Yep, another free browser has just turned up. This one is based on WebKit (y’know, the engine beneath the Safari browser) and it comes hot on the heels of NetFront 3.5. This is a first look at the Iris Browser from Torch Mobile.
Now available for free as a CAB (copy to your phone and run locally to install) the guys do admit that this is a preview version and updates will be flowing down quite frequently, so expect the odd bug. There’s a handy update function though, so it’s relatively painless to keep up to date with it.
Read on for the press release.
Link – Torch Mobile
Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain – February 11, 2008 – Trolltech ASA today announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Torch Mobile Inc., one of the world’s most experienced developers of WebKit-based software solutions for mobile and embedded devices. Trolltech will distribute Torch Mobile’s innovative Web browser, the Iris Browser, as part of the company’s Qtopia offering.
Torch Mobile’s Iris Browser further enriches Trolltech’s Qtopia Greensuite initiative, which enables Trolltech to offer software suites tailored to handset manufacturers or designers’ specific technology requirements. The Iris application builds upon components of the open sourced WebKit, which is also being deeply integrated into Qt, the foundation for Qtopia.
“We believe that this arrangement will allow us to capitalize on numerous synergies,” said George Staikos, President of Torch Mobile. “With Qtopia and the Greensuite initiative we found a great platform for the Iris Browser, and we’re excited to have been selected by Trolltech as their partners in this initiative.”
Trolltech is a proven leader in the mobile and consumer electronics markets for Linux, having shipped its products on more than 10 million devices worldwide. The Iris Browser, designed as a browser SDK, makes the offering easy to customize and to meet specific device requirements.
“This is an excellent example of Trolltech’s unified development approach “Qt everywhere”, where desktop software components also deliver huge value in platforms for mobile and consumer electronics devices,” said Adam Lawson, Product Director – Mobile and Embedded Solutions at Trolltech. “The Iris Browser on Qtopia is the latest result of our long relationship with Torch Mobile, and we are looking forward to more cooperation in the future”.