Access releases NetFront 3.5 beta web browser for Windows Mobile

By Brad Linder | February 8, 2008

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Mobile Minute

Opera and Mozilla aren’t the only companies preparing to launch new and updated mobile web browsers. Acesss has released a public beta of NetFront 3.5 for Windows Mobile 5.0 and newer devices. And like Safari, Opera Mobile, and all the cool new kids on the blocks, NetFront 3.5 includes an improved zooming interface that makes it easier to see full web pages or zoom in on just the content you want to read.

While NetFront doesn’t get a lot of attention these days, a few years ago the mobile web browser was probably the best alternative to Pocket Internet Explorer. It rendered pages more quickly, included tabbed browsing, and had a few other options that you just wouldn’t find in the default Windows Mobile browser. But then Opera went and shook things up with the launch of Opera Mobile, which is still probably the speediest mobile web browser around.

But if NetFront 3.5 beta is any indication, it might be too early to write this browser off. It includes many of the same features we expect to see in Opera Mobile 9.5, including zooming, easier page navigation, and faster page rendering. And most importantly, it’s available for download today, while you won’t be able to get your hands on the new Opera browser for at least a few more days. NetFront 3.5 beta will expire on May 31. After that, NetFront will either release an updated beta or start charging for the software.

[via jkOnTheRun]

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