Digia's @Web browser now available for S60 5th Edition
Published by Rafe Blandford at 16:25 UTC, August 3rd 2009
Digia have released a beta version of their @Web browser for S60 5th Edition devices (Nokia 5800 and N97, Samsung i8910 HD). Digia @Web is a 'fully finger controllable, web browser for mobile'. Features include direct page control with finger, multi-window support, URL auto-completion and automatic full screen browsing. Read on for more details and screenshots.
The core concept of the browsing component of @Web is to have overlaid controls (toolbar at the bottom, zoom bar on the right, address bar and window controls at the top), which are automatically hidden after a short period of time. These controls can be bought 'back' by tapping on a downward arrow which is always displayed at the bottom of the page. A longer hold on the screen pops up a further menu, the 'Quick menu', which gives access to a homepage, settings, and a private browsing mode.
Both of these UI implementations are designed to keep the maximum possible screen space available for web page rendering for the maximum possible time, which reduces the need to scroll around a page.
Other impressive touches include support for URL auto=completion (based on pages you have previously visited), and support for multiple windows. With Digia @Web you can create a new window (or tab) at any time you wish. Thumbnails of currently open windows are shown just below the address bar, allowing you to easily switch between them.
Digia @Web showing a web page with overlaid controls, which auto-hide leaving an 'up arrow' to retieve them.
Digia @Web uses the WebKit engine built into the S60 platform. This means it uses the same rendering engine as the built in browser, but uses its own UI and control layer. This means that Digia @Web has kinetic scrolling on the Nokia N97, but not on the Nokia 5800 or i8910. It also inherits the ability to view Flash content and the relatively speedy rendering of the new browser core on S60 5.0.
Digia @Web is buggy; for example the scroll 'bar' does not work on the N97 and some softkey button bars have colour misconfiguration. Browser performance is generally fairly reasonable, especially when panning around loaded web pages.
However, Digia @Web for S60 5th Edition, as a beta, is still in its early stages. However @Web offers both a refreshing alternative UI and an extra level of functionality when compared to the standard S60 browser, which means it is well worth keeping an eye on.
Digia @Web settings and Bookmarks support.
Digia @Web was previsouly available for UIQ phones, but has since been discontinued.
Categories: Software
Platforms: S60 5th Edition
News Discussion
celios
Looks promising, prefer the UI to the standard S60 offering and the ability to open multiple windows is a big plus.
The zoom bar doesn't work on my N97 though, so it really is beta.
The zoom bar doesn't work on my N97 though, so it really is beta.
ccraig
this browser is just pure awesome it as the potential to become best out there, no other is like it on s60, the UI is very like that on iphone with its simplicity.
As the person above mentions zoom bar don't currently work on N97 also it sometimes freezes when opening full desktop versions of some websites but they do state its just beta so I'm sure they Will correct them errors and add more awesomeness.
Great Work So Far Thumb's Up To The DEVS
As the person above mentions zoom bar don't currently work on N97 also it sometimes freezes when opening full desktop versions of some websites but they do state its just beta so I'm sure they Will correct them errors and add more awesomeness.
Great Work So Far Thumb's Up To The DEVS
ouais
@celios
"the ability to open multiple windows is a big plus."
i try to open multiple windows with the default browser and it's messy! i prefer digia. it's more easy to use.
the adress bar don't work well. when you touch on it, the field doesn't appear. but it's a nice browser.
"the ability to open multiple windows is a big plus."
i try to open multiple windows with the default browser and it's messy! i prefer digia. it's more easy to use.
the adress bar don't work well. when you touch on it, the field doesn't appear. but it's a nice browser.
Unregistered
Holy crap this browser is pretty good! its got a much better interface for zoom, address bar, and page back. yet it still uses the powerful s60 core browser with flash and its speedy rendering upgrade. best of both worlds in a way. VERY impressed.
oh and long press the screen to bring up the main menu to exit, settings, etc. took me a bit to figure that out!
RogerP
oh and long press the screen to bring up the main menu to exit, settings, etc. took me a bit to figure that out!
RogerP
huschke2go
"@Web" is not bad, but at least on the 5800 it is very very very laggy. Webpages take up to 4 times to load compared to s60's "Web". On some webpages the browser just freezes and stops working entirely till it crashes. But as you guys said it's a beta version so their is certainly room for improvements. Are you guys experiencing simmular things? Or is the speed better on the N97 and the i8910?
celios
No, some pages are VERY slow on the N97 as well. Oddly some are just as fast as the standard browser so there must be some point where the complexity or size of the page gets too large.
mCrem
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Holy crap this browser is pretty good! its got a much better interface for zoom, address bar, and page back. yet it still uses the powerful s60 core browser with flash and its speedy rendering upgrade. best of both worlds in a way. VERY impressed. oh and long press the screen to bring up the main menu to exit, settings, etc. took me a bit to figure that out! RogerP |
1.laggy as hell, even the UI lags
2.didn't even manage to load a site, it always came up with an error saying " unable to perform task"
3.no kinetic scrolling
4.as soon as I tried to load AAS, it made my phone shutdown.
lookatbowen
I was impressed when I first loaded it up on my Nokia 5800 and saw the full screen web browser. Funny enough I loaded allaboutsymbian.com to see how it would handle a site with lots of content and photos and that is when it just hung. The screen went white and it took a good 6 minutes to load. It was extremely painful seeing a white screen and not being able to do a thing about it. How disappointing? (perhaps I should have closed a few applications at the time (email, music player, Ovi Store and Weather)).
Once it loaded it was fine until I opened a second browser window and pointed it towards Youtube.com and the screen went white and it never recovered again.
But it's got potential for sure and there are so many great features I prefer over the standard browser namely: Full Screen all the time, those icons that disappear downwards and upwards, the multiple windows icon (brilliant), the idea that one can only your finger down to bring up a menu, Great bookmarking, even the ability to create folders, the favourite icons and to define where you want to save your bookmark (another brilliant idea). I can't wait for an upgrade or a newish version to this browser, because I like it more than Opera and Nokia Default browser put together.
Once it loaded it was fine until I opened a second browser window and pointed it towards Youtube.com and the screen went white and it never recovered again.
But it's got potential for sure and there are so many great features I prefer over the standard browser namely: Full Screen all the time, those icons that disappear downwards and upwards, the multiple windows icon (brilliant), the idea that one can only your finger down to bring up a menu, Great bookmarking, even the ability to create folders, the favourite icons and to define where you want to save your bookmark (another brilliant idea). I can't wait for an upgrade or a newish version to this browser, because I like it more than Opera and Nokia Default browser put together.
germcevoy
loads of potential. Great full screen UI but clearly not at beta stage. Struggles to load anything I throw at it. Hope this one gets further development
RogerPodacter
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Originally Posted by mCrem
tried it on my omniaHD, and it's far from even beta status:
1.laggy as hell, even the UI lags 2.didn't even manage to load a site, it always came up with an error saying " unable to perform task" 3.no kinetic scrolling 4.as soon as I tried to load AAS, it made my phone shutdown. |
its funny how big of a difference in experience 2 people can have with the same browser. my experience was great with not one of those problems. i loaded AAS, howardforums, google, and a few others. and each and every one loaded identically to the s60 browser loads them. speed and all.
mCrem
it might be optimised for nokia s60 phones or something, with a lot of tweaking, the sammy should be smoking both nokias..
Tenkom
Sticking a buggy new ui on top of the already buggy implementation of the s60 web browser in the omnia hd is probably asking for it.
Albie999
Have had a go on the i8910, and it seems to work pretty good and fast. The only thing that bugs me at the mo, is that you are not able to set an access point, so when you connect it pops up asking for an access point, but it displays this 3 times
Unregistered
Not a bad try, looks like it's going to be my default browser going forward once the bugs are ironed out. If only they can also add Opera's rendering servers, but you can't ask for everything.
Where does the cache go? I hope its not the C:\
Where does the cache go? I hope its not the C:\
ebo
Rafe Blandford, how did you come to a conclusion @Web browser for S60 5trh Edition is an Qt application? As far as I know, the published S60 version is a native Symbian application, but the version being developed for Maemo is then again based on Qt.
NZtechfreak
Tried it today, too slow and buggy for me to use, but then it is a beta.
In terms of the UI this has the promise to be the best browser I've yet seen for S60, I look forward to future updates.
In terms of the UI this has the promise to be the best browser I've yet seen for S60, I look forward to future updates.
malerocks
I am really amazed at the comments here.
Just because this is an 3rd party app, people are willing to accept the shortcomings as of now and are giving comments like "but then its a beta" or "you can't expect everything" and are willing to wait for improvements.
If this was released by Nokia - there would be words like "Fail" and all around bashing and rants about how it needed to be perfect at the time of release.
We all seem to have formed a very bad mindset as far as Nokia is concerned :)
Just because this is an 3rd party app, people are willing to accept the shortcomings as of now and are giving comments like "but then its a beta" or "you can't expect everything" and are willing to wait for improvements.
If this was released by Nokia - there would be words like "Fail" and all around bashing and rants about how it needed to be perfect at the time of release.
We all seem to have formed a very bad mindset as far as Nokia is concerned :)
celios
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Originally Posted by malerocks
I am really amazed at the comments here.
Just because this is an 3rd party app, people are willing to accept the shortcomings as of now and are giving comments like "but then its a beta" or "you can't expect everything" and are willing to wait for improvements. If this was released by Nokia - there would be words like "Fail" and all around bashing and rants about how it needed to be perfect at the time of release. We all seem to have formed a very bad mindset as far as Nokia is concerned :) |
Either that, or Nokia's buggy phones and software are lowering our expectations... ;-)
robertdh
installed and tried the digia browser....
it looks as though it has potential but as is, it doesnt
out-perform the inbuilt browser.....
i found loading some webpages was slow and panning around
was slower with pages not panning at all.......
im not saying the browser is a waste as the UI is very intuitive.....
and its full of potential.....these small issues are expected with a beta.....
by 1st release without the beta attached to it, it will be one of
the better 3rd party browsers.....
it looks as though it has potential but as is, it doesnt
out-perform the inbuilt browser.....
i found loading some webpages was slow and panning around
was slower with pages not panning at all.......
im not saying the browser is a waste as the UI is very intuitive.....
and its full of potential.....these small issues are expected with a beta.....
by 1st release without the beta attached to it, it will be one of
the better 3rd party browsers.....
Rafe
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ebo
Rafe Blandford, how did you come to a conclusion @Web browser for S60 5trh Edition is an Qt application? As far as I know, the published S60 version is a native Symbian application, but the version being developed for Maemo is then again based on Qt.
|
I'm not sure, but I think some of the S60 version UI, may be constructed in Qt (based on some of the look and feel) - does not appear to be standard C++. Cant prove this conclusively so hence edited story.
Huschke
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Originally Posted by RogerPodacter
i dont know what you guys are doing. because i used it on my 5800 and i loaded allaboutsymbian.com about 4 times testing out new windows and the menus. it loads just as fast as the built in browser. not slow at all for me. and nothing crashed. in fact i only found one bug which is the display of multiple windows at the top. the only thing is the menu fade away could be a little smoother/faster.
its funny how big of a difference in experience 2 people can have with the same browser. my experience was great with not one of those problems. i loaded AAS, howardforums, google, and a few others. and each and every one loaded identically to the s60 browser loads them. speed and all. |
Unregistered
I have a problem that it doesn't connect at all, I've set a default access point but it simply won't connect, it doesn't even ask me which AP I wan to use.
germcevoy
switching the javascript off speeds things up ten fold. Love it. Full screen browsing on the 5800 is amazing. I know I could do it using the S60 browser but that was too clunky
Jules_N93
This is almost a hoax imho. It's not a standalone browser, it's a shell over the existing one! I found that on my I8910, when pressing and holding, I still get the Samsung zoom-tool. Which means the program is using the built-in browser. So no wonder it's slower then the built-in browser, as it's the built-in browser plus an extra layer.
Great that they improve the controls, but they shouldn't advertise it as a whole new browser, because it isn't.
Great that they improve the controls, but they shouldn't advertise it as a whole new browser, because it isn't.
suju_k
I'm in love with this...The concept of the browser ROCKS!!!!
Only the problem is with performance..I'm sure that will be ironed out...Hope it remains free even after that.
What I want by then is...
1. Stability
2. Speed
3. Kinetic scrolling
4. Silverlight support.
Thanks,
Suju.
PS: @Rafe, Qt is a powerful concept...I'm realizing it.
Only the problem is with performance..I'm sure that will be ironed out...Hope it remains free even after that.
What I want by then is...
1. Stability
2. Speed
3. Kinetic scrolling
4. Silverlight support.
Thanks,
Suju.
PS: @Rafe, Qt is a powerful concept...I'm realizing it.