Torch Mobile releases Iris Browser v1.1.7

[JBundy]

Originally Posted by JBundy

Iris posted an update to its browser. It's version 1.1.5 as of March 22, 2009.
Iris Browser 1.1.5 Update Now Available

March 22, 2009

Iris Browser 1.1.5 for Windows Mobile was released today. As with all 1.1.x releases, this release is focused on bug fixes and performance enhancement. Some highlights include:

• Noticeably faster scrolling
• Up to 25% improvement in page load time
• Improvements to text input
• Rendering and layout improvements

For prior versions and their updates/changes, see Torch Mobile's (the developer) blog
Give it a try today!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install the Iris Browser for Windows Mobile 5/6?
Simply download the CAB file to your computer, transfer it to your phone via Bluetooth, ActiveSync, or memory card, and click on the CAB file in the File Manager.

Where can I download the Iris Browser for Windows CE or Qt?
The Iris Browser for Windows CE and Qt is only available to device manufacturers.

How do I disable all of these animations?
Using a registry editor for your phone, such as Mobile Registry Editor, set the key \\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\IrisBrowser\AnimationsEnabled to false.

What other hidden settings are available?
In the registry, you can set the following keys:

• DesktopModeWidth
  an integer describing the width to simulate when in desktop mode
• DesktopModeHeight
  an integer describing the height to simulate when in desktop mode
• OverscrollEnabled
  true or false, used to prevent the page from scrolling past the edge and bouncing back
• AnimationsEnabled
  true or false, used to enable or disable all animations in the browser
• FitToWidthByDefault
  true or false, used to prevent the browser from automatically zooming the page to fit the width into the screen
• GSensorEnabled
  true or false, used to prevent the browser from automatically rotating on HTC devices with a g-sensor
• KeepAwakeEnabled
  true or false, used to prevent the browser from keeping the backlight on
• FileMappingEnabled
  true or false, used to prevent the browser from using flash storage for temporary data (note: this is not the same as the web cache)

How do I make YouTube work?
YouTube's standard desktop version requires Flash 9 or above. This is not available for Windows Mobile. If you leave the browser in Mobile Mode (Page->View->Mobile Mode in the menu), you can visit YouTube and will be redirected to the mobile edition. If you happen to have the FlashLite 3 ActiveX control installed, Iris Browser will automatically use it and videos should work.

My AT&T/Sprint Fuze freezes.
This is a known issue specific to AT&T and Sprint Touch Pro and Diamond devices by HTC. We do not have a device that reproduces the issue in our offices, but we are working hard to come up with a solution.

How does zoom work?
There are two ways to zoom. Double-tapping the screen on a touchscreen device will attempt to zoom to the region of the page you are interested in. The algorithm is not perfect but will in most cases identify the proper region. Double tapping again will zoom back out to fit the entire page in the screen. Zoom can also be achieved by the menu (Page->Zoom) or key bindings.

Key bindings don't work on my Smartphone Edition device.
This is a known issue and will be improved in a future release. Not all devices work well with the key bindings at this time. There is a crude user interface for configuring key bindings but it will not work in all cases.

Does the Iris Browser use a proxy server for rendering?
No. Iris does not use any proxy servers for rendering or pre-processing. Everything is done directly on the device.

This just makes it better for everyone involved, especially when developers actually want to compete not only surpassing their own prior versions, but their competition's as well. Check this out:

Opera announces the new Opera Mobile 9.7 at CTIA Wireless 2009 – a server-accelerated full Web experience for smartphones and mobile devices

Mountain View, California and Las Vegas, Nevada – March 26, 2009

At next week’s CTIA Wireless Show, Opera Software will be announcing the new Opera Mobile 9.7 server-accelerated browser for smartphones and mobile devices. Opera Mobile 9.7 features Opera Turbo, Opera’s breakthrough compression technology, along with the company’s latest Presto 2.2 rendering engine (also used in Opera 10 desktop) and full support for dynamic Web technologies such as Ajax and Flash (for accessing popular sites like Facebook and YouTube).

In today’s tough business climate where customer expectations are ever-increasing, Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo can help carriers reduce network congestion while helping mobile device manufacturers bring increased speed and a more rich Web browsing experience to their customer and users.

For carriers specifically, Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo provides a more consistent and compelling full Internet experience by compressing data up to 80%, thus reducing unwanted traffic and congestion and allowing users to access the Web regardless of network limitations.

For mobile device manufacturers, Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo can make for a faster, more rich browsing experience by leveraging current device capabilities and utilizing hardware resources more effectively. Opera Turbo offloads Web page rendering to Opera servers freeing up device resources. Even devices with limited hardware capabilities show improved page download rates and better overall performance.

“Today, carriers and mobile device manufacturers alike are looking for solutions that take advantage of existing technologies and investments while trying to maintain a high level of service for their customers,” explains Rod Hamlin, Senior Vice President for the Americas for Opera Software. “Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo gives our business customers to ability to bring a rich Internet browsing experience to their mobile device and to the end-user without having to allocate new resources and development costs.”

Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo also features better standards support (100% Acid 3 test) and developer tools, hardware acceleration Open GL ES, and support for Google Gears.

To learn more, check out the Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo demo video.

In addition to Opera Mobile 9.7 with Opera Turbo, Opera will be showcasing Opera Turbo on other connected devices as well as the latest version of the award-winning Opera Mini 4.2 on today’s hottest mobile devices – Sprint Instinct, Blackberry Bold, Blackberry Storm, and T-Mobile G1.

Iris and Opera are becoming beasts on Windows Mobile. Hopefully, Microsoft will either compete by updating 6 on 6.1, or they shouldn't have it OEM installed at all and only available for OTA .cab installation. Props to Torch Mobile and Opera pushing the ceiling higher.

[redd214]

been trying this all day and so far it has a lot of potential. hopefully it will hold me over until opera 9.7 shoes its face

[JBundy]

Originally Posted by Not_A_Stain

Is it Free?

It is free.

[JBundy]

v1.1.6 is live!

[Riley]

Originally Posted by JBundy

v1.1.6 is live!

What has your experience been with this release 1.1.6? I have downloaded every previous release and finally gave up on this browser. It freezed for me and closed constantly on my diamond. I like the browser alot when it works but it's just not stable. I checked and it appears that they are still having the same issue with this fuze, tp, and diamond.

[tech]

i like this one to but i wonder what happend to that other broswer netfront there still in beta but doessent seem to fix nothing or even put new plugins?

[dahlem]

It states this in the Blog:

"New registry flag to control the minimum and maximum zoom levels - use at your own risk!"

But I can't find the registry any reference to zoom levels other than fit to width . . .

[JBundy]

Originally Posted by rileyd5

What has your experience been with this release 1.1.6? I have downloaded every previous release and finally gave up on this browser. It freezed for me and closed constantly on my diamond. I like the browser alot when it works but it's just not stable. I checked and it appears that they are still having the same issue with this fuze, tp, and diamond.

I haven't had any issues similar to your description. Torch Mobile is encountering problems with HTC's VGA devices. I don't know the source of the problem, but there is still an issue apparently. Personally, using the HTC Touch™, I haven't had too many issues. Every once and a while, I'd get the out of memory message, but the frequency of that is on the decline thanks to continuous remedy by the developer. Then again, my phone isn't VGA. Sorry you are having trouble with it thus far.

[JBundy]

Originally Posted by tech

i like this one to but i wonder what happend to that other broswer netfront there still in beta but doessent seem to fix nothing or even put new plugins?

They seem to have hit the wall with the rapid improvement being shown by Iris and Opera Mobile. Can't say I miss NetFront too much though. It's less user-friendly and slower than Iris and Opera IMO.

[dschoenike]

Greetings. For anyone interested, iris has been updated to 1.17. Not sure what the changelog is, but just go to Page/options/preferences/check for update within the iris browser to upgrade. Glad to see the consistent updates with this browser.
dschoenike