I've since learned that the S60 3rd Edition browser is more than capable of running the Google Mobile web-app created for the iPhone. It supports most of the same standards, including AJAX. Apparently the only thing preventing a Nokia user from viewing the iPhone webapp is that Google only presents it to browsers identifying themselves as an iPhone (or presumably also an Android device).
I can only guess why Google would decide to do that. But until that policy changes, or I get my new Android device on my next upgrade, I'll have to work around it.
And I've figured out a way to do it. It's clumsy and inelegant, but it will work in a pinch. The added bonus is that it also works for Google Wave... albeit equally clumsily.
The workaround is pretty simple: install the Skyfire mobile browser.
Skyfire uses some sort of web proxy magic so as to present the full desktop version of a site. That includes Gmail (with Buzz), Google Wave, and presumably any other desktop site you need to display on your mobile device.
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| Gmail on Skyfire (with my awesome LCARS custom theme) |
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| Google Buzz on Skyfire |
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| Google Wave on Skyfire |
As a rule I prefer not to use 3rd-party browsers on my device because there's no way to set them as the system default. I also find Skyfire rather awkward to use, what with all the panning and zooming. But in an emergency it'll do the trick.
If anyone knows of a better trick, share!
