| WebKit-based browser comes to Windows Mobile |
Feb. 14, 2008
 Torch Mobile has become the first company to release a Windows Mobile 6 web browser based on open-source WebKit browsing technology. The Iris Browser provides a powerful, standards-based experience on resource-constrained devices, with multiple windows and tabs, and "virtual mouse" functionality, according to the company.
The Iris Browser is compatible with HTML 4 and parts of the upcoming HTML 5 standard, such as the CANVAS tag, which can be used to draw vector-based graphics using scripting. It also supports Cascading Style Sheets 2.1 and 3, according to Torch Mobile.
The Iris Browser is said to perform well even on devices with minimal resources, thanks to a fast rendering engine, efficient storage of bookmarks and cookies, and a cache optimized for low disk usage. Like other recently announced Windows Mobile web browsers, such as NetFront 3.5 and Opera Mobile 9.5, the Iris Browser supports tabbed browsing, making it easy to switch from one web page to another.
 
The Iris Browser provides zooming (left) and tabbed browsing (right)
In particular, Torch Mobile touts the Iris Browser's "tapping and zooming" function, in which the browser first loads a web page scaled down to fit a device's screen, then lets the user zoom in on it by tapping the desired area with a stylus. This resembles the functionality in the Apple iPhone's Safari web browser, which is also based on a WebKit core. The Iris Browser also provides a "virtual mouse" function, which now lets users navigate web sites that were previously inoperable without mice.
Like NetFront 3.5 and Opera Mobile 9.5, which have not yet been released to end users, the Iris Browser appears to consider carriers its core constituency, not the general public. Accordingly, Torch Mobile cites the product's customizable user interface, adaptable "to your specific requirements." It also provides a variety of selectable animations, sound effects, and page transitions such as "slide in/slide out," "shatter," and "swirl."
About WebKit
WebKit is a lightweight mobile HTML rendering engine derived from the KHTML rendering engine maintained by the KDE project. Webkit has become best-known for its use behind the scenes in Windows, OS X, and iPhone versions of Apple's Safari browser. It has also been used by Adobe, which based its AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) toolsuite on it. More recently, the WebKit engine has also been incorporated into Google's Android software stack for Linux-based smartphones.
Today, WebKit offers advanced support for "Web 2.0" features, including asynchronous Javascript (AJAX). Webkit has a reputation for having a smaller footprint and being easier to program than Gecko, the rendering engine used in Firefox and the GNOME desktop environment. (A mobile version of Firefox is under development, as we covered previously here.)
In October 2007, Palo Alto-based stealth startup Wake3 announced its own Windows Mobile implementation of WebKit. This was demonstrated at this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, according to the company, which adds on its website that a public beta will be launched "during the next few months."
Availability
A "preview release" of the Iris Browser can be downloaded from the Torch Mobile website, here.
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