Is the Internet Explorer app on Windows Phone hampered by lack of Webkit?

[saintforlife]

How does IE on mobile phones stack up against other Webkit browsers on iOS, Android and BlackBerry? Does it lack speed or have compatibility issues? Should MS think about Webkit going forward to keep up with the competition?

 

[WhippedKream]

How does IE on mobile phones stack up against other Webkit browsers on iOS, Android and BlackBerry? Does it lack speed or have compatibility issues? Should MS think about Webkit going forward to keep up with the competition?

I'll tell you based on my experiences so far, my 8X has destroyed actually my friends iPhone 5 internet speed wise id say about 70-80% of the time. Androids, id say the S3 and them do a much better job speed wise. Both IE and Safari don't have flash so its not a problem, however, they do have capability of watching YouTube or vimeo videos in their respective apps I believe. You can watch YouTube attached videos on website better now with IE10 than IE 9 from what I remember but yeah. BB10 dunno cuz nobody has one but ya haha I'd say the order would go Android>WP8>Safari (but the last one isn't a huge difference). This is all internet wise tho. I love my 8X and it rocks hard on my universities website compared to my friends phones

 

[Nick Garza]

My 810 has been faster than my s3 when it comes to the browser ( hell, pretty much everything ) and also my 4s, which was quite a while ago. Ie 10 is solid.

 

[a5cent]

OP, I reject the premise of your question. ;-)

Evolving the standards on which the web is based should remain an open, democratic and community driven effort. For the subset comprising the mobile web however, this is no longer true.

Webkits monopoly standing instantly turns any feature they release into a pseudo standard, because mobile websites must be Webkit compatible. Whether the result is actually standards compliant is secondary. So, the entire mobile web is currently one huge pile of messy incompatibilities, which all too often are tested only with two Webkit based browsers (Safari & Chrome).

IMHO Webkit is the plague of the mobile web, and if left unchecked, will put unlimited power over the mobile web into the hands of an advertising company and another known for building large walls around their garden.

IE10 is currently the safest and most standards compliant browser available. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it the best browser to surf the mobile web with... so, yes, sometimes a bit hampered.

Mobile IE10 prioritizes security and privacy over speed, but is nevertheless no slouch. Its GPU accelerated browsing is second to none.

 

[saintforlife]

Webkits monopoly standing instantly turns any feature they release into a pseudo standard, because mobile websites must be Webkit compatible. Whether the result is actually standards compliant is secondary. So, the entire mobile web is currently one huge pile of messy incompatibilities, which all too often are tested only with two Webkit based browsers (Safari & Chrome).

So is Google deciding to fork off Webkit into Blink good or bad for the overall mobile web community?

 

[a5cent]

So is Google deciding to fork off Webkit into Blink good or bad for the overall mobile web community?

I don't know what they have planned, but I am skeptical much good will come of it.

It is in Google's best interest to expand their influence over web standards to the fullest possible extent. I expect no less from them. That this is happening now, after Android has surpassed iOS in popularity, is unlikely coincidence.

10 years ago Microsoft was going for the exact same play. They were no better, but regulators stepped in and took them down a notch. Apparently, Google doesn't have that problem.

 

[AngryNil]

It's hampered by crappy web developers who aren't doing their job properly. Will be funny if they now flock to Blink because it's from their favourite company, Google. The best case scenario is that Blink gives them a wake up call to realise it's their responsibility to maintain compatibility with multiple engines and browsers.

Seriously, it's inexcusable. There must be something wrong with typical web developers that makes them think that half-assing their work and ignoring standards is fine.

 

[th0mas96]

Few sites are not really nice to view, but in the last times, there were tons of exploits for Webkit - so it's not really bad we don't have it
And currently, Google develops its own engine, so it's not clear if Webkit has a bright future, so I'm really happy with my blazingly fast IE.

 

[manicottiK]

Will be funny if [crappy web developers] now flock to Blink because it's from their favourite company, Google.

This shift is unlikely as Google has said that they intent to still use "webkit" as the vendor-specific CSS prefix. Ugh.

 

[dmoore228]

some people I have talked to(friends and people on forums) have said that the lack of webkit is a hindrance. A buddy of mine, although he loves his 8x, warned me about the drop down menu functions being different. You would hold down until you get the right selection ala macs before OSX.

I have an ipad and macbook pro, so no biggie if some of the web is hampered due to lack of webkit. Maybe it is a way of telling me to not stare at my phone so much

 

[dkp23]

IE is not very good on wp8, using a 920. Other browsers are faster from my experience and also burn less battery.

 

[cgold1]

I always use mine in desktop mode which works great. They don't sell any wp8 phones in the USA with screens small enough to justify the mobile mode which is where it looks like most of the web kit problems arise.

 

[blackhorse6]

IE is not very good on wp8, using a 920. Other browsers are faster from my experience and also burn less battery.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Kevin N Smith]

There's always that site that fails to render on IE10, or IE10 causes some bug due to no webkit. Overall, its still a fast and fun browser to use, with the above issue coming about on 1/100 sites ibvisit.