Mobile Internet Browsing Guide: Basic and Advanced Facts

Here I'm telling you about Basic and Advanced Facts of Internet Browsing in a Mobile Phone using a external Browser. This complete guide will be very helpful to a new person in the field of mobile internet browsing. Its all about to finding and installing a application on mobile and to configure to access internet on it with troubleshooting tips. Read all basic to advanced facts for mobile internet and mobile browser to enjoy problem free browsing on your device. 
So don't hesitate and start to read, its very easy: 

Whats the need of a external internet browser, if my phone already have an internal browser ? 
The native internal browser in your phone is only give you a limited features to access internet like you can open only mobile wap sites in it. These days there are many external advanced mobile internet browsers are available like UC browser, Opera Mini and Bolt, which gives you a super fast and full feature internet access like you do in your desktop computer. 
These browser gives your features like: multi tab browsing, copy-paste like or text, desktop like view, download manager, access to any web site, bookmarks and sync, history, cookies, page compression to save money, save pages, and lots more. 

Where to find/download Mobile Internet Browsers like Opera Mini, UCweb, Bolt etc? 
These days there are many basic to advanced mobile internet browsers are available freely for download and to install on your phone. As you know, I regularly update my blog with all latest Java and other internet mobile browsers. You also can find at the official pages of theirs. You can ask me if seeking for one. Though most of browsers are able to work in any newer mobile but some old low memory phone can't able to use new advanced version of browsers. I suggest you to ask me if your don't know about it.
 
How to install Mobile Internet Browsers (Opera Mini, UCweb, Bolt etc.) in phone?
There are many way to download and to install mobile internet browser on your phone. transfer via computer to phone memory or external memory card, transfer via bluetooth to phone or simply WAP download (downloading using your existing mobile Web browser) .
You can also download 1st mobile browser to your desktop PC or Mac, and then transfer and install it on your phone via Bluetooth or USB.
To download via wap on your phone, visit the homepage for mobile downloading using your phone’s existing Web browser, and click on Download. For example to download UC browser 1st visit wap.uc.cn and it automatically show recommended download or you can select your mobile brand and model and than it show you actual file to download. Whereas for opera mini visit m.opera,com and it automatically show recommended download.
 
What are the differences between the “Basic (MIDP 1)” and the “Advanced (MIDP 2)” versions?
The Advanced (MIDP 2) version uses more advanced text and image compression algorithms, reducing your waiting time and the amount of data transferred. It also offers more features like page icons, more font options, better looking menus, smooth scrolling, a built-in clock, content folding and secure connections. Advanced (MIDP 2) phones can often fit large Web pages in the phone’s memory. In Basic (MIDP 1) phones, large pages are automatically divided into several partial pages. 

Where in my phone can I find my Internet Browser (UC, Opera Mini, Bolt etc) after installing it?
The mobile applications store usually in two folders, one for games like applications and other for browsing applications. Internet Browsers will usually be filed under Applications, Java Applications, File Manager or a similarly named folder that can be reached from the main menu of your phone.  Occasionally, it can be found under Games, although this is typically on smaller, older phones. If you can’t find your newly installed mobile Internet browser anywhere on your phone (and you are sure that you installed it correctly), please consult your mobile phone manual or your phone manufacturer’s Web site.
 
How to set permissions in signed versions of Browser:
As of most of internet browser offer signed versions along with unsigned versions. The advantage of the signed version is that you can change permission settings to less restrictive permissions. The end result is that you will get fewer permission dialogs for e.g. warnings on file and network access. 

How to Set Permissions? It may differ a lot among different phones, but I will give you a few examples:
In general, you have to locate the folder where your internet browser is installed. Then you have to highlight application that you wants to set permission, for exp UC Browser 7, and press an options/menu button.
Sony Ericsson: Highlight UC Browser 7, click More, then Permissions. Here you can set Read user data and Write user data which are used by UC browser.
Nokia (Series 40) : Highlight UC Browser 7, click Options, then App. access, then Data access. Here you can edit Read user data and Add and edit data which are used by UC browser. 
Can I save files to my phone ? What is JSR-75 ?
JSR-75 is a specification for Java .jar applications such as java mobile internet browsers UC Browser or Opera Mini to access device internal storage and functionality within the phone. Some of UC or Opera Mini features like “Save Pages” and “Download/Upload Files” vary on how much JSR-75 that is supported by the phone. 
To Test your phone to support this JSR and information about other JSR and for Java Phone Benchmark to Test and Compare the Performance Visit Here. 

Why some letters look like black boxes:
Most browser uses the phone’s default font. If your phone doesn’t support certain characters (e.g. Chinese characters), then browser won’t support them either. Also when using “small font”, you can’t see some special characters, It might happen that in some languages small fonts do not appear correctly.

What is the difference between ‘http connection’ and ‘socket connection’?
If you choose to use “socket connection”, in browsers like in Opera Mini, It will keep an open connection to the Opera Mini servers. This means that pages will load quicker, and the Opera Mini servers can push updates (for example new bookmarks through Opera Link) directly to Opera Mini on your phone.

If you choose “http connection”, browser has to establish a connection to the servers every time you load a page. 
Note: not all phone models and mobile networks allow socket connections. If you have problems with your connection, try to use “http connection” instead. Though its a automatic process to go for, in all new browsers if your phone support to socket connection. 

What is an APN? 
Access point name (APN) identifies an IP for packet data network (PDN), that a mobile data user wants to communicate with. In addition to identifying a PDN, an APN may also be used to define the type of service, (eg connection to wireless application protocol (WAP) server, multimedia messaging service (MMS)), that is provided by the PDN. APN is used in 3GPP data access networks, eg general packet radio service (GPRS), evolved packet core (EPC). 
An APN consists of following two parts:  
1. Network Identifier: Defines the external network to which the GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node) is connected. Optionally, it may also include the service requested by the user. This part of the APN is mandatory
2. Operator Identifier: Defines the specific operator’s packet domain network in which the GGSN is located. This part of the APN is optional. The MCC is the Mobile Country Code and the MNC is the Mobile Network Code which together uniquely identify a mobile network operator.
Examples of APN:
internet.mnc012.mcc345.gprs
internet (This APN example does not contain an operator identifier part) 
For right gprs settings contact your operator. OR, 
TIPS: To help you get the right settings, I have created a settings page for almost every phone model and operator in world. Please Click Here to receive gprs settings direct on your phone.
 
How to set correct APN Internet settings for my phone?
To be able to connect your newly installed mobile internet browser such as UC or Opera Mini to the Internet, your phone needs proper internet settings. In general, there are two different settings:
~ GPRS/WAP (This type of gprs profile use to limited or pay per bytes browsing)
~ Internet (This use for unlimited internet access. Its better and give you best for all new mobile internet browsers)
Most of new advanced mobile internet browsers like UC browser and Opera Mini usually needs the Internet setting, and to use the Internet APN.

How do I manually enter APN Internet settings on my phone?
This is differ in all mobile brands, but I'll tells you a common way to do this. 1st go to your Internet Profile Settings menu or Connectivity Options menu. Here you will see options for data accounts. Select New Account option for making a custom profile. Its ask for account type, select GPRS data type. Enter name for account and continues to enter APN here. Leave bank Username and Password fields. In option Internet Mode select HTTP or Wap. Enter proxy and port details here. Mostly limited wap based connection needs to have a proxy address but full unlimited type plans does't need a proxy to access net. Enter proxy and port accordingly, for exp 111.122.133.144 and port 8080. Now enter home page. You can enter any web/wap address her, for exp wap.google.com. Its a common way and with some common sense you can do it in any mobile brand. 

How to enter APN Internet settings on Nokia Series 40 phone?
~Go into Settings.
~Go into Configuration.
~Go into Personal Configuration Settings.
~Now, press Add New (visible if you don’t have a previous Personal Setting created) or press the Options button. When you have pressed the Options button, choose Add new.
~When you have pressed Add New, you will get a new menu, which will give several options to choose from.
~Now, scroll down and choose the Access Point and press Select. (Please note that this option is not available on the Nokia 3220 model and maybe on some more models, you can instead use the Services option instead of the Access Point option on the Nokia 3220.) Do not choose the Web option, in case opera mini, may this will not work with some browsers. Though can try with it also.
~Now go into Access Point Settings.
~Go into Bearer Settings.
~Go into Packet Data Access Point.
~Now, enter you APN address corresponding to your provider. Then press OK.
~Go back to the Personal Configurations Settings menu, where you now should be able to see an Access Point selected.
~Now press the Options button, and then choose to activate this Access Point.

~Go back up to Configuration Settings. Select Activate Default in all apps. In Configuration Settings also set the following:
    Set ‘Default Config. Sett.’ to ‘Personal Config’
    Set ‘Preferred access pt.’ to ‘My Acess point’ (the one created above).
~Now you should be able to start your mobile internet browsers like UC, Opera Mini or Bolt, and try to load a link on your phone. 
If you are still having problems with your Nokia S40 2.0 model of phone, please make sure that you have entered all the required information into the APN setting concerning proxy, user name, password, port etc.  
TIPS: You can see details of Manual GPRS Configurations Here for different operators.
 
I have the right settings, but still my Internet Browser doesn’t work:
There are many mobile phones that require a special configuration in addition to the right gprs settings. Some Nokia phones require you to activate the settings as default in all applications. Similarly, some Sony Ericsson phones require you to set the Settings for Java separately.
 
Does Browsing on Mobile Browsers is Secure and Support Encrypted Connections?
Browsing is secure in most of new advanced browsers. All information sent between your handset and the Web site is encrypted in the advanced version of all newer browsers. But if you need full end-to-end encryption between your mobile handset and for example your bank, you should use a full Web browser such as desktop browsers. 
Mobile browsers like UC or Opera uses a transcoder server to convert HTML/CSS/JavaScript into a more compact format. It will also shrink any images to fit on your mobile screen. This transcoding step makes mobile browser to very fast, small, and also very cheap to use. To be able to do all this process, the browser's server needs to have access to the unencrypted version of the Web page. Therefore no end-to-end encryption between the client and the remote Web server is possible. 


How to protect my privacy and Why auto login when reopen browsers?
None of browser store any of user private information and servers will not store any such data. 
Browser never store your password on the servers. However, server keeps track of any HTTP cookies that are set by any remote Web server. If you return to a Web page (like gmail or yahoo mail) that has set a cookie to keep track of who you are, the server will submit it again. This make easy to login every time without entering username and password. To prevent auto login you can clear cookie in browser's settings.