Bolt Browser v2.1 for BlackBerry Released With Better Facebook Integration And Updated WebKit

ok worth a shot

hey this has tabbed browsing!! omg! :p

I'm waiting for some positives comments before downloading this.

Tabbed browsing. mmmmmm!

tabbed browsing has been around since v2.0, as stated. anyway, i hope to see they did some improvement on their tabbed browsing. it's hard to beat operas implementation of it, but i'll still give it a chance.

I use to stick to the standard BB browser cos I knew none the wiser , but wow !
FB chat , fully loaded pages , good quality pictures , tabbed browsing
I'm practically a convert after 10 minutes !

I have SocialScope on my BlackBerry and it satisfies all my Twitter and Facebook needs with flying color. When you have an app to do the job perfectly, why would anyone need any browser integration for Facebook?!?!?!

I downloaded the newest version of Bolt this morning and have found it to be very impressive. Bolt has become my preferred browser on my BlackBerry.

Guess it's time to give it a whirl.

Wow, they've really improved the rendering speed, at least from what I've seen so far, in addition to improving the rendering itself.

I've been using BOLT for over a year, and this is definitely a must-have on any BB. Much better than Opera IMHO, which has scrolling problems on BBs. Plus the BB launcher add-on is terrific -- for example, when I click on a link in Twitter for BB, the default option is to Get Link in BOLT, something that is almost always vastly preferable to getting a link with the BB browser.

I installed it and if I slighty moved the cursor in any direction, for example down, then it would continue to scroll the entire way down the page on it's own. Uninstalled.

I started a thread on the forum a while back about how crappy Bolt had gotten after 1.6. It now seems though that they heard our cries and put the work in to fix it. 2.01 was a bit iffy for a while but started functioning properly on its own after a while and I was happy with it. 2.1 so far has had consistently faster start up and load time. Havent given tabs a run yet but they were pretty laggy on 2.01. Good job Bitstream!

Bolt has been my main browser for the last four months, and this update is going to keep it that way. I just wish they did something about that fugly UI and font style.

Opera Mini looks better, but it doesn't function nearly as well on my 8330.

I have to say I love Bolt and Opera...Both are great replacements for the stock BB browser...But the fact that both become standard touch like the iPhone instead of surepress touch ruins it for me. I can't get used to doing that in only one application, which is the reason I just use the BB broswer. It works well enough, and uses surepress so I don't click crap I don't mean to...Just wish there was an option for Bolt and Opera to use surepress touch instead of standard touch... :(

I've installed it on my 9650 and it won't load. When I click the icon it just sits at the 'Loading...' screen and never fully launches. A battery pull did not help.

i am VERY impressed with the improvement. it seems very stable & solid. this just replaced opera on my homescreen. =)

Wonderful. How is this any different from v2?
Also the fb chat is still a joke. Yes you can send a message but you need to constantly refresh the page to receive thee other persons comments, so basically you may as well just use the pm feature of facebook. Easy to get caught up in the hype. Yes it is a quality browser but I don't see how all this fb chat praising is justified that I always hear about it.

I have used Bolt occasionaly, but usally wind up back with one of the RIM browsers. Much better UI with Bolt and ability to customize font-size etc is a major step forward. I also downloaded BoltLauncher which automatically makes Bolt the default, and it seems to work ok. But Bolt takes a long time to get itself going. But once its running, navigating seems a little quicker. I guess a lot of my BB browsing is one-off, going to a specific page or link and then off, so its a bit of a bother. The other nag is Bolt sometimes (but not always) seems to block the Application Switcher function on my 9700 which is a real pita. Its nice and all, but I hope to switch back once OS 6.0 comes out.

Listening to the podcast I've gotten used to Bla1ze's unecessary "go ahead and" statements. Kind of a calling card. It even makes into his blog posts.
"it's advising you to go ahead and update to the latest release of 2.1".
I Love it.

Is it possible to make this the default browser?

Nevermind, searched for plug-in.

I'm still using Opera Mini 4.

Gives a connectivity error message then just sits there with the "Loading..." screen running until I shut it down. I have found all versions to be buggy and temperamental by comparison to Opera Mini, particularly OM version 5. Opera looks much nicer too.

Does it still suck on a Storm? Guess we'll see in a few minutes as I'm downloading it now. ;)

Not very touch friendly, BUT quite video friendly, shame. :(

I had tried previous versions but became frustrated when trying to zoom pages on my storm. The standard blackberry browser may not be great but the click to zoom interface is preferable to anything else I've tried.

I am still in shock that after all these releases, neither Opera or Bolt have been able to add zooming functionality. Its the single thing that would make me leave the bb browser completely. Hmmm, I wonder if RIM doesn't want this...

bolt v2.1 is super fast but i have problems in playing videos

I installed the last version a couple days ago to test it out again...and again it was slow and not very usable for me on my 9700. Deleted it this morning and installed this version and wow what a difference. The improvement in speed is amazing. I think this may be my default browser now. Up till now its been the default BB browser since Opera mini just seems slow when moving around web pages and Bolt used to be the same.

Try to visit Pocketnow and scroll around. You'll appreciate having another browser option.

I think Bolt has done a great job working around flash. This is the Skyfire for BB. However, its still unbearable on the Storm1/2... Scrolling is horrible.

Navigation is horrible

It definately seems to be running alot smoother.

it sucked before and it still sucks

This new form factor will take some getting use to but the speed at which its loading full web pages is crazy.

Indeed, this version is better than the one I tried awhile ago, but navigation still sucks, & its still a little slow... Opera Mini 4 still has a much better look, but similar problems. So far I've alway had to keep returning to my native BB browser... **sigh** Deleting immediately...

This new form factor will take some getting use to but the speed at which its loading full web pages is crazy.

having had the iPhone before my bold 9700 I knew going into it the browser would be a HUGE downgrade. This browser isn't any faster than the stock browser IMHO, and the user interface is less friendly. (more choppy, etc). My advice, wait for the new browser that is coming in Blackberry 6.

We could sit here all day and have a debate over what's better bolt or opera. As of here lately it seems that Bolt is throwing out more mind blowing upgrades. Maybe opera is sitting back and making something big we will see. I am a full fledge Bolt user its just better on a non touch screen device.

it works BEAUTIFULLY!!! I was using the default browser before on my 8100 4.5Os and bolt BLOWS it out of the water. I can even see videos on youtube now! I highly recommend this.

on the Storm 2.

I found the 1.7 in app world downloaded it. It then gave me a prompt to upgrade but I closed it out mistakenly. It hasnt came back up asking to upgrade. What do I need to do?

2.0 use to sit and do nothing for 15 seconds when it was started and it used to hang for ever at the 20% mark of most any webpage. This version starts in about 10 seconds and the mind numbing hang at the 20% mark is gone. This is what 2.0 should have been in the first place.

I downloaded this and it made my 9700 do all kinds of crazy stuff...I dont have any msgs in my sms folder but I have an icon that says I have 50 unread text msgs...I deleted the app because I can't use my regular web browser while I have Bolt(2.1) on my device...just to be able to use my device properly I had to do a battery pull like 7 times...

This is my first browser other than the default. So far I really like it. Tabbed browsing is nice. FB is a lot more user friendly! Seems faster too...

Downloaded!! So far so gd on my 8520 :)

it still does. im AMAZED how fast it is on my old old 8100. the only thing i havent figured out is how to switch suretype on instead of multitap

facebook chat and facebook messages are not the same thing. am i missing how to use the chat here or did they mean messages. i just deleted IM+ because i basically only use it for facebook chat which i thought this was gonna take over for.. any insight anyone???

Tour 9630, working great so far. Blazing fast.
Those complaining about navigating (not touch screen users that is) I use a combination of the keypad and my trackball, not bad once you get used to it... I need to test it a bit more on here, but opera may take a back seat to bolt now.

This browser doesn't work well at all for me, and its extremely slow. The facebook chat is a huge joke. My native browser is way faster..deleting immediately

This is my first time trying the Bolt Browser and I have to say I'm impressed. Going to be using this alot more then the regular browser. I'm using it on a BB 9700.

I found BOLT stupid; i don't like this stupid browser...why in the blue hell RIM approved this garbage?? i would rather use my default browser.
- The chat in the facebook is not working.
- Not detecting WIFI on 9700, i selected WIFI in preferences, but still not working.
- Slow loading pages
- Browser short cuts not working.
Navigations suck.
i am going back BB browser

I've tried every version on Bolt since Beta and I am not impressed. It is not quicker than BB Browser on my Tour. Yeah, it's cool to see web pages but even at 3X Large I still need my readers.lol. Guess I'm getting to old.

This ia an awesome browser was a lil skeptical at first to download but it beats that ATT browser to a pulp adds another level of fun to my fone

meh.... gonna stick with the bb browser... it's fine enough for now... gonna wait til OS 6 shows and offers a real browser ;)

Am I just slow er something? I went to both the mobile site and the regular one, but I see no way to chat. It looks exactly like usual without the chat at the bottom. Any help here?

My biggest issue with all 3rd party browsers is the lack of click. It seems like nobody wants to use the tap to select and click to navigate on the Storm's touchscreen. Quite irritating for me, and quite honestly a deal breaker. It can't be that hard to do, and if 2.1 doesn't have it yet, this guy won't be using it.

It's amazing, half the issues posted in here could be fixed with a reboot after install or simply re-installing...

Bolt does, and has always, worked fine on both my phones.

Oh, and it doesn't work on a Storm 2?! Someone needs to tell my Storm 2 that i guess... Works fine for me, minus the page reload after orientation switch bug.

opera mini is way better

cant ANY browser do drop down menus???

so annoying!!!

BOLT browser is my go-to browser & does plenty more than either the BB or Opera browser does on my 8900... Opera was my 1st love, but lately has been more trouble than it's worth; the only reason I keep it out of hope it will improve & nostalgia.

What I love about Bolt is it allows me to sign in on my work Mail server. The native BB Browser does not. This one feature of bolt is priceless.

Just noticed another positive feature on Bolt.
On my Tour, with the latest OS release from sprint, I have to click three and four times within the native BB Browser. With Bolt it is first click every time.

the update for bolt sucks

Sorry - don't see the point. On my Curve 8520 the font is barely legible and is non-aliased whereas in the BB browser and much speedier Opera everything is crystal clear and much easier to read. Of course with Opera you have the tabbed browsing as well as Bolt.

Until they can correct the basic readability of the webpages, which is what you would think they would get "down" first - I really can't use this browser.

Horrible on Storm 9550, I can't even select the link I'm trying to click. When something else gets clicked it dosent seem to load as fast as Opera. Back to Opera Mini. Wow what a disappointment, that bad.

I gave it a try on my Storm 1. It was not good. It was hard to select options and the video was horrible. I deleted the app after 5 minutes.

Going to have to download Bolt Browser now!

Stops at 20 percent. Still sucks

tried it on my Bold 9650.

facebook chat worked but is poorly implemented. I had to scroll down a bit and fight to get the cursor into the text box to enter anything. It did work though.

Not a fan of how the cursor jumps around.

Loaded pages quickly over wifi connection.

however, uninstalled, will stick with the stock blackberry browser.

I've been a long time Bolt user. Was using 1.7 since the 2.0 beta wasnt stable enough.
2.1 is a huge inprovement, it's more stable but a bit slower tho. Very happy with it.

Bolt browser FTW! Works flawlessly on my 9700 and loads pages waaaaaaay faster than the bb browser ever could.

Opera Mini still destroys this browser. Tabbed browsing has been in it for a while now. Wasnt impressed with Bolt 2.0 and uninstalled it. Reinstalled the upgrade.. wasnt impressed with that either. will most likely get uninstalled again.

the HTML5 thing is nice, but not worth the other annoyances that i have with bolt though.

I love Bolt, but this update is awful. Very buggy and often jams on 20%, AGAIN!

I have downgraded to 2.02, where I had no problems what so ever.

I tryed Bolt version 2 and found it very jerky and slow, this 2.1 is alot better and work much faster than my bb browser especially on a low signal.
big thumbs up from a 9700 user.

this browser is faster, however, the video quality on youtube sucks still. and it tells me i can download flash player but when i do and then try to use it, it tells me that i need to install it again...so can anybody tell me is there ANY flash player yet for the blackberry storm 2?

The settings done right on a Youtube account using the default BB Browser (9700 running .680, same YT performance as when running .545) are infinitely better that the dedicated YT webapp that you get with Bolt.

I also find Bolt a bit painful slow.

Cool. Thanks for the update on this one.