Move over, Opera Mini: TeaShark to offer desktop-quality browsing, too

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 26th 2008 at 4:08PM

We're not sure what money there is to be made in the mobile browser game at this point -- especially with giants like Opera and Firefox throwing their hats fully into the ring -- but that's not really our problem, now, is it? TeaShark borrows the same basic concept as Opera Mini, offering full-fledged desktop style browsing while requiring nothing more than Java MIDP 2.0 support to get the job done. It also supports tabs, two levels of zoom, and an integrated RSS reader -- in other words, just about everything a modern mobile browser's gotta have to survive. If you give it a go, drop us a line and let us know what you think, k?

[Via Phone Scoop]

Filed under: Software

Tags: browser, java, midp, teashark, web, web browser, WebBrowser

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Rev. FlashBack @ Mar 26th 2008 4:25PM

It kinda sucks, it feels like Opera. It is also kinda slow to load web pages. Sorry just not in to it.

Neutral

ToyandMe @ Mar 26th 2008 4:46PM

Will this run on any Java device, like WM 6?

Neutral

Mickey @ Mar 26th 2008 4:47PM

I like it! I hadn't heard about it until today, but I'm quite impressed. Here are my detailed thoughts:

http://www.mobileography.com/20080326/teashark-is-an-impressive-mobile-browser/

Neutral

Rashaad Fontenot @ Mar 26th 2008 4:55PM

I can't get it to work on my pearl.

Neutral

ShortFuse @ Mar 26th 2008 5:37PM

A bit too late. I just got my hands on the Opera Mobile 9.5 Alpha build. It's great. Might give it a try out of curiosity though.

Neutral

Toysandme @ Mar 26th 2008 6:00PM

Is this strictly for S60 devices?

Neutral

Omagus @ Mar 26th 2008 6:03PM

Downloaded it onto my N95. I like it enough.

Neutral

Razor1973 @ Mar 26th 2008 6:06PM

Very, very nice and quick. Thanks for the heads up.

Neutral

Kevin @ Mar 26th 2008 6:17PM

does not work on blackberry

Neutral

packetsniffer @ Mar 26th 2008 6:38PM

Tried it out on my Centro. It renders a page in the top left quarter of my screen for a split second and then promptly crashes my phone. :-(

Neutral

Ed Hardy @ Mar 26th 2008 6:56PM

I've installed and taken TeaShark for a short test drive. It runs fine in the Java VM on an AT&T Tilt, BTW.

My first impressions are that it does a good job of rendering pages, and sites look basically like they would on your PC. You can easily scroll around and select links with the D-pad, but as with all Java apps I've tried there's no touchscreen support.

A highlight is a nice system for viewing thumbnails of pages you've already visited.

The bad news is that TeaShark is slow, at least on this device. Just about all pages, no matter their size, take 30 to 45 seconds to open, even on a 3G connection. This might be related to the company's proxy server being overworked.

Still, a app worth keeping an eye one.

----------
Editor-in-Chief
www.brighthand.com

Neutral

turn_self_off @ Mar 27th 2008 6:50AM

hmm, that missing touch screen support issue, could it be related to the VM? i recall reading that someone had used opera mini on a LG viewity and it had supposedly worked flawlessly...

Neutral

Cesar Cardoso @ Mar 26th 2008 7:21PM

Not working on Motorola Z6 :(

Neutral

Kraig R. @ Mar 26th 2008 10:52PM

Works and looks great on my Cingular Branded Samsung A707 Sync. Not so much on my Nokia 6102.

Neutral

Jake @ Mar 26th 2008 11:58PM

isnt working on my blackberry curve 8320 from tmobile
any1 no how to fix that?

Low Ranked

Ryan @ Mar 27th 2008 12:30AM

Yeah, its actually pretty easy. Get a real phone... A Windows Mobile phone.

Neutral

Jake @ Mar 27th 2008 12:34AM

um wow... real mature ryan.... in case u didnt notice, windows mobile SUCKS
blackberrys look better than all that htc crap, and they um WORK BETTER
theres a reason they have more market share
cuz theyre much better phones!

Neutral

evo01 @ Mar 27th 2008 3:16PM

Hmm... wrong. BB has been around longer, and that's about it. You too will see the light some day, Jake. WinMo is the future young grasshopper.

Neutral

fbomb5000 @ Mar 27th 2008 1:24AM

Doesn't work on my Blackberry.

Neutral

totalundone @ Mar 27th 2008 7:42AM

It works on my SE K790 (240x320 res if anyone asks).
I like how it treats 'normal' web pages better than Opera. It has 2 zoom levels. BUT it formats web pages to something like 1024x768 so you really need 2 zoom levels. The tab option is nice and easy enough to use. I didn't see an option to force 'mobile view' on this. Sometimes I'd rather have the mobile version of the internet so I don't have to zoom in and out all the time. Speed is roughly the same as Opera. I'll mess around with it more today.

Neutral

Reid B. @ Mar 27th 2008 9:04AM

Does it completely eliminate SSL and other encrypted connections, completely destroying web security, like Opera Mini does by running all your stuff through their servers? (hate to think of what someone could do with it - they are a browser company, not a bank with internal controls)

Neutral

Ed Hardy @ Mar 27th 2008 12:46PM

Yes, like Opera Mini, TeaShark is a proxy-based browser. Both apps do it for the same reason: it greatly speeds up surfing speed on mobile phones with limited hardware.

I understand why these make some people nervous, but they are safe if you use them with care. No one cares what you read on Engadget, but don't check your bank balance with them.

----------
Editor-in-Chief
http://www.brighthand.com

Neutral

SimbaDogg @ Mar 27th 2008 5:26PM

between this, opera mobile 9.5 and skyfire, i'm not sure what to choose. for anyone that didn't sign up for the beta, i got an email from skyfire today saying that i'm in their beta 1 group so i'll be one of the first to try it. hopefully it runs as advertised. Opera mobile 9.3 is kinda buddy @ times

Neutral

slamEVIL @ Mar 27th 2008 6:45PM

@Ed Hardy
opera mini is a java app with touch screen support.

@SimbaDogg
don't hold your breath on that. i received that email as well and i signed up for the beta on Jan 28th. still haven't received my download link sms.

i used this for about 10 minutes on my tilt and promptly removed it. no touchscreen support! and you need the number keys for every command. i think this was made for wm standard and s60 ONLY.

Neutral

rehs @ Mar 29th 2008 10:59PM

name sounds weird, but i will give it a try

Neutral

rehs @ Mar 29th 2008 11:01PM

just finish giving a try, works ok on my phone

Neutral

rehs @ Mar 29th 2008 11:06PM

its ok but Opera Mini is better

Neutral

Soul @ Apr 1st 2008 10:22PM

Please people, enough with the WM versus BB flaming. We all use what's right for us and that's it. I have a HTC Touch and I like/hate the thing but that's me. My girlfriend is the same towards her BlackBerry Pearl. But we still use them and like them for what they can do for us. So please the only real smartphones there are are the ones we choose to use so stop trying to convert people let them make a decision based on any info they find themselves.