[NTLK] Bitstream's new ThunderHawk browser. Cool.

From: Grant [Vertical Crust] Hutchinson (grant_at_splorp.com)
Date: Tue Jun 12 2001 - 20:38:04 PDT

• Next message: Robert Benschop: "[NTLK] Re: Digest Settings"
• Previous message: Eric L. Strobel: "[NTLK] Re: [ANN] Error mesage"
• Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
• Mail actions: [ respond to this message ] [ mail a new topic ]

[This message cross-posted to NT1 & NT2]

I've been reading up on this new client/server technology that Bitstream
has announced called ThunderHawk. It uses server-side compression and
conversion to visually shrink down web content to get displayed using
customized typefaces in a web browser on PDAs or other mobile devices. It
doesn't use WAP or cHTML, but displays specially re-rendered versions of
web page specifically to fit within a 320x240 display. Wild.

From the Bitstream site:

     "ThunderHawk relies on distributed computing for thin clients
      and servers. The thin client code is device independent, making
      it easy to port to any wireless product. The architecture is
      very clean and runs on any operating system, which makes it
      easy for developers to implement. All in all, ThunderHawk has
      an extremely small footprint, under 100 KB."

      http://www.bitstream.com/wireless/

This is just too intriguing to leave alone. What about Newton? The
server-side stuff doesn't apply, because it's dependent on the web
content source, not the browser client platform. The browser footprint
isn't an issue either if it's only 100KB or so. Bitstream says that their
client code is device independent, which sounds promising (Java
perhaps?), but may require a color display if they are doing anything
like pixel-halving or resolution enhancement like Microsoft's ClearType.
Although, on some of the example pages it says "...best viewed on a color
LCD with RGB ordering and at least 16-bit color (typically found on
laptops or on wireless devices with 320 x 240 color LCD displays)" - so
this doesn't sound like it would exclude a greyscale display.

I'm just tossing this out there, but can you imagine if this could work?
I am presuming the Bitstream is looking to license both the client and
server technology, so it won't be free.

Be sure to take a look at the side by side comparisons of content
displayed in a WinCE-ish microbrowser and the ThunderHawk browser:

     http://www.bitstream.com/wireless/cbssports.html

Further reading:

ThunderHawk Microbrowser Takes Flight
     http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-6217963.html

Crash, Boom - ThunderHawk Is Coming
     http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/11136.html

g.

......................................................................

Grant Hutchinson Interface Considerations & Toys

Live video served fresh since 1996. http://www.splorp.com/
Now fortified with daily ramblings. http://www.splorp.com/blog/
Newton. It's the Palm with a brain. http://www.splorp.com/newton/

--
This is the Newtontalk mailinglist - http://www.newtontalk.net
To unsubscribe: newtontalk-request_at_newtontalk.net with 'unsubscribe' in 
the BODY.  Unsubscribe messages sent to the list will be filtered.

• Next message: Robert Benschop: "[NTLK] Re: Digest Settings"
• Previous message: Eric L. Strobel: "[NTLK] Re: [ANN] Error mesage"
• Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
• Mail actions: [ respond to this message ] [ mail a new topic ]

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Mar 08 2003 - 11:37:02 PST