I'm Regretting Going WP7

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by trotsky on Saturday March 26, 2011 @03:40AM (#2371592)

I own both an iPhone and a couple of Android phones. I think both platforms have some pretty significant issues. From my perspective, I don't appreciate the lockout of competitive applications on iOS (browsers, etc.) and Apple's attempt to leverage their platform to force their content businesses to the forefront (required in app purchases, etc). Android seems to have bred a pervasive ecosystem of spyware, and has big issues with keeping the OS upgraded on most phones. Both platforms suffer from serious delays in addressing vulnerabilities in the OS and webkit browsers.

Which isn't to say that I expect(ed) WP7 to be any better in those regards, though there was always hope. I didn't go out and buy one/start developing for them, but I can certainly understand how someone might come to choose door #3.

There is always no better choice until suddenly there is one.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by rbanffy on Saturday March 26, 2011 @06:22AM (#2371786)

> I can certainly understand how someone might come to choose door #3.

HP/Palm has a very good door #3... I am in love with my Palm Pre.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by masklinn on Saturday March 26, 2011 @06:29AM (#2371793)

I'd still put more money on WebOS than on WP7 though.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by zyphlar on Saturday March 26, 2011 @02:43PM (#2372806)

More money, perhaps, but to me that's not saying much. As usual everyone is competing for 3rd place, not just in the market but in developers' hearts. Whichever platform gets an amazing new innovative app first wins, third loses. The rest didn't even place.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by admiralpumpkin on Saturday March 26, 2011 @01:58PM (#2372696)

Apple doesn't restrict other browsers on iOS.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by barranger on Saturday March 26, 2011 @03:03PM (#2372873)

Nor does Windows Phone, there are already 2 different "other" browsers. The headlines about them restricting it were due a testing error for one app (check the last comment here: http://mobilitydigest.com/microsoft-blocks-alternative-web-b... )

But I guess that wouldn't be juicy enough of a headline.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by trotsky on Saturday March 26, 2011 @04:56PM (#2373161)

Unless I've missed something serious, alternate browsers on iOS can't run javascript. In today's game that doesn't qualify as a browser.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by gkefalas on Saturday March 26, 2011 @05:19PM (#2373232)

You have. For example: http://www.icab.de/mobile.html

Maybe this was a restriction in the past, I'm not sure, but I've been happily running iCab Mobile for quite some time and enjoying it's more grown-up featureset.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I'm Regretting Going WP7 by trotsky on Saturday March 26, 2011 @05:42PM (#2373285)

Note that that browser apparently uses Safari/Webkit objects to display content and interpret javascript. So you're still effectively using the iOS safari browser, albeit framed and with a different UI and some management features.

http://www.icab-mobile.de/faq.html

Each Tab is creating a WebKit object, which eats up additional memory.

Here is what someone from Mozilla said rather recently:

http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/27/firefox-iphone-2/

First, he gave the obvious and fairly well-known official answer, “We have no plans to release the full Firefox browser for Apple iOS devices,” Brubeck wrote. Why? Because the current iOS SDK agreement forbids apps like Firefox from including their own compilers and interpreters, Brubeck explains.

But he continues on to note that there are a couple of ways to work within Apple’s system, notably what Skyfire is doing (using Apple’s own build-in WebKit libraries) or what Opera Mini is doing (using a proxy server to execute their JavaScript). “Mozilla could create a browser that did one of those things, but it wouldn’t be related to Firefox in any way,” Brubeck explains.

[ Parent | on HN ]