RIM files patent to boost web browsing on BlackBerry

Research In Motion has filed a patent promising to accelerate network browsing speeds on BlackBerry devices, The Wall Street Journal reports. Filed in September and recently disclosed on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website, the patent outlines employing a proxy server to compress and decompress data transmitted across wireless networks. "Many handheld devices may access the Internet wirelessly with browsers on the handheld devices," the application reads. "Some of them experience inefficiencies in browsing the Internet. One reason is that the data is sent across the air uncompressed. This increases traffic and lowers browsing speed."

Independent technology analyst Carmi Levy tells the Journal that while proxy servers aren't exactly new, they commonly reside in a data center, not on a handheld device. "The fact that they're proposing to put a proxy server on the device itself is fairly radical," Levy said, adding that a proxy server could overwhelm the handset's processing power, hampering overall performance instead of improving the browsing experience. "Presumably, this patent application will allow RIM to make web browsing more efficient while at the same time maintaining the end-user experience."

At its annual BlackBerry Developer Conference in Nov. 2009, Research In Motion promised a new WebKit-based browser capable of full HTML rendering, scheduled to debut "not too far into 2010," according to co-CEO Jim Balsillie. The announcement followed on the heels of RIM's August acquisition of WebKit solutions developer Torch Mobile, creator of the Iris web browser for mobile and embedded devices.

For more on the RIM browsing patent:
- read this Wall Street Journal article