Torch Mobile Iris Browser v1.1.3 for Windows Mobile 5/6 (Updated 02/25/09)

[TalynOne]

There are many surprises waiting inside, including support for the Flash Lite ActiveX control, big performance gains, reduced memory usage, preliminary RSS and SVG support, the highest Acid3 score of any shipping mobile browser, and HTC accelerometer support.

Source: http://www.torchmobile.com/blog/?p=18

Download Link: http://www.torchmobile.com/download/ (You're only required to provide a name and email address for download)

If you've tried it before, give it another chance as they've been making improvements. I would best describe this browser as what Fennic beta/alpha should have been.

It's based on the WebKit rendering engine (same engine used by Safari and iPhone browsers). It's a later version of WebKit since it gets further in the ACID 3 test (100/100) than the release versions of those browsers, and much further than any other Windows Mobile browser. So it's a good choice for those heavy CSS/Javascript web pages.

For the full feature look here:
http://www.torchmobile.com/products/iris.html

Here's a video of Iris in action on Windows Mobile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpX5JZWtu-g

Here are my observations:

Pros:

• Free
• Fairly fast
• Very standards compliant (100/100) on Acid 3 tests
• Native support for HTC Touch Pro/Diamond accelerometers
• Direct, doesn't go through a proxy like Opera Mini or Skyfire (which is good if you're paranoid about security/proxy availability)
• Tabs
• Can simulate a mouse cursor in "Mouse Cursor" mode
• Downloading support, though did silently crash once when trying to download Google Maps cab

Cons:

• Can't figure out how to copy/paste text.
• No text reflow/reformat on zoom-in like Opera Mini and certain versions of Opera Mobile 9.5
• Extremely basic UI, every function has to be accesed through menus which gets kind of clunky
• Zooming is clunky, zooming in more than one level/accessing the URL bar requires you to go through the menu system

Getting Flash Content to Display:

(From PPCGeek's member Torx)

• Install Juggalo Flash CAB (attached) into main memory (if you don't already have Flash Lite 3.1 installed).
• Unzip NPFL3ppc.zip (attached) and copy NPFL3ppcdll into the \Program files\Iris Broswer\plugins folder.
• Restart Iris, and Flash content will be replaced with a black box and play button. Press the play button to play the Flash content!

Note: YouTube videos seem to display, but not play, other embedded Flash content works.

Additional Notes

Reports of some HTC Touch Pro (aka Fuze) and Diamond phones freezing. They believe this is due to a driver bug on the phone and they are working on a workaround. Please check their blog for updates.

http://www.torchmobile.com/blog/

Tip: Tap and hold link to go to visit links and give focus to certain form fields (checkboxes/textboxes).

Changelog

v1.1.3 (Updated 02/23/2009) - Touch Pro (Fuze), Diamond Users (maybe) Rejoice! It appears that while this fixes the problem for some users, it doesn’t fix it for all. We’re continuing to search for the problem and will post another update soon.

Other fixes/changes include:

• Plugin (like FlashLite) interaction fixes
• Animated GIF fixes
• Re-activation of an optimization for some JavaScript intensive sites
• Many editing bugs are fixed (yes, you can blog with it again!)
• All known and reported crashes are fixed
• Improved memory management for large images
• Minor canvas improvements
• Performance improvements, including 12% faster JavaScript

Source: http://www.torchmobile.com/blog/?p=20

v1.1.2 (Updated 02/20/2009) - Contains numerous fixes including one for low-resolution devices, several crashes, text shadow, some potential Touch Pro / Diamond freezes, and problems with some iPhone libraries.

Finally, we’ve done a lot of work to make sure we’re really one of the most compliant, precise, and high-quality rendering mobile browsers. We now score 100/100 on Acid3 with only a couple of minor rendering glitches. Those happen to be related to fonts, where we deliberately cut some corners for better performance. It’s not likely we will eliminate those glitches anytime soon. Iris Browser is also highly compatible with the popular iPhone websites, making it a great alternative for those who prefer other devices. We think the approach we’ve taken strikes a great balance between performance and functionality, and we’re just getting started!

Source: http://www.torchmobile.com/blog/?p=19

v1.1.1 (Updated 02/17/2009) - Fixes some reported problems with the Diamond/Touch Pro (check the comments section of the blog entry above for more information).

Source: http://www.torchmobile.com/blog/?p=18#comment-71

[crissg]

I've been using Iris for awhile and I'm very happy with it. I'm eager to see what improvements they've made.

[cursor]

wow, this is really a nice update.

I was using 1.0.6 and though it was nice (using iphone optimized versions ) it was a bit buggy. this new version is a lot better!

[TalynOne]

Bump for v1.1.2 update, and instructions on how to get flash to work.

[crissg]

If you don't know, Zinio.com is a site where you buy and view digital magazine subscriptions. Doesn't usually work with WM. Meh. But . . browse there with Iris, look under Zinio Labs, and tap IPhone. You now can read a bunch of FREE magazines on your phone, zooming and panning at will. I could not believe the selection. I could'nt look at these for free on the PC even, but if they think you have a JeebusPhone, they throw free stuff at you.

Anyway, Ithought it was cool, and hope you will too.

Webkit FTW!

[bartybet]

Originally Posted by TalynOne Source: http://www.torchmobile.com/blog/?p=18 Install Juggalo Flash CAB (attached) into main memory (if you don't already have Flash Lite 3.1 installed). Unzip NPFL3ppc.zip (attached) and copy NPFL3ppcdll into the \Program files\Iris Broswer\plugins folder. Restart Iris, and Flash content will be replaced with a black box and play button. Press the play button to play the Flash content! Note: YouTube videos seem to display, but not play, other embedded Flash content works.

Where are these attached flash cabs?

[willl]

v 1.1.3 is now released.
Source: http://www.torchmobile.com/blog/?p=20

Fixes include:
* Plugin (like FlashLite) interaction fixes
* Animated GIF fixes
* Re-activation of an optimization for some JavaScript intensive sites
* Many editing bugs are fixed (yes, you can blog with it again!)
* All known and reported crashes are fixed
* Improved memory management for large images
* Minor canvas improvements
* Performance improvements, including 12% faster JavaScript

And some fixes for Touch Pro/Diamond users.

Seems like there's still some bugs there, but it's improving with every release. At least it's quite usable these days.

[TalynOne]

Thanks willl, OP updated.

[Menneisyys]

Originally Posted by TalynOne Thanks willl, OP updated.

Cool! I've also linked to your thread from my latest Web browsing article (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=485315 )

[willl]

They've just posted a new "Under The Hood" post on their blog for anyone who's interested.

They posted some interesting benchmark results using SunSpider:
* Access NetFront 3.5 2388.7s
* Opera Mobile 9.5 (built-in) 219.0s
* Pocket IE (built-in) Unable to complete
* Iris Browser 1.1.2 115.0s

That said, benchmarks run by vendors sources should always be taken with a grain of salt!