Janky image aside -- there are so many perspective problems in that pic it makes us feel woozy -- Makayama's TouchBrowser does seem to bring the goods when it comes to scrollable web browsing on Windows Mobile. Featuring both mobile and desktop views, a full screen keyboard, and judging by the YouTube vid they've posted -- see it after the break -- it looks grand. The software supports all Pocket PCs with VGA or QVGA screens -- except Treo and Windows Mobile Classic devices. So if your touchscreen isn't getting quite enough touching and flicking, for only $15 this may offer up a small bit of joy.

Got Android and lack lovely browsing experience? No worries, Opera mini is coming here to help. Opera's Chris Mills explains that rather than start from scratch they've used the existing code base and binary package with a wrapper that converts the Java ME API calls to Android API calls -- think translator. Of course, this has all only been run in software so far, though we just know now that it's hitting the wild, you can be sure that people playing with early hardware are going to be all over this. We love Opera Mini and are pretty stoked about Android, too, so you go gents, make us proud.

[Via PhoneScoop]

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]

Lots of happy Windows Mobile users pinging the old Engadget tip jar tonight as the Skyfire seeds its first beta release of the browser. It's v0.5, and while we didn't get our download today, we'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

It's really early along, but the Firefox peeps are taking their first baby steps to try to flesh out exactly what Mobile Firefox is going to look like, and they'd like to know what you think. Mockups posted to Mozilla's wiki talk about the main display, history and bookmark displays, and tabbing functionality in great detail, noting differences in operation between standard and touchscreen devices (which are further subdivided between those that have QWERTY keyboards and those that do not). Though you can put aside any hope of getting an early build onto your own device, the team has posted XUL / Javascript code that'll run in Firefox on your PC and give you a partly functional idea of what's going on.

[Via Mobility Site and Mozilla Links]

Opera Mini gets the lion's share of the attention among third-party browsers for Windows Mobile, but there are other contenders out there looking for a share of users' hearts and minds. Replacement browsers probably wouldn't be such a vibrant category on the platform if it weren't for Pocket Internet Explorer's utter ineptitude in its current iteration, but hey, it is what it is -- we're just happy that devs are out there coding up much better stuff (Microsoft included). Anyhoo, ACCESS has just taken the Technical Preview of its NetFront 3.4 release for Windows Mobile to the public with a couple awesome features in tow like visual bookmarks and full-page preview. NetFront powers the browsers on a number of phones from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and others, and we've generally found it to be good stuff; anyone give 3.4 a shot yet?

[Via jkOnTheRun and Brighthand]

Update: Turns out 3.4's been doing its thing for quite some time now; ACCESS has simply extended the expiration date through to February 29 of next year. Thanks, commenters!

Seems like these cats are on a nice, predictable annual schedule, yeah? Just a little under a year after the release of Opera Mini 3, version 4 has gone gold following several months in beta. It seems that Opera's big focus for this version has been to make Mini seem more like a full-fledged desktop browser, shoehorning in features like a true mouse pointer, landscape mode (to give sites that 4:3 feel), and zoom capability. It's free and it's available now, so we might recommend you give it a shot before you spend even another moment hobbling along on whatever two-bit integrated browser -- if you can even call it a browser -- that you're using now, k?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

First, the good news: Mozilla has officially announces plans to "rock" the mobile web. Now, the bad: the true, legitimate Mobile Firefox (as opposed to the hackery that is Minimo) won't come until after Firefox 3 is released. Mozilla's Mike Schroepfer has detailed where the organization's headed with its mobile initiatives in a blog post this week, noting that Mozilla 2 will see mobile devices be promoted to tier 1 -- a move that means architectural decisions about the platform will be made specifically with handsets in mind. Although he says Minimo provided tons of valuable info on how Mozilla can be adapted to the small screen, it's being basically abandoned in favor of the true Mobile Firefox, a browser that'll take advantage of the heavyweight processors and storage afforded by modern phones. Opera Mini, get ready (finally) for some serious competition.

[Via mocoNews]

We thought Opera Mini was pretty good as it was, but the company has taken its smallest, lightest browser through a "complete redesign" for its fourth major release. Codenamed "Dimension," the new version features a Wii browser-like zoom that moves immediately to content -- a good idea when your screen's less than a quarter the resolution of the display the average full-fledged website was designed for. It's still in beta, but they seem to like what they've got going on; they're even putting it head-to-head with the iPhone's supposedly brilliant browser. Adventurous users can check it out straight from their handsets by browsing over to mini.opera.com/beta (manual Palm and BlackBerry installs are available directly from Opera's site).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Although Samsung's been busying itself lately with newfangled RAM releases, it has apparently taken the time to confirm what we already suspected. The Z720 has been officially released as part of the Ultra Edition lineup, and per usual, the 13.8 is tagging itself with a "world's slimmest" label, this time for thinnest HSDPA-equipped slider. This sexy handset weighs in at just 80-grams, and features a 3-megapixel AF camera, 2.1-inch QVGA display, WAP 2.0 / HTML browsing capabilities, an additional camera for "video telephony," document viewer, PIM, Bluetooth, USB, and even a microSD slot. Aside from the UMTS / EDGE / HSDPA / GSM / GPRS connectivity options, you'll also find Samsung's uGo system built-in, not to mention the uTrack feature that sends an SMS to a predetermined number if the SIM card is tampered with. Notably, the 13.8 is the first mobile from Samsung with Google Mobile Search and Gmail pre-installed, which certainly contradicts with the recent Samsung / Opera lovefest we've been hearing about. Nevertheless, the Z720 should start finding its way into bustling European countries soon for a yet-to-be-disclosed price, with smaller locales getting access thereafter.

[Via Akihabara News]

For those of us still using dumbphones (and even some of us with the smart variety), Opera Mini is just about the best thing out there for doing us some web surfin' on the road. Version 2.0 of the Java-based browser is pretty darn good, but 3.0 has just hit the streets and it's offering up some key improvements. Top on the list are comprehensive support for RSS feeds, inline uploading of pictures snapped using the phone's camera, and streamlined connection handling that should lead to faster browsing. Perhaps the most intriguing new feature, though, is something Opera calls "content folding" whereby long content on a page is automatically collapsed with a "plus" sign -- great for long-winded sites not necessarily designed with a phone browser in mind.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

If you're just not satisfied with simply uploading your zany videos to YouTube, and don't want to wait around until next year to get a cellular version (or don't have Verizon Wireless), you should point your cellphone's browser to TinyTube. While not accessible from a non-mobile device (it's just YouTube content, anyway), the site provides a scaled-down version of the original for quicker loading and less strain on your wee resources, and offers up "low, medium, and high" playback settings to cater to varying connection speeds. So if you're the type who finds elation in instant gratification, and enjoy the freer things in life, hit the read link (with your handheld, of course) and head on over.