Opera Mobile 10.1 Beta is now available for Android handsets. Use the QR code given below or Appbrain to grab it. I have been using Opera Mobile consistently for the past week. I wrote an in-depth review for Techie Buzz. Check it out if you want a low down on the newest Android browser. Here’s a quick summary:
Appearance: Opera Mobile for Android features the same skin we have been seeing in Opera Mini 5 and Opera Mobile 10 for the past year. Looks wise Opera Mobile won’t blow you away, but the user interface is intuitive and makes the browser a joy to use. Unlike the stock browser, Opera Mobile was designed with tabbed browsing in mind and it shows.
Functionality: New in this release is support for pinch-to-zoom. Other than that the core functionality remains the same. You have unlimited tabs, kinetic scrolling, speed dials, sync (bookmarks, speed dials, search engines and visited webpages), find in page, save pages, download manager, search bar and more. Opera Turbo is also present, which compresses webpages to save bandwidth and speed up surfing on slower connections.
Standards Compliance: Opera Mobile is a full-fledged browser that is capable of handling interactive webpages, as well as web applications. It doesn’t pass the ACID 3 test but does a bit better than Firefox Mobile and the default browser. It also comes out on top in the Sputnik JavaScript conformance test. However, when it comes to supporting future looking technologies (HTML5 and related technologies) Opera Mobile still has a lot of catching up to do. Opera Mobile is also the first Android browser with full-fledged SVG rendering capabilities.
Speed: Opera Mobile felt pretty fast during my day to day usage. Nevertheless, it lags behind other browsers (by a huge margin) in popular JavaScript benchmarks like Sunspider. This is due to the lack of JIT support in Carakan JavaScript engine used in Opera Mobile.
On the whole, Opera Mobile is an impressive product. It feels smooth and is a major step up from the default browser. However, it’s not perfect. The lack of JIT support is one thing that bothers me. Also, Opera Mobile requires quite a lot of storage space (more than 22 MB). But, perhaps the most disappointing aspect for me is the lack of any sharing feature whatsoever. I expect my Android browser to allow me to share links on Twitter, Facebook etc. Hopefully, future releases will take care of these niggles.
Cool, Just beats Firefox by a small margin. Updated my build
Opera Mobile is a great browser.
i used this in my cell phone and its really cool. It has many new features and easy navigation.
Any idea when it will come out of beta?
-Jean
I was actually wondering the same thing. I can’t wait till this is releases officially.
– Robert
I have installed opera mobile as well as mini. my gprs is also activated. but on installing opera it says “failed to connect internet” or “you do not have an active network connection.” what should i do.Please suggest.
@Printing, were you able to fix that?
-Jean
This is great news. I have just purchased my android and I am super excited about checking out everything I can do. I am excited I will be able to use Opera as well. These phones just get better and better.
I agree, one day there is nothing they won’t be able to do.
– Robert
Hello! i have a spice dual sim phone and internet is active on my second sim but opera mini works only if gprs is active on sim 1 and i can’t change the sim,it will change all my phones setting.TELL ME HOW TO OPERATE OPERA.
Sounds like it could really turn out great. I wonder if there is a lot of errors during operation since it is in beta.
– Robert
Its good but can not beat Firefox at all.
I would have to admit I agree, Firefox is my browser of choice.
– Robert
I was actually wondering the same thing 😉
Opera Mobile I am told is supposed to allow the viewing of Youtube videos on my pocketpc. What do I need to do to accomplish this. So far no luck.How view flash videos (YouTube) with Opera mobile.Thanks
It is quite nice one.I have used it,thanks for sharing
Just got my android and opera works perfect. Thanks for the share
Opera 11 Alpha with extension is out
Hope my android will give me more satisfaction by opera, but i don’t have any idea about QR code.Will i face any problem for this ?
Really great browser for mobile device.
Opera and android are doing best with each other because I have also this browser in my android and it is best browser for mobile in the comparison of others.
I have used Opera browser and gradually i have been shifted to its advanced versions and currently going for opera mini 7 for my android based HTC mobile phone. Really it becomes the great experience of using opera browser and i love its user friendly interaction. And as far as i have heard whenever it comes to mobile browser, Opera comes first on tongue. Thanks.