One of the best parts, in my opinion, of S60 is the web browser. Though it’s not without a few faults here and there, the S60 web browser is one of the most powerful built-in web browsers on any mobile phone on the planet. Unfortunately, one thing that it lacks in is bookmark syncing. Given that our web browsers are capable of handling nearly any website on the internet, I think it’s rather silly that it’s so difficult – especially for you OSX and Linux lovers out there – to have access to the same bookmarks on your phone that you have on your computer.
Rest assured, we at Symbian-Guru.com have come across not one, but TWO very simple – and free – solutions that are guaranteed to work on *any* desktop operating system you come across, so long as it has a web browser.
The first service is something you’re familiar with – KeyToss Mobile. Once you’ve setup your account from your web browser, along the top of the site you’ll see a bunch of red links, one of which is called ‘Personal Links‘. Here you’ll find a handful of convenient bookmarklets that will automatically add any website to your KeyToss Personal Links module. To access these on your phone, simply login at KeyToss.com and click on Manage Content, at the top right of your screen. Halfway down the page, you’ll see a section called Add Content, and a dropdown list of available Modules. Simply add the Personal Links module, and there you have it! You can now easily access, modify, and add links straight from your desktop web browser onto your KeyToss Mobile page, which is available for any mobile web browser. You can also easily specify if a specific link should open in an automatically-mobilized view, using a handful of mobilization services.
Admittedly, while KeyToss is now my personal homepage, that process is slightly lengthy, and requires a bit of work. You’re looking for something that’s even more convenient? Introducing Foxmarks. This is a MUCH more robust system, though it requires you to install their Firefox addon and setup an account, both of which are free. Foxmarks basically creates a copy of your Firefox bookmarks on their server, and allows you to access that from any web browser. The Firefox addon automatically synchronizes your changes periodically, so that you never have to think twice about it.
A side benefit of Foxmarks, and the real reason I started using it, is that you’re able to install the addon to download your bookmarks onto any installation of Firefox. This means, across my 3 personal computers, all of my bookmarks in Firefox are always the same, regardless of when I last used that computer. If you’re at a cafe or other public place, you can simply browse to my.foxmarks.com to signin and have access to your bookmarks from any internet browser, without needing to install the addon.
The my.foxmarks.com website also has a new mobile version, which works great in the S60 web browser. Simply navigate to the site, login, and boom, you’ve got instant and up-to-date access to all of your bookmarks, right on your phone. It’s really simple to use, and best of all, it’s free, and works on any internet browser.
Now that you have 2 really simple, free ways to access, manage, and add your bookmarks onto your S60-powered smartphone from any web browser, on any desktop operating system, you’re never out of sync with your internet. Personally, I’ll be keeping KeyToss as my mobile homepage, thanks to the quick search box and the other convenient modules, but I’ll also keep My Foxmarks handy, as well.
What about you, which do you prefer, or do you have another method you’d like to share for keeping your bookmarks handy, no matter what browser you’re using – mobile or desktop?
