| Internet-able smartphones have been out on the | | | | basically meaning that it runs with limited resources of |
| market for long enough, and offered by enough major | | | | its own, mostly running with the aid of Mozilla's servers |
| device makers, that now might be a good time to | | | | and Firefox desktop browser. Both the Firefox and |
| assess the state of the web browser in the | | | | Skyfire mobile browsers will initially be released, as |
| never-ending smartphone contest. Especially since | | | | expected, in beta form. |
| now is when a whole bunch of exciting | | | | Personal favorites aside, the statistics cite Apple's |
| announcements have come out by makers of that | | | | Safari/iPhone web browser as the reigning champ |
| very software we count on to get online - web | | | | among U.S. smartphone users (this according to |
| browsers. | | | | StatCounter), and number two globally. The number |
| Any article that claims to summarize the current state | | | | one browser worldwide, interestingly enough, has yet |
| of smartphone web browsers must start with Opera | | | | to be mentioned in this piece - that being Nokia's. (And |
| Mini, as it is far and away the best web browser the | | | | to think, all this time we though they were just the best |
| mobile device market has yet produced. Yes, better | | | | smartphones for making actual phone calls.) |
| than Apple's Safari, better than the Blackberry | | | | The big improvement that all smartphone web |
| Browser. And certainly better than Windows' troubled | | | | browsers have either implemented or will be wise to |
| IE. | | | | any day now is the integration of the desktop |
| And now Opera has jus announced the beta launch of | | | | interface with the mobile content delivery format. Now |
| the next Opera Mini upgrade, Opera Mobile 9.5. Once | | | | users browsing the web on their handhelds can view a |
| again the best is getting better, which is as it should be. | | | | full-screen window of the entire web page (minus |
| Also recently announced was the impending arrival on | | | | scroll-downs of course) just like they would on their |
| the smartphone scene of one of the most popular | | | | desktop or laptop. Then to read a specific portion of |
| web browsers in the desktop and laptop markets | | | | the page, they just move a sort of magnifying glass |
| among both Windows and Apple users - Mozilla | | | | over the section with their cursor and zoom in. |
| Firefox. This Linux-based browser has been | | | | In the past, users could only view web pages |
| eagerly-awaited by its devoted fans since | | | | reformatted in a messy, clunky single column |
| smartphones first went online. And now their...our wish | | | | resembling nothing like the web pages they're familiar |
| is being answered. | | | | with. This made navigation next to impossible, even if |
| A start-up named Skyfire Labs is also planning a | | | | one was already familiar with the layout of the web |
| smartphone browser launch sometime soon, but what | | | | page (as it would appear on a full-sized computer). |
| we can expect of it is anybody's guess. The Skyfire | | | | Thank goodness for progress. |
| browser will be what's called a "thin-client" browser, | | | | |