Bolt (web browser)

BOLT Browser

Screenshot of BOLT Browser v1.04 Beta3
Developer(s) Bitstream Inc.
Initial release February 16, 2009 (2009-02-16)
Stable release 2.52 [±]
Development status Discontinued
Engine WebKit
Platform Java ME[1]
Available in English, Spanish, and Russian; can display web pages in languages with Latin or Cyrillic-based alphabets[2]
Type Mobile browser
License Proprietary

The BOLT Browser is a web browser for mobile phones including feature phones and smartphones that can run Java ME applications. The BOLT Browser is offered free of charge to consumers and by license to Mobile network operators and handset manufacturers. BOLT is produced by Bitstream Inc., the company which previously produced the ThunderHawk for Mobile network operators and handset manufacturers.

BOLT was originally introduced into private beta on January 15, 2009[3] and was made available to the public on February 16, 2009[4] when the public beta was announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Today, BOLT can be installed on Java-based handsets with Java MIDP 2 and CLDC 1.0 or higher support.[5] BOLT also has a specially optimized version for BlackBerry smartphones[6] and works with Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices that employ a MIDlet manager or Java emulator. BOLT was built using the WebKit rendering engine to display a full Web page layout as found on desktop web browsers.

Releases

Introduced in public beta

First beta release

Version 0.86[7]

BOLT browser was made available for public beta on February 16, 2009.

The main features this release has were:

Beta2

Version 0.94[8]

BOLT browser was made available for public Beta 2 on April 1, 2009.

New features of this release include:

Beta3

Version 1.04[9]

BOLT browser was made available for public Beta 3 on June 29, 2009.

New features of this release include:

Commercial release

Version 1.5

Version 1.5

This version of the BOLT browser was released on October 7, 2009.[10]

New features of this release include:

Version 1.6

Version 1.6[11]

This version of the BOLT browser was released on December 7, 2009. This release of BOLT includes a number of important design enhancements, as well as incremental improvements driven by BOLT’s users. For all mobile data networks that support it, BOLT 1.6 offers full socket-based connectivity which can increase the page rendering speed of BOLT by as much as 15 percent. BOLT 1.6 also includes a new password manager, allowing usernames and passwords to be saved by the browser for easier and faster logins to users’ favorite websites and online applications.

New features of this release include:

Version 1.7

Version 1.7[12]

This version of the BOLT browser was released on February 15, 2010.

New features of this release include:

Second generation

2.0 beta

Version 2.0[13]

This version of the BOLT browser was released on March 23, 2010.

New features of this release include:

2.1 commercial release

This version of the BOLT browser was released on May 24, 2010.

New features of this release include:

2.3 commercial release

This version of the BOLT browser was released on October 6, 2010.[16]

BlackBerry specific features

Features available on the BlackBerry version of BOLT[17]

History

Milestones

Demise

On 2011.12.12, Bolt's website changed to display the following message:

Dear BOLT User, 

The free BOLT mobile browsing service has been discontinued. 
Unfortunately, the economic circumstances prevent us from
running a free service going forward. We apologize for any
inconvenience and thank you for your loyalty and support. 

The BOLT Team

Additionally, the browser displayed a banner indicating that the service would be discontinued on the 14th of December. Neither the website nor the corresponding emails sent to users mentioned the possibility of a paid version.

As of 14 December 2011, existing installations of BOLT have been rendered useless.

Variants

BOLT Indic

This version of the BOLT browser was released on November 29, 2010.[30]

BOLT is the first complete mobile browsing solution to fully support Indic languages, specifically the nine languages spoken as a first language by an estimated 1.3 billion people living in India and the surrounding regions. This first of its kind solution for handset manufacturers and mobile operators has Indic language user interfaces, the capability to perfectly render Indic text on a Web page, and the ability to offer end users to input Indic text into the browser. The languages supported are Hindi, Bengali, Gurumukhi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, Malayalam, and Oriya. All of BOLT’s English language features are also available in its Indic language version.

BOLT lite

BOLT lite is a free downloadable web browser that offers browsing in lower-end mobile phones.

BOLT lite has been optimized to install and run on entry-level mobile devices with limited memory and system resources. This lightweight version retains most of BOLT's feature set. Although some of BOLT's functionality is not included in the lite version (e.g. inline input, videos support, Download Manager), BOLT's download speed and PC-style layout are retained - offering fast, full-featured desktop-style browsing to an even wider range of devices. It is built on Bitstream's ThunderHawk browsing technology.

System requirements

BOLT Browser has the following system requirements.[31]

Java version

BOLT can be installed on nearly all Java-based handsets since the browser requires only Java MIDP 2 and CLDC 1.0 or higher support.

BOLT also runs well on Palm-powered devices with J2ME support.

Android version

BOLT for Android was released for private beta testing in May, 2011 and 3.0 version was subsequently made available on Android market in Oct, 2011.

Blackberry version

BOLT does not work well with BlackBerry devices. Blackberry users need to install the BlackBerry-specific version of BOLT.

Windows version

BOLT runs well on selected Windows Mobile 6 devices including HTC Touch, MOTO Q, MOTO Q9c (with Windows Mobile 6.1 OS) and MOTO Q9h. However, BOLT does not support MOTO Q8 Windows Mobile device.

Functionality

Data centers for servers

The proxy servers that BOLT cloud-based architecture uses are located in the United States.

Split screen rendering

Split screen rendering is a patented BOLT technology in which a compressed view of the desktop style page layout is visible in the upper 2/3 part of the screen. A magnification rectangle is available for scrolling over this area. A magnified view of the selected area is displayed in the lower 1/3 part of the screen. This technology enables the user to view desktop style layouts of web pages without compromising readability on small screens.

Features

The distinguishing features[32] of BOLT browser are:

Tabbed browsing

Tabbed browsing experience enables the user to browse more than one site simultaneously.

Data compression

The cloud-based servers compress the data reaching the device by as much as 24 times, resulting in speeding up page load times by two to three times compared to other browsers.

Desktop-style layout

BOLT provides a special mode for easing the view of web pages.[33] Split-screen mode features a rectangular magnifier floating over a zoomed out mini-map of the entire Web page on the top 2/3 of the screen and a magnified view of the content under the magnifier on the bottom 1/3 of the screen. The magnifier floating over the mini-map enables the user to quickly find information and navigate Web sites with ease.

Backup of favorites

BOLT enables the user to back up favorites to the device's memory and restore them back through BOLT directly. Backup the favorites to the user account at BOLT Space and restore them back regardless of device, its platform, BOLT type (BOLT or BOLT Lite) and location.

Audio/video streaming

BOLT supports HTML5 based audio and video streaming. It supports many popular video sharing sites, including www.youtube.com, cnn.com, espn.com, bbc.co.uk, mtv.com, video.google.com, video.yahoo.com, vids.myspace.com, blip.tv, rutube.ru, nick.com, hungama.com, bollywoodhungama.com, svtplay.se and mocospace.com. Depending on your phone, BOLT may play the video directly in the browser window, or it may play it through your device's default media player. BOLT offers superior video quality for devices with MPEG4 support.

It also supports expanded streaming flash video support.

Widget support

Users can enjoy Twitter and Facebook widgets with BOLT's web app platform. The widget gallery features weather, Wikipedia, and dictionary widgets.

Advanced social media integration

BOLT offers Facebook integration - post messages, links or URLs from any page displayed in BOLT directly to the Facebook account without navigating away from the currently viewed page. BOLT offers support for Facebook chat and other web-based chat apps. It also offers support for YouTube web apps - search and view videos directly in BOLT.

Technologies

The BOLT mobile browser is compatible with the majority of the world’s 4 billion mobile phones. It offers unrivaled speed and desktop-style web browsing including the ability to stream video.

Split-screen view

A patented split-screen viewing feature and intuitive keystroke shortcuts make navigating web pages simple. BOLT is built using Bitstream’s award winning and patented ThunderHawk mobile browsing technology.

WebKit rendering engine

BOLT is built using the WebKit rendering engine to deliver the same web page layout as found on desktop browsers and includes high standards compliance such as AJAX and flash video support. Bitstream’s client/server technology, mobile fonts and font rendering technologies speed content delivery enabling mass market deployments, improved readability and allowing BOLT to fit more information into smaller screens. BOLT’s underlying ThunderHawk mobile browsing technology supports both J2ME platforms, as well as non-J2ME environments though a C++ SDK.[34]

Web technologies

Security and privacy

BOLT is signed with third-party certificates from VeriSign and Thawte.[36] These "signatures" enable the device OS to confirm BOLT's authenticity, provide access to secure device APIs, and help ensure that BOLT is free from malware and/or viruses. Signed applications enable you to use BOLT with fewer permission dialogs for file and network access from your device's OS.

However, a few platforms including Motorola P2K do not allow installation of signed builds. To enable installation on these devices, an unsigned version of BOLT, with no certificate, is also offered.

128-bit secure (SSL) connection

BOLT uses an encrypted protocol called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to access secure Web pages. The connection between the device and the BOLT server is also encrypted.[37]

Filtering

Server filter protects you from spyware, malicious or faulty add-ons, online fraud and spoof Web sites. The BOLT server acts as a filter that protects you against common threats, such as spyware or other types of malware, when browsing the Web.

Certificate error notification

A certificate is an electronic document that can help identify a Web site's owner and can help you make decisions about trusting the site with personal or financial information. BOLT warns about certificate error when there is a problem with a certificate or the server's use of the certificate.

Pop-up blocker

A mechanism that provides you with a choice to view or block pop-up windows.

Persistent cookies

BOLT stores the cookies on BOLT’s servers. BOLT maintains site-specific information about users, such as site preferences and the contents of shopping carts, providing ease of use across Web sessions, just like your favorite desktop browser.

Standards

BOLT browser passes the Acid3 test with a perfect 100% score.[38] Acid3 is a test page from the Web Standards Project that tests how well a web browser supports certain web standards.

Localization and languages

BOLT is available in English, Spanish, Russian, and Indic.[39]

BOLT supports viewing Web sites in all Latin-based languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Flemish, Swedish, and many others that are fundamentally Latin-based. Using the "Install Fonts" utility, you can also view Web sites in Cyrillic-based languages including Bulgarian, Russian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Moldovan, Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tuvan and Mongolian.[40]

BOLT is also available in the Indic languages.[41] With the 3G spectrum opening up in India, the Indian telecom industry is poised for unprecedented growth. BOLT with Indic support enables people on the subcontinent to communicate and create content using local Indic languages. Bitstream offers BOLT with Indic language support to OEMs and network operators wanting to capitalize on these trends and open up new revenue streams.

Licensing

Allview has selected the BOLT mobile browser from Bitstream Inc. as its official mobile browser partner, and will preload BOLT on the entire line of Allview phones sold across Europe.[42]

KC Mobile, a Korean-based manufacturer and leading provider of handsets for the Chinese cell phone market, will preload the BOLT mobile browser as the default Web browser in handsets to be distributed around the world. KC Mobile handsets are popular in China, Europe, Russia, South America, and Asia.[43]

The BOLT OEM edition is a major evolution of the company’s Thunderhawk mobile browsing technology and architecture. Bitstream has optimized the BOLT browser application and the WebKit-based, cloud computing architecture that supports it to make the BOLT OEM edition the easiest way for handset manufacturers and wireless operators to offer their customers desktop style Web browsing on mobile phones of all types.[44] Co-branding and white labeling opportunities make BOLT especially attractive to OEMs and mobile network operators who will benefit from BOLT’s many advantages.[45]

BOLT has partnered with GetJar. Subscribers gain immediate access to GetJar’s massive library of 70,000+ applications via a GetJar branded apps store link on the favorites page.[46]

Awards

The BOLT browser has received numerous awards and mentions in the media. Some of the important awards for the BOLT browser are:

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "BOLT Browser FAQ: Platform Support". Bitstream Inc. 2010-03-24.
    2. ↑ "BOLT Browser FAQ: Language Support". Bitstream Inc. 2010-03-24.
    3. ↑ "Bitstream BOLT mobile browser goes into private beta - we've got invites". MobileCrunch. 2009-01-15.
    4. ↑ "BOLT Joins Browser Wars on the Mobile Front". CMS Wire. 2009-02-19.
    5. ↑ "BOLT Browser FAQ". Bitstream Inc. 2009-02-16.
    6. ↑ "BOLT Browser FAQ". Bitstream Inc. 2009-02-16.
    7. ↑ Lendino, Jamie (2009-03-13). "BOLT 0.86 (beta)". PC Magazine.
    8. ↑ "Free App of the Day: BOLT Browser". Wireless and Mobile News. 2009-04-05.
    9. ↑ "Bolt Beta 3 Browser Review". WAP Review. 2009-06-30.
    10. ↑ "Faster, More Fully Featured BOLT Browser Blasts Out of Beta". Bitstream. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    11. ↑ Segan, Sascha (2009-12-29). "BOLT 1.6". PC Magazine.
    12. ↑ "Bolt 1.7 Adds Widgets, Twitter Integration, Flash Video and Download Manager Enhancements". WAP Review. 2010-02-15.
    13. ↑ "Bolt 2.0 busts out tabbed browsing". IntoMobile. 2010-03-23.
    14. ↑ "BOLT Browser 2.0 Beta Review". Tech Bottle. 2010-03-24.
    15. ↑ "New version of Bolt browser fully supports HTML5 video". HTML5 Trends. 2010-05-25.
    16. ↑ "Full Stream Ahead as BOLT Delivers Support for HTML5 Audio and Video Streaming". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    17. ↑ "Bolt Browser Beta3 Released - Adds Copy and Paste; Brings WebKit4 Rendering and More to your Browsing Experience". CrackBerry.com. 2009-06-29.
    18. ↑ "Bolt Browser News and Referral Codes". WAP Review. 2009-01-19.
    19. ↑ "Bitstream Launches Free Public Beta of the BOLT Mobile Browser". Bitstream Inc. Press Release. 2009-02-16.
    20. ↑ "Bitstream Releasees New Beta Version of BOLT Mobile Browser". Bitstream Inc. Press Release. 2009-04-01.
    21. ↑ "Lightning Strikes a Third Time As Bitstream Releases Faster, Better BOLT Mobile Browser". Bitstream Inc. Press Release. 2009-06-29.
    22. ↑ "Faster, More Fully Featured BOLT Browser Blasts Out of Beta". Bitstream Inc. Press Release. 2009-10-07. Archived from the original on February 15, 2010.
    23. ↑ "BOLT Mobile Browser Invites People to Put Their Favorite Websites on Our Tabs". Bitstream Inc. Press Release. 2010-03-23.
    24. ↑ "Second Generation BOLT Mobile Browser Now Available to OEMs and MNOs around the World". Bitstream Inc. Press Release. 2010-05-24.
    25. ↑ "Bolt Web Browser for BlackBerry". BerryReview. 2009-01-16.
    26. ↑ "First Look: Bolt Mobile Browser". CNET. 2009-03-31.
    27. ↑ "India on the map again: 1 in 6 BOLT users is INDIAN!". FoneArena. 2009-05-29.
    28. ↑ "Bolt Mobile Browser Celebrates Milestone". PDAStreet. 2009-06-23.
    29. ↑ "Bolt Mobile Browser renders 100 million pages!". GoMo News. 2009-07-28.
    30. ↑ "BOLT is First Mobile Browser with Complete Indic Language Support". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    31. ↑ "BOLT browser platforms". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    32. ↑ "Features". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    33. ↑ "Split screen mode". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    34. ↑ "Bitstream Launches Free Public Beta of the BOLT Mobile Browser". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    35. ↑ "Technologies supported". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    36. ↑ "BOLT Installation". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    37. ↑ "BOLT Security". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    38. ↑ "BOLT passes Acid3". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    39. ↑ "Languages". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    40. ↑ "Web sites in different languages". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    41. ↑ "BOLT is First Mobile Browser with Complete Indic Language Support". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    42. ↑ "Allview Selects BOLT as Official Mobile Browser Partner for Mobile Phones across Europe". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    43. ↑ "KC Mobile Selects BOLT as Default Web Browser for Mobile Phones Worldwide". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    44. ↑ "Expanded BOLT Mobile Browser OEM Edition Now Available". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    45. ↑ "Second Generation BOLT Mobile Browser Now Available to OEMs and MNOs around the World". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    46. ↑ "BOLT Mobile Browser Users to Get 70,000+ Free Apps Via GetJar". Bitstream. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    47. ↑ "2010 MOBILE MERIT AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED!". Mobile Merit Awards. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    48. ↑ "CTIA E-Tech Award Winners, Pureness, Samsung I8530 & BOLT". CTIA E-Tech Awards. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    49. ↑ "2010 Mobile Star Awards". Mobile Star Awards. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    50. ↑ "2009 Honorees". Stevie Awards. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    51. ↑ "The Finalists". CNET Webware. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    52. ↑ "Tech Awards Circle Winners Represent Best of Tech 2010". Tech Awards Circle. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
    53. ↑ Segan, Sascha. "BOLT 1.6". PC Magazine. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

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