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BOLT, one of many alternatives to the native BlackBerry browser, released yesterday version 1.5 of their software, marking the end of their beta testing phase. The browser has come a long way since it launched in a private beta in January. Even though the browser had bugs from the beginning, I was an instant fan. It renders web pages like a normal Web browser, and as Bitstream added upgrades it got even better. Two million downloads later, and they’re ready to distribute it to the world. You can download your copy at http://boltbrowser.com/download.html.

What I like most about BOLT is the way it fully renders webpages. While some sites have navigable mobile versions, far too many sites either have cluttered mobile versions or, worse, none at all. This can be a problem when browsing with the native browser. With BOLT the navigation is familiar. As Bitsteam started fixing issues like the slow scrolling, it quickly became a go-to for sites that the native browser just can’t render.

Bistream has included a ton of updates with the official release, including:

• Cache Support to speed users’ ability to move quickly back and forth between the currently and previously viewed Web pages through the use of backward and forward navigation.
• Download Manager for easy download of files directly from BOLT and the ability to save them to specific folders on the mobile phone (requires JSR75 support on the device).
• Support for Streaming Videos of Any Length that overcomes limitations on some phones’ ability to stream videos of longer lengths. The new approach ensures video clips will play on all devices, for any length video.
• Video Wizard to assist users in configuring their device for optimal video playback.
• Dedicated Search Bar on home page, for easier and faster online searches.
• Improved Ability to Manage RSS Feeds by allowing users to arrange and file feeds just as they do with their favorites and bookmarks.
• Enhancements for Touch Screen Devices such as simple volume controls for the BOLT media player which now offers volume controls on the screen.
• Enhancements for BOLT Servers in the cloud, which increase the already fast BOLT mobile browser by an additional 10 to 20 percent.

Again, if you want a more powerful, more familiar browsing experience on your BlackBerry, head over to http://boltbrowser.com/download.html to give it a try. Worst case, you delete it and forget it ever happened.

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