Posted on October 7, 2009, at 9:52 am .
The BOLT mobile browser has been through eight months of beta testing and the developers, Bitstream, are now ready to launch out of beta into version 1.5.
The browser has so far been downloaded 2 million times and rendered in excess of 200 million web pages. The latest iteration of the browser includes the following:
- Cache Support to speed users’ ability to move quickly back and forth between the currently and previously viewed Web pages through the use of backward and forward navigation.
- Download Manager for easy download of files directly from BOLT and the ability to save them to specific folders on the mobile phone (requires JSR75 support on the device).
- Support for Streaming Videos of Any Length that overcomes limitations on some phones’ ability to stream videos of longer lengths. The new approach ensures video clips will play on all devices, for any length video.
- Video Wizard to assist users in configuring their device for optimal video playback.
- Dedicated Search Bar on home page, for easier and faster online searches.
- Improved Ability to Manage RSS Feeds by allowing users to arrange and file feeds just as they do with their favorites and bookmarks.
- Enhancements for Touch Screen Devices such as simple volume controls for the BOLT media player which now offers volume controls on the screen.
- Enhancements for BOLT Servers in the cloud, which increase the already fast BOLT mobile browser by an additional 10 to 20 percent.
Since RIM has acquired Torch Mobile, and it’s clear they have plans to upgrade their browser, one has to wonder about the fate of browsers such as BOLT and Opera Mini. On the one hand, the first out the gate has an incredible market advantage, but RIM has the trump card in the end, which is access to APIs that third party developers won’t ever have.
Try the BOLT browser for yourself and let us know what you think.
Posted on August 14, 2009, at 9:25 am .
When we last wrote about the Skyfire Alpha program for BlackBerry, someone inside the program had leaked the browser files for all to download. Skyfire quickly cut off the leaked users but they’re back to Alpha testing.
The latest version, 3.5, has some great improvements, one of which being that you can set Skyfire to the default BlackBerry browser. This is something that users have been asking about for a long time with other 3rd party browsers. You will also be able to download files from the browser to your device.
Here is what the company had to say:
“As you are aware we temporarily closed the Blackberry Alpha. We planned for a certain number of users on our Alpha system that was quickly exceeded with the leak of the client outside the Alpha community. Please stick to the understanding of the Alpha program and NDA – it is NOT for open distribution. It just creates hassle for all people involved and spoils the experience for our Alpha participants.
This Alpha 3.5 is still targeted for Blackberry Bold mainly firmware 4.6.0.167 and 4.6.0.247 devices. , Feel free to try out the build as well on Blackberry 8900 and 5.0.xx firmware versions of Bold.”
What got removed in Alpha 3.5 (vs. Alpha 3.1):
- Stream Mode: We are actively working on an alternate method to provide streaming for Blackberry that will provide better performance and reduces the number of errors during streaming. This work has not been concluded yet. In the meantime we removed the existing stream mode. Stay tuned!
Thus please focus feedback for Alpha 3.5 on page load experience and basic browsing vs. the media experience.
What’s new in Alpha 3.5
- Inline Text Entry: You can now edit/enter form elements directly within the page, without being interrupted by a dialog box. Makes it more direct, convenient and retains the context.
- Click-to Call: The Blackberry client now will utilize tags in websites that trigger a phone call, when clicked (e.g. callto: and tel: links). You have to confirm before the call is initiated.
- Set as Default Browser: when set, links will open Skyfire
- Downloading of Files: you can now invoke the download of files to your device.
- Improved Scrolling: Further tweaking since the last Alpha.
- Reduced Checkerboard occurrences
- Alpha limit: We implemented a simple mechanism to limit the number of new users in our system. Once reached you see a message. If you encounter this and are part of this Alpha group then please contact us.
Known bugs in this Alpha:
- Clear cookies: When you clear cookies in advanced settings it will not work. Will be addressed in the next release.
- Inline Text: We are seeing several issues.
- Sometimes old text is visible (Issue 331 & 409), when re-entering text box, the cursor is positioned at the beginning of the text field (Issue 333).
- Download: timeout when downloading large files (Issue 435)”
[Via]
Posted on July 27, 2009, at 1:41 pm .
UPDATE: It seems most users are getting a blank checkered screen. I’m guessing Skyfire has shut down access. Sorry guys!
Better hurry folks! The Skyfire browser for BlackBerry has been leaked and is available for download OTA.
Go to http://www.theiexplorers.com/BBM/Skyfire/skyfire.jad from your BlackBerry browser to download now.
Or here:
http://www.blackberryos.com/forums/software/4461-skyfire-ota-coming-soon.html
One of the downsides of being a site based in Canada is that we often get blocked from leaks requring service access in the US. I have tried this browser on both the TELUS and Rogers network with no success. Any other Canadians want to rule in on this?
According to the @buzzedword (leaked to BBRocks), here are some features you’ll find with the browser:
- Its dominantly web based, the “enter url” function has autocomplete which I’m assuming comes from Skyfire’s servers
- You’re assigned a unique Skyfire ID, and you can create an account on the Skyfire homepage, presumably for bookmark and RSS sync– the homepage has a very Digg-like feel to it
- Flash is supported as well as javascript, but flash functionality breaks down when you hit version 10
- It appears that the browser has its own independent audio controller because of options in the menu, but i can’t confirm volume buttons, none of my shortcut keys work
- It doesn’t work well with the storm at all but it does install
- Its definitely optimized for trackball, the mouse has a kind of crosshair around it that if you click down will zoom to that portion of the page
- Overall its pretty quick, they render the webpage on their servers and you download what they render
Remember that the browser is in Alpha, so it’s prison rules when it comes to your device. Back everything up and don’t use this software if you aren’t prepared to encounter some bugs.
[Via with updated link from BerryReview]
Posted on June 29, 2009, at 6:31 am .
Today, the newest edition of BOLT (dubbed “Beta3”) has been officially released. There are some significant new features and improvements to this release of BOLT that are definitely worth checking out.
Some of the latest updates for the Beta3 release of BOLT are the ability to copy and paste text from web pages, enhanced font rendering, inline entry of text into online forms and support for languages using Cyrillic alphabets.
BOLT’s new features let users:
• Copy and paste text
• Enter and edit text directly within online text boxes
• Upload files such as videos to YouTube or pictures to Photobucket
• Order favorites and arrange them into custom folders
• Toggle between viewing websites with or without images displayed
BOLT Beta3 also includes many enhancements based on feedback from beta users, including:
• Rendering bold, italics, superscript and other rich text styles
• Enhanced rendering of complex web pages
• Faster page rendering
• Servers upgraded to WebKit 4
Try the latest version of the BOLT browser for free.
We’ve got some great screenshots to view as well. All of these screenshots were made using a BlackBerry Curve 8320 (due to the ubiquity of the device). You can also see screenshots of a couple of BOLT’s new features: the ability to arrange favorites in folders (“BOLT Grab” folder) and copy and pasting online text (“BOLT Copy” folder).
Click through for screenshots
Posted on June 23, 2009, at 8:27 am .
Bitstream has had a great time since the public debut of their browser at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this past February. A surge in new installations has led to an earlier-than-anticipated milestone: BOLT has now been installed more than one million times. Since its introduction, BOLT users have consumed more than 22 terabytes (22,000 gigabytes) of data from 61 million web pages.
The BOLT browser has several features that separate it from the competition:
• Fast, secure, desktop-style web browsing on both high-end and low-end handsets
• Streaming video capabilities
• Split screen and full screen modes for easy navigation and viewing
• Ability to easily add and select favorites and view browsing history
• Intuitive keystroke shortcuts for easier navigation and content selection
• Protection against spyware and malicious or faulty add-ons
• 23:1 compression, which uses less data than competing browsers
Download the BOLT browser, available for free to anyone as part of its public beta test.
Posted on May 12, 2009, at 10:41 am .
Skyfire is going to be an incredible browser for BlackBerry. With full Flash, Silverlight and Ajax support, you can browse the Internet like you’ve always wanted to on your device. The latest build, Alpha 2, has been delivered to testers meaning it shouldn’t be long until the public gets their hands on something official. Expect a public Beta this summer. Sorry, I wish I could give you a more exact date.
[Via]
Posted on April 2, 2009, at 10:09 am .
The BOLT beta browser has recently been updated and you’ll appreciate some of the fixes. Some have been complaining that the browser has some scrolling issues and this has been corrected.
BOLT’s new features include:
* Significantly improved BlackBerry scrolling speed and control
* A new 3XL (extra large) magnification mode with content 33.3 percent bigger than in 2XL
* Double tap approach to select links on touchscreen devices like the BlackBerry storm (eliminates inadvertent clicks)
* Wi-Fi auto-selection as default option when Wi-Fi is both enabled and available
* Save and view pages locally on the phone
* Support for folders in favorites
* A new landscape viewing feature
* Copy and paste feature
* Improved magnifier dragging in split screen mode on the BlackBerry Storm
* A user preferences page to reduce menu clutter, especially useful on BlackBerry smartphones where the native menu structure, without sub-menus, is utilized.
Download a copy of the latest version of BOLT.
[Via]
Posted on March 2, 2009, at 11:10 am .
The BlackBerry BOLT browser had a great public beta launch. Two weeks after its debut at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, BOLT surpassed 150,000 active users. If you’re a BlackBerry Cool reader, you likely downloaded one of the many private beta invites we were giving out.
The new BOLT browser offers:
Fast, secure, desktop-style web browsing on both high-end and low-end handsets
Streaming video capabilities
Split screen and full screen modes for easy navigation and viewing
Easily add and select favorites and view browsing history
Intuitive keystroke shortcuts for easier navigation and content selection
Protection against spyware and malicious or faulty add-ons
Extends battery life and uses less data than competing browsers
To join in on the public beta test, go here.
For those of you who have already used it, what do you think?
Posted on February 3, 2009, at 1:58 pm .
When BlackBerry Cool became the first BlackBerry website on the Internet to provide free invites to the BOLT BlackBerry Browser private beta, we never thought so many people would have such rabid interest. After thanking you the readers for providing ’substantial feedback’ on the initial beta release, Bitstream let us know that an updated version is being pushed to users with BlackBerry-specific enhancements. You can find the full list of enhancements after the jump.
For those that haven’t tried the BOLT Browser yet, we have some great news: the ‘berrycool’ code now has unlimited referrals! So head over to the BOLT download page and tell Bitstream ‘berrycool’ sent you.
In addition, Bitstream has set up an email address for people who want to share their experiences using BOLT and possibly be quoted (with expressed permission) in BOLT’s PR efforts. The address is pr4beta@boltbrowser.com. Bitstream has also set up a support form for those with technical issues at: http://www.boltbrowser.com/support.html. So you have your task readers: download the new version of BOLT, keep providing great feedback, and help make a nifty BlackBerry Browser even better.
BOLT BlackBerry Browser Feature updates
Posted on January 16, 2009, at 1:21 pm .
UPDATE: WOW, just got word from Bitstream that you guys brought down their servers! They’re upgrading them now for higher capacity, so if you received an error when trying to sign up, wait a while and try again!
When we wrangled the BlackBerry Nation 500 invites for the BOLT BlackBerry Browser private beta yesterday, we weren’t sure how interested you’d be. It turns out that you were very interested — Bitstream, makers of BOLT had quadrupled our invites to 2000, and that still wasn’t enough! So after a little bit of negotiating, we’ve gotten them to give us some more invites.
To get your copy of the BOLT beta, you must head on over to their download page and use the following referral code: ‘berrycool’. Do this even if you had already sent a request previously. Bitstream has now automated the request process, meaning you should get an email with the download link much quicker now.
While you’re waiting to get your dirty little mitts on that email, don’t forget to check out our hands-on BOLT browser impressions. Get to it!
