Interesting article on mobile browsing statistics. RIM needs to take note and sink a little more R & D into their browsing experience. Its no longer just about email.

Google; AT&T shocked by iPhone usage | The Apple Core | ZDNet.com

Admittedly, I'm still caught up in the novelty of using my cell to surf the internet, I would have to agree that a more robust browser would be nice. Even so, I have absolutely no complaints about my BB.

The browser is really my only complaint, well maybe the calendar too. If BB could make a Curve like device with a hardware keyboard, a touch screen and a iphone like browser, I would have my perfect device.

I think the big thing for mobility will be moving to full 3G across the nation .. sprint has pockets and verizon is getting there but you need speed for the web to function right. I think we're likely another year or so away until the browsing experience is close to that of a pc.

One of the major differences is that the iphone is pulling up full pages instead of mobile versions. That alone is going to account for a huge discrepancy. I actually can't believe iphone customers are ok with the speed. When I load the "real" pages under Opera over EDGE, it's just too slow. I use the BB browser even over wifi because it gets me the info fast. Bells and whistles on the webpages I often don't care about.

But yeah there is a lot to be desired. Being a non-BES user, the ability to have a more direct "pipe" to the internet would be a great improvement. Basically, get the data directly instead of through RIM servers or however its done. Wifi should be wifi fast.

Last week during that outage, I read that people couldn't browse the internet. If people could at least browse the internet during an email outage, they could use web mail interfaces which many companies and mail services have. Reduces the sting.

I don't know if I would ever really need to have too much more capability for a mobile browser. The small screen is the main issue. I just like viewing on my 19" wide screen lcd whenever possible. I don't watch movies or tv shows on my bb and I wouldn't on an iphone either. My job doesn't require heavy web use, so I don't have the need.

Keep in mind that in a few years, handsets will be available with built in projectors. 640x480 will probably be the initial resolutions.

why would i want a projector built into my device? any use when not plugged in will crush the battery life. there are projectors now that attach to the device, i would be suprised to see anything more than that coming down the pike

I haven't looked at the article yet, but I hope it makes the point that rich content via browsers is the future...phones that can't handle the variety of media on the web are going to be at a disadvantage to those that do.

I was shocked by the sheer volume of data people are eating up with their phones....wow! Talk about some traffic! And yes, Sith I know that you could take up the whole freeway all by yourself! Ha!

lol i love having my posts addressed by others

Because the screen is too small.
Laser and LED light sources are developing into much lower power components.
The display component will likely be MEMS (mirror chips) or LCOS (LCD on Silicon).

Do you follow industry developments on these things, Sith? It's all over EE-Times and the display trade rags.... usually referred to as a pico-projector. I've seen a proto demo at CES that was smaller than a Pearl.

Here's a list of the companies that have developed prototypes: Texas Instruments, MicroVision, Explay - among others.

Check this one out.

the projector itself yes, and there was one able to be attached to a device. I am saying why would they build one in when you could carry one in your wallet. Its something else to consume the battery life of the device.

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I see your point.
Somethin will have to happen to overcome the screen limitation. I'm sure the projection guys will make a play for integration.

I'm partial to the flexible roll up screen or a wireless video out port... And prefer as few extra pieces of hardware as possible.

Interesting article and not all that surprising as the browser has been boasted as the iPhones primary advantage. As we convert to all-in-one devices, this will be something that RIM and other manufacturers will have to address to stay viable in the market.

why would we need a projector on a BB or any other Cell device?
You will need a 6 inch manual to use the thing before long with all the
" integration"

I doubt it is something that will catch on except for those with poor eyesight. We will all probably be blind in 20 years from staring at these small screens for so long!

A handheld projector built into a mobile device would be pretty lousy. The larger the image it projects, the shakier the picture will be, similar to a high power zoom on a camera. I for one, don't want to see a presentation or video that's jumping around on the wall or screen. You would have to sit it on a table or something to keep it still, which then defeats the idea of having it in your handheld device, doesn't it?

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If I could avoid lugging a whole dang laptop to customer sites every day just to display some pretty PowerPoint slides, read tech manuals, and check mail and intranet, I'd pay double the device cost in a heartbeat. Let alone havong to also drag a projector along. A full computer is wa to powerful for daily business needs like this.

I know for a fact that chip and device makers are moving in this direction. The TV out port will probably beat the projector.

Back to the OP topic. I fully agree, it's the browser, stupid. And the screen is too small.