News
Gizmodo Unfairly Tests Mobile Browsers
If you haven't seen it, Gizmodo just put up a nicely-written and well-illustrated browser head-to-head with all of the major cell phone platforms. Unfortunately, their comparison is flawed in their coverage of Windows Mobile.
They used an old version of Opera Mobile for their testing of the Windows Mobile browser. The difference between the version they tested - Opera Mobile 8.65 (or thereabouts) and the current version - 9.5 - is HUGE. Opera Mobile 9.5 (available as a free download for touchscreen WinMo phones) is a browser immensely more advanced and refined than the version if replaces. Here is what was written about the old version of Opera Mobile they tested, which was release back in August of 2006...
Microsoft's own intentions notwithstanding, you can use the internet on a Windows Mobile phone. You just need Opera Mobile. It's kind of hobbled by Windows Mobile's assy performance, but it usually gets the job done. Not as quickly or always as accurately as its WebKit rivals, but it's definitely usable. Interestingly, it benefits more from the extra bandwidth offered by Wi-Fi than the WebKit browsers do. Menu-based zoom is annoying and imprecise. Touch-based panning worked okay, though a little laggy.
Gizmodo, which is usually quite careful on the details, has made a HUGE oversight here by testing old software. They've unfairly portrayed the browsing capability of Windows Mobile, which is actually fantastic when using up-to-date software.
They used an old version of Opera Mobile for their testing of the Windows Mobile browser. The difference between the version they tested - Opera Mobile 8.65 (or thereabouts) and the current version - 9.5 - is HUGE. Opera Mobile 9.5 (available as a free download for touchscreen WinMo phones) is a browser immensely more advanced and refined than the version if replaces. Here is what was written about the old version of Opera Mobile they tested, which was release back in August of 2006...
Microsoft's own intentions notwithstanding, you can use the internet on a Windows Mobile phone. You just need Opera Mobile. It's kind of hobbled by Windows Mobile's assy performance, but it usually gets the job done. Not as quickly or always as accurately as its WebKit rivals, but it's definitely usable. Interestingly, it benefits more from the extra bandwidth offered by Wi-Fi than the WebKit browsers do. Menu-based zoom is annoying and imprecise. Touch-based panning worked okay, though a little laggy.
Gizmodo, which is usually quite careful on the details, has made a HUGE oversight here by testing old software. They've unfairly portrayed the browsing capability of Windows Mobile, which is actually fantastic when using up-to-date software.
