Zune HD Web Browser - Honest Look

One of the things that really caught our attention with the Zune HD announcements was the inclusion of a Web Browser.  This always seemed to be one of the benefits of the iPhone/iPod Touch experience and was interesting to see what Microsoft was dealing with that head on.

After a couple of days of playing with the browser, I have a few things so say.  This might not be a "traditional" review, but it is one of the more honest examinations that I've seen out there so far.

When Apple launched their "portable" browser, I already had years and years of Mobile Web experience.  There were highlights and low lights of the experiences but, to put things in plain English: since we could take the Web with us, I've been taking the Web with me.  The world of the Mobile Web was both frustrating and empowering as some got so close and others missed it so much.

See, the Web, as know it, is the full screen experience that we like on our computers.  It simply doesn't translate well to a few inches of space.  Some organizations, reformatted their data for the smaller screen and this worked great.  Yahoo was one of the best early examples.  I actually preferred their Mobile Web interface over their traditional site.  Heck, I think I still do.

When Apple launched, they attempted to bring the "full Web" to a portable device.  Functionally, it worked, but, honestly, it wasn't anything that anyone would "surf" on for a long time.  Yes, you could get the task done but the real benefit came when we started to see sites formatted specifically for the iPhone.  And, let's admit it, the iPhone gave the numbers to make such efforts worth it for Websites.

But the Safari iPhone experience, despite the marketshare, is not the only way people are surfing Web content on their phones.  Nokia or Opera, anyone?

The Zune HD Web Browser is the best possible "Mobile Web" browser I've ever seen, period.  It's fast and makes a heck of a lot of sense.  I'm quite happy with it, but I'm not so happy with sites that don't format copy for it.

One example of the coolnees: the NewYorkTimes.com takes almost 4 times as long to load on my iPhone (via wifi) as it does my Zune HD (via wifi).  Why?  The Zune HD brings up the "Mobile Web" version of the site while the iPhone attempts to bring up the whole site.  Viewing the "whole" site on the iPhone is a PAIN.  It's a lot prettier, but it's a PAIN.  Doing the Mobile Web thing let's me read the content I'm looking for much faster.

Also cool: Google and Gmail and Google Reader and all those other sites "look" a lot better on the iPhone but "work" a lot better on the Zune HD.

So, yes, you can do the pinch zoom in and zoom out thing, but at it's core, it's a browser for the Mobile Web - which is exactly what I think it should be.

I'm sure some will complain.

I won't.

I'm happy.

You?