Sprint has slapped another proxy in-between your cellphone and the internet; thing is, once you find out what it’s doing, you may actually thank them for it.  The carrier is rolling out Openwave’s OpenWeb mobile formatting system, which automatically takes any page requested and reformats it to suit the smaller display of a cellphone or smartphone.  Unlike specific cellphone versions of sites -such as the cut-down MySpace Mobile announced today – the system turns any webpage mobile-friendly, and in doing so apparently speeds up download times. 

“Whether clicking through the Sprint portal or typing in a URL, both new and existing customers can use their Sprint phones to search virtually any Web site and it will appear quickly and in a format they’re used to seeing on their computer screens.  By working with Openwave, we’re making that Internet experience even more customer-friendly and useful by enhancing the ability to translate non-mobile sites onto the mobile phone. While other carriers are just beginning to talk about open ecosystem initiatives, Sprint is continuing its efforts to give customers an even better experience with the Internet that we have always allowed” Kevin Packingham, vice president of wireless product management, Sprint

The OpenWeb system will be introduced over the next few weeks, with users needing to make no changes on their handset to take advantage of the page formatting. 

[via CrunchGear]