Using Chrome on a Windows Mobile Device

Using Chrome on a Windows Mobile Device
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Mobile Browsing on Chrome

My love for Google Chrome is no secret, as I’ve made it public here on Bright Hub several times over. While I can understand the necessity for some users to avoid Google Chrome to obtain more of their data than is absolutely necessary, Chrome is a fantastic browser. While it can run a bit “hot” if there are a lot of browser windows open, the speed, agility, and versatility of Chrome to run with other Google products (i.e. Google Docs, which was used to write this article). So where does Chrome lie in the mobile space?

Can You Use Chrome and Windows Mobile?

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The answer is Chrome is nowhere to be found on the mobile platform. Some users “claim” that they’re able to run Chrome on WinMo, but there’s rarely, if ever, any concrete proof of these assertions. Users have tried everything to get Chrome to work on WinMo, but it just can’t work until the kits are re-worked specifically for the mobile platforms. Webkits using the Chromium engine have failed tremendously with the user effort, even on the most hacked and modified phones.

In a nutshell, as of March 2010, it’s impossible to use Chrome on WinMo 6 and it seems like it’s going to stay that way because even Microsoft itself is dropping support for the Windows Mobile platform as it moves into the launch of Windows Phone 7 Series this year. WinMo 6 is a dying platform as of right now, so it’s highly unlikely that Google is going to take time from its Android efforts to fix up a mobile release of Chrome.

What Else Can Be Done?

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If using a Google browser is your objective, it might be time to consider a new phone. For example, a Moto Droid allows you to use a modified Google mobile browser that is quite good in its own right and a considerable improvement from the Internet Explorer equivalent on WinMo 6. On the other hand, a switch to an iPhone or even the future Windows Phone 7 might be in order if just a general OS upgrade is what you’re looking for.

You might also consider using a browser like Opera Mini/Mobile, which is a tremendous advancement over the Internet Explorer browser that comes pre-installed on your WinMo device. These alternative browsers often work better, faster, and with more efficiency than the conventional browser - making either Opera Mobile or SkyFire a much more interesting browser for everyday use.

Overall, it’s not common for the best phone and the best software to intersect perfectly. As far as hardware goes, the iPhone is a current favorite, as recently proved by a robotic touchscreen test. But as far as software and the open-source nature of the platform, Android is proving to be a fierce competitor to the iPhone’s OS in terms of allowing the user to decide what to do with the phone.

More Chrome to Love

If you want to read more about Google Chrome, check out these fantastic articles right here on Brighthub:

Google Chrome - Philosophy and Features

Importing Settings into Chrome