Comments on: Why Cant RIM Overhaul Their Browser? WebKit is OpenSource…

By: Jakob Petsovits

Jakob Petsovits — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:30:51 +0000

Well RIM might run into long-term innovation issues with their OS foundations in general if things don’t improve at a significant rate, but at least the browser issue is being taken care of with the recent acquisition of Torch Mobile

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:54:56 +0000

Agreed! RIM is starting to run into the same legacy issues that have bogged down Microsoft for so long. Unfortunately, I don’t see RIM scrapping their system and building a new Linux based OS (things like this usually don’t happen). This means the newer rivals like Apple, Android, and Palm’s WebOS will always be more innovative than RIM. I would expect that Google’s new Chrome OS will also be much more innovative than Windows 7 for the same reason.

By: henry namen

henry namen — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:24:14 +0000

for all blackberry users
i have been using blackberry for almost 4 years and the bis of blackberry its too slow
but most of you have never navigate with the browser
bolt
its super fast very fast
and their pages are in real httl format
besides its navigation on streaming
i haved it in mi bb 8310 curve
i also have the new opera mini 4.2 in my blackberry
but the bold browser its real fast compare to any other
the browser its free download
the adress to downloads its
ota: download11.getjar.com/downloads/wap/export-88-209×132552339/54289/boltbb_pc.jad

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:51:21 +0000

What can’t I do? (I’ve used a BB daily for the last 7 years and an iPhone for the last 2 as well)

Log into my bank account
Log into any of my utility accounts
View AJAX sites i.e. Google (If you’ve used it on an iPhone or G1, you understand)
Basically, anything that I would do on the go with my iPhone

By: Luciano

Luciano — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:27:11 +0000

I wish someone would tell me just WHAT they can do on the Web with other phones that they can’t with the BlackBerry Browser – apart from Flash-based things.

Having said that, I think that RIM is lagging behind in a lot of other things.

By: TferThomas

TferThomas — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:40:32 +0000

X 4

It works for what it is, and gets me through the times I don’t have access to a PC.

Any improvements will be gratefully received though, but it’s nowhere near enough reason for me to consider an iPhone or Android smartphone in the future.

By: DavidB

DavidB — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:51:49 +0000

Amazing…all you people that say you’ll give up all that is great about BlackBerry because of the BROWSER? Really? Why did you bother getting a BlackBerry in the first place then??? I mean really, if you wanted a portable web browsing device, a BlackBerry never should have been your first choice! Have to believe people buy a BlackBerry for FAR more than web browsing.

Don’t get me wrong, I DO wish the browser was completely overhauled into something much better. But there’s no chance I would give up all the other BlackBerry goodness just for some other smartphone OS that has a wonderful webkit web browser but aint so hot at a lot of other stuff.

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:37:45 +0000

Let me just start by mentioning that I like the browser on my Bold. It’s quite quick and the results are quite good. It’s not perfect, but my previous phone was a Treo 680 – great phone with a terrible browser. Anything would be better!

I’m programmer, so can assure you that (as others have mentioned), porting WebKit to Java, the BB platform will be unbelievably complex. Using WebKit on the Palm Pre or the iPhone is relatively trouble-free, however, and it also means that those platforms will get the benefit of open source development. As new updates to the core WebKit are released, they’ll get them first. If Rim somehow get a feasiuble port going, updates will lag behind those other platforms.

This is the fundamental problem with Blackberry; Java. I like Java, but it has led Rim down a technological cul de sac where they just don’t get the volume of software developers or ports that other platforms can boast. Porting an app from one C++ platform to another is quite feasible. Porting it to Blackberry is a nightmare.

That’s why these great handsets don’t have good gaming titles or quite the quality of apps that other emerging platforms have.

Frankly, RIM could do worse than scrap the current system, build a BB OS shell on the top of Linux and just include a java virtual machine to run legacy apps. Just imagine – code compatibility for a legion of software developers, a native WebKit browser and OpenGL libraries for 3D graphics! Bliss.

By: mh

mh — Sun, 31 May 2009 01:44:08 +0000

Between IE for Windows Mobile, and the Blackberry browser, I’m to sure Blackberry has the upper hand. I’m beginning to move towards the belief that all software – including browsers – should be developed independently (a la firefox), and RIM’s role should be just to provide a solid OS platform.

By: SGR

SGR — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:44:04 +0000

BB Browser Is a BIG depression
Sure It can render fine and fast
with certain functions turned off
Surely every site can optimize web xperience per browser agent
But this does not apply to reality!
Wake up smell and taste the berries!!
When you are on the go and need to browse your paypal account you either cannot or have to do It with other browsers
While on the go when you need onlinr banking
(Btw most modern banking solutions utilize java)
You simply cannot work well
Forms and drop down boxes that utilize java and auto refresh based on selection
are failing to work as intented due to poor BB browser
On line telecom account pages that inform you about your balance
Services and programs and let you change them or add services fail to work
Due to … Again poor java implementation on BB Browser
Web server providers (vps, PS etc) often utilize java In order their users to access
specific pages with status sreens
and service actions (restart, stop, watch stats, logs etc)
Or even log on to ticket panel (java powere) In order to issue support tickets
Once again we fail due to poor browser…
I don’t care about seeing the web as seen @ my quad core lappy or desktop
But I wanna do my simple, urgent, quicky tasks on the go with confidence
With the current browser solution It’s a guaranteed frustration!
RIM DO SOMETHING ALREADY!

By: alb123

alb123 — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:35:20 +0000

Sadly, I agree with you on this one. What frightens me more – other products are rolling out fresh, innovative platforms and RIM is going to probably find itself losing in the consumer market bigtime if it doesn’t do something to stay on par. They’ve got the security and the integration to keep them tops in the corporate world. But, they’ve pushed a lot of their chips into the consumer market and I’d hate to see them fail!

By: DonGato

DonGato — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:52:01 +0000

There is no question. BlackBerry browser is mostly useless. For small things like downloading an OTA application or viewing WAP enabled pages is ok but don’t ever think you can “browse the web” with it. Is not just Javascript lacking but formatting, and terribly lacking!

By: Lewis

Lewis — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:31:48 +0000

Also, I find it completely ridiculous when you see RIM come out with what, 4 or 5 new handsets in a year? And they all have the same sucky browser.

With their Push technology they could do so much more and make an absolute monster of a phone, but they are stuck clinging to old software that no longer fits the bill.

So what – a new slightly different handset – this one has wifi! Woop woop, who cares. Fix My Browser!

By: Lewis

Lewis — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:28:30 +0000

The BlackBerry Browser is an awful terrible painful way to browse the web. The RIM folks must know this, and yet for years I have had a terrible browser. And ‘improvements’ come, and yet nothing is any better.

As soon as Apple bring out the new iPhone this year I am going to get it.

I still have a contract on my BlackBerry until next June, but I don’t care.

BlackBerry -> you lose.

By: Rizzzzoooo

Rizzzzoooo — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:06:39 +0000

Diddo!

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 30 May 2009 06:56:03 +0000

There is a simple answer to this issue. RIM never innovates. You may think that they do, but they really don’t. They just make new looking phones but honestly, how much has the OS changed? OS 4.6+ just looks like OS 4.5 and below with a flashy theme. OS 4.5, which we waited for like… 2-3 years for gave us HTML email. That’s it. The alarm app will never have multiple alarms, for crying out loud. We will never have an option to ring and vibrate at the same time without having to download a 3rd party program. Viewing pictures on my Pearl has no shortcut buttons to go to the next and previous images (no, pressing 4, 6, n, or p do NOT do anything). Oh, and can we at least have the option to run the BB Browser through TCP connection? It’s… just so much faster than a BIS-B connection. Thanks.

By: schlock

schlock — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:56:21 +0000

I’ve been a BB fan for years but the Web and OS is feeling long in the tooth and so 20th Century. I look at the Iphone/Android/Pre and I hope that BB has something new that we know nothing about in the pipeline. Nice phones and ancient software is not a winning combo.

By: Ameer

Ameer — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:32:42 +0000

Yeah I agree with what most say. The bb browser is trash if you use it for fun or leisure. I had the g1 and I think its the best browsing experience on a phone today. And I dont think the article’s point is what can you get by with, but rather what should you be getting. If your fine with basc rendering and a minimal browsing experience then thats one thing, but that doesnt change the fact that its just not as capable as other phones running webkit. I have the storm and while Im pleased with other aspects of the phone, its very annoying to know that other phones that I think are inferior overall, actually have better web browsing capabilities. So please no more talk of what youre fine with or you dont need all the extra stuff, this discussion is about what the bb browser SHOULD be capable of.

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:36:21 +0000

It sucks and should be trashed. So embarassing compared to the iphone or android. 20th century technology, literally.

By: DavidB

DavidB — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:54:44 +0000

Last you checked where? There’s no indication of webkit anything in MY Storm running OS 148.

By: DavidB

DavidB — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:51:25 +0000

Sorry, but I don’t expect a mobile phone with even a Storm size screen, let alone even a netbook with 10″ screen, will give me the browsing experience I have at home on cablemodem feeding a hotrod quad core mache driving dual 30″ displays. I expect websites to detect my device and scale accordingly, web servers have the horsepower, mobile phones do not. Kinda funny BerryReview can get this part SO right but a site the like of Crackberry or Engadget can’t.

Does BB browser suck? Yup. But turn off javascript and it works just fine fir what it is. Would I like it to be better? Sure. But is webkit the answer? I suspect not.

By: Mark Stahler

Mark Stahler — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:00:27 +0000

The Blackberry browser is terrible. The fact that we cannot change the default browser further aggravates the issue. As much as I enjoy my Blackberry, as soon as Motorola releases a hardware clone of the Bold running Android I am dumping RIM.

By: Luis Merlos

Luis Merlos — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:20:51 +0000

that would be cool if they actually included some new thing on the 5.0 when is officially released, I have not been too impressed with the content on 5.00 leaks

By: Mangos and Guavas

Mangos and Guavas — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:04:48 +0000

A friend of mine on the 8900 browser development team (the “Mango” project) told me that in fact there were two teams working on the browser for that device – one that took the then-current browser and updated it, and the other that started with Webkit. The Webkit browser port was complicated beyond belief, starting with the C++ to Java conversion, and couldn’t be converted in time to meet the ship deadline. Thus they went with Mango, the current browser.

However, the Webkit porting team still exists, and is still working on porting Webkit to run under the … unusual constraints provided by RIM’s environment – most notably, speeding up the performance in Java. About even odds that the current browser may be replaced with Webkit, but it depends what gives them the performance and standards compliance first.

By: Boomh4u3r

Boomh4u3r — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:49:11 +0000