Web browsing with the Touch Pro

[securityscaper]

(I posted this to the generic Touch discussion, but this is more pertinent to the Touch Pro)

I've been a Palm Treo 700p owner for many years. Although I still like the phone, I'm beginning to get new hardware envy. I went to the Sprint store yesterday to test drive the Touch Pro. I liked several things about it, but I found it very difficult to browse effectively. I used both IE and Opera. With IE, the font was huge and it was slow to scroll down the page (I think it was locking up a bit..everything seemed slow). When I used Opera, it was more iPhone-ish and gave a good picture of the full page (I was browsing TreoCentral, not the mobile version). But when I'd zoom in so that I could actually read the text (it was tiny at first), then half the text would slide off the side of the screen. I couldn't figure out a good way of sliding over other than to use my finger on the touchscreen. That would be a major pain. I also couldn't find a way to get it to reformat the text so that it all fit according to the width of the screen

I'm sure I'm just missing some setting that would make it much easier. Can you tell me what I'm missing?

Although the Palm browser isn't the prettiest, it does a good job of reformatting the page...particularly the text...and making it very easy to scroll down with the 5-way nav. I'm looking for similar ease of use with the Touch (or whatever I get next...maybe the Treo Pro?).

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks,
-ss

 

[trwm]

Just to maybe simpithize with you as well as share my experience, I was a Treo 700p user until 2 weeks ago when I switched over to the Touch Pro. I have to say that over the past years the Treo served me well but it was getting a little haggared. That said I like some things about each. To your point, the browser on the Treo was a bit more bare bones though effective and for that reason I can't believe something similar does or can't exist for WM. I am on a hunt for just such a piece of software.

A couple other things, in my opinion, that are better on the Treo 700p are the keyboard and ease of use for basic functions. Other then that, HTC Touch Pro is a much better and more up to date device and so far I am glad I made the switch.

 

[securityscaper]

misspelling

Thanks for the feedback. if you come across any tweaks or software that makes browsing more "Palm-like", please let me know.

My main concerns are (1) be able to page up/down with one click of the 5-way nav, and (2) have the text fit the width of the screen, while still being readable.

-ss

 

[securityscaper]

My main concerns are (1) be able to page up/down with one click of the 5-way nav, and (2) have the text fit the width of the screen, while still being readable.

I asked basically the same question in the Treo Pro section because I also plan to take a close look at it...assuming it comes out on Sprint the next few weeks.

Anyway, member "berdinkerdickle" gave a good answer to this question:

"In the 'Sticky' thread entitled "Suggested threads for Treo Pro users" There's a link to a thread about Registry Edits & Tweaks where you can set up the 4-way to work similar to what your asking. I have mine set up that way."

I think the hack he recommends here, http://discuss.treocentral.com/showpost.php?p=1153836&postcount=1, will do the trick for my main two concerns.

-ss

 

[bigkenny]

Thanks for the feedback. if you come across any tweaks or software that makes browsing more "Palm-like", please let me know.

My main concerns are (1) be able to page up/down with one click of the 5-way nav, and (2) have the text fit the width of the screen, while still being readable.

-ss

pocket internet explorer is also on the device, try that and see if you like it better (start...programs...internet explorer).

 

[skfny]

Install Opera Mini and enjoy. I only use Opera Mobile for a handful of sites.

 

[R1_Rydah]

Thanks for the feedback. if you come across any tweaks or software that makes browsing more "Palm-like", please let me know.

My main concerns are (1) be able to page up/down with one click of the 5-way nav, and (2) have the text fit the width of the screen, while still being readable.

-ss

a few screen caps

when the page 1st loads it looks like this, not really readable

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but if you double tap the screen, it zooms in, and wraps the text...

-------------

I also love the fact that opera mobile has tabbed browsing

------------
and last but not least flash support, I can actually watch youtube vids inside the browser, but the youtube app the TP comes with is really nice, and the vids look great

my years with my 650, & 755 were good, but I'm loving this touch pro, and don't regret making the WM switch

 

[HobbesIsReal#WP]

I actually kind of like the page loading pulled back the way it does. I can read the headlines just fine which makes it easy to browse thru pages with lots of info really fast and then zoom in just when and where you need to.

 

[R1_Rydah]

I actually kind of like the page loading pulled back the way it does. I can read the headlines just fine which makes it easy to browse thru pages with lots of info really fast and then zoom in just when and where you need to.

I agree especially for sites like washingtonpost.com or the non-moblie version of treocentral.com with my treo it would take me lots of scrolling to see the whole page... but operamobile gives you a desktop like experience similar to the iphone..

 

[securityscaper]

a few screen caps

Thanks a bunch for showing the screenshots. That helps a lot!

With Opera, is there a way to use the 5-way nav to page up/down through the web page as well as jump link-to-link?

If not, it seems like PIE might be better for one-handed navigation, based on some of the tweaks above. Let me know if you disagree.

I know going from a candybar-QWERTY to a slider-QWERTY is going to negatively impact one-handed ease of use, but I hope to be able to keep some of the functionality with web browsers, Outlook, RSS apps...the ones I use most often.

Thanks!

 

[R1_Rydah]

Thanks a bunch for showing the screenshots. That helps a lot!

With Opera, is there a way to use the 5-way nav to page up/down through the web page as well as jump link-to-link?

If not, it seems like PIE might be better for one-handed navigation, based on some of the tweaks above. Let me know if you disagree.

I know going from a candybar-QWERTY to a slider-QWERTY is going to negatively impact one-handed ease of use, but I hope to be able to keep some of the functionality with web browsers, Outlook, RSS apps...the ones I use most often.

Thanks!

link to link is hit or miss with operamobile... sometimes if you get too close to the navi control it will cause the page to zoom in or out... now I browse more with my thumb than the d-pad, thats totally opposite of how I browsed with my treo... but once you learn the thumb tap & swipe gestures, you will see why I thumb browse more than d-pad... plus the location of the d-pad isn't as natural feeling as it is on the treo...

link to link is hit or miss with PIE also... this is my least favorite browser...

I have a 3rd browser installed named 'UCWEB6' I think that will give the closest blazerlike experience... it goes link to link when you push up & down, and page scrolls up & down with left & right clicks (no left to right scrolling)... its really fast at loading pages also... the only problem I have with it is, it crashes if I hit the menu button in its options...

my preference order:
1. opera (bells & whistles)
2. UCWEB6 (quick no nonsense)
3. PIE (blah)

I've never used it, but I've read good things about 'skyfire' But its not fully compatible with vga devices yet, so I'm going to hold off until they release a vga version...

also firefox has a mobile browser in the works, I'm definitely checking for that one...

coming from a treo to the touch pro, you definitely are going to miss your hard keys... WM is slower getting around the o/s than the good ol palm o/s.... the touchflo interface pretties thing up a bit, and helps you get to a few key apps quicker... But underneath touchflo it is still... start, click, click, click, windows mobile.... But with palm on life support, it was time for me to make a move... Blackberry's are boring, & I hate the networks that the iphone & G1 are on... so the Touch Pro was the best fit for me...

 

[Darth Pooh#WP]

While the Touch Pro want to compete so much with the iPhone, I feel that the Opera Mobile browser sometimes falls short... it can be unresponsive to finger touches at times and overall piggish which can lead to frustrations.

Does anyone have similar frustrations with their Fuze/ Touch Pro?

 

[George Ponder]

It will be interesting when Firefox Mobile (or whatever it's called) hits the shelves.

Opera Mini.... I'll have to take a gander.

 

[waynew73#WP]

anyone know how to set PIE as the default browser instead of Opera? I want to be able to toggle between the two. I need to be able to set which one is the browser because I use citrix on my phone connected with the Redfly, but the redfly can't seem to handle the new version of Opera (but does handle the 8.x version) and I need to be able to launch it through PIE. Any ideas? Opera 8.x allowed me to define it as the default or not.