Windows Mobile Smartphones Get Updated OS with Internet Explorer 6

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 13 Nov 2008

Smartphones running on the Windows Mobile operating system can access the internet through the built-in browser, Internet Explorer Mobile. The latest iteration of the Microsoft developed browser is version 6, which you can put to the test if you download the Windows Mobile 6.1.4 emulator. Compared to the PC version, Internet Explorer Mobile is a couple of digits short (Microsoft is due to release IE 8 for PCs, but an exact release date has yet to be provided).

According to the Windows Mobile official blog, IE 6 is supposed to be the “next generation browser” that will “provide a high-quality browsing experience on your device that more closely resembles a desktop browsing experience”. So what exactly does the new browser have to offer? Here is a quick list: enhanced fidelity, improved text wrap, Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 and Jscript v5.7, gesture support, touch support, and so on. Carriers are expected to start delivering the software in the near future.

What’s next for Windows Mobile and Internet Explorer Mobile? Another update, Windows Mobile v. 6.5 is expected to drop by the middle of 2009, meaning that the much awaited v. 7.0 will be pushed back to 2010.

According to Adrian Kingsley-Hughes from ZDNet who put the Windows Mobile 6.1.4 emulator through its paces, improvements have indeed made the browser better, but it not exactly what you would call brilliant. “I’ll be straight with you - IE6 for Windows Mobile is better, but it’s not good enough. As it stands, IE6 for the Windows Mobile is what the browser should have been a few years ago. Compared to say, Opera Mobile 9.5 or Safari on the iPhone, even this new browser looks and feels quite old and tired,” he said.

If you would like to see for yourself what the latest iteration of the Internet Explorer Mobile has to offer, emulator images are available for download here. In related news, the guys at Opera have just released the second Beta version of their browser software, Opera Mini 4.2.


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