Google Docs spreadsheets can kill Nokia's Mozilla browser

MOBILE PHONE GIANT Nokia recently released a software update for its gorgeous Linux based Internet Tablet, the N800, and along it, a new Mozilla based browser. We found that this browser still needs to be optimized to deal with Google's AJAX based Google Docs.

The new Mozilla-based web browser from Nokia

You can find the latest greatest OS for the Nokia N800 over here. The latest release of a few weeks ago adds several improvements like updated Flash player, fixes a bug with some SDHC (SD High Capacity) memory cards, a native Skype client, and more.

Selecting the browser engine between Mozilla and Opera

Unfortunately, you still need to re-flash the entire OS to get this version. There's an interesting post in this developers' blog about what to expect from next Nokia Tablet OS releases, code-named Chinook and its successor, code-named Diablo. Fortunately and according to the blog, Chinook will "come with a process to backup the data about the extra applications you have installed. Reflashing will be still needed since kernel + initfs still won’t be packaged, but at least users will get their extra apps back as part of the re installation process instead of having to manually install everything they had."

In the words of the developer "The plan is to have by Diablo a set of improvements in the application manager that would make software updates seamless to end users. We could then push bug fixes and feature upgrades without waiting for a next IT OS release.". I just hope someone at Nokia contacts the nice people at Google and together they work with the Google Docs team so that the Google page detects the Nokia N800 web browser based on user-agent and delivers a smaller, more efficient set of AJAX code than it does to full-blown desktop PC users.

GMail, much snappier with the Mozilla Engine

With the new Mozilla based browser, dubbed "MicroB" and which you can find and install over here, GMail performance is improved, using Google Maps is finally possible, and you can switch between using the Opera and the Mozilla Gecko -the same one used by Firefox and SeaMonkey- engines using the appropriately named "Set Engine" option. GMail performance is improved as is loading Word documents with Google Docs.

Displaying an Excel file with Google Docs (two rows blurred on purpose).

There's no way a 330Mhz OMAP TI CPU will ever be as fast as a multi-core 2GHz desktop, of course, so don't expect miracles, but it does work. If there's something to complain about is the total lack of any options -that I could find- to easily set and switch between proxies. I tried to use a public hotspot nearby and set up a SSH tunnel, then pointing the N800's Mozilla based browser to use localhost as proxy until I finally gave up.

Oops, clicking repeatedly on a cell to edit it makes the browser crash

In the meantime, with the latest OS upgrade and after installing the MicroB browser from the Maemo.org site, you can view spreadsheets just fine with Google Docs -something that wasn't even possible to begin with with the original N800, notice how I included a screenshot of Google Docs reading a Word document but not a spreadsheet in my original review-, but editing spreadsheet files can cause Nokia's Mozilla based browser to crash. Your mileage might vary. Still, the latest OS is a must-have upgrade. µ