No one around here can say they haven’t had a busy day. We all have. Busy little bees around here, but we couldn’t be happier about it. As long you guys find the information we provide useful, we’ll keep it coming. That being said, if anyone has some RedBull lying around, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!
Moving on… anyone one of us lucky enough to have experience the iPhone or its sibling the iPod Touch can attest to the fact that Apple got the web experience right on with those devices. The Mobile Safari web browser is simply amazing and does things so well, you sometimes forget that it is indeed a Mobile Web Browser. Really, the mobile web experience on the iPhone OS is second to none… until now. Meet the Pre’s browser. Now this is truly fast, intuitive, full-featured web browsing and what all of us smartphone users have been clamoring for. (Especially those on Windows Mobile. I kid, I kid. Okay, maybe not)
When you tap on the Web icon in the Launcher, the Web browser comes up, showing you an input bar when you’d type in a web address or a search query. As you can see, your bookmarks are hanging out as thumbnails in the background as you type.
What you get is the full HTML version of the page. No mobile watered down version… no. You get all of it. Lightning fast and incredibly accurate to form.
A quick double tab at any area on the page and you’ve zoomed in for a closer look.
Your application menu, which you can access by tapping “Web” up at the top left corner, gives you the standard options you would expect but worth noting is that “Add to Launcher” command in the “Page” sub-menu. Yes, you can add a web page right to your Launcher with the rest of your apps.
Tapping on “Preferences” in the application menu will give this:
Now back to your web page… say you want to bookmark this page because it is infinitely interesting and the hottest thing since sliced bread… well, from the application menu just tap “Add Bookmark”and this page will pop up:
And after you tap the “Add Bookmark” button, a thumbnail of your page will show up among your other bookmarks, like this:
Safari, you have met your match!
Also worth noting is that you can keep several of these Web Browser cards open at once, so feel free to surf as much as you’d like without having to close the page you’re on! Just open another card, right from the application menu and your other page will remain open! I believe they call that multi-tasking, in case any iPhone owners were wondering. 
I kid but you know I love you guys… and your iPhones. After all, I’m an Apple fanboy too.
54 Comments, Comment or Ping
LeeZ
Does it handle flash on webpages?
May 22nd, 2009
NOUS
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS….
May 22nd, 2009
JoshH347
I can hardly contain myself right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUST HAVE ONE!!!
May 22nd, 2009
kindaskimpy
LeeZ, this has also already been asked of Palm several times. Flash support is coming for the Pre but most likely it will not be available at launch. Shouldn’t be too long though. And at least we know it’s coming… unlike the Flash support Apple and Adobe can’t seem to agree on for the iPhone.
May 22nd, 2009
IGoDwnTwn
Dat da shyt!!!!!!!!!….LOL……cant wait!!!!!!
May 22nd, 2009
bagsofcole
What about tethering? I’ve heard mixed responses.
May 22nd, 2009
Aridon
No folder view for bookmarks? That would suck if you have to go through 7 pages of books marks to get to the site you want. Sure you can search but might as well not have the bookmark if you have to type the name anyways.
Hopefully they have a way to categorize things so you can keep New sites, tech blogs, shopping, gaming etc bookmarks together so they aren’t spread out all over the place.
May 22nd, 2009
Kyusaku
How do you save an image on a page?
May 22nd, 2009
mike t
No multitouch? I thought multitouch was supported for the browser! What a lose that it’s not there!
May 22nd, 2009
kindaskimpy
mike, relax. multi touch is in there.
May 22nd, 2009
loocas
nice. thx for posting this!! i’m super excited about the pre now. can’t wait to get my hands on one.
one question: caching… how does the browser do it? let’s say i click on a link to go to another page, what does clicking on the back button do? does it reload the previous page like mobile safari? i really really hate that behavior because it makes the browsing experience feels slow and cumbersome.
May 22nd, 2009
kindaskimpy
I hate that too! I can happily report the browser on the Pre successfully caches pages for quicker reloading
May 22nd, 2009
rddt
Can you do a Find within a page?
How about streaming mp3’s or other non-Flash based multimedia content?
Also can you download applications, mp3s, photos or any other linked file?
How about making online purchases, is it compatible w/ full website form encryption?
These features would truly make the mobile browsing experience complete!
Thanks!
May 22nd, 2009
kindaskimpy
Find within a page? Not as far as I can tell
Streaming other media formats besides flash? Yep. There’s even a separate YouTube app to stream .h264 videos from YouTube just like the iPhone
Yes, fully compatible with secure website encryption.
May 22nd, 2009
Jack Handy
Same question, what about tethering???!!!
May 22nd, 2009
kindaskimpy
Tethering is technically possible. A whole different question is whether Sprint will allow it and if so, at what cost. We will have to wait for those answers
May 22nd, 2009
loocas
thx for answering my question! very good to hear that the browser does caching right.
another annoyance about the iphone’s browser is the finger-flick action… if you don’t do it perfectly vertical it will sometimes scroll horizontally as well. how does the pre’s browser do it?
ideally what i’d like is for the browser to be smart enough to know that when you’re flickering up/down within a certain threshold (say between 80 to 110 degrees) that you really are wanting to go up/down, and not diagonally. if i flick at an angle past that threshold then sure scroll diagonally.
thx again! keep the info coming.
May 22nd, 2009
kindaskimpy
Having used the browser on my iPod Touch plenty, I know why behavior you are talking about. I haven’t noticed it on the browser in webOS but I won’t be able to tell with certainty just yet.
May 22nd, 2009
loocas
ok. can you check on it? thx. i’ve been using opera mini on my treo for several years now and it’s awesome (for the most part, except for all the crashes). there’s a “save webpage” feature that i really like because it allows me to save a webpage for later reference when i either a) don’t have good coverage or b) need to get some piece of information quickly (like a recipe).
does the pre’s browser have something like that? thx
May 22nd, 2009
Chris
Thanks!
Can you scroll a page in the browser with the space bar?
May 23rd, 2009
.plaid
Is it possible to open a new browser-card from a link? I’m thinking of the Pre analog to “open in new tab’ – I’ve tweeted the Palm crew a few times about this haven’t heard anything.
Thanks.
May 23rd, 2009
Dom
Really hope ’search on the page’ comes to webOS in one of the first updates. That would be really useful.
Can you tell us what it does currently if you just start typing while viewing a loaded page? Thank you!
May 23rd, 2009
kindaskimpy
.plaid,
I don’t think so.
Dom,
When you start typing in a web page, unless you are in an input field in the page, it will type into the address/search bar
May 23rd, 2009
kindaskimpy
@.plaid,
I don’t think so
@dom
Right now if you type on a loaded page, you bring up the address/search bar again and it goes in there.
May 23rd, 2009
kindaskimpy
@.plaid,
I don’t think so.
@dom
Right now, if you type, it just brings up the address/search bar again and it goes in there.
May 23rd, 2009
kindaskimpy
@.plaid,
I don’t think so.
@dom
Right now, if you type, it just brings up the address/search bar again and it goes in there.
May 23rd, 2009
Rajje
I currently own iPhone, but I really love Palm and will probably switch to webOS when the damned thing shows up in my country some distant time in the future.
However, making comparisons to Safari on the iPhone in this article and claiming the webOS browser to have more features, is very annoying and simply incorrect. I will now list all of this articles items:
- Full HTML-version of the Page. iPhone does it of course. Actually it was Steve Jobs who on the iPhone introduction keynote first made that statement about there being no mobile baby version, but the real web available. And furthermore, what smartphone does NOT do this these days, since iPhone started the trend?
- Double tap to zoom. iPhone does it exactly the same way, but with a nice animation I believe the webOS does not do.
- Add webpage-link to launcher. iPhone does it.
- Preferences panel with some options. iPhone has all these options and actually four additional: Choosing between search engines, more specific options about which cookies to accept, something about databases and the enabling of developer’s debugging-mode.
- Bookmarking by tapping a button. iPhone does it of course.
- Multiple web pages open simultaneously. YES, iPhone does that too. Actually, the first time I read a description of the webOS cards feature, it was said to be inspired by none other than Safaris method of switching between multiple open web-windows.
http://www.iphonefootprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/iphone-safari.jpg
- Bookmarks shows as thumbnails. This is the only feature listed in this article, that iPhone doesn’t have.
To sum up, I enjoyed these screenshots, but why must there always be silly comparisons to the iPhone in EVERY article about mobile phones these days? Frankly, all that these shots show, is that we can rest assured that the webOS browser with very small margin reach up to the iPhone-standard and also that someone still has yet to beat the iPhone’s browser.
May 23rd, 2009
chris
Rajje is right as I was going to mention the same thing. I think the only real difference between the iPhone and Pre browsing will be that the cards will still dynamically update I believe…but problem is that the content will be too small so no big deal. I hope the pre can live up to the hype.
May 23rd, 2009
loocas
@Rajje
because, like you said, the iPhone’s Mobile Safari is the golden standand by which other mobile browsers are judged. that said, i wouldn’t be so quick to accuse palmgoon of saying that the pre’s browser has more feature. they’re simply describing the features that it has. the only jab, which i do agree with you on, is their multitasking comment. Mobile Safari already has the ability to open multiple “cards” aka websites.
i’m also a huge apple fan. i use their products everyday both to make my living for recreation, but Mobile Safari does come up short in a couple of places, which i will gladly point out:
1. Caching. Mobile Safari does a terrible job with it. Every time i hit the “back” button it has to reload the page that I was *just* on. Why?? OperaMini does a much better job with caching, and from KindaSkimpy’s post, it looks like the pre’s browser will do so as well. I’m on my phone’s web browser probably 5 hours a day and am a heavy power user so this matters a lot.
2. Searching. Being a heavy user, I can tell you that having one entry box for both URL and search is a huge huge time saver. I never have to think about where to type. I just start typing. That’s a concept on the Pre that i think is a leap over the iPhone (or the next logical step of the user experience development, however you want to look at it). A phone is not like a computer in that you cannot assume that users are going to be dedicating their completely attention nor long period of time to using it. It’s being used in short, sporadic spurts with lots of interruptions. Because of that, anytime you don’t require a lot of precision on the part of the user, you make the experience that much more easy and better. The pre’s just-start-typing mantra is a huge step in this direction.
May 23rd, 2009
mike t
If multi-touch is supported, how cxome you didn’t show us how it works with the browser?
May 23rd, 2009
Matt
@MIKE T
Probably because these screenshots are from an SDK, and multitouch is a bit challenging to perform with a mouse?
May 23rd, 2009
loocas
@kindaskimpy
if it’s not too much to ask could you add a quick border=15px to the image tag for all the screenshots so that we can see how nicely the screen blends into the black background as it would on a pre? pre-tty please??
May 23rd, 2009
dssstrkl
@loocas
Caching on Mobile Safari sucks due to the limited amount of RAM on the iphone. 128MB of RAM isn’t a lot to go around, especially if you’re jumping around between apps and running stuff in the backgroud. (Yes the iphone DOES support multitasking and background processes, they’re just not a public API. That’s why Backgrounder works).
As for Opera Mini, it manages to keep pages rendered because its not displaying dynamic webpages. Opera’s servers do all the work and send your phone a static image. Mobile Safari displays live pages. Clearly one of these takes more resources to display and keep in memory than the other.
iPhone OS 3 has search built-in. Its not web search, but I’ll reserve judgement about whether keeping web and in-device search together or separate is better until I try it on the Pre.
One other thing to consider is that the Pre is built using 2009 hardware, while the iPhone 3G is still basically using the 2007 hardware of the original iPhone. Things like background processes are limited on the iPhone because of hardware limitations and battery considerations. The current 3.0 beta runs great on my original iPhone (search is fast, push works, battery life is acceptable [on a 2 year old device, remember], etc), so it is possible that the 3.0 iPhone hardware will allow for much greater retention of webpages in memory and things like background.
May 23rd, 2009
Craig
Please, how many iPhone users r really going to switch? This site seems to be a marketing ploy by Palm.
May 23rd, 2009
kindaskimpy
Palm’s not aiming for the iPhone customers… they’re aiming for the “fat middle”
May 23rd, 2009
Steve
In response to Rajje’s comment “Double tap to zoom. iPhone does it exactly the same way, but with a nice animation I believe the webOS does not do.”
Annoying animations that waste time sound like a negative (is there a way to turn that off on the iPhone?)
May 23rd, 2009
Troy
That’s right. They don’t expect to convert many iPhone users or Mac users for that matter. There is a HUGE market as smartphones replace regular cell phones. I think this phone is set up for the web 2.0 group, but they will need another for the business user with tighter integration and better integration with the MS infrastructure at companies. They won’t cede that market to RIM or MS just yet.
The Pre is the beginning and is targeted at folks that weren’t won over by the iPhone and would love Synergy and can make use of multi-tasking.
Aside from the cool-factor, I don’t see synergy offering much until developers start linking applications like Facebook with Driving Directions. Or, birthday calendar with Yahoo greetings. Or craigslist search with push notifications of items for sale. When that happens synergy will be more about push updates than keeping multiple calendars current. Most people have only one calendar anyway. Most people keep their contacts in Outlook.
I’m a Palm devotee since US Robotics made the first device, so I’m onboard. The question is who is willing to pay $199 for this aside for the geek crowd and how big is that crowd?
May 23rd, 2009
Jasons
Someone mentioned tethering, I got a call from Sprint because I “pre-registered” for info about the Pre. I told them tethering was a deal breaker for me. After the agent put me on hold several times and talked to different people and called an internal “Pre” info line – I was told that in no way tethering would be offered as an option with any Sprint plan and that 3rd party tethering applications could be shutdown via a remote kill. It could be a line of BS – but I’m sticking with my Blackberry for now, though an unlocked GSM version of the Pre might be nice.
May 23rd, 2009
serpentor
@jasons
u got a call cuz u pre registered?
i pre registered! and no call yet
and no email either
May 23rd, 2009
serpentor
right now the pre only has to win over the die hard palm people and sprint fans cuz that’s all they’ll have supply for!
they can convert iphone and new subs later.
May 23rd, 2009
serpentor
the iphone hardware and os is just too high maintenance for me. i hope webos doesn’t make u tap 25 times to get anything done.
May 23rd, 2009
john
how does it handle the ACID3 test?
May 23rd, 2009
serpentor
@steve
those annoying animations are their in the iphone os for a reason. it disguises how slow it really is. so, idt apple wants you turning them off or to be able to do that. it’s a feature
May 23rd, 2009
serpentor
@serpentor
ino ino, its ‘there’, not ‘their’
just in case the grammar police is on patrol
May 23rd, 2009
Bruce Carroll
I read that the browser does not support copy/paste?? Please tell me this isn’t true
May 24th, 2009
jc
Wow so you have the balls to be condescending on an obvoiusly
palm funded viral marketing site? who is this fat middle?
and why don’t they have an iPhone? Cause
they are holding out for synergy and
multitasking? huh? it’s about cost. 200 is alot
for most people and then the service plan
the pre is a little cheaper but not by enough
to make a difference. I just don’t know who
palm thinks really cares about the pre
except nerds.
May 24th, 2009
Micah
@JC
Palm’s target “fat middle” are the people who bought 270 million dumbphones in the first quarter of 2009 alone. That’s 270 million people who either don’t want your beloved iphone because it doesn’t suit their needs/wants (I’m one of those) or can’t afford it. There’s nothing condescending about targeting those people. That’s where the money is, and that’s what the “fat middle” means.
References: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=985912
May 24th, 2009
Andrew
I never could justify an iPhone. I couldn’t justify the cost for the phone nor the service plan. And sorry, but I need real buttons on my keypad. I need to be able to type with one hand without looking. Can’t do it on an iPhone when all you’re touching is glass. It’s why I didn’t go for the Instinct either when it first came out. There is absolutely NO doubt that iPhone had A LOT of great, innovative features that really tempted me, but I just couldn’t justify it. I KNEW something better would come along eventually. When Android first came out, I thought that was the answer. But being on a Sprint family plan that has five users, I couldn’t make the switch to T-Mobile. I had to wait until Android released a Sprint phone. No more waiting on an Android. Pre has everything the iPhone and Android phones have and more. It’s a no-brainer for me, I will have a Pre!
May 24th, 2009
Stephen
I’ve been wondering this, and can’t seem to find an answer anywhere…
Are we able to change the defaults on this phone? For instance, I don’t like using google Search, I use Live.com, are we able to change the default websearch to live.com?
Are we able to change the homepage also?
May 24th, 2009
Rex
“I read that the browser does not support copy/paste?? Please tell me this isn’t true”
I want to know too, anyone can confirm this?
May 25th, 2009
dave
How do you set the browser so that it deletes the cache each time. Multiple people use this phone and I don’t want my email accounts to come up and sign in automatically.
w.
Jun 7th, 2009
Danielle
I got the Pre yesterday. I played with an iPhone, compared the phones side by side. For me the Pre wins hands down.
1. Sprint is cheaper, better coverage where i live, and I have had great service with them for more than eight years. ATT comparable plan for family share is 60 more a month for less minutes and no text package.
2. The web browser does not feel like a mobile web. It loads fast, zooms and adjust beautifully. Your bookmarks are easily created and organized. You drag the card in any order you want. As for moving through alot of them, when you can scroll with a flick of your finger, it doesnt take more than a few seconds. When you open a new page, the first one is set back as a card and you can swap in seconds, card doesn’t have to reorientate as Safari does.
3. keyboard-small yes, but very user friendly. well organized and you can type without looking at the key board. i had to keep deleting on the iphone because the keyboard is very hard to type on
4. battery-i have only had to charge twice. once, when my nephew was watching tv for more than an hour, with other apps open. i had five cards open and using bluetooth without a problem.
5. screen is incredible. i still cant quite believe the phone is this small. images are clear, virtually no glare.
6. camera-awesome pictures. captured individual drops of water. take the picture, zoom in and out, instantly send via email, smms or upload to facebook, you tube or my space.
7. contacts-i know they have been touting the synergy of the contacts but it lives up to the hype, love it!
i could keep going on, but i think this is enough. I would like to say though, that there is a tremendous market for the device. it doesnt have to be an iphone killer. there is plenty of market share for both. also, i may have been waiting for this phone since january and was at the store before it opened but i am not a “nerd” as several posters have stated.
Jun 7th, 2009
Eric J
Does anyone know about the Pre supporting XHTML MP? I visit m.espn.com and get a great looking page that i don’t have to zoom in on to read. However when I visit other sites that are geared towards mobile the Pre renders the pages in “mini” size and I have to stretch them open to read them properly.
any feedback much appreciated.
Jun 16th, 2009
Drennen
How about being able to “edit” the URL. I just had to type in a lengthy URL THREE TIMES, and it sucked compared to my trusty Treo.
My biggest gripe with Pre is lack of basic text editing functions, like selecting a word, cursor control is kludgy (even with the orange button). Highlight text. Basic stuff the the Treo slam dunked on.
I want to love this phone, it looks so cool doing what it does, but I don’t know if it is (or is even supposed to be) a Treo replacement as a business tool.
Jun 19th, 2009
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