Browsersphere

My fiancée got a Blackberry Curve for Christmas, and I just went through the process of setting her up with Gmail and Opera Mini since she doesn’t have (or need) the Blackberry data plan.  The process for installing the latter was a bit more difficult than it had been on my RAZR so I figured I’d post the information here in case it proves useful for anyone else.

First off, her Curve was undetected by the Opera Mini site, so I had to manually choose to install the “high-memory” version of the browser.  That wasn’t so bad, though, as it was one of the few links listed on the main landing page.

The hard part was managing to accept the EULA that shows up once you’ve started the browser for the first time.  I remember when going through the process on my RAZR, I could use one of the soft buttons on the phone to accept the agreement and move on to the next steps.  However, there are no soft buttons on a Blackberry, and there wasn’t a link anywhere on the first page, no matter where I scrolled (use the 2 and 8 keys or this will take all day, by the way).  After getting a little frustrated, I finally hit the Blackberry Curve’s hard “menu” button (to the left of the scrollwheel).  Then a little dialog popped up that let me choose “Accept” or “Cancel” (or “Deny” maybe).  I chose “Accept,” obviously, and I was up and running.

So don’t let these roadbumps deter you from trying out Opera Mini on your Blackberry.  Hopefully the Opera Mini team will be addressing these issues soon.

Tags: Opera Mini, Reviews, Tips and Tricks

This time around we’re going to focus on Internet Explorer, since it hasn’t gotten much love around these parts lately.  However, before I get to the links, I just want to say that keeping a finger on the pulse of Internet Explorer is a task I wouldn’t wish upon anybody.  You literally have to crawl your way through piles and piles of end user complaints about script errors and outright functionality failures (e.g. bookmarks not working at all or home pages never loading) and questions about how the browser can be removed for good from users’ systems, permanently.

Once you get past all that, though, you do tend to find some interesting links, not necessarily all positive, but at least substantive.  So without further ado, here goes…

• Rowen Atkinson hates Internet Explorer “with the heat of 1000 suns,” but refrains from telling us how he really feels.
• Colin Cochrane explains why he feels Internet Explorer did not kill XHTML.
• TechWhack covers why Microsoft’s recent settlement with Eolas will make Internet Explorer less annoying.
• FlvGetter makes downloading .flv files from Internet Explorer as simple as a right-click.
• This ZDNet Australia article covers in detail how to install IEs4Linux (which was covered here before) on Ubuntu.
• Learn how to fake max-width in Internet Explorer via phydeaux3.
• Microsoft may be considering throwing standards to the wind explicitly, and not just implicitly.
• For those who think Firefox is a memory hog (you’re not alone), A Day in Paradise has a screenshot of Internet Explorer using up over a GB of RAM.
• 101 ways to make that annoying click sound go away in Internet Explorer (or one definitive one).
• Neek Blog wonders why Google would promote Internet Explorer.
• IE7Pro 1.2 was released on October 30, 2007.
• Internet Explorer saved one mac user.
• Do you recognize this morphed logo?
• Companion.JS is apparently to Internet Explorer what Firebug is to Firefox.

Tags: Firefox, Internet Explorer, Tips and Tricks, Web Standards

It was a big week for web browsers. Let’s get caught up on the little stuff…

• Vince Liu recommends using IEs4Linux if you’re looking to install Internet Explorer on Linux.
• HTTPOnly cookie support has been added to Firefox.
• The Opera Desktop Team explains My Opera synchronization.
• Firefox 3 will resume downloads across sessions.
• The Register interviewed Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner (via Opera Watch) and CSS3 . Info interviewed Opera CTO Håkon Wium Lie — see part 1 and part 2.
• Pain and Glory from the Trenches of the IT World claims that Opera’s only real competitors at this point are Konqueror and Safari.
• A Fedora Forum user refers to Konqueror as ‘the soup nazi in terms of [code] compliance'.
• Opera Watch explains how to enable single key shortcuts in Opera.
• Hisham explains how to install an Internet Explorer warning infobar.
• az Sports Hub found an Arizona Cardinals theme for Firefox.
• Kathy Hughes explains how to avoid being prompted to login when browsing SharePoint sites in Firefox.
• NetSkinner can 'theme' almost any Palm OS web browser.
• NetSurf is an open-source web browser for RISC OS.
• Bryan Clark follows-up on his web browser home page findings.
• Web Browser CSS Support has a complete rundown on the CSS support of some of the major web browsers.

Tags: CSS, Features, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Interviews, Konqueror, Linux, Minor Players, Mobile, Opera, Safari, Themes and Skins, Tips and Tricks, Web Standards

When it comes to web browsers, there’s no shortage of tips and tricks available to make your web browsing experience easier, more enjoyable or more efficient. The following are just a few I’ve found on the web as of late:

• Someone figured out a different way to navigate back and forth between web pages in both Firefox and Internet Explorer and posted a video to show us how.
• Mahalo has a feature on how to delete web browser cookies that covers the process in Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera.
• Asa Dotzler explains how Firefox users can add words to Firefox’s spell-check dictionary.
• Over at Opera Watch, Daniel Goldman demonstrates how one can increase the quality of images in Opera Mini.

Tags: Firefox, Informational, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Tips and Tricks