UPDATE: “This is John Sidline of the Bitstream PR team. I want to thank the readers of BerryReview.com for their enthusiastic response to the BOLT browser. We quadrupled the number of available referral codes already, and will extend it even further. But I also need to let readers know the status of the private beta program now underway. We completely underestimated the response we’d get to the beta. Initially we had a manual process in place to distribute download links. But we were quickly overwhelmed by requests for BOLT so we switched to an automated process at about 9:00 AM Eastern today. Sometime after noon Eastern today, the server handling the downloads “blew up.” We are now in the process of switching over to a dedicated server we’re confident can handle the demand. We appreciate everyone’s patience. We expect the new server to be online by 4:00 PM Eastern today. Also, to those who have already downloaded BOLT, a big thank you. From feedback we’ve received just since yesterday we’ve already made improvements to BOLT, and our beta is only about 24 hours old.”
How many of you are eagerly awaiting the announcement of Foxfire’s mobile web browser? Or waiting for a new Opera Mini build? How many of you would love to have a web browser like that of iPhone’s Safari which gives you the ability to view web pages they way they are supposed to be viewed and even watch YouTube videos without the browser having to rebuff and chopping it up.
Bitstream (who is responsible for the fonts on our BlackBerrys) has come up with a new mobile web browser that will completely blow away Opera Mini and the native BlackBerry browser. It’s called BOLT.
From the Boltbrowser.com website: “What is BOLT?
BOLT is a free mobile browser that offers an uncompromising browsing experience on even entry-level mobile phones. It is compatible with virtually any handset with Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 2.0 support. In non-geekspeak, this means “it works on lots of phones, even basic ones.”
Rather than offering a simplified, mini version of the Internet, BOLT provides users with an efficient, feature-rich, way to enjoy full PC-style Web pages and rich media applications on all levels of mobile devices.
Built on Bitstream’s ThunderHawk browsing technology, BOLT is the result of 5+ years of experience developing mobile browsers that optimize usability, speed and performance on resource-contraned systems with limited memory, processing power and screen space”
When asked if BOLT is compatible with the native BlackBerry browser, Bitstream answers with a funny quip: Yes. BOLT uses a unique profile and does not interfere with your device’s default browser in any way. However, it may bruise your default browser’s ego. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Oh, and have I mentioned that BOLT is FREE!?!?! Which makes it all the more awesome!
Here are the numbers based on an independent test, its just number as of now, folks, but the figures are outstanding. Here are some download times for ESPN and CNN with BOLT, Opera Mini and the BlackBerry Browser (all times are in seconds):
ESPN.com
BOLT – 13.363 (mean); 12.925 (median)
Opera Mini 4.2 – 20.723 (mean); 20.920 (median)
Native – 454.790 (mean); 454.110 (median)
CNN.com
BOLT – 11.823 (mean); 11.405 (median)
Opera Mini 4.2 – 21.447 (mean); 20.915 (median)
Native – 133.64 (mean); 132.47 (median)
You can check out their FAQs here.
Bitstream has offered 500 of our readers the ability to be a part of their beta testing. Simply follow this link and fill out the form. Be sure to use referral code “berryreview“. If selected, they will create a unique download link for you to test out BOLT.
If you are chosen, please come back and leave us some comments on your feelings for BOLT. Love it, hate it, neutral? We’d love to hear from you!
earld Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 9:24 AM EST
Love it so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wally Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 3:57 PM EST
hey can you please send it to me or upload it on mobango.com
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 4:02 PM EST
Hi Wally, the beta process became overwhelmed due to higher than anticipated volume of requests. We’re migrating the beta request process to a new server and that should be completed very shortly. If you already requested a download link, you’ll get it but there will probably be some extra wait time as the queue is processed. We appreciate your patience, and we won’t leave you hanging.
wally Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 4:05 PM EST
god bless you … im waiting
Bopanna Not Registered
Posted: March 20, 2009 at 7:49 AM EST
i have downloaded the BOLT browser 2 days back. The loading speed is simply SUPERB… i have to admit. Even it is very good to login to the secure websites.
but the only problem is that the movement of the cursor, it is very slow i.e. the movement breaks-up in between and this makes us feel that it is slow. But once the link is selected, then the speed on loading MY GOD..!!. but the irritating part is that the above said problem which makes us feel not to use the browser…
can anyone do something / give solution on this and reply…
tx
bopanna
INDIA
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 4:08 PM EST
I was just informed that the BOLT beta registration system is now back online. We regret the trouble you may have experienced, and we certainly appreciate all your patience. If you received an error code when you registered, please go back to http://boltbrowser.com and resubmit using your “berryreview” referral code. Please note there may be a lag time of about two hours as we process a very large volume of requests. Thank you all for your interest in BOLT!
bramvera ( View Profile) - Posts: 6
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 9:26 AM EST
I follow all instruction when I open the browser from their email, got error URL Expired
Storm 9530, OS 4.7.0.86
BOLT Technical Support Not Registered
Posted: January 18, 2009 at 10:23 PM EST
Hi Bramvera,
Expired URLs can happen when you accidently click on the link so please go back to the form at http://www.boltbrowser.com and try again.
The good news is that we have updated our process over the weekend and cleared the backlog of requests so we hope it will be a very quick process for you.
Please let us know if it is not by emailing support@boltbrowser.com.
The BOLT team at Bitstream
bartman ( View Profile) - Posts: 7
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM EST
signed-up for the beta – awaiting their response…
hello Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 10:18 AM EST
“a new mobile web browser that will completely blow away Opera Mini”
Really? How?
Geez, the whole text sounds like a huge advertisement/press release.
Derek Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 10:40 AM EST
Although scrolling around the page is a little sluggish on my 8830 WE, the page load times are much faster than Opera Mini and the native browser. I really like the ability to save YouTube videos to the memory card.
Andrew Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 10:40 AM EST from my BlackBerry 9000
Me too. I registeree and received an out of date URL error. Ok, we’ll see. Not an auspicious start.
Don Fanzo Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 10:46 AM EST
Receive the following error on download:
ERROR: Some issue in query: URL expired
automan69 ( View Profile) - Posts: 548
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 10:54 AM EST
Got the email but all links dont work for me.
I get ERROR Some issue in query:expired and
909 failure.
Pearl 8130 cmda os 4.5
I sent an email to support just waiting to here back.
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 11:01 AM EST
I’ve registered with them and it is taking ages for them to come back to me! ..O.o…
Does anyone knows if they at least tell you that you are not included in the Beta?
will Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 12:15 PM EST from my BlackBerry 8310
I downloaded it. Love it although its sluggish if using the trackball to navigate. But using the numbers E,X,F,S on my curve its a lot faster to navigate the page. Got some errors but that’s to be expected in beta.so far I think it kicks butt
automan69 ( View Profile) - Posts: 548
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 1:16 PM EST from my BlackBerry 8130
Still waiting to here back from support.(tapping fingers)???
Steve Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 2:25 PM EST
When will someone create a browser w tabs??!
Still patiently waiting..
Sarah Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 2:26 PM EST
Getting a 403 error when trying to sign up.
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 2:40 PM EST
This is John Sidline of the Bitstream PR team. I want to thank the readers of BerryReview.com for their enthusiastic response to the BOLT browser. We quadrupled the number of available referral codes already, and will extend it even further. But I also need to let readers know the status of the private beta program now underway. We completely underestimated the response we’d get to the beta. Initially we had a manual process in place to distrubte download links. But we were quickly overwhelmed by requests for BOLT so we switched to an automated process at about 9:00 AM Eastern today. Sometime after noon Eastern today, the server handling the downloads “blew up.” We are now in the process of switching over to a dedicated server we’re confident can handle the demand. We appreciate everyone’s patience. We expect the new server to be online by 4:00 PM Eastern today. Also, to those who have already downloaded BOLT, a big thank you. From feedback we’ve received just since yesterday we’ve already made improvements to BOLT, and our beta is only about 24 hours old.
Wojtas Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 3:00 PM EST
Im still waiting for link to download, i MUST try this app.
wally Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 3:50 PM EST
hey any one who got the BOLT browser can you please upload it on http://www.mobango.com so that any 1 could try it because i didnt have chance to ge it so please…
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 4:43 PM EST
Hi I’ve received 4 links but none of them work! …o.O…
What shall I do?
first link give me error ’909′
other 3 give me error ‘Some issue in query:URL Expired’
Please help!
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 4:47 PM EST
Hi BB Bold, did you just apply for these links, or are they old? If old, please go to http://boltbrowser.com and resubmit. Sorry for the hassle but demand caused our first server to crash so we had to move to better server to handle demand. I’m hearing that the new links are working perfectly.
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 4:53 PM EST
wow! thank you for replying me so quick!
I have just received links (I guess they are new and it doesnt seem to work)
I will try summiting it again.
Thanks for including me in the BOLT Beta. I can’t wait to use it
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 4:59 PM EST
Dear John Sidline,
I have just resubmit it and received new links and they still doesn’t work.
Could you please help?
What shall i do?
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 5:03 PM EST
I see a possible source of confusion. The automated process is sending four links in that email with four different builds to cover the different phone/network options. Use the fourth choice for BlackBerrys: “Unsigned Build.” Try that link and if it still doesn’t work, hit me back.
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 5:13 PM EST
It worked now! I was able to download it!
Thank you very much!
I can’t wait to play with it
Alebs200 ( View Profile) - Posts: 1
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 6:11 PM EST
hey!! Jhon Sidline!!
im trying to download the bolt and gives it me this error
ERROR: Some issue in query: URL Expired
can you please help me what does that means??
im doing it from my BB bold
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 6:15 PM EST
Hi John Sidline
I have received BOLT application. Thank you! It works beautifully with wi-fi. However if I turn my wi-fi off BOLT doesn’t upload any webpage. It that normal? Is BOLT built to use wi-fi only? Is there anything I can do to make it work with my network provider?(Vodafone -UK)
I look forward to your response
Thank you
hurwitzmm ( View Profile) - Posts: 5
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 5:41 PM EST
I got mine to download and work. So far, I like it better than Opera. I like that I can see the entire page and the java stuff isnt left out anymore. Pretty cool so far…..
Wirelezz Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 7:01 PM EST
Works with Wifi but not on the network < keeps giving network error on Rogers Bold.
Ron Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 7:11 PM EST
The cursor is frozen and the bottom says to check network services on my T-Mo 8320.
Opera Mini and BB native work great. What gives?
Norman Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 8:16 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9000
I downloaded it, but it said I don’t have internet connection. That’s wierd?
jesse Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 8:45 PM EST
loading so fast!
but not support Multilinguage ….
BOLT Technical Support Not Registered
Posted: January 18, 2009 at 10:20 PM EST
Hi Jesse,
Multi-language support is definitely something we will consider in future releases.
Thank you for trying BOLT.
The BOLT team at Bitstream
Toddboy71 Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 9:13 PM EST from my BlackBerry 8320
I’ve submitted multiple times and tried to download multiple times. Each time I get ” 907 Invalid JAR
Invalid class file”. Any ideas John? Thanks!
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 10:59 PM EST
Hi Toddboy71. Sorry you’re not having a smooth install experience. Are you trying the fouth link in the email that the server sends you (the unsigned build)? If not try that one and it should work. You may need to resubmit your application to get a new active link.
dschoenike Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 9:25 PM EST
I’m really liking this browser. It’s a nice mix of opera mini and skyfire. And like we were told, it’s faster than both. For me at least. All this and bolt is still in an early beta. Can’t wait to see what the next versions will bring. Copy & paste and being able to set our own homepage would be great!
Toddboy71 Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 11:02 PM EST from my BlackBerry 8320
John
Thanks so much for responding. Unfortunately that’s the ONLY link I’ve tried, the unsigned one. I’ll continue to attempt it and hope for the best unless you have any further suggestions?
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 11:20 PM EST
Toddboy71, if you still have issues, send me a note to pr4bolt@gmail.com and let’s see if we can work through this.
dean Not Registered
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 9:31 AM EST
wont work without apn?
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 9:34 AM EST
what is ‘apn’?
dean Not Registered
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 9:37 AM EST
i mean filling up the apn information in the TCP settings
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 9:53 AM EST
Thanks.
so does that mean I will be charged extra to use it?
Ron Not Registered
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 12:25 PM EST
Finally got it running. WAP settings were wiped out last week during a reload of my BB device.
First, OperaMini and BB Native apparently don’t require APN settings to work, so this is a pain to have to deal with.
Second, mouse cursor is not very responsive.
Third, on the 8320, websites like Wikipedia and others run off the right side of the page, even in “mobile view”. Not sure if this happens on devices with higher resolutions. I’d like to check this out on the 8900 when I get one and if Bolt will support it.
Fonts are a bit small, but I haven’t tried to adjust those yet.
Does seem fast. Would trade some speed for a more accurate screen layout.
BB Bold ( View Profile) - Posts: 17
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 12:32 PM EST
Hi Ron,
Could you please help me with APN configuration ?
I added my net work TCP, enabled it. I also registered HRT. But BOLT still does not work on my BlackBerry BOLD.
Is there anything else I have to do? It is been a pain to make it work! …o.O…
Thank you.
BOLT Technical Support Not Registered
Posted: January 18, 2009 at 10:14 PM EST
Hi
In order to use BOLT browser on your Blackberry device, you must first
establish an Blackberry Access Point Name (APN). An APN is a General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS) or high-speed connection provided by your telecom
operator. If your phone is not set up with an APN, you can add one
manually.
To add an APN:
1. Where is the APN:
- on most of the Blackberry devices, APN is in Options -> TCP
- on 71XX series BlackBerry devices, APN is in Tools -> Settings ->
TCP
- on 87XX series BlackBerry devices, APN is in Settings -> Options ->
Advanced Options -> TCP
2. Fill the APN field
3. Fill the Username/Password field
4. Once you have saved the APN information, you should reboot your
Blackberry device by removing and reinserting the battery.
Please note that APN settings are carrier specific and can differ
depending on the carrier service being used.
For more information about APN and its setup, see the documentation
for your Blackberry device or contact your network operator or service
provider.
We will look into the need for this process on an ongoing basis during the beta process.
The BOLT team at Bitstream
Luciano ES ( View Profile) - Posts: 452
Posted: January 19, 2009 at 10:19 AM EST
But APN is disabled by some carriers…
Ryan Not Registered
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 4:21 PM EST
Installed unsigned v .73 on a blackberry curve 8310 on the AT&T network (OS 4.5). Install was successful; however, I get the following error when I start the browser:
Error
Internet now available. Check network services.
Any help on how to configure would be appreciated. Thanks!
Ryan Not Registered
Posted: January 17, 2009 at 4:22 PM EST
Note: Error msg shoud read Internet not available. Check network services.
Sorry about that.
BOLT Technical Support Not Registered
Posted: January 18, 2009 at 10:16 PM EST
Hi Ryan,
Thank you for letting us know.
It may have been a server issues at the time you tried. Can you try again today and see if it works? If not, please email support@boltbrowser.com for additional help.
The BOLT team at Bitstream
Markus1249 Not Registered
Posted: January 18, 2009 at 11:33 AM EST
I have been using the Bolt browser for a couple of days and I find that it displays pages as they should be displayed. It is fast to load and I do prefer it over opera mini and the blackberry browser. I know it’s a beta but here are my concerns, 1. slow trackball navigating 2. occasional hangups at 20% 3. links in my e-mails (and maybe other places) – the full link can’t be highlighted. 4. scrolling through g-mail is difficult-it doesn’t allow to scroll the whole page without using the side scroller. 5. An option to not ask for access us2.mysmallplanet.com everytime. This is meant to be constructive critism to help improve the browser! I am sure these issues will be dealt with before it goes live. Thank you BOLT!
BOLT Technical Support Not Registered
Posted: January 18, 2009 at 10:18 PM EST
Thank you for your detailed comments. These are very helpful to us and are great ideas. We have already sent them to our engineering team for review.
With your help, we hope to improve our browser and make our users very happy.
The BOLT team at Bitstream
Anna Chagnon Not Registered
Posted: January 18, 2009 at 9:44 PM EST
e wanted to take a moment to extend our personal thanks for all of the blog users on berryreview.com that have tested our BOLT browser. BOLT is our latest entry into the mobile browsing space and this is the first time that we have launched a private beta through the use of blogs. The response has been outstanding! As you may have seen, we have received so many responses in a few short days that it overloaded our registration process. On Friday, we were able to build an automated process that continued to be stressed by the sheer volume of requests happening every minute. The great news is that we were able to expand the number of invites so many more of you could participate.
We have received countless emails providing extremely valuable feedback, feature requests, and favorable comments on the experience. The private beta build was created to allow people with J2ME phones to browse and for us to get real world feedback. Given the monumental response from Blackberry users, we are already working on Blackberry-specific improvements recommended by bloggers to greatly improve the experience on Blackberry devices given the demand. An example of this is improving the use of specific hardware keys found on Blackberries. As many of us are Blackberry users, we completely understand the benefit such improvements will provide.
Although many reported that BOLT is very fast, we also heard that some users were having speed issues. Earlier today, we made some improvements to our backend servers to improve the speed of delivery of pages to you so pages should load even faster than before. If you were having difficulty earlier, we would encourage you to test again and see what happens. Then let us know if this has improved the speed on your device.
We encourage you to continue to provide your feedback to us either by posting or by sending an email to support@boltbrowser.com for support issues. You can also email contact@boltbrowser.com for any other matters. Our team is making every effort to respond to all of your inquiries as soon as possible. As you can imagine, this is keeping us quite busy given the volume of email we are getting. Over the coming days, you may also see posts from our team on certain technical issues. Although it will be difficult to respond to everyone who has posted, we will post information for everyone to see on common issues.
We hope that none of you were unable to participate due to our launch issues, as that was not our intention. If you have not received your software, please sign up again at http://www.boltbrowser.com and you should receive the download very shortly.
Thank you for being a part of our private beta launch! We look forward to hearing your feedback! You are the most valuable part of our beta process!
With your help, we hope to make BOLT the best mobile browser on the market today.
Anna and the BOLT team
Anna Chagnon
President and CEO
Bitstream Inc.
bartman ( View Profile) - Posts: 7
Posted: January 19, 2009 at 9:17 AM EST
Works OK so far, seems to be responding a bit slow to my typing though (when I enter a URL).
Loading speed is indeed better than the native browser or opera mini.
NOTE: for those who are waiting for a download url but don’t seem to get a reply, use the form to sign up again but this time enter Verizon as carrier (regardless of what carrier you’re on).
Corey Davis Not Registered
Posted: January 19, 2009 at 3:09 PM EST
I got in on the beta on Friday. Received my download. Installed. And I get what a lot of people are getting. I load 20% of a page and that’s as far as I get. The Bolt support team has sent me emails about setting up an ATN and TCP, but the Pearl 8130 doesn’t have this as an option. Anyone else with the pearls finding this issue?
Giovanni Not Registered
Posted: January 21, 2009 at 5:23 PM EST
I have the same problems, all the page that I try to load stop to a 20% about and the browser goes back to the homepage. What configuration have been suggested to you from BoltTeam on APN or ATN ? I would like to try thesame config on mine to check if work.
Thanks
John Sidline Not Registered
Posted: January 23, 2009 at 12:15 PM EST
Thank you readers of BerryReview for all your installs of BOLT! Your response to our private beta was very enthusiastic, and we are collecting a lot of valuable information to help make improvements to future releases. I wanted to ask all of you if you who would like to share your experiences with us directly to send me a note at pr4beta@boltbrowser.com. We welcome all your comments, whether you love the browser today or if we still have work to do to win you over.
gaelic.gal Not Registered
Posted: February 8, 2009 at 7:58 PM EST
will check it out again when it comes out of beta, no appreciable speed benefit and awkward to use.
medical supply store Not Registered
Posted: February 10, 2009 at 2:14 AM EST
Hi,
its good news, thanks for sharing.
Al Not Registered
Posted: March 18, 2009 at 11:57 AM EST
I am currently testing the Bolt Browser on my Blackberry Curve 8330. I do believe it’s faster than the default browser and Opera Mini. I love the concept, but I need some DW40 to move my cursor around. It appears the cursor lacks response. I am trying to see if there is settings that I can tweak to move this cursor? Is this something that is currently being attended to for the Blackberry’s and possibly others sharing the same problem? Thank you for a great product.
Regards,
Al