For those of you hoping that Microsoft would allow rival browsers to appear upon their beloved mobile device, you may want to consider jailbreaking as a serious option.
Internet Explorer not stirring your cup of Windows Phone 7 tea correctly? Well, you now have an alternative in the form of a new browser that’s arrived in the Marketplace: Browser+. It does seem to have been built on IE code rather than its own framework, so don’t get your hopes up for Chrome to Phone on WP7 any time soon. (via Engadget)
Other bloggers are also confirming the IE only flavor that Microsoft is establishing, which ironically makes Microsoft more of a locked down OS than Apple’s iOS (who allowed Opera to grace the app store in April of this year).
Although it’s not surprising to see a third party browser apps emerge embracing IE (as iOS has numerous apps embracing mobile Safari), hopefully the software giant will consider opening up their smartphone to competitors in the future.
While IE on Windows Phone 7 is a vast improvement over its predecessors, giving users browser choice could help improve Microsoft’s image in the mobile market, something the company desperately needs to do in order to catch up to Android or iOS.
Originally posted on November 17, 2010 @ 5:12 pm