I don't own an iPhone, nor do I have any plans to do so in the foreseeable future; though much of the tech world may be shocked to learn that a person such as myself exists, I'm perfectly content without Apple's over-over-hyped, overpriced handset. That said, there is one iPhone feature I long to have on my Windows Mobile phone: the Safari web browser. The iPhone and Safari have done more than any hardware/software marriage in the last seven years to increase the utility of the mobile online experience. Safari is certainly not perfect, but it's undeniable that the browser provides the only quasi-desktop surfing experience found on a mobile device today. Browsing the web with Safari is light years beyond Windows Mobile, even when considering current third-party solutions like Minimo and Opera Mobile. Though Microsoft has dragged its feet for years on improving Internet Explorer Mobile (which is the most antiquated aspect of the WM OS), several third-party interests are working to bring Windows Mobile users a solution that at least rivals Safari. Whether one or all of these solutions will succeed remains to be seen - and I would be lying if I said I was terribly optimistic - but at least there are those working to correct the most glaring omission in the Windows Mobile universe: a usable web browser.
Let's discuss the players:
First, there's SkyFire, which USA Today called an "iPhone-worthy browser." What makes SkyFire interesting is that the rendering (turning web code into a viewable page) is done on the server, with the final, custom-brewed content sent to the handheld's browser. This not only allows the rendering to be done on a powerful server rather than by the comparatively weak CPU in the handheld, but it also allows the company behind the browser to tweak the way the rendering works without door-to-door updating of handheld software.
SkyFire works with most any web technology, too, so Flash sites like YouTube work, as does Java-based content. Those who've seen the SkyFire browser first-hand mostly love the thing, but the public beta isn't quite ready for distribution.
Next, there's Torch Mobile's Iris browser, which is based on WebKit, the same rendering technology used by the iPhone version of Safari. Unlike SkyFire, Iris is available for download now, though after using the browser a few times, I'm not sure that Iris, at least as implemented, does that much to improve the WM browsing experience. It's sluggish and jerky, though it does render pages reasonably well. There's certainly room for improvement.
NetFront has long been an available third-party browser for Windows Mobile, but the browser is getting a makeover. NetFront v3.5, a so-called "concept version" promises "faster and smoother browsing," improved draw time, select and zoom functionality, column rendering and so forth. NetFront v3.5 is also available for download, though the program has built-in time limitations until it becomes a full-blown version in its own right.
Last, but certainly not least, is the upcoming Opera Mobile v9.5. The current version of Opera Mobile is better than IE Mobile (the Motorola Q 9h Global even comes with Opera Mobile installed as the default browser), but provides nothing close to the browsing experience of Safari. The upcoming version has a revamped user interface (UI), local rendering (pages are processed on the handheld itself rather than the sever-side rendering done by SkyFire), pan and zoom viewing, Opera Widgets and even built-in flash.
We're keeping a close eye on these new browsers here at Pocket PC Central and I certainly have the highest hopes for their success and usability. How realistic those hopes turn out to be remains to be seen, but those of us Windows Mobile users who'd like to browse the web with at least a modicum of ease and modernity need all the help we can get.
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