Windows Phone 7 may get IE9 earlier than expected

Vlad Bobleanta  By on 01 Mar 11

Among many other shortcomings (copy and paste, anyone?), Windows Phone 7 probably has the weakest mobile browser right now, at least compared to those seen in Android and iOS (since anything is better than Nokia’s browser for Symbian, but I digress). Of course, Microsoft is well aware of all the things they still need to add to the WP7 platform, and are working hard on them. And as fast as a giant like Microsoft can work on such things.

So we’ll have the first major update to WP7 at some point this Spring. This, codenamed “NoDo”, will bring copy and paste and other niceties. And Microsoft has promised another major update before the end of the year. This one’s rumored to be called Mango and it was assumed that it will bring IE9 to WP7, as Microsoft announced during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.

However, a reliable tipster has contacted WMPoweruser and told them that IE9 will in fact arrive much sooner than that update, perhaps even “earlier than Fall”. That would probably mean “late Summer” in plain English, and it would be exciting indeed. IE9 will bring hardware-accelerated browsing, and the same core as the desktop version of the browser, which should make it perform much better.

Now this tipster has apparently accurately predicted the first ever update for WP7, which started rolling out a few days ago, so perhaps he or she is right once more. It would certainly help Microsoft’s standing in the mobile world if that were the case.

Share on Tumblr

If you liked the post, you might find these interesting too:

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1603971880 Howard Abraham

    What makes the WP7 browser weak compared to the competition?

  • http://twitter.com/rich_coleman Rich Coleman

    Yeah, exactly. We have a web application that only works the exact same as all the desktop browsers on mobile-IE9, mobile safari and android all do weird things to the interface and need extra script and CSS to get them to behave normally. Mobile IE9 displays and functions exactly like all the desktop browsers behave (and yes, I was shocked).

  • Anonymous

    I’ll chime in and say that wp7 actually now ( with alot of surprise) has one the stronger/faster broswers of the other 2.

    I think this is yet another blogger that has WM 6.5 and just thinks wp7 is the same.

« »

Subscribe to our Twitter updatesVisit us on FacebookVisit us on GooglePlusSubscribe via RSS