Opera Mini 5.1 hits Symbian, moves away from Java
Version 5.1 has been Opera Mini's big push for much of this year, and the release is finally filtering down to Symbian today. The big news, though, is that S60 owners will be able to use a native version of the popular proxy-based browser rather than the Java build they'd been left with previously, so we can assume that the move to native code is probably going to have a positive effect on performance. New features include clipboard and email client integration, the ability to select a default internet access point (so you're not prompted every time), better fonts, and a variety of performance-centric improvements. The beta is available now; follow the break for the press release.
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Nokia smartphones, meet your smarter browser
Opera Mini 5.1 beta for Nokia smartphones makes browsing smarter
Oslo, Norway - October 28, 2010 - The world's most popular mobile browser is now optimized for the world's most popular smartphone platform. Opera Software today released the beta version of Opera Mini 5.1 optimized for Symbian.
The native version of Opera Mini for Symbian features all the innovations Opera Mini is known for, such as Speed Dial for the users' favorite websites, tabbed browsing and an attractive user interface.
The Opera Mini 5.1 native beta release brings several key improvements to the Opera Mini browser on Nokia smartphones:
- Support for more devices than ever
- Significantly faster start-up time
- Improved page-load and scrolling performance, especially on older devices
- Full support for device text input methods
- Improved fonts
- Device integration for copy & paste, email client and more
- Option to choose default access point -- no more annoying dialogs
Previously, owners of S60 handsets were restricted to using the Java version of Opera Mini. The new, optimized version improves performance and is better integrated with other applications. Nokia smartphones based on Symbian are very popular among Opera Mini users, and this release translates into a better browsing experience, while saving on data traffic charges and fees.
"It is Opera's objective to provide its users with the best possible web-surfing experience on any device," said Christen Krogh, Chief Development Officer, Opera Software. "Porting Opera Mini to the Symbian programming language provides the largest user base in the smartphone world with the best mobile browsing experience."
It is available for free on more than 3000 different mobile phone models, in all markets. Available for download at m.opera.com. The beta version will be available in English; other languages will follow in a later release.
Fast facts about Opera Mini:
- The most popular mobile browser on the market
- More than 71 million monthly users worldwide
- More than 36.9 billion pages processed each month
- The Opera Mini servers compress the webpages up to 90%
About Opera Software ASA
Opera Software ASA has redefined web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and other networked devices. Opera's cross-platform web-browser technology is renowned for its performance, standards compliance and small size, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at http://www.opera.com/.
