ACCESS Unveil the NetFront 3.3 Browser Engine

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.access-us-inc.com/news_releases/20050120.html' target='_blank'>http://www.access-us-inc.com/news_r...s/20050120.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"NetFront v3.3 browser engine delivers new features that provide a more powerful and functional Internet browsing experience. Key elements include enhanced support for Dynamic HTML, intelligent frame handling, pop-up blocking and support for Really Simple Syndication (RSS). Additional key features include Atom Feed, a file format for content distribution via XML used to access popular Weblogs, support for international domains, encryption and saving of Web data with a specified URL, and management of Web data and passwords."</i><br /><br />NetFront, as many of you may know, is a fantastic browser for the Pocket PC. The newly-announced Version 3.3 builds upon the fantastic features already delivered in previous versions. However, despite the fact that a Pocket PC version of 3.2 is slated for a release this quarter, it has taken over half a year for it to be translated from an "engine" to a working product, so I wouldn't be jumping for joy about this latest announcement just yet.

[Gerard]

There was no mention in the press releases for v3.2 about button mapping... and for this 3.3 "release" I still see no mention of button mapping. The freeware FtxPBrowser offers this basic functionality, very handy for toggling fullscreen or the addressbar or whatever. MultiIE allows this also, in Pocket IE, and I use the buttons all the time, leaving only one un-mapped as my Start Menu button. I think the SPB Pocket IE plugin offers the same thing. Is Access just too busy to notice the competition, or do they regard this as superfluous?

I like NetFront 3.1, don't get me wrong. I use it for difficult sites, banking and other secure or Java-dependent places where it does a fairly decent job. But there are obvious oversights and awkwardnesses which make me always fall back to PIE. Things like the setting of NetFront as the default browser, using the internal control for this. It doesn't work. I tap a link in Contacts, for instance, or in an offline web page, and sure it opens NetFront. It just doesn't open the link, all I get is my home page. Tapping the same link again once NetFront is open is no better. So what's the point? And no mention in these press releases of this being fixed, either.

[Menneisyys]

I think the SPB Pocket IE plugin offers the same thing. Is Access just too busy to notice the competition, or do they regard this as superfluous?

Nope, Pocket Plus has no keymapping. Still, it's a very good app compared to the bloated MultiIE (1 Mbytes overhead / tab) and the bug-ridden PIEPlus.

I like NetFront 3.1, don't get me wrong. I use it for difficult sites, banking and other secure or Java-dependent places where it does a fairly decent job. But there are obvious oversights and awkwardnesses which make me always fall back to PIE. Things like the setting of NetFront as the default browser, using the internal control for this. It doesn't work. I tap a link in Contacts, for instance, or in an offline web page, and sure it opens NetFront. It just doesn't open the link, all I get is my home page. Tapping the same link again once NetFront is open is no better. So what's the point? And no mention in these press releases of this being fixed, either.

NetFront 3.1 has tons of other bugs too. One of the most annoying is the complete lack of conditional HTTP requests. It does have a local cache, but only uses it for both offline browsing and "browsing" without reloading (this means outdated pages if you don't explicitly press the Reload icon). It's one of the biggest and most annoying bugs in NF, which could have been remedied with some 10 lines of code in Java/C#.

[ctitanic]

VGA support? I know they have a version for Toshibas VGAs but I have not seen the same version available for other devices.

[Menneisyys]

VGA support? I know they have a version for Toshibas VGAs but I have not seen the same version available for other devices.

3.1 also had semi-decent (it had problems with displaying forms) VGA support in forced/native VGA mode. See e.g. http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&amp;threadid=105664 on using NF in forced VGA.

[ctitanic]

VGA support? I know they have a version for Toshibas VGAs but I have not seen the same version available for other devices.

3.1 also had semi-decent (it had problems with displaying forms) VGA support in forced/native VGA mode. See e.g. http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&amp;threadid=105664 on using NF in forced VGA.

I know about the "semi-decent" support, I'm asking about full support ;)