08-08-2002, 08:31 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,177
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Pocket PC browser battle upcoming?
Are we seeing a Pocket PC browser war emerging? I didn't think we'd see another after the Internet Explorer's treatment of Netscape Navigator. But give it a second thought. The current version of Pocket Internet Explorer does leave room for other players. I am surprised that we haven't seen any functional enhancements since the release of Pocket PC 2002.
Enter two potent players: NetFront v3.0 Wireless Profile and Bitstream's ThunderHawk. ThunderHawk has made a remarkable entrance to this market and is right on track with its landscape fit-to-screen solution. NetFront v3.0 Wireless Profile moves more into the lands of telecom and boasts with supporting the following standards: HTML 4.01, XHTML Basic, eHTML (iHTML), WML 2.0, CSS1, CSS2, HTTP 1.1, WAP 2.0 Stack, animated GIFs, DOM, JavaScript 1.5, SSL v3.0, MMS (optional), J2ME (optional).
You can download a free 30-day trial of the ThunderHawk browser, while the NetFront v3.0 Wireless Profile is available as beta.
By looking at the specs of these products, Pocket Internet Explorer fades. Put together your wish list for the next Pocket Internet Explorer! What would it look like (other than a fit-to-screen that actually works!).
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08-08-2002, 08:57 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 32
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One caveat...
If, like me, you're the proud new owner of the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, you better hang on to your horses just a bit.... I discovered yesterday that the Thunderhawk (shaking my fist angrily at the heavens as I type) does not yet support the XDA/Spaceneedle !!! :x :x :x
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08-08-2002, 10:21 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 111
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Opera on Pocket PC...?
It would be nice if Opera would develop a Pocket PC version of their browser.
I remember when I first tried to surf the net using my Psion 5MX (back in the days) and using the default browser was just sooooo painful... Then I tried out the Opera browser for EPOC and the difference in speed was quite astonishing. Needless to say the Windows version is speedy as well (nope... this is no market schpiel... just like Opera).
So... pretty please... give us Opera for Pocket PC with a "rotate to landscape" feature (just like the Thunderhawk).
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08-08-2002, 12:42 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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Of course, PIE has one important advantage over all others - it's free 
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08-08-2002, 03:03 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 57
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Pocket PC Browser
Having alternatives is a good thing, although it makes me wonder why Microsoft has not done any updates to Internet Explorer. I subscribed to the Thunderhawk browser ($63.00 CDN) for the first year and have been very happy with it so far. It even works well with a 14400kbps connection over a Scocket digital phone card.
:wink:
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08-08-2002, 03:36 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 91
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Too bad, indeed, that Fit to Screen doesn't work correctly. This forum is hard to read in portrait PIE, for example.
The best addition to PIE I found, until now, is JS IEXtension from Jimmy Software. Among other things, it enables me to run several instances of PIE at the same time, something I am used to do on my desktop PC all the time. One wish: I hope Jimmy or I�aki will, in a next version, implement something like Open in New Window when taping and holding on a PIE hyperlink.
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08-08-2002, 04:09 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 779
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I got an email from Bitstream yesterday; they have an update that is supposed to fix issues with the 3970. So far, I still can't get it to work. I had it on my 3835, but seldom used it because it only downloads one screen at a time, so you couldn't scroll up and down the page without it having to download the screen each time. I don't know if that's been changed yet.
Has anyone seen any reviews of the Netfront browser?
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08-08-2002, 05:25 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 51
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I've been using NetFront for two days on my 3970 now, and I highly recommend that you try it out.
My only complaints:
-Wrap To Content setting doesn't stick-I have to reenable it with each new browser window
-It doesn't support direct-to-device downloads
-I have pop-ups again! One thing I liked about PIE was I wasn't hit with pop-ups. Oh well
-Wrap to content often disconnects words (so half a word will appear at the end of one line and end at the beginning of the next line).
Otherwise, it's miles ahead of PIE
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08-08-2002, 05:34 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Where the heck do I download NetFront? Can't find it on their web page...it's not on the page Andy linked to. Or is it?  ops:
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08-08-2002, 05:56 PM
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Linear Mode
