Opera takes web browsing to mobiles for free

Opera, the open source browser, has released a final version of its new browser for mobile phones and PDAs

25 January 2006 22:21 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Opera, the open source browser, has released a final version of its new browser for mobile phones and PDAs.

Known as Opera Mini, the company is hoping to increase its market dominance by allowing customers to download the application for free.

The only requirement is that you must have a phone capable of running Java mobile applications and using an internet connection; most phones made since 2001 fulfil these requirements.

Opera Mini also promises fast web access from any mobile phone new and old by compressing web pages by up to 80% and reformating them using something Opera calls Small-Screen Rendering for faster browsing on small, mobile screens.

For the end-user this means, according to Opera, faster browsing and dramatically reduced phone bills for those who pay per KB in data traffic.

Opera Mini's start page features a Google search box for quick access to web search. And the customizable bookmark list makes it easy to save and surf your favourite sites.

Opera Mini is available as a free download by directing the phone's WAP browser to http://mini.opera.com. It can also be downloaded for a small fee via SMS download. Opera Mini requires that the phone supports Java.

Opera Mini is available in the following languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish. More languages will be available shortly.

Readers looking to download the application can check on Opera's site for a full list of supported phones at opera.com