iPhone can take a lesson from Opera&#39;s fat browser plan
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InfoWorld - Opera Software&#39;s plans to beef up its browser so that Adobe Flash Player-like functionality will be intrinsic to the program are a move in the right direction.
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Fresh from their recent successful launch of the open-source Firefox browser, Mozilla may be preparing to challenge Opera for dominance in the mobile browser market, according to a story appearing on ArsTechnica.
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(InfoWorld) - Gartner, IDC, and 451 Group research analysts, this week warned IT administrators to keep iPhones away from their businesses. "We're telling IT executives to not support it because Apple has no intentions of supporting [iPhone use in] the enterprise," Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney said. "This is basically a cellular iPod with some other capabilities, and it's important that it be recognized as such." As if that will stop people from buying them anyway when they hit the market in the U.S. next week. The reality is that no matter how hard IT administrators try, the iPhone will be snapped up by their employees -- and not just the average Joes either. The device is a status symbol that will likely be snapped up by business leaders as the digital technorati. Try telling your CEO the iPhone doesn't play well with your IT systems. Dulaney and other researchers notwithstanding, this device can be good for the enterprise because of the business needs of smartphone users. It is an iPhone, after all, with an emphasis on phone. It offers e-mail -- currently the most popular means of business communications. There's an address/phone Book for quick access to contacts. It offers SMS, a quick way to contact other mobile phone users, and voicemail -- both useful to road warriors. There's a real Web browser -- by far the most underpowered and underappreciated part of a mobile phone. And it contains a slew of enterprise-worthy apps, including a calendar, access to maps, spreadsheets, and a document reader. All of these things are important -- and all can be done to a greater or lesser extent on most business-focused PDA phones. But in the business world, the mobile Web browser is the key to the future of business apps, and it is becoming a platform unto itself. One thing that Apple CEO Steve Jobs made abundantly clear at last week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is that the iPhone would include a full browser. The Symbian and Linux platforms' best browser is Opera Mini -- which isn't that bad -- but it by no means constitutes a full browser. Windows Mobile's browser isn't bad either, but it also falls well short of Internet Explorer 7. Additionally, the iPhone browser has a lot of zooming and panning tricks that make it more usable on the relatively small screen. In that crucial area, advantage: iPhone. Why is the browser crucial? Because most new business applications are being built around it. AJAX and other browser technology innovations over the past few years have turned the browser into a veritable platform. Sure, a lot of legacy applications still require browserless, platform-specific client applications. But those days are numbered. It's not just the isolated applications that are moving to a browser. All of the stalwart office applications are also moving to the Web. With Google Office (which now works with Safari -- the iPhone browser), Soho Office, and even Web-centric versions of Microsoft Office applications, the browser is truly the new business platform. The iPhone is not without its business-use flaws. It doesn't natively sync up with Lotus Notes or Exchange - and Microsoft, at least, will most likely do everything in its power to try to keep it that way to protect its Windows Mobile business. It can, however, hook up to IMAP email, LDAP address books, and WebDav for calendaring; with a bit of tweaking, that will work well for Exchange-based companies. Microsoft SharePoint can also be browsed from the Web interface, but to what extent? Time -- and the work of apps developers -- will tell. A newly anointed relationship with Cisco on all things iPhone should also let the device into the VPN and might even let an iPhone play well with Cisco VoIP solutions. And of course, don't forget the arduous task of getting your conservative IT department to accept the idea of letting loose an Apple phone -- or even MacBook Pro -- into the office. Previews of the phone haven't yet touted an instant messaging client like Apple's iChat or AOL Instant Messenger. It is likely, however, that Apple will include something with instant-messaging functionality in the near future -- there are still four slots left in the iPhone's application window. It's also true that the first-generation iPhone isn't the raw specs winner by any stretch. That honor goes to the Symbian/Windows Mobile 6 Phones coming from Toshiba (the G900), Nokia (the N95), Samsung (the F700) and HTC (the Shift). AT&T's EDGE wireless network is slow by today's standards, and while Wifi connectivity will help, there are questions about why Apple has forsaken the HSDPA/UTMS component and when an update might occur. Given that battery life is a factor -- Apple this week released updated specs that go beyond what it touted in January -- EDGE makes sense because it's more energy efficient. Also, the 8GB max on storage is seems low. At a time when you can buy an 8GB SD card for less than $80, Apple likely looked to keep costs down with an eye on upping that storage when it's economically smart. Most users would likely be happy with a micro/mini/SD card slot now standard on most smartphones. There is, of course, the price. The iPhone's hefty $499 and $599 price tags, depending on which model you buy, is a definite disadvantage in business. With relatively comparable gear (from a corporate standpoint), such as the Motorola Q, which is almost free with a service plan, buying an iPhone requires serious justification. We're talking about spending the equivalent of a budget laptop. Of course, something that you spend half your day using should justify the premium that this delicious piece of hardware demands. And then there are at least two intangibles: Usability. Apple's legendary reputation for making painful tasks easy will totally transform the mobile phone industry. And remember, companies love productivity from their workers. Until now, the big players have been Microsoft Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, and Linux. They all had successes. But it's the last 10 percent of usability that Apple always manages to squeeze out its products will be the differentiator. Apple did the same in the computer industry until Microsoft caught up. Apple has learned from this and patented every minute detail of the iPhone, making it harder for copycats to appear anytime soon. The few seconds here there that the iPhone saves users will quickly add up. It's the little things that make for big savings across an entire enterprise. Business bling, baby. Everyone knows that this is the phone to have. Just look at the buzz ahead of the June 29 launch. Apple has spent the last few years building up its brand across all channels and is reaping the rewards like no other company in the industry. As much as the enterprise IT guys will want to recite better specs for rival Windows Mobile devices, nobody wants to hear that. I can imagine any number of CEOs saying, "I don't care! Just make the iPhone work on our systems!" And if it works for the CEO, you can bet the sales folk will want in on the action, too. Think they'll want to show up to a meeting with an important client and whip out last year's "hot" phone? They might as well wear parachute pants as well.
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PERSPECTIVE Regardless of whether or not you bought into the flash and hype that accompanied the iPhone's launch, Apple's newest device is important not for what features it brings, but for what it makes obsolete. The death knell has been rung for the mobile Web.
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Opera Software on Tuesday released the final version 3.0 of its Opera Mini Web browser, which is designed for mobile phones. The upgrade introduces a number of new social networking features, such as photo sharing and a built-in RSS reader.
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(InfoWorld) - Opera Software plans to release the third version of the Opera Mini mobile phone browser on Tuesday, adding features that aim to boost its social networking capabilities and improve functionality overall. Opera Mini 3.0 integrates with the camera included in many phones so that users can easily upload photos to social networking sites. The feature works with many services including Flickr and MySpace and takes advantage of the sites' existing methods for uploading photos. Typically, such Web sites include a box where users click to browse through their files for the photo they want to upload. When Opera Mini 3.0 users click on the box, the phone automatically activates the camera. The browser then asks the users if they want to take and upload a photo and confirms the upload after the users take the photo. A couple of other offerings are already available to phone users for uploading photos to sites like Flickr, but they typically involve a separate piece of software that users must download to their phones. For example, Shozu phone software can automatically upload cameraphone photos to Flickr. Also, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications earlier this year said it would start loading software on to three of its phones toÂ enable easy photo uploading to Google's Blogger. Flickr also has its own mobile offering that lets phone users e-mail photos to their Flickr page. Opera Mini 3.0 also includes a couple of other new features. The browser will automatically collapse potentially long lists of menu items on Web sites so that users don't have to scroll through them. Users can click on a plus sign at the top of the page to expand the menu. The new browser also allows users to subscribe to and receive RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, and it now supports encryption, so that phone users can securely access banking information or shop online. The Opera Mini phone software works together with servers, hosted by Opera or a third party like a mobile operator, to improve the mobile browsing experience. When users visit Web sites, the remote servers strip down the size of the sites, making them load quicker and look better on the small screens of mobile phones. Opera Mini is available for free from Opera but some operators are starting to load the software onto phones before they sell them. T-Mobile International includes a self-branded version of Opera Mini on a few phones and Spain's Telefonica recently began working with Opera and handset makers to load a Telefonica-branded version of the browser for phones that are part of its Nevega mobile Web service. Around 8 million unique users have downloaded the Opera Mini client from Opera and Opera's servers are on track to serve out a billion Web pages this year, said Christen Krogh, vice president for engineering at Opera. Opera Mini was designed to work on any Java-enabled phone and Opera has tested and verified 500 compatible handsets, he said.
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Blog: Apple's Web site has one of the most detailed looks yet at the iPhone, a 20-minute guided tour of how it all works.
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Firefox is my second choice for a web browser. Opera comes first. No doubts about that. But Firefox in itself is a pretty decent browser.
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Opera Software announced its latest innovation on Thursday -- Opera Link. The Norwegian company is promising its new technology will let users instantly access their bookmarks, Speed Dial, and personal bar wherever they are, whatever Opera browser they use, and whatever device they use it on.
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With more and more users opting for &quot;alternate browsers&quot;, Firefox and Opera have been getting a fair deal of attention. Firefox 1.0 has already been downloaded 10 million times since its release in November.
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âApple has succeeded in crafting a unique phone that is superior [to] everything else on the market,â remarks Stuff.tv. âIn one great leap Apple has rewritten the rules for mobile web browsing, invented a completely new touch-sensitive interface, and evolved the iPod. In the hand, the iPhone oozes sexiness; its wide, high-resolution screen is encircled by a halo of chrome and wrapped on its back side by cool brushed metal. When you hold it, itâs thinner and lighter than pictures would suggest: it feels like you are holding the future.â And Stuff.tv awarded iPhone a five star rating.
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The open-source Firefox browser is headed to a mobile device near you. New mockups released by Mozilla show that mobile Firefox, due later this year, is being designed with the latest touch screen handhelds -- possibly including the iPhone -- in mind.
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Svelte and swift web pages on the go Site offer The Register and Opera have teamed up to offer you, our beloved readers, an easy way to get online through their mobile phone, viz: Opera Mini, Opera's java-based mobile browser.â¦
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Alternative browser will be available on portable devices running Microsoft's OS.
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Opera&#39;s latest browser release (Opera 8 Beta) features some new things like speech recognition and support for RSS: While the next release had been on track to be Version 7.60, the Oslo, Norway, company announced a change in plans.
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Opera on Wednesday updated the Java-based version of its Web browser for mobile phones, improving connectivity and adding support for more handset models. Opera Mini 3.1 offers one new feature: the ability to better manage RSS feeds.
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âThe phone is so sleek and thin,â reports David Pogue (New York Times) in his review of iPhone, that âit makes Treos and Blackberrys look obese.â And the software transcends. âItâs fast, beautiful, menu-free, and dead simple to operate.â If you need âto answer a call, you can tap Answer on the screen, or pinch the microscopic microphone bulge on the white earbud cord. Either way, music or video playback pauses until you hang up.â As for email, itâs âfantastic. Incoming messages are fully formatted, complete with graphics; you can even open (but not edit) Word, Excel and PDF documents.â And âthe Web browser,â he points out, âis the real dazzler.â No âstripped down, claustrophobic My First Cellphone Browser; you get full Web layouts, fonts and all, shrunk to fit the screen. You scroll with a fingertip â much faster than scroll bars. You can double-tap to enlarge a block of text for reading, or rotate the screen 90 degrees, which rotates and magnifies the image to fill the wider view.â In short, Pogue calls the iPhone, âthe most sophisticated, outlook-changing piece of electronics to come along in years.â