Goodness knows that we need better browsers on our Palm devices. Opera Mobile seems to be high in the ranks for WM Treos as a favorite web browser. I read about a fancy web browser for Windows Mobile 6 devices today over at our sister site WMExperts. The Iris Browser from Torch Mobile has recently been updated with the new Webkit rendering engine. WebKit is the open source project by Apple that was used in the Safari web browser, so Torch Mobile is hoping to make The Iris Browser an iPhone like web browser.
The Torch Mobile site says that the Iris Browser has the revolutionary technology that allows you to access the full Web on resource-constrained devices and get the same functionality as you would on a PC.
Core Features:
- WebKit Rendering Engine
- Customizable Interface
- Touch Screen Control
- Advanced HTML & CSS Support
- Languages
- Zoom & Tap Function
- Multiple Windows and Tabs
- Input Methods
- Software mouse cursor
- Special Effects
- Rotating Devices
- Advanced Security Features
- Pop-Up Blockers
Nick over at WMExperts says:
I think if Torch Mobile can pull this off it will be a breakthrough for Windows Mobile. We have multi tasking, we have great PIM managements and now all we need is a good browser experience.
Nick mentions that The Iris Browser is a beta and that there are some bugs. I noticed in the Comments section that three people commented on The Iris Browser. None of them seem too thrilled with the browser. Forum member wirthy said:
I hate it! It took way too long to pull up espn.com and the zooming in/out is horrible. Pulling up CNN.com automatically takes you to CNN's mobile version of its site.
In the last week, I installed Opera Mobile 9 and Skyfire; those 2 browsers are much better.
Let's hope that the slowness and zooming problems are due to the bugs as the browser is still in beta. If you've got a Treo 750 or Treo 800w, you can give The Iris Browser a whirl and see what you think.
You can download The Iris Browser here.
