Opera Mini vs. iPhone
With over 1 billion page views from phones using the Opera Mini Web browser, could the Norwegian browser developer be targeting the iPhone next?Opera was originally built in 1994 to battle against the heavy hitter that Netscape was. Then everything changed as the mobile landscape grew and Opera began focusing on viewing proper HTML documents on handheld devices. Opera Mini basically connects to an Opera server via a cell connection compresses and reformats content distributing it back to the Mini client displaying content that is closer to what can be seen on desktop computers.
With the release of the iPhone and the Safari browser pulling in the "real" web, many mobile web users are starting to demand this type of content on all devices. This gives Opera Mini a great advantage in the lower end cell phone market. Because lower end devices do not have a browser that displays the web like Opera already installed, they are less likely to use the mobile web. Forget spending $300 for a mobile device, if providers jump on Opera Mini there could be an even stronger demand for Opera Mini web browsing solutions on all lower priced phones.
[via informationweek]
Comments
4
Subscribe to commentsIanSep 11th 2007 7:18PM
Are you joking? I used opera mini (v3 and v4) for several months on multiple touchscreen phones and loved it. But it's not even in the same league as safari on the iphone.
Jarrett KaufmanSep 12th 2007 11:07AM
Firefox destroys Opera, as far as I'm concerned, on the PC, but as far as every other internet-enabled device, Opera rules the roost. On my last phone it was, without question, my browser of choice over the built-in one, and on my Windows Mobile device I use both the Mini and Mobile versions frequently for sites that don't render well in Pocket IE. When they update the Mobile version to include the Mini features I'll probably switch fully.
joshSep 12th 2007 11:35AM
I prefer Opera over Firefox. Nothing against firefox, just personal preference. I also like IE7, so a lot of people may not agree with me.
cody danielsSep 14th 2007 11:43AM
Opera Mini is awesome. As far as on a PC, Opera doesn't require the customization that firefox does.