[cdelcampo216]

Okay my fellow PlayBook owners... I took the first step and contacted the Development team for the Dolphin Web Browser, which I think is by far one of the best Mobile browsers available.

This was their response:

"Thank you for taking time to contact us. We have no such plan to make Dolphin Browser for Playbook currently. If we decide to make such a version in the future, we will let you know asap.

Regards,

Dolphin Support"

Now, for those of you with Android side loaded or maybe you own an iPod/iPad, you already know how great this program really is. For those of you that have never seen it, check it out.

Please contact them & lets let them know that PlayBook users could really benefit from a killer browser such as theirs...



This app is great & would really be a killer addition to the SOON to be OS 2 revolution!!

[Nasedo73]

I wonder, why PlayBook users would like to start using Dolphin Web Browser? I could understand profits using any Android devices with... "not-so-good-browsers" - but PB browser in my opinion is not really bad... maybe I'm wrong?

[peter9477]

Based on what I've seen in the last year, it seems unlikely RIM would approve any native (non-Android) browser that's not based on the existing QNXStageWebView (WebKit-based) browser component that's already on the PlayBook.

I don't claim to fully understand the reasons why (I think they're security-related), but apparently the only reason Simple Browser and Secure Browser are allowed in App World is because they do just use the existing browser component.

[f_d]

I wonder, why PlayBook users would like to start using Dolphin Web Browser? I could understand profits using any Android devices with... "not-so-good-browsers" - but PB browser in my opinion is not really bad... maybe I'm wrong?

Since SimpleBrowser+ has come on the scene with its ad blocking feature, I don't use Dolphin quite as much, but IMO, it has a far superior web rendering engine, so I'll use Dolphin whenever a web site doesn't render properly (all the PB native browsers (vs. those running in the Android player) use RIM's implementation of the Webkit rendering engine, so if it breaks in the default browser, it will break in 3rd party browsers as well)..

For example, sites that have Apple iPad customized content will render perfectly in Dolphin (with an iPad user agent string), whereas RIM's webkit often won't render properly or controls won't function, even when you set the user agent string to iPad (using something like SimpleBrowser). A good case in point is the Yahoo web mail: try it in Dolphin with the iPad user agent- it is phenomenal, it emulates the iPad Safari browser experience exactly, then try it in the default PB browser and you get a much more basic interface (no split screen, no previews, etc); then use a 3rd party Playbook native browser with an iPad user agent and it tries to do the iPad split screen, but it doesn't work properly..

Yes, the native browsers have Flash, and it's great to have this support for web sites that only offer Flash-based content, but Flash is not the be-all and end-all of browsers.. And contrary to RIM's claims of an "uncompromised browsing experience", all the various incompatibilities and in particular, not being able to change the user agent on the PB browser in fact *does* compromise my browsing experience because things don't render properly and the user agent is a unique RIM QNX signature that causes some sites decide to send "mobile" or some other customized content vs. full desktop content..

Dolphin for Android has an ad-blocking plug in, which would make it the ultimate app in my books: ad blocking as well as a more compatible, more stable web rendering engine! Unfortunately, the way RIM has implemented their player seems to break the plug-in capability.. I've got the .apk for the ad blocking plugin, but since it's a plugin, there's no app entry point, so I can't create a loadable .bar.. Oh well.. Anyways, I would love to see a native Playbook port of Dolphin with their own rendering engine vs. RIM's webkit, but I'm happy enough with the Android version..

[pantlesspenguin]

Cosigned. Dolphin is my favorite mobile browser.

[xraytid]

The PlayBook browser needs to firefox itself to be a decent browser. Better tabs, bookmark system and finally a few addons would be a great start. Dolphin is my favorite Android browser though hands down

[alnamvet68]

I wonder, why PlayBook users would like to start using Dolphin Web Browser? I could understand profits using any Android devices with... "not-so-good-browsers" - but PB browser in my opinion is not really bad... maybe I'm wrong?

You're not wrong, the PB browser is fine as is. I remember back in the day downloading all these supposedly great alternative browsers like Amaya, Opera, Netscape, Mozilla, Firefox, Cyberdog, etc, and I found my pc going ape $hit when it came to stability, forcing me to have to re-install my OS multiple times; I always reverted back to IE, and I'm quite content with its stability.

Yes, the native PB browser is fine as is, IMHO.

[Michel Souris]

So, if Dolphin won't officially port their browser over (which is a great browser, by the way), I guess that clears us to use the sideloaded bar version ... ?

[cdelcampo216]

Well, they don't have current plans on developing it for the Playbook. However, if its in the Android market, wouldn't we have access to it?

One more thing... IMHO Internet Explorer is the Gremlin of Web Browsers. Opera or Dolphin run laps around it. Have not used it in years... just had to get that off my chest.

[KermEd]

Based on what I've seen in the last year, it seems unlikely RIM would approve any native (non-Android) browser that's not based on the existing QNXStageWebView (WebKit-based) browser component that's already on the PlayBook.

I don't claim to fully understand the reasons why (I think they're security-related), but apparently the only reason Simple Browser and Secure Browser are allowed in App World is because they do just use the existing browser component.

You are dead on. This is a great idea, but it can't happen. I have several emails from RIM. Testers have been told specifically not to allow any browsers through that don't use the WebKit engine.

With that said, I've seen once slip through by accident. But it was pretty terrible anyway. But they would block a browser with this high of visibility.

Ed.

[Michel Souris]

Nuff said . . . sideload.

[nesstheraven]

I contacted them a month ago requesting a native version for playbook. I currently use the android ported version, but it would be nice to have one optimized for playbook. For example the android version has no flash support.

They never did get back to me though.

Also, why wouldn't rim allow third party browsers? People have different needs, and if the playbook stock browser doesn't meet their needs, they should have options.