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Another great development coming from this year’s Mobile World Congress is the launch of Opera Mobile browser to Android. Opera announced in a news release that it will unveil Opera Mobile 10 for Android at Mobile World Congress next week in Barcelona. Hopefully, we will see the Opera Mobile to be somewhat similar to the version for Windows Mobile!
Opera will unveil a host of other Opera-powered devices at its exhibit. Check out the following Opera technology, live from MWC:
Opera Mobile 10 beta running on Android handsets
Any of our Phandroid readers fans of the Opera Mobile browser? Have you used it on your past WinMo device and disappointed with your new Android device without Opera? Let us know, we are interested in who prefers the Opera Mobile browser in comparison to the default or Dolphin brower.
I used to use Opera mini on my WinMo Treo. But after hearing about the Skyfire mobile browser, I switched. Skyfire just seemed to fit better with the small WinMo screen. The Opera Mini browser was outstanding otherwise. I think Opera Mini is also used on the Nintendo Wii, right?
After trying the latest Opera Mini beta and the Opera Mobile beta for UIQ, my hopes are high.
I tried the Opera Mini version for Android and found the UI to be horrible. I know Opera Mobile is supposed to be a big step up from Opera Mini so I’m hoping it improves on the UI. I’ll definitely give Opera Mobile a try when it comes out.
Loved both Opera mini and opera mobile on symbian v5 and far preferred them to the stock browser.
Really looking forward to opera on Android.
one Opera hater here…
I downloaded the Opera Mini 5 beta to my Hero about 3 weeks ago, and find the layout and the UI just excellent. The tool bar at the bottom of the screen means you don’t have to press the Menu button to get to all the options, visual bookmark grid page, settings, navigation, etc.
Pretty quick rendering (partly due to compromising on quality of pics that appear on a page). Zooming is via double tap rather than pinch to zoom.
Only thing is it runs under Java (which came with my Hero) and not as a native Android app, and I find that it’s a battery guzzler.
I don’t use it all the time as a result, but I’ll definitely grab it if they make it a native Android app.
Oh, another gripe. It’s not a native app, so it has its own keyboard, which has really small and narrow keys compared to the normal Hero one.
Opera mini is a workaround for android, is not something that we can say oficial. They have ported the java version to Android, that’s the reason that the gui is so bad.
Opera Mobile shoulbe be great, however we, with our current mobiles, will not be able to download and install it, since Opera is developed in native language, that’s the bad point about it.
Used Opera mini on my Motorola Q running WM5. Switched to Skyfire for flash videos. Dolphin Browser on Droid does all I need, except flash. Waiting for that, more than Opera!
I can’t wait. I love Opera, even the java one. It is real kick butt on my Nokia phones as well. Dolphin and Steel seem ok, but even the ‘pinch zoom’ on Dolphin seems a bit weird, like the text ‘weirds out’ or something.
So what current version works on android 2.0? And where can I get? Can’t wait til
This released
I am currently using a Touch Pro 2 until I get another Android phone (lost my G1) and I really like Opera 10. Skyfire is great as well but Opera renders faster. This will be a nice addition to Android browser selection. Wonder what ever happened to steel though?
@asqwerth : how’d you get opera 5 beta on android? did you use a java emulator?
I kind of like opera mini (4) on the droid as a back up, the gui is definitely not great as you’ve mentioned because it was ported. I’m surprised they haven’t ported opera mini 5 beta to android (as far as I know) because it’s supposed to be better for touch screens.
opera mini is nice because it allows file uploading whereas dolphin and the android browser disable it.
opera mobile was very clunky when I tried it on my WM5 moto Q, but maybe it will be better on android.
definitely anticipating Flash for android more than anything
Freakin’ awesome. Mini just doesn’t cut it, it’s not much of a change from the stock browser. Between this & Fennec, the browser ecosystem on Android is gonna be fantastic. That’ll be a real shining example of the benefits of the freedom Android offers for apps over other platforms.
I used Opera Mobile 10 Beta 2 on my HTC Fuze/Touch Pro. Obviously, it was a drastic improvement over Internet Explorer (actually, no comparison). I also used the latest incarnation of Skyfire (when I still had the HTC Fuze) and found it also to be a capable browser. For a regular browser (user-side rendering), I would have to say that Opera Mobile is the best mobile browser I have used to date. Even on the substantially smaller screen (compared to my Nexus One), the inclusion of browser buttons on the bottom of the screen did not detract from the overall functionality. I personally miss those little buttons (back, stop, home, etc.) in the Android browser. If the guys at Google/Android could add that functionality into the Android browser, I would probably stick with the Android browser. From the speed side, I think the Android browser is as fast as Opera Mobile. I would, however, gladly welcome Opera Mobile onto my phone.
@Max, sorry – didn’t notice your post until now.
If I recall correctly, I downloaded the Mini 5 beta to my PC from the website.
Then I copied it to my HTC Hero phone sd card. Use the main directory, ie, /sdcard
Use a file manager on your phone to get to the file, and press on it.
HTC Hero asks you if you want to open it with Java or with another program. Choose Java and it runs immediately.
But it drains your battery really fast, because the processor is working to run Opera thru Java.
Oh yes, I checked out the Opera Mobile videos, and the Opera Mini 5 beta UI is almost the same as the Mobile coming up soon. I’m not the one who used Mini 4 (never tried it), so I have no idea what the UI previously was; Mini 5 definitely is touchscreen-optimized.
Opera rocks! I’ve used Opera Mobile both on WinMo and Symbian and for many years I’m using Opera Mini for reading news and to save traffic. There is no better browser!
@Chrisrj28 Steel was just bought by Skyfire: http://bit.ly/aHGMnR
Opera is better than any other browser on any platform simply because of how it re-renders text when you zoom so it always fits on the screen. No need to pan around to read things
I love opera mobile, i can have all the same bookmarks synchronized as on my pc which is great. i wish i could have the same on my hero.
http://gizmodo.com/5423467/opera-mobile-browser-is-finally-coming-to-android
I don’t care what others say. I’ve used countless browsers. PC and mobile. Opera is just plain horrible.
All Opera offers over the rest is security and that’s because almost no one uses Opera. It’s like 5th most used browser at less than 1%.
It’s not the most customizable. IE, Firefox and Chrome are more customizable than Opera.
It’s not fastest. Chrome is. And if images are on the web page … Firefox and IE are also faster.
Sorry fanboys and fangirls Opera will never ever be near the top. Hell they whined the most to get the browser ballot in Europe and it still isn’t chosen over the other 4 … sad.
Can’t wait till Firefox Mobile is released for Android. It will blow away Opera in mobile devices too.
Matt totally has his head in his #ss. if opera is so horrible then why is it still the most used mobile browser. The only reason FF, and chrome have skyrocketed is because of the massive advertising google has done. And IE because it comes preinstalled on 95% of all computers sold. Opera has always been the most innovative browser. First to add web search to the title bar, first to make a speed dial, first to sync bookmarks, first to implement HTML5 and WEBM, First to build in email and RSS client. Not to mention Unite. I could keep going but its starting to drag on a little.