It's hard to escape the browser wars: Netscape vs. Internet Explorer vs. Opera vs. Firefox vs. Safari has been raging ever since Mosaic went out of fashion, and it's not likely to let up any time soon. But as PDAs, palmtops and smart phones become increasingly common, which product will win out in the mobile browser wars?

Nokia Web Browser S60

Of course, this browser is only available on Nokia devices, but if you have a Nokia handheld device, you may be wondering whether to stick with the native browser or download an alternative. The S60 web browser is based on Apple's open source WebCore and JavaScriptCore frameworks that are used in Safari. Apparently, the browser can run Safari-specific applications designed for the iPhone.

The most interesting feature of the S60 web browser is that instead of shrinking pages down to fit onto the small screen of a portable device, it uses thumbnail images of web pages called "mini maps", and a frame showing the current position on the page. These thumbnails can be zoomed or scrolled around.

Opera Mobile and Opera Mini

For those who have never used a handheld device which requires a browser, the most familiar name in the running is probably Opera.

Opera Mobile is Norwegian Opera Software's primary offering for the mobile market. It is also preinstalled as the default browser on some phones, such as the Series 90 Nokia phones. If you don't have Opera Mobile on your phone, you can download a 30 day trial, after which you will be required to pay for it. Opera offers a list of supported phones.

Opera Mobile 9 is expected to support Opera widgets, an "overview mode", and advanced Web 2.0 and Ajax support.

Opera Mini is the second of Opera Software's mobile browsing options, designed to be fast and efficient for mobile phones which could not normally run a browser properly. Opera Mini 3 supports RSS, has a photo sharing feature, permits online downloads, and features the ability to "fold" long lists such as navigation bars into smaller chunks so that the whole thing can be seen on a small browser screen. A nice feature of Opera Mini is that it uses anti-aliased fonts which many users find easier to read than their default phone fonts. You can find the version you need for your phone on the Opera Mini model list.

Opera Mini 4 will feature a virtual cursor for easier browsing, and Opera claims that pages are delivered faster than other browsers, and reduces the amount of information downloaded so that data bills are cheaper.

Other Browsers

- NetFront, like Opera Mobile, offers a free trial followed by a requirement to pay for a full licence. The browser has a selection of different display options which make it particularly versatile for websites arranged in different ways.

- jB5 is a newer browser which is currently only available for a few handheld devices. Its USP is the use of Adaptive Rendering Technology or ART which claims to improve the browsing experience.

- Webby Browser is a freeware product available only for Pocket PCs. There is also a paid version called Webby Pro. The software features gesture recognition and there are several extensions available.

- Minimo is an open source browser for Windows Mobile platforms by the Mozilla Project. Minimo sports superior security features, tabbed browsing, RSS support and more.

By Brian Jackson

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