Database Info

REVIEW: Free tabbed Internet Explorer plug-in Maximus 1.0

The built-in Internet Explorer in the Windows Mobile operating system has always lacked multi-tabbed operation. There have been several third-party solutions to the problem, the latest being the free Maximus. Read on to find out how it fares against other Internet Explorer add-ons!
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"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Availability, compatibility
Unfortunately, the developer’s homepage doesn’t have a dedicated page on the application – only the statement “Open multiple tabbed pages inn a single browser! A fully functional web browser similar to Internet Explorer which allows you to open an unlimited amount of web pages at one time.”.
The direct download link is this HERE. Unzip the file and either transfer Maximus.ARM.CAB to your Pocket PC and click it there or start Maximus.exe on your desktop.
Installation
Upon install, if you, instead of directly transferring Maximus.ARM.CAB to your Pocket PC and clicking it there (the recommended way of installing the application), start Maximus.exe to install, make sure you untick “UnityRuntime” in the installer (as can be seen in here) because:
it would install the original version of CF2, which is NOT recommended any more. Make sure you get CF2 SP1 instead. It’s the latest version of CF2 and is much better than the one shipped with Maximus. See this article for more info on downloading.
what’s more, the package contains the WM5-only CF2 CAB file and, therefore, can’t be installed on WM2003(SE) devices.
After installation, the app must be started by just tapping the new Maximus icon (the app is, technically, not a simple PIE plug-in but an add-on which must be separately started, just like ftxPBrowser or Webby).
Pros
Using it doesn’t result in a considerable speed hit when loading new pages, as opposed to some other Compact Framework-based products like Webby. I’ve done some benchmarks with my traditional Web transfer benchmark page. While it took Maximus 30 seconds to fully load the page, the "barebone" PIE spent 24...27s in default (and 17..22 s in One Column) mode on my A12 AKU2.3 Dell Axim x51v. (Note that AKU 2 introduced a big loading speed increase; this is why the plain PIE loading speed is much better than in this pre-AKU2 A06 test). That is, the speed difference is about 15%, which is negligible
It’s free and if you really don’t have anything else but must have tabbed browsing support, you may want to use it. (But, then, the free version of Webby, Opera Mini, Minimo or, if you have a Pocket PC with an operating system prior to WM5, ftxPBrowser may prove much more useful.)
Cons
It really doesn’t add anything to the underlying PIE, except for new tabs, and even hides the original menus (more on this later)
It doesn’t support WM5 softkeys
it doesn’t add any new page / link / image context menu options. For example, the lack of link context menu options means, as it’ll open a link in the current frame, you can’t easily open a new frame for a new link
It hides the original IE menus. This means you won’t be able to access even basic functionality from inside Maximus. It’s impossible to change view mode (it defaults to the “Default” view mode, which isn’t very useful with many pages where the “One column” mode would be preferable); you can’t turn off/on loading pictures, you can’t hide the address bar, the text size (zoom percentage) etc.
It doesn’t have access to the persistent URL history, unlike ALL other alternates – it only lists URL’s entered in the last session
While the context menus have the Full Screen option, it doesn’t work
No access to favorites (a BIG problem!)
To get a picture of how simple its menus are, here are some screenshots: 1 2 3.
Error dialogs / messages don’t contain any text; an example can be seen here
Verdict
Definitely not recommended. Even the free version of Webby is far better if you really want to stick with Compact FW 2-based solutions (I wouldn’t). Currently, I don’t think you should even think about installing it. Hopefully a subsequent version will offer far more functionality.
Recommended links
Do check out my other Web browser reviews in the Web Browsers category in the Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine's Expert Blog.

Web browsing news: new version of Opera Mobile and NetFront out with major upgrades

Anyone having read my well-known Windows Mobile Web Browser Bible know NetFront and Opera Mobile are leading Web browsers on Windows Mobile. Betas / Technical Previews of forthcoming versions (3.4 for NetFront and 8.65 for Opera Mobile) have been constantly released; the last ones, of both browsers, recently. In this article, I elaborate on these brand new versions.
NetFront 3.4 Technical Previews 007
NetFront, while not really having gained new features (except for support for Flash), has been enhanced: now, the current, free (!) Technical Preview isn’t less usable than the commercial version (except for some, for most of the users, not THAT important, really advanced plug-ins like the Java Virtual Machine). This means you can have a fully-fledged Web browser without having to shell out any money – as is exactly the case with the new Opera Mobile, to be discussed below – till 08/31/2007 (it only expires then).
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Getting and installing
Download the CAB file HERE (the main TP page is HERE).
Pros
No longer requires a lengthy initial setup (involving even a soft reset) phase at the first start or when you switch to proportional fonts
You’re no longer restricted to 10 bookmarks (favorites) in the TP version
It no longer restricts the number of the tabs to be opened to two either
The TP version too supports Flash as can be seen in for example HERE (showing Bomberman). It’s even capable of playing YouTube videos as can be seen in HERE. Unfortunately, its YouTube playback is WAY slower (that is, pretty useless) than that of Opera Mobile or, for that matter, the latest TCPMP Flash plug-in (of which I’ll soon publish an article), therefore, should be avoided. If you DO want to enable it, go to Menu / Tools / Browser Settings / External Tools / Plug-in and enable the given checkbox as can be seen in HERE.
Cons
Unfortunately, when you open a link in a new tab, the current settings (for example, rendering / one-column / image display mode) aren’t inherited, as opposed to ALL the other (decent) multitab-enabled browsers on both the desktop Windows and Windows Mobile. Sure, you can quickly apply pre-defined profiles at Menu / View Profile, but it’ll take a LOT of time to re-render the pages. Inheriting view settings would have been the best way to go.
The 5-tab restriction is still here (you can’t open more than five tabs at a time)
The Flash plug-in is as bad (CPU usage-wise) as was in version 3.3 (you will want to keep it deactivated in order to avoid your handheld to really slow down)
No MS Smartphone (WM6 Standard)-compliance: while the CAB installer can be installed on a WM5+ Smartphone, the main GUI isn’t displayed when you start the browser. (tested on the HTC Vox/s710 in both orientations)
Not compliant with WM operating systems prior to WM5
You must still manually switch to proportional fonts in Menu / Tools / Browser Settings / General / Font / Use proportional font (don’t forget to do this!)
Opera Mobile 8.65 beta 2
In my opinion, the best Windows Mobile Web browser, particularly on the Smartphone, is Opera Mobile. The new beta has recently been released and is available HERE for free (!), unrestricted (!) download. The major update is it no longer having driver memory problems (see my previous reviews of these problems) and is, therefore, a must install. To my knowledge, there aren’t other new features.
The trial expires on 10/01/2007 – that is, you can surf the Net for free until then. I, however, recommend going and buying a license – Opera certainly deserves the support, not only because Opera Mobile, but also their top-notch desktop Opera browser and Opera Mini.
The Smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard) version of Opera Mobile is a REAL must – way better than anything else. I’ll publish a big upgrade of the Windows Mobile Web Browser Bible, concerning Web browsing on the Smartphone, in the near future.

in netfront i can't find any progressbar or similar indicator for the current status of a loading page. is there something like that or doesn't netfront provide this feature?
edit: i will try netfront for some days. compared to opera mobile 8.65beta it seems that netfront offers an more acceptable browsing experience without changing a page's layout to one column on my qvga device(page overview and virtual canvas).
but opera mobile's one column view looks better than netfront's.

Dorothy: an Internet browser for Windows Mobile 6/6.1

Hi, all.
I'd like to introduce Dorothy, an Internet Browser for Windows Mobile 6/6.1.
In fact, I'm one of the developers of this browser.
It's a stand-alone, webkit-based browser.
We tested it on HTC HD/Diamond, Sony Ericsson X1i, and Samsung Omnia.
We started the closed beta program a few weeks ago.
You can join at http://www.dorothybrowser.com .
I hope you enjoy the Internet browsing with Dorothy.
We welcome any feedback or suggestion.
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
All the bests,
Daniel W. Kim.

i am only downloading because i really like the name.

They call it a 'service,' so perhaps they use their servers to transcode websites before sending them to the phone? If so, it's in the same vein as Opera Mini, Opera Turbo and Bolt Browser.
I hope it's not the case.

i too love the name
josefcrist said:
i am only downloading because i really like the name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shame i have just move to android

Soaa- said:
They call it a 'service,' so perhaps they use their servers to transcode websites before sending them to the phone? If so, it's in the same vein as Opera Mini, Opera Turbo and Bolt Browser.
I hope it's not the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does not use any proxy server. It's stand alone.

Oh sweet! I can't wait to test it then. If it really is three times faster than Opera, this could be one killer browser.
I already registered, har har. :3
Update: got the download link! I'm excited.

Interesting. Only basics, but fast. I miss only text wrapping (now it's hard to read anything) and tabbed brwosing. I like rendering - it's fast on start, it's fast when scolling, it's fast when exitting. I can't save my homepage in settings.

Interesting yeah. Not quite the three times faster than Opera Mobile as advertised, but further developments would be fun to watch.
Will we get updates by email?

Soaa- said:
Interesting yeah. Not quite the three times faster than Opera Mobile as advertised, but further developments would be fun to watch.
Will we get updates by email?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dorothy already has automatic update feature in it. You can see the update dialogue if there is any update. (The dialogue appears once a day if the update is available.) And we are planning to send e-mail notifications for updates.
We are now in the closed beta phase, that is, we are adding new features, fixing bugs, and changing things. Your suggestion or feedback will be very helpful. Please feel free to suggest.

I'm still waiting for their email with the download...
Really looking forward to trying it!

My email went in the spam box-check there.
Nice browser. I like the blue skin. It's not as fast as mini 4.2, but is on par with ucweb6 and opera 9.7. It needs settings and a full screen mode. Definitely a keeper.

Pages seem to render faster than Opera Mobile 9.5, actually. The issue is that they aren't updated to the screen properly. For example, when I navigate from one page to another, while the new page is loading, I still see the previous page, but if I scroll while it's loading, it renders the new parts without updating the section that's still painted with the old page.
Definitely a keeper. Needs more work on usability features, such as kinetic scrolling, better zooming and text reflow. Good job guys!
Oh, by the way, I use an HTC Touch Diamond. VGA screen.

Somebody registered but didn't get an e-mail?
Please let me know if you can't find any e-mail from "Dorothy" even in the spam box.
Maybe we should modify the e-mail sender module
contact e-mail: [email protected]
And, on the other hand, yes,
we are working on that page update bug.

Hey! Thanks for the update. I just sent an email to the feedback address so all of your team can see it. I also included a couple more concerns, I think.
In any case, it's pretty awesome to have yet another quality browser enter the WinMo market. We'll see how the competition plays out. Best of luck to everyone? Haha~

wow this is really a keeper! it really loads pages fast, even got more speed than opera mini on my device (touch pro 2)! needs a full screen mode though... and sometimes i get minor rendering issues( grey boxes here and there)
will keep an eye out for updates!

same here with the email - not spam folder no email, unfortunately.

Is there a QVGA version of this?
Thanks,
Bernard

bfarkin said:
Is there a QVGA version of this?
Thanks,
Bernard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet
We are preparing resolution independent version.

When can I expect to get my email?

I really like it!
On touch HD the rendering is fast and accurate, also compared to Iris it seems that the page better follows the finger gesture (more fluid movement).
Compared to opera, It better supports Iphone websites thanks to webkit.
Impressive first attempt.
Like everybody else I'd like to see features like:
- Fullscreen (I really don't need to see windows top bar when surfing, and the address bar could be hidden the same way the bottom bar is hidden: just leaving a back button and an extend bar button maybe?)
- Zoom (I'd like not to have to scroll left and right when I zoom on iphone websites, could we chose the canvas size like in Opera? or have options like in Iris Mobile, Desktop, Column...)
- Kinetic scrolling (Everybody is really used to it, even if I also like the opera mini way were scrolling on the page is twice as fast as scrolling the finger - this one can be implemented easily I guess if kinetic takes too much time for now allowing for faster scrolling)
- Remember passwords (in safe and secure way of course)
Also question: What is the option at the right in the bottom bar with a + and a t?
Anyway thanks, really happy to see things moving on WM side of browsing, funny to see the new IE struggling compared to the competition...

UC Browser 7.7 Unofficial English Translated by me

Here the latest very popular UC Browser 7.7 Build 11041410 English Translated from Chinese for Android by me. I've tried to translate fully but still something can't be translated. Startpage can't be translated yet but still you can enjoy full featured English browsing like official one. The last Official English version was 7.2 for UC Browser Android.
Other Updates By Me:
~Added a new green theme as default for Small Screen version.
~About and Error pages will be in English now.
About:UC Browser 7.7 version released for Android platform you, make your mobile phone life more colorful, more efficient use of mobile Internet, toe enjoy the experience rush to download it. UC browser is a big competitor for Opera in other platforms like Java and Symbian and soon it'll for Android too.
UC Browser technology was developed by UC Mobiles Ltd as a superior mobile browser to support WEB, WAP page views, fast and stable, with video playback, navigation, search, downloads , personal data management capabilities, and lots more. You can use UC Browser with wireless Internet in your pocket and enjoy high quality mobile surfing any time.
New:
~Fast Switching No Image mode
~Click on the menu - set to quickly select a chart / No Image mode, there are plans / no plans from your master, God of horse traffic are a cloud!
Function Optimization:
~Optimization of the screen rotation
~Perfect Rotate "rison Break"! In any case, click on the menu - Settings - horizontal screen can achieve the cross-screen display, free from the impact of mobile phone system set up, cool it!
~Exit speed optimization
~Exit greatly enhance the response speed, without waiting, ie the back is cool!
~Optimization of full-screen mode
~Full greater vision can be realized only about planning screen forward and back, think outside the box a key without leaving traces, browsing the Web immense!
Tips For Full English Page Browsing:
Though its based on Chinese server but its fully support all sites blocked in China. Means you can browser any web page just like PC. You just need to change view mode to Zoom Mode (last one). You can change it from Menu-Settings - Page Mode- Zoom Mode (3rd option). In this, it'll work on directly connection, no page will redirected to Chinese language and give full English page.
Download UC Browser 7.7 Unofficial English Translated for Android by mannuforall:
UCBrowser_V7.7.0.85 SmallScr English by mannuforall.apk (1.44 MB) (Android Small Screen 320*240 or 400*240 Resolution)
UCBrowser_V7.7.0.85 English BigScr by mannuforall.apk (2.38 MB) (Android Big Screen 480*320 or 800*480 Resolution)
««««Added 5 themes for UC Browser 7.7 Android»»»»
Use one them at a time and delete old when trying another, otherwise it may crash browser in some phone.
Bamboo_Low-7700.uct (274.63 KB) (New)
Bamboo_Low-76075.uct (274.77 KB)
Green_Low-76075.uct (326.56 KB)
NewYear_Low-76075.uct (345.35 KB)
Wood_Low-76075.uct (368.67 KB)
Screen Shoots:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

Why does it need access to contacts. I tried the 7.2 English version from the market and I liked it a lot. But uninstalled due to privacy concerns.

You need to host this somewhere else cause even after registering on the host site it wont download.

ahaider7 said:
Why does it need access to contacts. I tried the 7.2 English version from the market and I liked it a lot. But uninstalled due to privacy concerns.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plz wait, I've just ask this to our R&D team at UC Mobiles Ltd.
But you no need to worry about it.

davidis57 said:
You need to host this somewhere else cause even after registering on the host site it wont download.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What problem you facing?
In Android phone you can use any download manager to download, open download page and copy the link behind download button in download manager, or also can try to download via t9space.com.

Forget it I will stick miren browser
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

davidis57 said:
Forget it I will stick miren browser
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you wish, but miren browser is not capable like UC browser. I'm not able to open gmail in full standard mode in miren, it always crashed.
But UC browser not only open gmail in full standard mode, even we able to use gtalk in gmail.

When I would try to download it all I got was a txt file.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

yeah i was gonna try it out on my g1 and it was a txt. how weak

In Android phone you can use any
download manager to download,
open download page and copy the
link behind download button (near to Copy to My Account) in
download manager, or also can try to
download via t9space.com.
Or download using pc.

yeah, actually seems to be quite quick... if not more quick then stock browser lol... thing is, the rendering is weird. seems everything i visit is being channeled through a third party proxy like server... going to www.google.com brings up the chinese version of google. this broswer seems quicker then miren, and quicker then stock. its a god damn shame it uses a third party proxy very fast on the g1

slimpyman said:
yeah, actually seems to be quite quick... if not more quick then stock browser lol... thing is, the rendering is weird. seems everything i visit is being channeled through a third party proxy like server... going to www.google.com brings up the chinese version of google. this broswer seems quicker then miren, and quicker then stock. its a god damn shame it uses a third party proxy very fast on the g1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plz use the tips for English browsing given at main post. In zoom mode you will got all pages in English.

[App] UC Browser 7.9 Released - More Awesomwness

UC Browser, facing tough competition from Opera Mini, Bolt and perhaps many other browsers, is no doubt constantly improving and taking steps forward to a better browsing on mobiles. It has evolved from just a crap browser with a great download manager to an excellent browser. Perhaps UC Browser is the most feature rich mobile browser till date. While some may argue it lacks javascript support, Opera Mini also don't. And it is not possible to provide javascript on low end phones. On high end phones like Android, it supports javascript though. I must say it provides much smoother mobile browsing experience that you can enjoy on the go always.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Download here - Getjar
Get the latest Android Version - Android Market
Get the latest version - Official Site
UC Browser 7.9 - Smooth your browsing
Each release of UC Browser always earns a lot of amzing things. Now with the 7.9 for Java/Symbian, UC is concentrating itself to solve the main problems of users and improve user experience palways. I think that’s why UC Browser already has 200 million users around the world and keeps attracting new users every day. Let’s experience the new 7.9 release by ourselves.
Taking care of your eyes- Auto Notification between night mode and day mode
UC Browser is more than a browser, taking care of your eyes. It notices u to switch ‘Day mode’ and’ Night mode’ intelligently according to the time. Everything UC has done is for taking care of users.
Browsing whenever and wherever - More powerful bookmark management
Plenty of people are anxious about the missing of their bookmark they’ve collected for a long time. Now the bookmark backup feature comes to rescue. Now you can save them to your memory card and never miss them again.
Filling the Laguage gap
Users of UC Browser are still increasing and covered 145 countries, 200 million. UC Browser tries its best to take care each users with different languages.
Language pack for Java, You can select language during installation.
More than English and Russian, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu are also supported. In the near future, more number of languages will be supported.
More changes and bug fixes
Fixed access connection timeout error : Fixed timeout problem during webpage browsing.
Fixed image loading failure: Fixed timeout error in loading image.
Optimized Cache management: Cache will be adjusted automatically. You don’t need to reset and clear Cache manually anymore.
Make your eyes more colorful: More Picture formats are supported. The new WebP image is near 40% smaller than jpeg image of similar quality.
That’s what UC Browser 7.9 for Symbian /Java brings to us. Let’s look forward to more

I'm in.....worth a shot at least.

I've always liked this browser. Even when it was buggy as hell back in my Windows Mobile days it still was great for downloads. I'll give this new version a shot. Thanks!
Edit: It seems the Android Market still lists version as 7.8, which I already have installed.
Sent from my Liquid Thunderbread HTC Thunderbolt

theres only 7.9 version for other platforms and NOT android as the post wrongly suggests...

lohtse said:
theres only 7.9 version for other platforms and NOT android as the post wrongly suggests...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That explains it then.
Sent from my Liquid Thunderbread HTC Thunderbolt