'. If you want to see a picture of it up and running on a mobile handset, head on over to the NokiaExperts website.

Here's a quick run-down of the features and neat bits:
  • AWESOMEBAR -- I had no idea it was actually called this. It's the searching-url-navigation-bar thing. I wonder how slow it searches through my web history, compared to the sluggish performance on my laptop...
  • Security -- password manager, pop-up blocker, automatic updates -- all there!
  • Add-ons -- you can find and install add-ons straight to the device (though I have no idea what kind of add-on compatibility there is...)
  • Device geolocation -- it seems there's a JavaScript API call that lets developers/web sites geolocate the handset? Cool.
  • Neat swiping stuff -- swipe left and right to expose and hide navigation and tabs.
Awesome! Now when do we see it on a device with larger-than-miniscule user base?

[via NokiaExperts]

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services, Apple, Search

Opera Mini vs. iPhone

opera miniWith over 1 billion page views from phones using the Opera Mini Web browser, could the Norwegian browser developer be targeting the iPhone next?

Opera was originally built in 1994 to battle against the heavy hitter that Netscape was. Then everything changed as the mobile landscape grew and Opera began focusing on viewing proper HTML documents on handheld devices. Opera Mini basically connects to an Opera server via a cell connection compresses and reformats content distributing it back to the Mini client displaying content that is closer to what can be seen on desktop computers.

With the release of the iPhone and the Safari browser pulling in the "real" web, many mobile web users are starting to demand this type of content on all devices. This gives Opera Mini a great advantage in the lower end cell phone market. Because lower end devices do not have a browser that displays the web like Opera already installed, they are less likely to use the mobile web. Forget spending $300 for a mobile device, if providers jump on Opera Mini there could be an even stronger demand for Opera Mini web browsing solutions on all lower priced phones.

[via informationweek]

Filed under: Internet, Windows Mobile, Google, BlackBerry

Google testing AdSense for mobile sites

AdSense for mobileAs if it wasn't hard enough to navigate the web on a 2 inch screen using a telephone keyboard, Google is making it easier for web designers to toss a few ads your way. The company is reportedly beta testing AdSense for mobile.

The mobile advertising service will work pretty much the same as the desktop version. Google will add contextual ads to sites optimized for mobile browsers. The ads should take up just a small portion of the page, and they may include dialable phone numbers as well as hyperlinks to web pages.

There's an old saying that "advertising abhors a vacuum." Apparently the same is true of AdSense.

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Mozilla

Mozilla to (eventually) develop Firefox for mobile phones

Firefox MobileAPC Magazine has an intriguing interview with Mozilla Foundation CEO Mitchell Baker on the state of mobile web browsers and Mozilla's plans to develop a mobile version of Firefox.

Baker says developers are working on a mobile browser, but says it's a long term goal and nothing users should expect to see anytime soon. While the Minimo project is based on Mozilla, it isn't an official product and it's still a few (dozen) steps behind Opera Mobile when it comes to speed and performance.

Baker says some of the things people like most about Firefox are add-ons and the ability to customize the browser, which are things Mozilla would want to bring to a mobile version. One of the main challenges is bringing the full web experience to a small screen. An experiment, called Joey, is currently underway to look at ways to deliver information to mobile devices.

It'll be interesting to see how a mobile version of Firefox would stack up to Opera Moile, which already includes tabbed browsing, and even some AJAX support.

[via Opera Watch]

Filed under: Features, Windows Mobile, Browser Tips, Mobile Minute

How to make Opera Mobile even better - Mobile Minute

Opera MobileOpera Mobile is already hands down one of the best, if not the best web browser for Windows Mobile devices. It loads pages faster than almost any other browser, has excellent support for VGA screens, runs on Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 6, and supports tabbed browsing.

An upcoming release will support zooming in and out of web pages, similar to the way Opera for the Nintendo Wii works.

Yes, there are some other browsers that handle some of these functions, including NetFront, Microsoft's DeepFish and ftxBrowser, Opera combines just about every feature you'd ever want in a mobile browser into one package.

While Opera has made its desktop browser a free program to compete with Internet Explorer and Firefox, the company charges $24 for Opera Mobile, because there's really no other program that can perform as well on Windows Mobile devices. Opera Mobile 8.65 beta is currently available as a free download, but the program will expire on June 1st. this provides an excellent opportunity for anyone who wants to play around with the browser for a while before deciding whether to make a purchase.

Now, the other exiting thing about Opera Mobile is that it's extremely customizable. It would be nice if there were a few more options built into the program's Settings feature. But if you're willing to edit a few .ini files, here are a few ways to customize and improve Opera Mobile.

Read more →

Filed under: Internet, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, BlackBerry

Fit websites on your mobile browser with Mowser

MowserWeb browsers on mobile phones and PDAs are notoriously bad at rendering web pages meant to be viewed on monitors with resolutions of 1024x768 or higher resolutions. Pages can take an incredibly long time to load, and once they do, you're often presented with the least important information first as the browser puts all the navigation links from the left side of the page first, followed by the content.

Mowser is one of the latest web-based solutions for these problems. There's no program to download, just one website to bookmark. You navigate to Mowers.com, and then type in the URL of the page you want to visit. Mowser splits the page up into a series of smaller pages that will load faster. It also strips out most of the graphics.

The site also has a list of popular sites that are already designed for the small screen.

Overall, the idea is great, but the execution is so-so. For example, if you use the link to the New York Times News River, everything looks great on a mobile browser. But if you type www.nytimes.com into Mowser, the first screen you see is a page of navigation links. It's not until halfway through the second page that you start to get articles.

The developer has a video walkthrough on the company blog if you want to get a full look at Mowser's features. For a list of similar resources, check out Download Squad's roundup of mobile start pages.

[via WebWare]

Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Web services, Browser Tips

Opera releases new version of mobile browser

opera miniOpera software released a new version of its mobile browser, Opera Mini, on Tuesday for use on Palm and RIM handhelds. This new version has "the Google" search engine as default. Since launching earlier this year, Opera Mini has received much fanfare and thanks from mobile users for bringing a fast and much better mobile browser to the marketplace. This new version enhances on image rendering and speed performance by condensing web pages, and decreasing the data size that is transferred. Not only is Opera free to download and use, but they have a contest running right now where Operaheads can win a free Palm Treo or Blackberry for coming up with a sales pitch to explain why Opera Mini would improve your on-the-go lifestyle. The deadline for the contest is November 30th.

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The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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