ACCESS updates NetFront 3.5 for Windows Mobile
You may remember from my Windows Mobile browser comparisons last year that NetFront 3.4 was a close second to Opera Mobile 8.65 in terms of load times and page rendering. The new version, 3.5, has been available for a while now, but ACCESS sent out emails today announcing that the "world’s most widely deployed and actively used browser" has just been updated. In addition to excellent speed improvements (first draw, scrolling, zooming, render-mode switching), NetFront 3.5 for Windows Mobile Concept Version includes the following notable changes: high CPU load background issue has been resolved, virtual pointer now "sticks links with better accuracy," and the AutoCruise function and PPC2003 format menu bar have both been deleted.
I gave the updated browser a quick try on my AT&T Tilt today and walked away only somewhat impressed. Animated zooming is incredibly fast, with virtually no wait time while the zoomed-in text refocuses, and scrolling is much more fluid than it was before. But from what I’ve seen of Opera Mobile 9.5 and experienced with Safari on the iPhone, the new NetFront 3.5 still doesn’t reign supreme. I like it more than Skyfire (beta 0.6.0.4503) and Iris, though.
[ACCESS]
