Opera To Release Windows Mobile Smartphone Browser

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=41154' target='_blank'>http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/f...pic.php?p=41154</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Opera Software today announced that its revolutionary Opera smartphone browser will soon become available for Microsoft Windows Mobile software. Windows Mobile is a completely new platform for Opera, offering operators, handset vendors, enterprises and end users more choice of platforms that provide outstanding Web browsing on small, restricted smartphone screens. Opera's range of smartphone browsers includes Small-Screen Rendering (SSR) technology, an Opera innovation that enables users to browse regular Web pages for the first time on small mobile screens by reformatting the page and thus eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling."</i><br /><br />The above link is to Smartphone Thoughts, where you can debate the technical merits of using the Opera browser on your Smartphone if you have one. I'm posting it because I've got a million submissions saying "does this mean Pocket PC will be next?" I'd assume it's possible, but I have no data to suggest that it is just yet. I'll be watching as closely as the rest of you. ;)<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> PPCT and SPT reader palmsolo <a href="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6179">wrote in the SPT forums</a> that <i>"I talked with my Opera contact and she said they will see what the market and demand for a Pocket PC version is before they will commit to releasing a version other than for Smartphones. I suggest you email them to let them know you are interested in a PPC version too."</i> So if you're interested, go ahead and email them!

[James Fee]

Great, now all the Opera users can now start complaining about how all the mobile sites don't render correctly in Opera Mobile. :twisted:

[OSUKid7]

Source: 24,971 random peopleDarn, and to think I could have made that 24,972 random people. ;) Was thinking about that yesterday when I heard about this.

[Janak Parekh]

Nah - I just made that number up. ;) It was something like 10 submissions, though.

--janak

[Jason Dunn]

So here's the thing....with 2003 SE and the "single column mode" 99% of the sites are viewable now. So what exactly is Opera going to bring to the table?

[ctmagnus]

Single-column mode for 2003? :p

[Jason Dunn]

Single-column mode for 2003? :p

Hahaha...ok, touche! I hadn't thought of older units.

[James Fee]

So here's the thing....with 2003 SE and the "single column mode" 99% of the sites are viewable now. So what exactly is Opera going to bring to the table?
Maybe you'll be able to read the "non mobile" sites better, but of course you'll have to change all your detection scripts to get opera mobile to see them. And we all know now high maintenance Opera users are. :takethat:

[sponge]

Have you ever used Opera's renderer? It FLIES! I have little doubt they'll get their browser even faster than PIE.

Anyway, a situation like this would be where you set up those goofy p etition online things, or some other page where everyone can get their voice heard at once.

[nuka_t]

i want firefox.

tabbed browsing would be great for ppc's, as well as stylus gestures*, although pressing back/forward buttons with a stylus is a lot easier than with a mouse.



* (C)Copyright 2004 nuka_t inc.

(just in case opera tries to sell that kind of stuff, theyll have to pay me royalties :twisted:)

[James Fee]

Have you ever used Opera's renderer? It FLIES! I have little doubt they'll get their browser even faster than PIE.Yea, most of us have tried it and it does fly on desktops. Lets see how it works on smartphones before we assume anything on speed and compatibility.

[nirav28]

[quote=sponge]Have you ever used Opera's renderer? It FLIES! I have little doubt they'll get their browser even faster than PIE.

it might fly on the desktop, but its slow on the symbian series 60 platform. Actually Netfront Acess browser out performs Opera on the symbian series 60 phones. Of course thats been my personal observation.

Anyone else used opera on a Symbian series 60 powered phone and can chime in with their opinion?

[clach04]

Have you ever used Opera's renderer? It FLIES! I have little doubt they'll get their browser even faster than PIE.Yea, most of us have tried it and it does fly on desktops. Lets see how it works on smartphones before we assume anything on speed and compatibility.

My 2 cents. Opera is WAY faster on my 206 Mhz Zaurus compared with PIE on my 624Mhz Dell X30 so I'd be willing to bet a Mars bar or two that it will be faster on WM2003 :-)

Also Opera has some nice additional features like drag-scrolling of the screen with out the need to use the scroll-bar.

Chris

[welovejesus]

I readily purchased Opera for the Diamond Mako but found it had a memory leak. When the issue was brought to Opera's attention, they did not do anything about it. Unless there has been a minor upgrade, the version (http://www.opera.com/download/index.dml?platform=symbian&man=Psion) still remains at 5.14 (no change from years back).
It would be helpful if Opera's entry into the Windows Mobile market pushed other browsers to be faster and to take less space. Given prior experience with Opera, Opera will not find a place on my Axim X5 any time soon.

[Jereboam]

[quote=sponge]Have you ever used Opera's renderer? It FLIES! I have little doubt they'll get their browser even faster than PIE.

it might fly on the desktop, but its slow on the symbian series 60 platform. Actually Netfront Acess browser out performs Opera on the symbian series 60 phones. Of course thats been my personal observation.

Anyone else used opera on a Symbian series 60 powered phone and can chime in with their opinion?

I use it on my UIQ P900 and as long as you give it gobs of memory (which requires a task manager, there are a few free ones) it does a much better job than the built-in browser.

I, however, will echo the cry for Firefox Mobile...there is an effort in that direction I think. Come on coders!!

J'bm

[dean_shan]

Forget Opera on a smartphone, I just want some form of Mozilla on my PPC.

[Darius Wey]

Forget Opera on a smartphone, I just want some form of Mozilla on my PPC.

Open-source! You could always request it and hope for the best. :D

[Janak Parekh]

Forget Opera on a smartphone, I just want some form of Mozilla on my PPC.
There may be one (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24846) someday. Not yet, though.

--janak