Does your handheld device have a conforming browser? Test it!

[zcorpan]

Hello there.

Some people claim that XHTML is "needed" for mobile devices. I don't buy claims without backups, so I'd figure to find out myself if that's true or not. Perhaps mobiles just treat everything as tag soup? I don't know, but I have my suspicions. Since I don't have many mobile devices around I'd figure I would let you guys test for me. So here are five test cases: http://simon.html5.org/test/mobile/

The pass conditions are in the files, but I'll list them here as well:

• 001.htm: If you see the word "FAIL" anywhere, or if there is an XML parse error, then the test has failed. Otherwise, if you see the word "PASS", then the test has passed.
• 002.htm: If there is an XML parse error,then the test has failed. Otherwise the test has passed.
• 003.xht: If the UA shows a parse error then the test has passed, otherwise it has failed.
• 004.xht: If you see the word "PASS", then the test has passed, otherwise it has failed.
• 005.foo: If the UA asks what to do with the file, or rejects it, or otherwise indicates that it is an unsupported format, then the test has passed. Otherwise, if it is parsed as HTML, then the test has failed.

Point your mobile browsers at these tests and submit results and the device/UA in the comments. Thanks.

Edit:

See results.

[lostseed]

Here is the exact text from each page appearing on my phone. I used the default browser, not Opera Mini or anything (which I erased). Im unsure of what browser is on it, and I dont care to check
Sprint Toshiba VM 4050



001.htm It should say PASS below: </ FAIL>PASS
002.htm This is an HTML document. If the UA shows an XML parse error then this test has FAILED. If there are no parse errors then this test has PASSED. (Just that text appeared)
003.htm This is an HTML document. If the UA shows an XML parse error then this test has FAILED. If there are no parse errors then this test has PASSED. (Just that text appeared)
004.htm It should say PASS below:
005.foo Your phone does not have a handler.

[zcorpan]

Thanks lostseed. That means that your browser supports HTML (but its error handling isn't quite compatible with popular browsers), and that it interprets application/xhtml+xml as if it were HTML also. It does not support XHTML.

[fisherboy]

001.htm It should say PASS below
<?FAIL><!FAIL></FAIL>PASS

002.htm No text after message

003.xht No text after message

004.xht No text after message

005.foo Attempts to download a file. When saving the file it reports file format not supported.

Device is a Nokia 6170 Mobile Phone. It has NOTHING special and works on the 2.5G GPRS network only.

[zcorpan]

Thanks fisherboy. That means that your browser has even more incompatible error handling for HTML than lostseed's, but otherwise they work the same.

[jcraveiro]

Openwave (which is what comes bundled with some Siemens mobiles -- mine is C72):
1: Failed (</ FAIL >PASS)
2: Passed
3: Failed (no parse error)
4: Failed: says nothing where it should read 'PASS'
5: Passed (not supported)

Opera Mini 2.0.3920 (Advanced - MIDP 2):
1: PASS
2: PASSED
3: PASSED
4: PASS
5: PASSED (prompts to download)

[zcorpan]

Awesome, jcraveiro. I figured Opera Mini should pass all tests.

[beingmrkenny]

I have 2 UAs on my phone:

UA: Opera/8.01 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/2.0.4062; en; U; ssr)

001.htm: PASS
002.htm: PASS
003.xht: PASS (Correctly identified the error)
004.xht: PASS
005.foo: The browser didn't know how to handle the file, prompted me to download it.

UA: Nokia5140i/2.0 (03.34) Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLD-1.1

001.htm: PASS (but it displayed <?FAIL><!FAIL></ FAIL> as well)
002.htm: PASS
003.xht: FAIL (Did not throw a parse error)
004.xht: FAIL (no text displayed)
005.foo: Again, prompted me to download the file.

[sayrer]

UA: "Blackberry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100"

1.) PASS
2.) PASS
3.) corrected error
4.) FAIL no text
5.) 406 Not Acceptable ?? (this could be the T-Mobile squid proxy)

[RCanine]

For "SonyEricssonZ520a/R3F Browser/SEMC-Browser/4.2 Profiles/MDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0":

1: </FAIL >PASS
2: PASSED
3: FAILED
4: blank page
5: filetype not viewable by phone (forced download)

[jcraveiro]

Oh, and by the way, the UA String of (my) OpenWave:

SIE-C72/16 UP.Browser/7.0.2.2.d.7(GUI) MMP/2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1

[scjessey]

Using a Nokia 6102i from Cingular Wireless, here are my test results:

Test 1
It should say PASS
below:
</ FAIL >PASS

Test 2
This is an HTML
document. If the UA
shows an XML parse
error then this test has
FAILED. If there are no
parse errors then this
test has PASSED.

Test 3
This document is
malformed XML. If the
UA shows a parse error
then this test has
PASSED. If there are no
parse errors then this
test has FAILED.

Test 4
It should say PASS
below:

Test 5
Asks me which folder to download the file into. After downloading, the phone complains that the file is not supported.

[Robin Lionheart]

I tried using palmOne Blazer 4.0 on a Sprint PCS Treo 650.

The User-Agent was "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/hspr-H102; Blazer/4.0) 16;320x320", which is 4/7 lies.

001.htm: pass ("PASS")
002.htm: pass (no error)
003.xht: failed (no error)
004.xht: failed (no "PASS")
005.foo: failed (attempts to download as file: "Download Warning: The file you are attempting to download is not content from Sprint PCS..."; "Download To Card: ... Your device does not support this filetype. Do you want to download to your card?")

[codelust]

Mine is a MotoRazr V3i

The results:

1 - Pass
2 - Blank Screen
3 - "Page cannot be displayed"
4 - Pass
5 - "Filetype not recognized"

[dankna]

I have an LG VX8100 with software version "T81VZV01", browser version 6.2.3.2.

Test 1 - fail.
Test 2 - pass.
Test 3 - fail.
Test 4 - fail.
Test 5 - fail, I assume; it gives "unsupported content type"

[dankna]

Oh, and my UA is "LGE-VX8100/1.0 UP.Browser/6.2.3.2 (GUI) MMP/2.0".

[zcorpan]

Originally Posted by Robin Lionheart

005.foo: failed (attempts to download as file: "Download Warning: The file you are attempting to download is not content from Sprint PCS..."; "Download To Card: ... Your device does not support this filetype. Do you want to download to your card?")

Originally Posted by dankna

Test 5 - fail, I assume; it gives "unsupported content type"

"Not supported" was the pass condition.

Originally Posted by codelust

2 - Blank Screen

Really? I don't know what to make of that result. It didn't give a parse error, and it didn't show the text as HTML?

[codelust]

Originally Posted by zcorpan

"Not supported" was the pass condition. Really? I don't know what to make of that result. It didn't give a parse error, and it didn't show the text as HTML?

Just checked again.

No error, no HTML, just a blank page.

Very unhelpful.

[theharmonyguy]

Kyocera 7135 with PalmOS 4.1...

EudoraWeb (text browser)
1. Fail: <?FAIL>PASS
2. Pass? No parse errors, but showed the XML prolog.
3. Fail: No parse errors.
4. Fail: Just blank below the first line.
5. Fail? FAIL

Xiino 3.1.4E
1. Pass.
2. Pass.
3. Couldn't handle a document of type application/xhtml+xml - prompted to use an external app.
4. Ditto.
5. Did detect the document type and again said it couldn't handle it.

[zcorpan]

I can also add to the results, having the S60 Emulator:

UA: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Series60/3.0 Nokia6630/4.06.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

1. FAIL (<?FAIL></ FAIL >PASS)
2. PASS
3. FAIL (no error)
4. FAIL
5. PASS (prompts to save)

I thought S60 used WebKit?

I think S60 is what is being used on the other Nokia phones also.

Edit:

Apparently S60 is the platform, not the browser.

[hendry]

Just scanned this after referred over from Anne's homepage.

I did a similar investigation a year or two back for my thesis:
http://iki.fi/hendry/msc.pdf

The mobile tests are here:
http://dabase.com

Anyway, back then I tested every "XHTML" mobile browser I could get my hands on. They all accepted HTML and malformed XHTML. They all were pretty terrible.

IMHO XHTML is a dead duck. Openwave or OMA or whatever they call themselves now are hopeless. HTML is here to stay.

[campey]

On a Samsung D500 default browser:

1: FAILED
It should say PASS below:

</ FAIL >PASS

2: PASSED
No parse errors.

3: FAILED
No parse errors

4: FAILED
"It should say PASS below:

"

5: PASSED
"Unsupported content type"

Opera Mini on D500:
1:PASSED
2:PASSED
3:PASSED (i.e. malformed error)
4:PASSED
5:PASSED? :

Download 005.foo
Filename: 005.foo
Size: ?
--
Warning! The browser may need to exit to download this file. Continue?
Download [Yes/No]

-> Yes -> Does nothing.

[Tailslide]

Sony PSP (Mozilla/4.0)

001.htm - Pass
002.htm - Pass
003.htm - Fail
004.htm - Fail
005.foo - Pass

[zcorpan]

Ok guys, thanks everyone for participating. I've published results. If people want to send in more results they can do so but I won't add any more UAs to the article.

Originally Posted by codelust

Mine is a MotoRazr V3i

Could you please check the UA string for this browser?

[blackboxxx]

Built-in browser of Motorola SLVR L7 (MOT-L7/08.B7.DCR MIB/2.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

1 - PASS
2 - blank page
3 - PASS ("Page Cannot Be Displayed")
4 - PASS ("<h:p>PASS")
5 - PASS ("File Type Not Recognised")

The browser is not Opera Mini, it calls itself "MIB" that probably stands for Motorola Internet Browser.

P.S. RAZR V3i should have the same browser.