Twitter: @jayeshj you've prob. either left an application like the web browser on, or are syncing automatically (menu -> tools -> sync) in reply to jayeshj 1 day ago

Oct

17

Opera Mini and S60 Browser - both not quite there yet

Android, Apple, Chrome, Firefox, IE, Insights, Mobile, Nokia, Opera, Safari, iPhone 

On my N82: spent some time with Opera Mini after a while - had been using Nokia’s built-in S60 Browser exclusively over  the past few months.

Here’s a list of peeves and loves about each browser.

 

Opera Mini Good

  • Faster page load times
  • Snappier controls
  • Smoother scrolling
  • Slightly better font rendering (all of above relative to S60 Browser)
  • Address TLD auto-complete: (type www.opera. and  a drop-down list appears with opera.com, opera.org , opera.net)
  • Speed Dial-like shortcuts for bookmarks

Opera Mini Bad

  • No support for multiple tabs
  • “Small” font too small, “Medium” too big
  • Screen does not occupy entire width when phone tilted (in portrait mode). I don’t think the browser is accelerometer-aware
  • Not possible to copy URL

S60 Browser Good

  • Does not ask for permission to connect; allows selection of default access point. This is because, unlike Opera Mini, which is a Java app, the S60 browser is a native S60 app.
  • Page overview - a shrunk view of the current page which you can quickly scroll around on.
  • Attractive Back/Forward implementation. Page previews flip forward and back, like moving your mouse across the OS X dock.

S60 Browser Bad

  • Supports multiple tabs but cannot open new one!
  • No “top”, “bottom”, “pgup”, “pgdn” keypad shortcuts
  • Tedious process to copy URL. Bookmark current page, navigate to Edit bookmarks, copy URL, delete bookmark.

Conclusion

Opera Mini’s a better browser, the S60 Browser is a better application.  Goes to show that you can’t get the best of both worlds. If only Opera and Nokia would learn from one another. Finally, now that Nokia is shipping phones with reasonably high resolution screens, it really, really needs to improve font rendering. Mobile Safari kicks ass and sets the standard.

What else

Haven’t had a chance to check out Skyfire yet; the founders have decided, in a sadly common blinkered move, to limit launch to the US. A mobile browser from Mozilla’s been “just around the corner” for a while now (and won’t show up on S60 first). Google’s promised a mobile version of Chrome, but my guess is that Android will get it before S60 does. I don’t see mobile Safari on S60 ever. And it hurts to even speak of mobile IE.


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