Browser and search tools for the phone
I’ve been spending some idle time over the holidays experimenting with new software for my phone in an effort to enhance my web browsing experience.
Firstly I downloaded and installed the Opera Mobile browser. This is a brilliant application that is far superior to the native browser environments that come pre-installed on most 3G phones.
Some of the key features include automatic wrapping of content so it fits nicely into the phone screen. Better still is the shortcut key feature that allows you to maximize the viewing window so it uses every millimetre of screen space. A quick click returns the standard phone menu panels for jumping out of Opera and into your other phone features.
There is also a handy Google search link directly from the Opera home page.
Community features such as blogs, forums and photo sharing are offered, however, I did not find them useful mainly because I prefer to undertake that type of participation in a big screen (and keyboard) environment.
Opera Mobile is an impressive application that significantly improves web browsing on your phone. Well worth checking out if your phone is supported.
More info: http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/
Postscript: Those with WAP enabled handsets you might like to try Opera Mini.
Also, Oliver Starr of MobileCrunch writes about the success of Opera Mini and it’s pivotal role in opening up the walled gardens of the telcos.
Next I thought I would see if the Nokia Mobile Search tool was helpful in finding web content on my phone.
The application was easy enough to get onto the phone. I submitted my mobile number via the Nokia website then immediately received a message with a link to the SIS file. It was then simple to download and install.
The search offered me only two options, Yahoo web or Yahoo images. I tried to configure it to suit the local option (which can give you Yellow Pages search facilities in some countries) but there was no listing for Australia.
I tried a Yahoo search and came up with some results, however, the content was not optimized for the small screen and now that I have used the Opera browser, it was frustrating not to have the ability to opt for a better browsing experience.
It would also have been great if there was a “mobile content only” search to retrieve sites optimized for mobile phones.
Given the absence of these extra smarts I think I will stick with using the Google search through my Opera browser.
More info: http://mobilesearch.nokia.com/