Nokia Xpress Explained

Nokia Xpress
Author:Nokia
Developer:Microsoft Mobile[1]
Operating System:Series 40, Windows Phone, Asha Platform, Nokia X Software Platform (Android)
Genre:Mobile browser
License:Proprietary

Nokia Xpress (also called Xpress Browser) is a discontinued mobile browser developed by Nokia and supported by Microsoft until the end of 2015. It came loaded by default with Series 40, Asha Platform and Nokia X Software Platform.[2] It uses the Gecko rendering engine.[3] On Nokia feature phones it was replaced by Opera browser in early 2015.[4]

About

Nokia Xpress Browser uses intermediate Nokia proxy servers to optimize web pages based on the capabilities and screen size of the device. The proxy servers also compress data to reduce data transmission charges for the mobile user.[5] The browser was released for Lumia devices in 2012.[6]

Privacy

Like the Opera Mini, the Nokia Xpress browser decrypts and compresses HTTPS traffic, routing it through Nokia's own servers.[7] This practice seeks to provide faster browsing for users of feature phones and smartphones with lower processing power (and thus lower bills for less mobile data usage).[8] However, as pointed out by researcher Gaurang K. Pandya, this raises serious privacy concerns, because Nokia is essentially "performing Man In The Middle Attack for sensitive HTTPS traffic" and temporarily decrypting user data—which could be sensitive financial information, passwords.[9] The company admitted to the technical details, but stated, "Claims that we would access complete unencrypted information are inaccurate".[10] GigaOm criticized Nokia, which, unlike the Opera Mini, has failed to make it clear that HTTPS traffic will be decrypted during transit. It recommended that Nokia learn from Amazon's Silk browser, which leaves HTTPS traffic unperturbed.[11]

User agent

The Xpress Browser reports the following user agents:[12]

NokiaLumia, Nokia 311: Mozilla/5.0 (Series40; Nokia311/03.81; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1) Gecko/20100401 S40OviBrowser/2.2.0.0.31
Nokia X3-02: Mozilla/5.0 (Series40; NokiaX3-02/le6.32; Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1) Gecko/20100401 S40OviBrowser/2.0.2.62.10
Nokia 225: Mozilla/5.0 (Series30Plus; Nokia225/20.10.11; Profile/Series30Plus Configuration/Series30Plus) Gecko/20100401 S40OviBrowser/3.8.1.2.0612

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Jaatinen. Tiina. Opera to give new life to classic Nokia phones. Lumia Conversations. 26 January 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150128233804/http://lumiaconversations.microsoft.com/2015/01/26/opera-give-new-life-classic-nokia-phones/. 28 January 2015.
  2. Web site: Opera browser debuts on Nokia X Platform. 26 February 2014.
  3. http://www.developer.nokia.com/Develop/asha/platform.xhtml Nokia Developer - Nokia Asha — Platform overview
  4. Web site: Opera browser debuts on Nokia X Platform. 26 February 2014.
  5. Web site: Nokia Xpress Browser FAQ - Nokia . March 12, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130306123414/http://www.nokia.com/global/privacy/privacy/faqs/xpress-browser/ . March 6, 2013 .
  6. News: Viswav. Pradeep. Nokia Xpress Browser Beta Now Available For Lumia Windows Phone Devices.. Windows Mobile PowerUser. 10 March 2012. 27 March 2015. 2 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100923/http://wmpoweruser.com/nokia-xpress-browser-beta-now-available-for-lumia-windows-phone-devices/. dead.
  7. Web site: Opera for mobile . Opera Software . 2013-09-03 . 2010-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100324165317/http://www.opera.com/mobile/help/faq/#security . dead .
  8. Web site: What is Opera Mini? . Opera . https://web.archive.org/web/20100324165317/http://www.opera.com/mobile/help/faq/#general . 2010-03-24.
  9. News: Nokia's MITM on HTTPS traffic from their phone. 30 December 2013. Treasure Hunt blog. 9 January 2013. Gaurang K. Pandya.
  10. News: Meyer. David. Nokia: Yes, we decrypt your HTTPS data, but don't worry about it. 30 December 2013. GigaOm. 10 January 2013. 8 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190408102924/https://gigaom.com/2013/01/10/nokia-yes-we-decrypt-your-https-data-but-dont-worry-about-it/. dead.
  11. News: Auerbach. Dan. EFF Gets Straight Privacy Answers From Amazon About New "Silk" Tablet Browser. 30 December 2013. EFF Deeplinks blog. 19 October 2011.
  12. http://www.developer.nokia.com/Community/Wiki/User-Agent_headers_for_Nokia_devices#Nokia_Xpress_Browser_for_Series_40 User-Agent headers for Nokia devices - Nokia Developer Wiki