Ericsson's Bowser sets stage for browser-based calling

The forthcoming WebRTC (real-time communication) spec will enable real-time audio and video calls via Web browsers, and Ericsson is hoping to move development forward with the release of Bowser, an experimental WebRTC-enabled browser for mobile devices. In releasing Bowser now, Ericsson Research hopes developers will start experimenting with mobile offerings using the new spec, which is being worked on at the World Wide Web Consortium and the Internet Engineering Task Force. Bowser is available as a free download from mobile application stores for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. "We believe WebRTC is a very important part of future communication solutions in our industry and are excited to provide developers with the first version of our experimental WebRTC-enabled browser," said Kristofer Dovstam, master researcher at Ericsson Research. Ericsson said it also has solutions to enable WebRTC-enabled browsers to easily connect to IMS based communication networks. For more on Bowser, see this release.