Another sign of the coming explosion in mobile data and browsing. Google, one of the web’s Big Three has acquired Waterloo, Ontario based Reqwireless. Reqwireless was best know for it’s WebViewer a Java ME browser that works like Opera Mini using a Web Service to transform desktop web content for handheld display. WebViewer worked quite well, loaded in only 51KB and was compatible with many more phones than Opera Mini currently is. WebViewer sold for $20 which included unlimited upgrades and unlimited lifetime use of the service. I don’t think that business model is sustainable as the only way to generate revenue is through sales and each sale adds to the growing long term support costs. About six months ago I knew Reqwireless was in trouble when they stopped selling their products while continuing to support existing users including free transfers of the software from one handset to another. I’m glad to see that Google picked them up as I think that this sort of client server based technology has great potential for delivering a rich user experience to mainstream phones.
It makes me wonder if Google intends to make their own mobile browser to compete with Opera. Google’s agreement with Opera, which makes Google the default search engine on all the Opera mobile browsers is only for one year so I definitely think a Google mobile browser is a possibility. But what I really 
believe is that Google is hoping to use Reqwireless’s technology to come up with something similar to Yahoo’s just announced Go. Yahoo! Go is another powerful client-server mobile application, a Symbian app which provides access to your Yahoo mail, contacts and calendar along with content downloads. It also apparently includes some browsing functionality as there is a search box and News, Sports, Weather and Finance links in the screen shot.
One stop shopping for all your mobile needs – easy for users and a potential goldmine for content providers like Yahoo AND Google. Adding to my belief that this sort of all in one client-server mobile portal is what Google has in mind with the Reqwireless technology is Reqwireless’ other products; EmailViewer, HotViewer and GotMailViewer all email apps using Reqwireless’ client-server architecture. EmailViewer is the general purpose version for POP and IMAP while HotViewer and GotMailViewer which are for HotMail and AOLMail respectively.
I have a blackberry 8800 and i need a wap email software, tried downloading reqwireless email viewer but no luck, can you please guide me, also i would like to download a free trial version before paying for something that might not click as reputed.
thanks
Mohammad,
The best browser you can get for your Nokia 7610 is Opera Mini. It’s a full-web browser like WebViewer but faster and it does a much nicer job with images and page layout. With Opera Mini you can use any chat site. It doesn’t handle downloads directly passes the d/l request to the phone’s browser which works pretty well. Other possibilities are NetFront and Opera Mobile but you have to pay for them and they aren’t as fast or capable as the free Opera Mini.
Hi.I have webviewer 3.2,but i want to have an version,that Browser me wap site,with availablity chat and download bnd some else…I use nokia 7610.Please guide me,thanks.God bless you
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now it works fine again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello, my requireless web has been so excellent for a year or more on my Nextel Blackberry 7520, but yesterday when I select a bookmark to go to, it searches for about one minuite and then states ” connection closed”. Now this is all it will do. I also had a Nextel online icon on the menu that seems to have disapeared as well. I have no more access to the web and I now bum! If anyone has any advice, I’d be incredibly gratefull!! Thanks, Dan
get the email viewer for free at
http://reqwireless.com/wap
enjoy.
i need an answer
there is any way to get abrowser not trogth you network provider?
please email me
I use webbrowser unregistered, it does not matter. Post method has bugs, so I have also Opera. 2 very useful things only in webbrowser are: managing bookmarks folders and managing cookies on the phone (settings, and cookies in contextual menu).
Yeah mini opera is free but reqwireless has more links on it’s page.
hi i have had opera mini for about 3 weeks & it is amazing but now every time i run it i get application error. any ideas?
Greetings,
Stumbled upon this blog via a Google search for “Reqwireless.”
Can anyone suggest a current alternative to Reqwireless’s EmailViewer program?
I currently use EmailViewer version 4.0 in a Motorola V551 on AT&T Wireless’ old network (now operated by Cingular of course) and have been doing so since 2005.
Soon I’ll have to upgrade my phone to a new V557 and move over to Cingular’s side of the network (my employer requires it) and I’ll therefore lose my beloved EmailViewer. I haven’t found anyplace to download a copy into the new since Reqwireless is gone.
Anyway, I’ve been searching high and low on the ‘net for a comparable email viewer program with no luck so far.
Any sugggestions are greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
John L.
Suriya,
There are a few places you can download Reqwireless Browser, for example http://midlet.org/repository/reqwireless/webviewer/WebViewer.jad but unless you have a Reqwireless account it won’t do you any good. You have to have an account to be able to connect through the Reqwireless proxy and Reqwireless isn’t issuing any more accounts. The browser won’t work without the browser. Use Opera Mini if your phone supports it, mini is better than Reqwireless and it’s free.
Dennis
hi,
may be configuring APN names will fix the browse web issue
http://www.reqwireless.com/apns.html
Regards,
Suriya
hi,
what is the Wap site to download the “Reqwireless” web browser?
Regards,
Suriya
By Today the problem fixed ! Great for company that even haven’t any support mail available..
Today my Emailviewer and Webviewer cannot check email or browse web, it seems like problem on proxy1.reqwireless.com and since there is no support I don’t know where I must asking assistance, hope Google not discarding all previous user of Emailviewer and Webviewer, and I hope development will be restarted again…
Yes, thank you; but the problem, you see, is that even if you have the application installed on the phone, when you go to options and then register (on the phone), it trys to connect to their website, but instead comes back with that response of ‘ the product cannot be used or purchase ‘. Any idead around that? I think that link you gave me assumes that the ‘register’ option actually connects through the phone.
Craig,
Here’s a link to the Reqwireless Registration Key Exchange page were they claim you can get a new key when you change phones. http://www.reqwireless.com/keyex.html.
Dennis, wapreview editor
Just wanted to find out how I can redownload Webviewer and Emailviewer to my new cell phone. I just emailed handango (who I intially purchased from), and Google; so I’m waiiting for a response from them; But any ideas or further information you may have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.